So today I wanted to kinda touch base on the cycle and all that jazz, report what's up and give some interesting information... interesting to me at least, and probably to the other 2-3 TTC moms who read this :)
Yesterday( cycle day 8) I had some weird "break through bleeding" My cervical Mucus was just faintly bloody, which was odd,but the dr said not to worry about it, because lots of women have that problem, though let me tell you, he did seem shocked when I asked him abut cervical mucus! LOL that was too funny! However, it seems that he was wrong, because I just went to the bathroom and discovered that cycle day nine was really 1st day of my period. Either I have super short cycles, or I bleed far too often to be normal, or I have really really long cycles with break through bleeding. QQ
I am sure that you can understand my excitement! Finally being able to really figure out the days that I am most fertile! Who the hell knew your body told you so much? Though the fact that I"m not really as regular as I had hoped.. that is a bit depressing.
I have learned a TON of information from http://www.thefertilityjournal.com/
and from http://www.tcoyf.com/ and if you get no other books I recommend these two, the journal, so that you can chronicle your Journey and the book because of the Invaluable information inside of it!
From the Journal I have learned the value of really tracking your daily fertility, numbering the days, taking the vitamins, checking the cervical mucus, ( I have yet to actually do the basal body temperature thing, though I plan to start Really I do! :P) and keeping your mind on your ovaries, I have learned that this month I will ovulate from the right side of my body, though I normally ovulate from both follicles, and I know that because of a particular cramp I experienced.
I also know that my ovulation will begin eventually, and I might have a more " normal Cycle" than I first thought, which of course, is excellent :) When I say Normal, I do not mean 28 days, I mean that I am not an oddity because I have a longer cycle, like one of the ladies in the book TCOYF, who didn't ovulate til her 37th cycle day! EEEEGADS!
Anyways, on the interesting things I learned from Taking Charge of Your Fertility!
Your vagina is not a safe place for sperm. The Vagina is too acidic for the sperm to live very long, and they break down rather Quickly, which is where Cervical Mucus comes in. Cervical mucus, provides a "vehicle" for he sperm to reach the cervix safely, and then attempt to break into the egg. Semen is made up of sperm and fluid that will nourish the sperm on it's journey.
When the Sperm reaches the egg, they fight to get in, there is a hard protein shell around the egg to protect it from any old sperm fertilizing it.
Cervical mucus goes through what I suppose are best described as phases, I will describe them here
First remember that the first day of your cycle is the first day after your period, Just like the period is at the end of a sentence, so too is it at the end of your cycle.
Cycle day 1 is the same for everyone, on the first day of your cycle there is no mucus at all( though you may feel a slight dampness), and normally there won't be for 2-3 days after your period has ended.
After the "dry cycle" you will start to get mucus, it will flow like a trickle, since there isn't much, it will be sticky, or Crumbly, or rubbery/gummy. The next stage is the Creamy stage, this is the sage where you can really SEE the mucus, and it probably stains your black panties, it will be creamy, like yogurt, lotiony( think Jurgens) or Milky( more like a milk shakes consitency then actual milk though)
and Finally it will be eggwhite time! Here the mucus can be Slippery Clear and Stretchy, or it can me Slippery Streaked and Stretchy, or slippery and clear, but not very stretchy. THIS IS BABY MAKING TIME! AS soon as you start getting the slippery Mucus it's time to start having sex, once a day is what most dr's say, and they do get paid for this kind of thing, the best time, and I mean the absolutel best time to have sex is in the morning, after a full night of cool freedom the tetes are the perfect temperature to produce happy healthy sperm, and your cervix is at it's most relaxed. and willing to accept the sperm. :)
Now here is what I personally find the coolest, and it's hard to express in words. When you are not fertile, and you look at the cervical mucus under a slide, you see nothing butweird looking cells, kinda like with any mucus, right?
your fertile Cervical Mucus makes FERN PATTERNS. This is so freaking cool! It makes the patterns of LIFE! Ferns are gernally accepted as proof that Ground is fertile and will support a forest... so having that very same marker appear in our HUMAN bodies is.. PHENOMENAL and it simply makes my bond with the earth mother that much more... THERE, you know? This is science and spirituality coming together in one, absoultely amazing act.
Anyway, I am done :) Had a wonderful evening of Blogging, with a nice cup of rasberry mocha coffee, and ice water.
I'm going to go read some more now. Will update this baby later! :D
awesome post!
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