Ladies with....

long cycles....I mean how do I even begin to calculate anything if my cycles can go from 30 days plus. Dh and I aren't using BC so I was always puzzled by those who don't have a 28 day cycle

Re: Ladies with....

You really don't have to be too concerned about your cycle days, but when you O and how many days post ovulation you are.

You can use OPKs, temping, CM, CBEFM, etc. to figure out when you O. I had no clue about my cycles until I got the CBEFM and now I pretty much know when I am going to O and when I should expect AF.
It just takes some work

Re: Ladies with....

Thanks

Re: Ladies with....

temping and OPKs def help.

Re: Ladies with....

Believe it or not, 28 days is not the only "normal" cycle length! A normal cycle will usually range from 24-36 days (understand that it can be shorter or MUCH longer, but just in terms of what is the more normal length for women 24-36 is what it's said to be).

That said, the reason your cycle will vary is because the day you ovulate will vary based on your stress level or other life factors. Most women will have a very constant luteal phase (the number of days between the day you ovulate and the day you get your period), which is usually 12-16 days. Luteal phases of less than 10 days can hamper implantation if you do happen to conceive.

So, if you would like to know when your fertile days are, you should strongly consider tracking at LEAST your CM. The reason this can be a strong indicator is because so long as you have EWCM, sperm can survive inside you for upto 5 days (upto 3 days is more likely). So say you have EWCM on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and you BD on only Monday and then ovulate on Wednesday - well, because you had the fertile CM, sperm could very well still be viable and could fertilize an egg on Wednesday.

However, tracking your CM will not tell you exactly when you have ovulated - the only way to tell is by tracking your basal body temperature (taking your temp as soon as you wake up, before you even get out of bed) - HOWEVER, although you will know when you ovulated, you will only know AFTER you have ovulated because you will see that your temp rose a certain amount. And once you can see the change, it's too late to get pregnant.

As mentioned above, you can also use OPKs which will let you know when you are likely to ovulate (12-36 hrs after you get the + OPK). Of course, you could spend a very pretty penny on using OPKs, so you might want to start by tracking just your CM or tracking your CM and your BBT or a combo of tracking your CM and using OPK's.

Re: Ladies with....

I have decently long cycles (35 days and up)...which do fall within normal realms.

I had no clue when I was ovulating prior to just going out 7 purchasing LOTS of Ovulation Kits.

The 1st month is difficult because you over-analyze ever change in color of the test line day-to-day...but the positive result is pretty clear & once you know your LONG cycle...you get a hang of when to test.

I'm sure you can do the same with EWCM & temping...it's just...honestly...i prefer the exactness of peeing on a stick (though it's pricey).

Re: Ladies with....

You calculate normal as if your cycles were shorter. Same thing. I go anywhere from 28-38. It doesn't matter how long, depends on when you "O". It can be annoying if you are not sure when you o'd b/c then you don't know when to test. If I have been around 35 days for a few months. I will wait until cd 35 or 36 to test.