When Nothing Goes To Plan...

It was another one of those months.

We had carefully planned out our schedule. We had an agreed timeline. Then hubby's work threw us a curve ball, a six day roster during our 'Baby Week' - bummer. he assured me it wouldn't have any impact, I told him I thought otherwise. In the end, all that mattered was we didn't manage to dtd even once in that week. We tried to make up for it on the weekend, on the off chance I might have ovulated late. Turns out even that was wrong as AF arrived 3 days early.

That in itself was an unpleasant surprise. I had noticed super light spotting 6 days before AF was due. Still there the next morning, but not even enough for a liner. Thought it may be AF arriving early but when the spotting carried on the next morning, I thought it could be that elusive implantation spotting. I have never, ever, had spotting for 3 days before AF. But now I have, so I seem to have even less idea about what my body is doing than I did before!

It also means that my last cycles have been 33, 36, 33 and 30. This is making it tricky to predict possible ovulation dates. My current app uses all past cycles to give a fairly wide fertile window. Hubby and I are pretty committed to dtd every 2-3 days, so this isn't much of a concern, but we like to be extra sure, and try for an extra session or two, during that time. After reading the experiences and the advice of the lovely ladies on the TTC #1 forum on Essential Baby I am considering starting temping or using OPKs. I don't think either will really suit my lifestyle though! I never sleep through the night, so from what I have read and understand temping wont be very accurate or useful. As for OPKs, many seem to need to be done in the afternoon, and as a teacher I rarely get to the bathroom during the day. One helpful member did mention that she uses them between 5-5.30, that's the kind of time I would be looking at, too.

We are only into our fourth cycle, and I am trying to keep in mind the couples I know who have been trying for much longer. At the same time, many of them are younger and while they keep saying that they have time to wait, I'm really struggling with the feeling that I am running out of time. My next AF should be due around the end of the school holidays. I am thinking of making a doctor's appointment for that time, either for pregnancy bloods, if we should be so lucky, or to talk about other options.

In the meantime, I would love any hints or tips that others have used to pin down that elusive egg - any sharing would be happily welcomed! =]