The End.

Well, I realized that I kind of left my blog hanging and wanted to come back to give it some closure. The bottom line was that I stopped doing lunaception because after trying it for months I really saw no results what so ever. I was disheartened to say the least as I really had put a lot of faith and research into the method and I followed the steps to a T. My cervical fluid only showed minimal improvement and I still had prolonged breakthrough type bleeding (like for 2 months straight) and long cycles, even after months of doing lunaception. I think I ovulated once within a couple of days of using the night light, but with inconsistent results, I'd say it was a fluke.

So all in all, after doing lunaception for 7 months, I would say that lunaception did not deliver what it promised and so I am moving on to trying new things! I still want to be able to use natural family planning and get my cycles back on track. I'm thinking of doing a healthy-diet overhaul. If I find something that works, I will post it here.

Good luck to all of you!

Mo 4 Wk 2 (Cycle 2 CD 38)

Well, I was waiting until I ovulated to update but since it's already been 3 weeks since the last time I posted, I figured I might as well do it now. Unfortunately, there isn't much to say.

After I slept with the lights on during the full moon, I did notice some more EWCM for a couple of days but I still didn't ovulate. I did have a temp spike on cd 21, the day after I last slept with the lights on, but it wasn't sustained. I'm not sure what caused it but I do know that ever since then, my temps having been higher than the begining of the cycle ranging from 97.0-97.3 as opposed to 96.7-97.1. Last cycle I had the same thing happen too. I had a temp spike that wasn't sustained and then my temps were higher afterwards.

I've noticed they've also been fluctuating less as you can see starting cd 24. I don't know whether to take this as a sign that Lunaception is working or not, but the main thing Lunaception is supposed to do is make me ovulate and thus far it seems to be failing me.

CD 18,19,20 I slept with a light on and when I still haven't ovulated 2 weeks later, I decided that instead of waiting on another full moon I would just do it now since Louise Lacey says you can try sleeping with the lights on again after 2 weeks. I did it on cd 33, 34, and 35 but this time it didn't even seem to give me EWCF, at least not as much as last time. It's cd 38 now and I'm still waiting on ovulation. If I ovulate today, then my cycle would be around 53 days long. I've been doing lunaception since September! I thought they would have shortened by now. *Sigh*

Speaking of EWCF, I don't think I've really noticed a big difference since I began my little experiment. I still have no dry days--very frustrating when you have long cycles and you want to avoid having kids. It just means my husband and I have to use protection everyday pre-o.

Full moon is in a little less than 2 weeks. Hope to have some news until then!

Mo 3 Wk 4 (Cycle 2 CD 17)

Not a whole lot has been happening these past few days. My temps though do seem unusually low...I don't know if that because of Lunaception or maybe a thyroid issue...I hope by next cycle it's better.

As far as CF...I think Lunaception has been helping to produce more EWCF, but I haven't seen it do much at all for the other types like dry, sticky, and creamy. I still don't have any days with the first two. I had some EW on the 12th...not sure why as I only had it again like 5 days later. I'm hoping I get some today too because tomorrow I sleep with the light on. It's a full moon on the 19th. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I ovulate on one of the days that I use a night light. It would make me oh so happy lol, especially since last cycle was so long. I definitely want this one to be shorter.

Wow...I think this is my shortest entry yet! Well I hope I have good news for next time!

Mo 3, Wk 3 (Cycle 2 CD 10)

I think the length of my period this time is another confirmation that I ovulated. Again, maybe it was just time after 139 days, but I can't help but to think that using the light for the first time after 3 months was a contributing factor because I ovulated 3 days after the last night that I slept with a light.

I was a bit disappointed with the length of my period because it was heavier than usual in the beginning so I thought it was going to be shorter, since Lunaception can do this to your cycles, but no, still 7 days.

My temps have also been pretty steady these past few days, but they still seem on the low side for me. It makes me think that my thyroid isn't functioning as optimally as it could. But I don't know how to fix it and nor do I want to introduce any variables right now into my experiment. I guess for now I'll just ignore it.

So this month the full moon is on the 19th. Only 8 more days to go before I start sleeping with the lights on.

In regards to CF, I still haven't really seen a change in this part of the cycle. I still feel like my CF is watery and Egg White (EW) when it's supposed to be dry. I was hoping Lunaception would clear up my obscure CF pattern. Maybe next cycle?

In regards to symptoms, I don't think I've been feeling any different. Some people complain of vivid dreams when they begin doing Lunaception but most of them are sleeping with eye masks instead of a dark environment. I think the eye mask may have something to do with it. A while back I slept with an eye mask for a couple of nights and those nights I did have very vivid dreams. However, with sleeping in total darkness I've never experienced that.

Cycle 1 (146 Days, O=CD 140)

Current Status: Day 101 of Lunaception

I think I FINALLY ovulated! I can't say with 100% certainty but it looks probable....

The day after my last post I started spotting again, Christmas eve no less. I had 2 temps that I marked as disturbed because I had a fitful sleep and thought the temperature was higher than usual due to that. The day after my last post I started spotting again and thought it was all going to be down hill from there, so imagine my surprise when I notice my temperature starting to creep up! Now, my luteal phases are usually 14 or 15 days and my temps usually go into the low 98's, but it has happened once before (in 2008) that I had an 8 day luteal phase and my temps were pretty much in the same range you see on my chart above (the 26th - 31st). So a 6 day luteal phase, after such a weird and long cycle looks plausible, especially since my temperature dropped when the bleeding really started coming. A progesterone deficiency looks like a possible explanation for the short L.P.

I'm pretty sure the bleeding that I got on 1/1 was my period because it was much heavier, and continues to be heavy, than any of the days that I previously had a period like flow in this cycle. This might actually be a +1 for Lunaception and I'll explain why a little more down below.

If this is the case, then I ovulated 3 days after last using the light for the first time after my 3 months of darkness (or 4 days after the full moon). It could have been a fluke...after all I was on CD 139 and maybe it was just time, but I did notice an increase in EWCF on all the days I used the light. We'll just have to see during the next full moon.

So here's the summary of this cycle:

1st Lunaception cycle data:

• Total length: 146 days (-1)
  
• Ovualtion: CD 140 (3 days after last using the night-light, or 4 days after the full moon) (+1)
  
• Luteal Phase: only 6 days and period came 3 days before new moon (-1)
• lots of EWCF after sleeping with lights on (+1)
  
• No back pain when getting period (+1)
  
• Very heavy flow (+1)

Because I took so long to ovulate, I counted that as a negative for Lunaception, but finally ovulating only 3 days after the using the night-light and getting a lot of EWCF after the first night of sleeping with the light, was definitely 2 points in favor of Lunaception. If you look back to my second post, one of the things I am expecting to achieve with this is a shorter period. Louise Lacey states that Lunaception often does shorten your period, however, it's at the expense of a heavier flow. I guess it's kind of like when you play sports. Your periods often shorten up, but get heavier. I wear a divacup and normally change it 4 times total on my heaviest day (about every 4 hours). However, it's only 5:00 pm now and I've already had to change it those 4 times (with about 1 1/2 - 2 hrs in between 2 of those changes). I'm hoping that this heavier cycle means less days total. If so, than like a said, that's a point in favor. Lunaception supposedly decreases PMS symptoms...I'm hoping that's why I did get the lower back pain I normally get when my period is about to some....I'll verify next cycle though....

I'll post my new chart next time. Until then, happy new year!!

Day 91 (CD 138)

Freedom!!! The semester is finally over! I took my last final on Monday and was glad to be done.

Despite the Christmas madness that is going on right now, I wanted to make sure to find some time for an update; and so here it is....

My chart just gets tinier and tinier by the day, even if you click on it to open it up on another page, so I've cropped it to show that last couple of weeks better. the 3 check marks in a row are the nights I used the night-light, the 1 check mark above that is the full moon, the 1 check mark below that to the far left is the new moon, and the shaded in boxes are the days I had EWCM.

I finally stopped spotting after 2 months and something. I'm still not quite sure why it just stopped. I got what I think was a stomach bug for about 1-2 days and then for the next couple of days my temps were higher, but fluctuating a lot, and then when my temps settled down again, I stopped spotting. If you look at my chart you can see that right before I started with the bleeding my temps fluctuated a lot too only they dropped. It has to be either the hormones or my thyroid. Maybe they were trying to stabilize after I got sick. Or maybe it was the change of hormones that made me sick...who knows...

My 3 months of darkness are up! This past full moon I slept with my night-light on (which was a lunar eclipse I might add, and on the winter solstice, a feat that hasn't happened in 350 years! I think they predict though that the next one is going to be in 2092 or something...It still made me feel kind magical though, as if this was the perfect time to start fully practicing Lunaception lol). I did have a hard time sleeping the first and the second nights and I woke up pretty often and pretty tired. I even marked the temperature from the morning after the first night of light as disturbed because I felt like it was higher than the rest because of my restless sleep. The third night I dimmed the lights a little more and slept all the way through.

My temperature seemed higher those 3 days and I wonder if it was because of the light. I'll have to wait to verify but I think it was, because I also had Egg-White Cervical Mucus (EWCF) the days following the light which is great!! +1 for lunaception. So the light certainly did something! It didn't cause ovulation this cycle...yet...but this gives me hope for future cycles that ovulation will happen with in the nights I use the light. I'm almost tempted to sleep with the night-light on for another night to see if I ovulate. I'm scared that going back to darkness is going to delay it further. At CD 138, I'm ready to get a move on.

As far as symptoms go, I have been feeling unusually energetic through out the day and I've been very productive. Maybe it's just coincidence, but I felt like it was worth noting. Possible theories: Maybe the night-light = higher temps = better thyroid function = more energy. There are studies that show that your basal temperature is a good indicator of your thyroid health. Low temps are a very good sign of hypothyroidism and high temps of hyperthyroidism. If not that then maybe ovulation is near and I get more energized around that time.

I want to wish all of my readers a very merry Christmas/holidays and a happy new-year!!!! I hope you all get what you wanted. I'm dying to open my presents...I feel like a little kid lol.

Day 75 (CD 122)

It's been 2 weeks since my last update! School has had me too busy to even breathe these past few days. The semester's almost over and I've got a bunch of papers to write and finals to prepare for. I wouldn't be all that surprised if I took another 2 weeks to do another update. We'll see how it goes.

As far as what's happening in my cycle, I'm still sleeping in total darkness although I'm looking forward to doing something different and turning on the lights in 2 weeks! I can't believe that by then it will have already been 3 months of sleeping in total darkness. I still haven't ovulated and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll happen by then, or then, but with all this school related stress crossing my fingers just might not do it.

I'm still spotting, but it seems to be almost over. Hopefully if it is, it'll stay over because last time I thought I was done it started up again 3 days later.

On 11/29 (Monday) I was really sick with some sort of stomach virus and kept throwing up although I didn't eat a thing all day. My husband and I ate the same exact food the day before and he seemed totally fine. I have really no idea what happened. I woke up about an hour before my alarm rang to temp and I kept trying to go back to sleep but couldn't. When my alarm finally did ring, I didn't even bother temping because I knew it wasn't going to be accurate. On Tuesday, although I slept well, you can see that I still had a pretty high temp of 97.9. So I'm attributing it to the stomach bug even though on Tuesday I was only nauseous and had only a bowl of some creamy soup at night. It's funny, it seems that after I had that stomach virus my temps have been fighting to stay up and are zigzagging between the low and mid 97 degree range. I think my hormone's are starting to stabilize and that's probably why the spotting/flow is stopping. Looks like the stomach bug cleared what ever was bugging my system!

I think I'm going to start looking for another solution for darkening my room. The cardboard is driving me mad because I'm having a harder and harder time making it stay up. In the beginning the cardboard will fit all nice and snug in the window and within a week or two it won't stay up by itself anymore. For my windows I use 2 pieces and I've been having to pin one to the other. If Lunaception works, I'm definitely going to find a more sturdy solution. For now though I don't want to waste money on something that I don't really know will work for me. I'm trying to think of cheap alternatives and have thus far come up with none. Maybe I should take a trip down to the arts and crafts store....