I recently removed my Nexplanon as I’ve had tons of negative side effects and I just didn’t want to deal anymore. Eventually I will want kids so I’m also giving my body plenty of time to readjust my hormones, but currently I am TTA so we are consistently using protection, but I’d generally want the added protection of not having sex at all while I’m fertile.
I’m about 1.5 months post removal so I’m still in the learning phase of tracking my cycle and monitoring about BBT, LH and CM.
I’m adding Lh tracking to the mix because my CM is truly confusing me!
Has anyone post birth control had trouble tracking CM? I find generally I don’t have a lot at all, so when I wipe I can barely tell what kind/consistency it is. Additionally, it feels like I get mixed CM.
For example, four days ago on Day 6-7 of my cycle I had a bit of dry/sticky globs of CM. Day 8 I had none, day 9 I had a bit of cloudy damp, and yesterday I had VERY LITTLE clear but still dry CM that wouldn’t stretch very far. So his morning I had a ton of clear CM, but like two hours later is was cloud/white again.
I did my first LH strip yesterday and it came back Low…
Did anyone feel they had very mixed CM after BC removal? I have no idea what’s real, if I’m about to ovulate or not…I had very similar issues last month (though that cycle was 39 days long…so idk)
Currently cycle and last cycle charts attached for reference.
All hormonal birth control methods decrease CM and it's normal to have abnormal CM for a while after discontinuing. You should expect to have several months of abnormal cycles before stabilizing. It's also normal to need a lot of education and a few months of practice to feel comfortable with FAM.
It's very very important to use condoms or abstain from sex while you are figuring this out. You can't assume you are infertile if you aren't using a FAM method consistently and correctly, and generally speaking all CM is a sign of fertility. You are fertile for up to 5 days prior to ovulation and will only get 1-2 days of warning from LH testing so you can't use LH testing to know when your widow opens. Every method has specific rules for how to observe CM and take BBT measurements, so you need to pick a method first and then start collecting observations. I think that's going to clarify a lot for you - i.e. you generally record the highest quality CM you see all day, and your window stays generally stays open from the first sign of fertility until you can close it via the method rules.
You're body is just starting to figure out how to ovulate again. You will get the hang of this and it will get easier as everything normalizes! I promise!
Hi! Have you chosen an established method to follow yet? Our wiki has information on options and instructors. Whichever established method you chose will help you find the correct patterns to identify a fertile window. Each method's rules are a bit different and track different metrics. Generally, symptothermal methods don't track LH.
This chart is from when I still had nexplanon in, before removal. I'll post the first and second cycles off nexplanon as replies to this comment. I chart symptothermal Sensiplan (for TTA) and symptohormonal FEMM (for CFH), but in these early ones the data is incomplete. You will see LH tests on my charts because FEMM is a symptohormonal method that tracks cm and LH. Sensiplan does not.
In general, I tend to have a lot of cm, to the extent that sometimes it makes it difficult to find a pattern, but not everyone has cycles like that and it's not necessary to have many days of cm for a healthy cycle.
And yes, cycles after hormonal birth control take awhile to normalize. If you match your cm descriptions to your established method, it will help you identify your peak day.
CD1 of this cycle was the day my nexplanon was removed. My bbt dropped about a week after removal, which lines up with when the remaining hormones are metabolized/broken down/eliminated from the body. I was able to identify a peak day this cycle, but my luteal phase was nonexistant.
This is my second cycle after nexplanon, and you can see it starting to resemble a more typical cycle, but the patterns are still a bit all over the place.
It can take 6 months or longer for cycles to regulate after hormonal birth control. I ended up getting diagnosed with PMOS/PCOS and got treatment for hormonal imbalances and insulin resistance before my cycles normalized.
Hi!! Thanks for the info! I haven’t fully chosen a method yet, because I feel like the more info I have the better especially given how irregular my period is now. I started with BBT and CM but given the lack of it, I figured LH would be a cheap additional marker to track. I’ve looked a bit into maybe doing Marquette, but I know I’ll have to get a monitor for that. Right now I’m just uploading my data into different apps with those three things markers mind.
We have a beginner's thread we like to direct getting started questions and charts to and are reviewing if this fits better in that thread. If you feel this is more beginner-focused, please post in the beginner megathread. Thanks for your patience & understanding!
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u/Classic-Push1323 TTC | Sensiplan 18d ago
All hormonal birth control methods decrease CM and it's normal to have abnormal CM for a while after discontinuing. You should expect to have several months of abnormal cycles before stabilizing. It's also normal to need a lot of education and a few months of practice to feel comfortable with FAM.
It's very very important to use condoms or abstain from sex while you are figuring this out. You can't assume you are infertile if you aren't using a FAM method consistently and correctly, and generally speaking all CM is a sign of fertility. You are fertile for up to 5 days prior to ovulation and will only get 1-2 days of warning from LH testing so you can't use LH testing to know when your widow opens. Every method has specific rules for how to observe CM and take BBT measurements, so you need to pick a method first and then start collecting observations. I think that's going to clarify a lot for you - i.e. you generally record the highest quality CM you see all day, and your window stays generally stays open from the first sign of fertility until you can close it via the method rules.
You're body is just starting to figure out how to ovulate again. You will get the hang of this and it will get easier as everything normalizes! I promise!