I dreamed AF came :(

I have heard that lots of women dream about babies when they are pregnant. And I dreamt I had my period. ????

I know I can't take this seriously but just thought it was interesting. This dream actually kinda freaked me out because it was me in the dream not like I was watching myself.

I must be projecting my fears in my dreams. I am now 6DPO so I have over one week more to go before I find out.  

BBs are sore and nipples are sooooooooooo sensitive. Also am having mood swings. One moment I'm the happiest girl alive the next I feel suicidal. Bahhh.. Not much of cramps, slight twinges here and there and creamy CM.

I hope I still have a chance of getting preggers this cycle.  

Anyway I googled period dream interpretation and got this:

It is a common dream for women and its interpretation is mostly positive. Dreaming about having your menses can be a symbolic of releasing tension and worry. Women are often concerned about their reproductice system (ie. pregnancy, sexual relationships or their body's time clock). Parallel to the menstrual cycle there is a monthly emotional cycle that most women are aware of and experience. During the time of menstruation there is a release of anxiety and an attainment of emotional balance. As a dream symbol it suggests that some difficult times may be over for you and that you can relax. On occasion this dream suggests a loss of energy and disappointment.

Implantation Bleeding

Many women like myself scour their BBT charts for ovulation, early pregnancy or implantation signs. One of the more commonly looked for implantation signs is an implantation dip. But is an "implantation dip" a real sign of embroys implantation? Is it a genuine sign of early pregnancy during the tww?

As per my previous blog entries, ovulation can be detected on a bbt chart by slight shift in temperature mid cycle. An implantation dip is a one-day drop in temperature on a bbt chart, occurring about one week after ovulation. The dip appears during the luteal phase which is the time between ovulation and your expected AF. Implantation of the embryo usually occurs between 7 and 11 of the luteal phase and this is why some people attribute this suddent one-day dip in temperature to implantation. 

Implantation bleeding is also called implantation spotting. Implantation bleeding or spotting does not usually look like a regular menstrual period but is scanty and usually a pinkish or brownish discharge. The closer to the day when AF is supposed to begin that the bleeding is noticed, the less chance of it being implantation bleeding.

Having an implantation dip occurs usually when you are pregnant, but please note that it is not a reliable symptom of pregnancy. Of course women can have the so called implantation dip when they are not pregnant, and plenty of women who are pregnant do not show an implantation dip on theor BBT chart.

When the egg is released from the ovary, it travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. If the egg meets up with a viable sperm during the trip and the egg is is fertilised, it will attempt to implant in the lining of the uterus. Once implantation happens the blastocyst becomes the embryo. Due to the blood rich nature of the endometrial lining, a few drops of blood could move through the cervix and down the vagina. This blood is referred to as implantation bleeding. Usually blood pregnancy tests will become positive within 3-4 days after implantation and HPT tests usually becomes positive 4-5 days after implantation. If implantation is not successful, the egg will flush out of the body with the normal menstrual flow.

Some signs of implantation or possible pregnancy include:

• Implantation cramps - small cramps inside the uterus
• Implantation spotting or bleeding - short brief spotting (a couple of drops of light or dark blood)
• A second temperature shift on the BBT chart
• A temperature dip at about 7 to 10 days after ovulation

 All sounds very exciting so i'm fxing that i'll be able to experience implantation bleeding this time around.

CD17 Fertility Chart

Ta-Da! Here’s my freaky chart! Don’t exactly know what happened but yesterday my temp dropped the lowest low. Actually the right temp is actually 33.21C but FF could only allow me to put in 34C as the lowest!

CD17 - Take 1

This morning however, it went up again to a more favourable 36.28C. I initially uploaded this chart on a TTC forum I’ve been participating in and was advised to remove the freaky temp yesterday. This is the result. Ta-Da!

CD17 - Take 2

 

So based on this chart, I ovulated on CD13 which may actually be right. I thought I would have ovulated on CD12 but oh well I’m crossing my fingers that we BD’ed enough. Wish me luck!!

CM and everthing about CM

CD16 and guess what? Getting discharge which looks a lot like EWCM.. weird? It will be weirder when I show you my chart which I will try to post later today or tomorrow.

I have learned that its nearly impossible to predict the exact time of ovulation with just your CM observations. HOWEVER, EWCM, especially in the middle of your cycle usually means that you're very fertile at that time. Whether that means you will be ovulating soon or have already ovulated and that the egg is still viable. 

BBT charting is not 100% accurate too!

So the most important thing to know is that you are most likely fertile if you're having a certain type of CM. You would obviously have to monitor your basal body temperature and even to get an ultrasound to truly know if and when you ovulated.

As a woman's body moves throughout her monthly cycle, the consistency of her cervical discharge also changes. The changes in the mucus that is secreted from the cervix reflect where you are in your cycle. 

CM refers to a jelly-ish substance produced by a woman's body during her monthly cycle. CM helps the sperm to survive once inside a woman's body and helps the sperm get to the egg so that the egg can be fertilised. CM also protects sperm from the acidic content of the vagina. The acids in the vagina typically will stop sperm from moving. CM provides a place for sperm to go where it can be protected from these acids. CM will often detect sperm that are abnormal and slow them down, keeping them from getting to the egg and causing conception. 

Cervical fluid is produced by your cervix as you approach ovulation due to increased estrogen. It flows from the cervix into the vagina where it can easily be observed.

Before collecting a sample, be sure to wash your hands in order to prevent the transmission of germs. The most common ways of collecting CM sample are:

• Inserting your finger into your vagina and collecting some CM
• Using toilet paper and the entrance of your vagina and analysing the CM collected that way
• The most accurate way to collect (so I heard but haven't tried it myself) is to insert your finger into your vagina and circle your finger around your cervix or as close to the cervix. This will allow you to actually collect the CM instead of just it's wetness. 

• Monitoring the changes in CM is the only method I know of that will not require looking back to the past few cycles for analysis and also provide reliable results that you can trust when TTC. 

Before ovuation (low chance of pregnancy) - Usually the first few days following menstruation, there will be little or no discharge present. You will fry dryness around your vagina. During this time, chance of getting pregnant is very low.

Approaching ovulation (chance of pregnancy) - The first discharge that does appear should be moist or sticky and should be white or cream in color. In the finger test, the CM should break easily. You will only be able to pull your fingers about 1cm apart before it breaks. During this transition time, first the CM will become cloudy and slightly stretchy during the finger test (this means that it will still break before the fingers are stretched all the way). As time progresses, the CM will become greater in volume.

During ovulation (high chance of pregnancy) - Cervical discharge will appear mroe loose, stringy and slippery, much like th consistency of egg whites. Finger testing will allow the CM to stretch quite a bit (several cm) before it rbeaks (if it breaks at all). The amount of this thin CM will steadily increase until you experience your "mucus peak" which is the last day of this period where the chance of conception is high. It is closely tied to ovulation. During this phase, the sperm's survival rate is higher. It can survive in CM for up to 72 hours, a significant longer time than during the rest of the cycle. 

After ovulation (low chance of pregnancy) - After ovulation, there is a marked chance in CM appearance. It returns to the sticky stage (does not stretch during the finger test) and there is again a feeling of dryness around the vagina. 

Here are some pictures (I found on the net) as a guide to see the difference between the types of CM. Warning: Images are very graphic. 

EWCM

 

 

 

Creamy

 

 

 

Sticky

Watery

TTC and x ray

Sometimes I think I’m dumb. LOL

I went to see a GP a couple of days ago – to be specific on CD11. I’ve been experiencing really sore ribs and thought I should get it checked out. The doctor suggested that I go for an x ray just to make sure as she couldn’t really pin point what exactly was wrong with me.

So I went.

It’s been known that x rays are dangerous for your baby in utero. The vast majority of pregnant women will not even think about having an x ray.

Well of course I wasn’t pregnant.

But after the x ray as I was on the bus on the way home, I started thinking. Are x rays OK when you are ovulating or TTC?

As usual, I searched the net for answers. And I meant SEARCHED.

Came across a really good article:

According to the American College of Radiology (ACR) if you should have an x ray just prior to conception, there is no risk to you or the soon-to-be-baby. If you were to have an x ray in week 3 or week 4, the risks are probably zero at less than 10 Rads. Greater than 10 Rads indicated a possible miscarriage. In weeks 5 through 10, but between 5-10 Rads they say, “Potential effects are scientifically uncertain and probably too subtle to be clinically detectable.” Over 10 Rads and the chances of malformations increase with the dose. In weeks 11 through 17, at the 5-10 Rad dose “Potential effects are scientifically uncertain and probably too subtle to be clinically detectable.” Though ACR notes that you can have IQ damage over the 10 Rad mark, increasing with exposure. Once you hit weeks 18-27, you don’t see issues with x rays until you hit the greater than 10 Rad dose, “IQ deficits not detectable at diagnostic doses.” After week 28, the risks are the same to the baby as the mother. Doses less than 5 Rad are always considered to cause no issues at any point in pregnancy.