Now I am 26 year old woman who has been off the pill for over a year. Initially while I was on the pill I noticed a decline in vaginal lubrication (caused by the hormones in the birth control pills I was taking) and sex became painful and not so much fun to have. Eventually I decided to talk to a doctor about my symptoms and I was told to stay on the pill because my painful sex could be endometriosis.

I finally decided to go off the pill because I was in a committed/ long term relationship and I was responsible enough and ready to deal with any potential pregnancy, plus I wanted sex to stop hurting and I suspected the pill was casing me to dry up. Coming off the pill didn’t offer any immediate relief to my symptoms but I had a feeling it would eventually.

Over time my body has gone back to normal but it has been slow improvements. My cycle lengths are still all mixed up and I have had several anovulatorty cycles since going off the pill. I also just learned that the “average recovery time from the Pill can last up to 18 months. Ovulation can be occurring regularly, but it can still take time for the cervix to heal and produce adequate CM (cervical mucus) for sperm survival. The Pill shrivels up the parts of the cervix where good quality CM is produced, and because the cervix is so delicate – healing can take time.”

Knowing what I know now I can say that I would not go back on the pill to prevent pregnancy because it just takes way to long for my body to get back to normal after it. As a teen it was a good option but as an adult I just wouldn’t want to take it and potentially loose more fertile time. It wold have been nice if I was adequately educated about these side effect when I was a teen seeking birth control.

Did/ do you take the pill to prevent unwanted pregnancy and how did your body respond after you went off the pill? How long did it take for you to conceive? Any thoughts or opinions about the pill and how it impacts your fertility after coming off it?

The post What they don't really explain about the pill.. appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Turns out I’ll be needing to read these books for solutions because my doctor has not offered anymore insight into what is going on with my body. I got my blood test results back, via a little generic note that came in the mail on Friday.

After being told I “am not ovulating” at my annual exam by my doc I went across the hall and the ultrasound tech said I had either ovulated or just passed a cyst. They drew blood and sent me on my way to stress out about what is wrong with me.

Weeks later the result is, nothing… Nothing looks wrong with my blood hormone levels. So did I ovulate or not last cycle?  If so was it on a different day than my chart reflected because we had intercourse on that day and I am NOT pregnant! Are they wrong about my low body weight and my estrogen levels now since my blood results are normal? What is the next step?

Allow me to pause for a moment and scream…. (again this image is not mine, I found it via google images. It belongs to: http://home.earthlink.net/~regina-r/maintain.htm

So, what is the solution? NOTHING! This is why I am not so fond of modern medicine.. they don’t know much and seldom help the situation. So I am going back to doing things MY way which is the natural way. I have no idea why I didn’t get pregnant last cycle if all is working the way it should.. Maybe I was just not the right time huh?

Well, I am still charting and am paying close attention to my cervical fluids.. We are getting closer and closer to fertile looking cervical fluid so we will just try again and see if we are successful. I am eating more foods, trying to get all the unnatural crap put of my diet and will continue to look for natural ways to do right by my body, hopefully it all works.

The post The test results are in, and THEY SUCK! appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

N came with me to the doc today and I am glad he did because we got some weighing news. In addition to not being pregnant my doctor confirmed my suspicions about whacked hormone levels. She even said that I most likely did not ovulate as my chart suggests. Oh and am am still likely to have endometriosis.

My weight may be a factor in my hormone imbalance/ infertility. The other thing that could be causing all this is my thyroid. Right then and there we did blood work to check hormone levels, I got a vaginal ultrasound to check the lining of my uterus. I just ruptured a cyst according to the ultrasound tech and I may or may not have ovulated.

I was prescribed natural progesterone to force my period so that more blood work could be done during the period. I was also informed that I only have 16% body fat and that until I get to 20% I wont have regular cycles.

I am trying to gain 1-2 pounds a week to get me to my ideal weight of 125lbs and I am now waiting for blood test results. Basically I am not pregnant because I am not currently fertile. Nice huh? So that is the update from the doctors office!

I am feeling out of it today and sort of emotionally drained. I am munching on an everything bagel with garden vegetable cream cheese, I’ll have hot pockets for lunch and will snack as much as I can until dinner when we are having pizza. I am trying to gain weight but it is not as easy as eating more..

So, yeah- that is all I have right now.

The post I am home from the Doc… appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.

Today I am outlining the two reproductive hormones Estrogen and Progesterone that are naturally produced by our bodies and how your waking temperature (BBT) provides information about your bodies production of these hormones.

Obviously your waking temperatures can be inaccurately influenced by sickness, fever, the time you take your temperature from day to day, alcohol consumption and many other factors but if you are thorough in noting these occurrence and inconsistencies you will be able to make sense of your bodies function through these temperatures.

Basically estrogen typically results in cool waking temperatures, progesterone results in warmer temperatures. A normal reproductive cycle (from the end of menstruation to the next menstruation period) looks like this:

• A period of lower waking temperatures/ estrogen is present.
• Then a temperature dip followed by an increase in temperature/ progesterone is present.
• After 3 consecutive days of elevated temperature you can confirm that ovulation occurred.
• Sometimes dip in temperature during the high temperature days is noted anywhere from 5-12 days past ovulation (DPO) and this is often referred to as “the implantation dip” which means the woman may have become pregnant.
• The high temperature days (DPO) typically last from 11-15 days and are followed by a decline in temperature (which also means a decline in progesterone) that leads to menstruation.

Some notes about pregnancy and your temperature chart:
If your temperature does not decline after 18 days you are likely to be pregnant. Taking a pregnancy test is recommended if you note 18 days of high temperatures after ovulation.

The two weeks between ovulation and the day you expect to get your period is often referred to by women trying to conceive as “the 2 week wait” because If you had intercourse around your ovulation time you will not know if you are pregnant till the 2 week period has passed.

Taking a pregnancy test during this 2 week period is not recommended, it will often render inaccurate results because the HCG hormone that the tests detect will not be produced until after implantation has occurred and the hormone has had a chance to build up in your body. Implantation can happen anywhere from 5-10 days after ovulation, it does not happen immediately.

A sample chart is available for your to view here. If you are interested in getting an electronic chart like it or want to find out more about charting your fertility I would encourage you to use the sign up link at the top of the chart.
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Did you know?

• Excessive creamy cervical fluid is noted in pregnant women and it often concerns women because they don’t know it is normal and common.
• High temperatures during menses (your period) is normal.
• Not all women experience a temperature dip before ovulation, this is normal.
• The only way to predict future ovulation is by observing your cervical fluid. Eggwhite, stretchy cervical fluid means ovulation.
• Charting your fertility signs will help you to know what is going on with your hormones and it can help your doctor diagnose any hormone imbalances. Charting is beneficial for those trying to prevent pregnancy, achieve pregnancy and it is even beneficial for those who are approaching or experiencing menopause.

The post How charting your temperature can give insight about your hormones. appeared first on Updates from Ryder Family Farm.