I haven’t had a period in more than four years now.
When I was in my 20s that would have been the dream, and in fact, when I was in my 20s I used to use The Pill to skip 6 – 12 months of bleeds at a time, thinking it was great.
And then…. Trying to conceive hit.
I was the crazy type A person who started tracking my ovulation a few months BEFORE I started TTC and used primarily my Basal Body Temperature thermometer.
For anyone out there who is using their BBT for tracking, here’s a few things you might want to know:
- You’re supposed to do it as soon as you wake up, without moving and getting up at all, and leave it there for about 10 minutes
- I almost NEVER got that lovely rise and fall – it never looked beautiful like that, even though once I started at a fertility clinic I had confirmation that I basically have a dead-on 27-day cycle with ovulation at day 13 (as I had suspected)
- BBT rise happens AFTER ovulation, so don’t use this to check WHEN you should have sex – this can only be of assistance for future cycles and only also if you have a regular cycle
- Checking your cervical mucus (provided you drink enough water regularly) can actually be an incredible mechanism (which can tell you when you’re ovulating), especially when combined with BBT tracking
And my thoughts on my period really morphed once I started trying to conceive. Firstly, I realised the power of our cycle (which isn’t just our period – it’s that whole period of ups and downs, feeling extroverted and introverted – the natural flow of being a woman), but also longing to have that period, because each month it was a chance to create our family.
And then…. Plot twist.
During childbirth to have our second ICSI miracle bubba, my uterus completely lost the plot. Its a long story but I had a hysterectomy.
And while it’s great that I can now wear white pants 365 days of the year (wink wink), I no longer get a period. But… I do ovulate because I still have my ovaries (seriously – see my free ebook in the library if you want to understand it all).
And so you may think I don’t care about when I ovulate.
But as I grow more in tune with my body, I have begun to notice distinct ‘seasons’.
Over the month there are times when I feel so energised and confident. I’m on fire at work and everything is great.
And then, there are times when I feel so introverted. I don’t want to go out. I feel less confident and slightly more anxious.
And I feel this is my cycle.
But I don’t know.
I was also speaking with my friend, Devon (who has also had a hysterectomy) and she said the same thing. When you don’t get a period, it can be quite disempowering because you don’t have that intimate knowledge of what is happening in your body.
And so, I’ve wanted to track my ovulation again.
And since I don’t get a period, it hasn’t been as easy as just tracking on a calendar.
I need something more concrete than that, and in my life these days, I’ve just become a convenience freak. I am just not available for things that are hard or demanding anymore. I don’t care if I have to pay a little bit more for all the parts, bits and pieces to fit together.
I feel completely allergic to tracking my BBT now, and when I was trying to conceive I also tried these cheap trackers from eBay. Don’t recommend it. I don’t think I got one accurate result from them, and I purchased like 100. Whether that’s because my LH surges at a lower level, I’m not sure, but for that reason, I also wanted something that measured MORE than just a yes or no for LH. I wanted something that could measure the level of LH.
Did you know that studies have shown that approximately 57% of people got their ovulation wrong? I believe it. Sometimes it’s bloody hard!!!
I’ve been trialling the Mira Fertility Tracker and partnered with them to give y’all a discount too!
If you want to know more about them you can click here.
But essentially:
- It measures your actual levels of LH and tells you when you’re approaching your surge (which is helpful for knowing when to start having sex) and also helps if you have lower than average levels of LH. The new Mira Fertility Plus Tracker measures both LH and E3G. To find out more, click HERE and look for the new Mira Fertility Plus Starter Kit.
- They have FDA approval to measure estrogen too (and the wands are available for presale already) with progesterone on the way too. I’m seriously so excited for this!
- I can wee, plug it in and then do my thing, and then check what it said later.
- It syncs with your phone on a custom app and you can track it ALL there – the reminders are what I want!
The day before yesterday I was tracking at 4.7ml/L. Then, this morning I was 3.03ml/L – and this probably fits in with what I suspected. If I had to take a stab in the dark I’d say I ovulated around Friday 15th (a week ago). I’ll probably test again in a week or two (but measure my cervical mucus along the way) – if next week I’m feeling just insular then this will support what I’m thinking.
So far, I’m loving having it all sync together.
If you’d like to check it out for yourself, head here and enter the coupon code fertilitywarriors to receive a $25 discount.
Also, make sure you’re following me on Instagram to join along.
Listen here.