The C Word

Not See You Next Tuesday.
Although, that may be what people may be calling me once I start this next cycle's MEDICATION.
Oh yes folks....we have sped past all attempts at anything that would be considered a natural take on getting knocked up and have hit the door labeled medicated.

Clomid, to be exact.
So here we are.
Ye Old Hag made her ever-loving appearance that she likes to do...right on time, even though I had a glimmer of hope that maybe having the pipes cleared out would make a dent in my abilities to get 'er done au natural.
Um.....not so much.

I kind of had a feeling from the beginning that I would need some sort of medical assistance to get things in gear. Unfortunately, that comes with a pretty extensive list of exams and tests before you are given the green light to start using said drugs.  So we did all that junk and the good news came back that we aren't broken to the point of no repair....just me, sorta.

See, my cycles are on the shorter end. Not too short, but not your pretty little 28 day cycles.
They tend to range between 24-27 days, but mainly falling at either 24 or 25 days.
So I get a few more periods per year than your average lady....aren't I lucky?
Anyways, the good news is that ladies that have periods lasting as short as 24 days can still have healthy pregnancies, just as ladies having really long cycles can do the same.
The key is the second half of your cycle.

Let's drop a little knowledge.
(I am basically your very own Googles because this is all I did for two years leading up to these lovely pills I am about to shove down my throat- twss. You're welcome.)

-A perfect cycle is 28 days with ovulation occurring smack dab in the middle, on day 14.
-Most women don't have perfect cycles. Shocking. I am one of them.
-Cycles can range from 23-35 days and still be considered "normal."
-Each cycle is separated into two phases, the follicular phase and luteal phase
-The follicular phase starts with Day 1 of your cycle (first day of bright red blood) up until the big O
-O day is it's own thing. It's not part of either phase.
-One way to determine when O day is approaching is to check for fertile mucous. Gross, I know, but in a way, it's key (it actually doesn't help me, but it should for people with more normal cycles).  Right after your period, CM will be dry or tacky, with very little that is apparent, either on toilet paper or with internal checking. As O day approaches, the CM will change from tacky, cloudy, and scant to abundant, slippery, and clear. Then O day happens and immediately after, CM goes back to scant. It will become thicker, clumpy, and cloudy until your next period. (See...told you it was gross)
-The luteal phase starts the day after O day until the day before your next period
-Both phases do not have to be equal in length, but it is important that the luteal phase be within a 10-14 day range.
-The follicular phase can vary in length, anywhere from 6 days or more. It can vary with each cycle and is still considered normal. The luteal phase is always consistent with each cycle, give or take 1 day.
-The most ideal numbers in that range is 12-14 days in length, although 10-12 is still ok during a luteal phase.
-Anything below 10 would be considered a luteal phase defect. It is a defect because even if the sperm meets the egg and they get all friendly and fall in love, your uterine lining may not have had enough time to build up a cozy nest for the egg to settle into and therefore, would trigger it to shed and bring on your next period.
- Once the egg is released on O day, it travels down the fallopian tubes and floats into your uterus. This period typically takes 7-10 days, although just before or just after are not uncommon either, giving a total range of 6-12 days.
-As you can see, if the egg takes an average of 8 days to make it to your uterine wall to implant, and your luteal phase is short, say 9 days, there isn't enough time for the little guy to bury and make itself at home because your bitchy period is all, GET OUT! and forces it to leave.
- This could also be the case for those people whose luteal phases are 10-12 days. The lazy ass egg could take up to 10-11 days to get where it decides it wants to live in your lining, and it could be too late.  The lining may not be thick enough, etc.
- Once implanted, it immediately starts to become a little person.  It takes approximately 3-4 days after implantation for it to show up in a blood pregnancy test, and another 3-4 days to test positive with a urine test. Hence, that whole asinine claim that you can test positive with a urine test a week before your missed period is usually bologne unless you have a perfect 14 day luteal phase and implant early, on day 5-6. And even then it would probably be pushing it. It's always safe to just wait until the day your period is due or the day you missed.

So how do you know when your period is due?
Tracking, my friends. It's time to get all OCD with your cycles if you want to catch any trends and forecast for any potential problems.

That's me. Miss OCD.
What I found out through tracking is that my cycles is that I average a 25 day cycle.
My luteal phase is typically 12 days long.
I bleed for 4 days, followed by 2 days of spotting.
What little fertile CM I do actually get, tends to happen and then go away up to 2 days PRIOR to O day, meaning on O day, I have nothing to offer. This is probably a problem.
I tend to O around day 13 or 14.
With temping, I notice there seems to be a delay, almost, between when I SHOULD be ovulating vs. when I actually do it, like the hormones need a kick or something.
The day of ovulation, your temps should spike down, followed by a spike of .3 or more upward, and stay up for 3+ days, to confirm ovulation.
Mine is a more gradual sloping upward. Again, could be a problem.

My personal feeling is that I am doing everything I should be doing....just not well enough. It's almost like my hormones need a kick in the ass to get in gear or something.

Enter Clomid. (and all it's lovely side effects)
I am starting my first cycle now. You only get so many cycles in a row to make it work because Clomid is kind of messed up and could mess you up.
And...the chances of twins are upped to 10% per cycle. Je-sus.
So bring on the menopausing symptoms, I suppose. I can't wait for the hot flashes, night sweats, general irritability, and possible weight gain to happen. I hope none of that actually happens, but after my run in with the labor drug, anything is possible.

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So what else is new?
You may have noticed the new tab up top with the title, #trackthetank.
Candra and I came up with a crazy idea to include a bunch of bloggers all over the U.S. and a giveaway.
It's kind of like that movie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but with a workout tank.

We made a custom tank top, with the hashtag, TrackTheTank, and had it shipped to Candra.
We gathered 25 additional bloggers.
Candra signs the shirt, takes a selfie and uploads to IG or Twitter with the hashtag, #trackthetank.
She then ships it off to the next person on the list. The tank will be making its rounds all over the US.
Each lady that receives the shirt gets to then write a post about "What Motivates You" to stay in shape, stay healthy, commit to be fit, whatever.
And you folks get to follow along!
At the end of the journey, it will end up in my hands, and will probably have accumulated a few extra goodies along the way.
We will do a GIVEAWAY to one lucky winner to receive the tank top and all the other stuff that came along for the ride.
Pretty cool, huh?

We encourage you to follow along with this journey, and you will always to be able to catch up on where the shirt is at by clicking the page above, or just be lazy, and click HERE.

The tank top started in New Hampshire and just landed in Maine. Here is the list of bloggers that are participating in the order of the journey!

Candra @ Camo and Lipstick

Erin @ She's a Big Star

Angela @ Mean Ang

Kristin @ Hopelessly Ever After

Jasmine @ Fleurty and Fit

Valerie @ Fab Chick Gets Fit

Amy @ Crazy Wise Woman

Amy @ Getz Girl on Fire

Brittney @ Brittney, Breaking Free

Lindsay @ Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilettos

Aubrey Leigh @ ALG Uninterrupted

April @ Overextended April

Crystal @ Crystal Michelle's Mess

Alma @ Can I Borrow That?

Brandi @ Mama Laughlin

Rikki @ Momma's Got a Dude's Name

Erin @ Happily Obsessed

Darci @ Strongly Feminine

Tracie @ Tracie Everyday

Erin @ Homemade Happenings

Bridget @ Life as Bridget Knows It

Bailey @ Bailey McKenzie

Nicole @ Beautifully Awkward

Kati @ She's a Jewell

Christine @ The Chapters of our Life

and finally, me.

Phew, quite a journey!! But it will be fun and a great way to stay motivated in our fitness journey through November, when the giveaway will commence!

Stay connected!