Do other women with ADD having trouble keeping track of their menstrual cycle? Unless I am tryting to get pregnant or trying not to get pregnant sometimes I just totally lose track of it. It was great when I was on the pill. A couple days into the green (sugar) pills I knew it was almost time.

Now if I forget to record when my last periond was it's can get crazy. I can talk myself into having pms a week earlier than I should. My poor husband...lol Or I can talk myself into thinking I'm pregnant.

Yeah, I find it really hard to remember when I had my last one. Getting pregnant isn't an issue for me, but when you go to the doctor and they ask when your last period was and you just give them a blank stare you feel kind of stupid. That's something you should know, isn't it? :rolleyes: Just one more thing I can't seem to keep track of. I also forget when I started using a new pair of disposable contacts and when I gave my dogs their flea and tick and heartworm preventatives. I think I'd forget my own birthday if no one reminded me, lol.

Ditto, I never have any clue when I am due to have my period. I never keep track of that stuff!!! I just was asked at a physical when my last period was and I too looked at the dr like he was crazy...who would actually know that?

Yes, I saw my new PCP a couple of weeks ago for a sinus infection and he asked me when my last period was. He did look at me funny when I had to think about it. I just threw about the 1st thing that came to mind too.

I've not had trouble keeping track and I thinks thats just because of years of a habit of recording it on my calender. I'm also very reg. Just this week i was noticing a bit of extra grouchness and looked on the calender to see I'm heading into my 2 weeks of PMS..... :rolleyes:

Hmmm. I told my boyfriend I wasn't having "crazy feelings" about him him anymore. I started my period four days later. That poor man. He puts up with so much **** from me. I started keeping track of when I am ******. I should have started keeping track like twenty-four years ago.

I found this about 6 months ago: http://www.cyclespage.com/index.html . It helps you predict when your next period will start and how long it will probably last. You just enter the first day of your period each month. I just use the Basic Service, which is free.

I am constantly forgetting!!! I can remember when things happen but cant remember when they happened...Even when I was having that reaction to the B.C. Shot and had them every two weeks (not pleasant because of reasons too graphic to share!) :eek: It was hard to remember...I mean really something like that you need to pay attention to but I would always forget but try to remember an occurance that happened the week that it started and count back from the next one....But mom told me of an easier method...Mark it on a calendar date you started & Date you stopped and by end of week 3 time to buy more midol:D.....That is a good Idea...Now If I could only remember to do it! Ack I'm hopeless !!!! LOL

Me too. I made up a date the last time I was at the doctor's office and throught that I was probably the only one to ever do that. I think my husband secretly tracks it; either that or he recognizes PMS way before I recognize it.

LOL I think Hubbies Look for it so they know to be on best behavior! LOL!

I give mine a Micro$oft word doc that says "BEWARE":D He puts it on top of his PC:D;)

Do to Lex having multiple surgeries on her bowels as an infant we have to keep track of bowel movements to ensure that she does not get in trouble again since it can happen again and this time if left too long she will be forced to live the rest of her life with an illiostomy. So, we got in the habit of hanging a small calendar in the cabinet next to the toilet with a pen strapped to it. She puts an X on days she has gone and I put a O on days I have my cycle. Before, don't even bother asking because I didn't have a clue. Lost track so bad that I went into the doctor for the flu that wouldn't go away and found out I was 5 months pregnant with our first...Now, one month I can understand but 5?!!!!

Miricales happen when least expected. :)


X's and O's? Anyone win Tic Tac Toe Yet? :p

Nope but there is a little confusion when she X's out a day and I circle the day. lol

PMS = Punish My Spouse! LOL! Did you know that if you are not on the pill, that your cycle will align itself with that of the other women in your household or place of work? Now you know why everybody is suddenly cranky at the same time!

[QUOTE=livingwithadd]Yes, I saw my new PCP QUOTE]
Bear with me, I'm Canadian. What is a PCP?! :confused:

Sorry - PCP = Primary Care Physician or General Praticitioner

I went to the walk-in clinic today ...my dumb self thought a good way of breaking up a dog fight would be to stick my hand in the dog's mouth & pry it open ...but that's a whole other story --my hand will eventualy recover :rolleyes:

Anyway, at the clinic, I was so proud of myself for remembering all my meds & the exact doses of my meds ...then the nurse threw the "when was your last period" question, and I gve her a blank stare. I started thinking, "What relevance does that have for treating a dog bite?" and then I noticed the funny look on the nurse's face, so I gave her my best guess, real quick. Well, tomorrow I have an appoinment with a new doctor so maybe (if I remember) I'll try to figure out when that blasted last period occurred! No need to look a fool two days in a row!! :p

LOL...I love this thread! I have given more than just my dr. a blank stare at that question. I never know when it was or when to expect it. And I think it is something most women know...isn't it? I always try to remember some certain even that was near it too...but then that only lasts for one or two cycles and I forget again, lol.

That's funny, I was just thinking recently how I can never remember what day I started my period the previous month. So this past month, I circled the date on the calender.

My husband doesn't need a calender to know when I am about to start, My mood's and actions clearly tell him it's about a week prior to starting :D

Denise

i love this women's forum!!! i always forget my period..and i switched from the pill to the patch b/c i kept on having to go to the complicated 'take two pills as soon as you realize that you've not taken your regulary scheduled pill, you do not have to use a back up method.....if missing four days of pills then throw the pills out the window of your car on the way to work and say "f - it, the world needs more o' me"

it got too complicated. my husband would ask"have you been taking your pill?" and i could barely contain a: "have you been taking care of yourself so i can trust that you'll have some stamina to match me tonight?" (i never said that, he's a great lover, i just have a major case of SMART mouth)

so i switched to the patch..and yeah same deal. whoops! i forgot to put one on and i'm three days overdue. needless to say my period got all whacked out of shape and NOW
i put all my reminders on my outlook so that i can have a solid firm grip on whats going on when i need to put on a patch. do i remember that when i go to the doc? heyall no.

PMS = Punish My Spouse! LOL! Did you know that if you are not on the pill, that your cycle will align itself with that of the other women in your household or place of work? Now you know why everybody is suddenly cranky at the same time!
What PMS really stands for............I love it!! I will have to tell my hubby that one, I am sure he will more then agree!! We have 3 daughters so when they hit that age.......I am sure that my husband will want to find someplace else to live at THAT time of the month!!

I am sure that my husband will want to find someplace else to live at THAT time of the month!!
He will have to take up swimming lessons to survive in that sea of estrogen! :)

I have had 4 children and never once been able to definitively answer "date of last mentrual cycle". Thankfully I had all girls, one of us is bound to show PMS sometime and then I know.

i have never ever kept track, and each time I vow THIS will be the time I record it..but I never make it to marking the calendar that I am sitting next to right now and often do. I don't know why. I know that I dont ever record it so when I am trying to figure out if my next one is coming soon I try to think of a mark like "I remember I went to that party around the 3rd day..."..and sometimes I even remember to make a mental note of that at the time!!! I am regular but not perfectly so it's only a wild guess anyway, but my body(cramps, weird pains, etc) and my moods let me know most of the time. I've never had really inconvenient surprises before thankfully.
I've never actually been asked when my last one was(that I can remember) but theres no way I'd be able to provide that answer. I haven't got a clue when my last one was, but I think it was recent lol.

i narrow it down to an approximate window...give or take a few days LOL and I always have feminine hygiene products with me in my purse, just in case my math is off (which it likely will be).

I found this old thread and couldn't resist posting on it.

OMG, I have so much trouble keeping track of my periods. I am caught by surprise every single month, and I have lots of embarrassing stories as a result.

None I will tell here - they are THAT embarrassing!

I use www.mymonthlycycles.com (http://www.mymonthlycycles.com) It was great when I was having menstrual problems and the endocrinologist was asking me about my last year of periods....

Guess this thread's title sort of explains why ADD women seem to have a high rate of unplanned pregnancies. I forget where I read that.

When my mom and I would fight she would say "are you about to have your period?" and make me even more mad then I already was. Now that I have been diagnosed and on meds I can understand why she would say that (she died this year). I can't even tell you how many times it caught me unawares. My first child was not planned at the age of 39. I just thought I was too old to have them (talk about nieve). I told that to my gynocologist and he laughed. I STILL have that problem but I am pretty sure it is my age and getting close to menapause and then not remembering.

Guess this thread's title sort of explains why ADD women seem to have a high rate of unplanned pregnancies. I forget where I read that.


LOL - I'd be inclined to think it has more to do with impulsive sex!

I love this topic. I was crying and yelling at my mom the other day for god knows what reason and she asked if I was about to start. I just yelled back "how the hell should I know!?" Luckily we both have ADHD and she just said "I don't know! I never did!" Then we both just kinda started laughing. But jeez I never ever remember. And it's not exactly always on time either. Just like me!

And it's not exactly always on time either. Just like me!

Well, unlike me it seems to be early most of the time! :rolleyes: I usually calculate about 4-5 days from onset of MAJOR mood swings. Do those get worse for everybody?

I get irritable if my period is late (or what I consider late, since it is usually early, if it is on time, I consider it late - lol). I don't know that I have typical PMS, but I sure can get cranky more towards the end of my cycle.

I wish I were smart enough to document it on the calendar - but apparently, I think that every month I will remember exactly when it happened the previous month (and the only times I do is if it happens on a holiday or a birthday). Thanks to whomever shared the Monthlycycles.com site.

At Heart

OBJECTION!!


This thread is clearly biased towards those of us with meno-brain, who have no clearly defined cycles anyway, and...what was the question again? :confused:

I don't pay attention as I am not in a relationship.

I get irritable if my period is late
I get irritable if HER period is late. AAAAaccck. The implications of that!!!!

I've now reached the stage where I'm expected to remember what year I hit meno. I want to say, "do you mean the first time? or the second?" Most docs will consider you menopausal if you go 12 months without a period. I went 11 months -- then 2 months with. So I started counting again. This time I got to 11 months...and had a bad fall on uneven pavement, which resulted in a number of injuries. 10 days later, I got the signs that used to mean I was ovulating back in the days...then 2 weeks later, sure enough, a full period.

I refuse to start counting again. Anybody asks, I'm telling them 2006. Frankly, what difference does it make if it was this year or last year?

Nightwing

Most docs will consider you menopausal if you go 12 months without a period.


I'm not there yet, but I am wondering how many months will go by without a period before I will notice that I haven't needed to buy feminine hygiene products for a long time!

Maybe I should start writing the date on the packages I buy, since I don't usually buy them until I needed them yesterday... ya know what I mean?!

Hahaha, this thread is funny! I have this problem!

I also have this problem and find myself asking my fiance, "is it time for my period?" He usually knows the answer, he's good like that. However I think the reason he remembers is because the unpredictable, irratic behavior begins and he knows its PMS. I feel sorry for him sometimes he does put up with a lot. I never know when they ask me at the dr office, I usually just make something up so as to not seem like I am totally oblivious.

Day 1 is the first day of bleeding.

Write each day's number in the bottom corner of your calendar boxes.


And how to estimate Ovulation Dates so you know when you are more FERTILE.


Get your Doctor to show you?

re: 18

Dog Bites and LMP (last menstrual period) Dates


What do they have to do with each other?

Possibly plenty! (Be wary of jumping to conclusions. Sometimes trained people can see or know things that we do NOT.)

Facts:
-You were bitten by dog(s) in a dog fight while separating them.
-You went to get medical attention for a dog bite wound.
-What do they do if you get a dog bite from an aggressive dog? <G>

Thinking:
-Dogs with Rabies get aggressive and attack people and other dogs.
-You may need a preventative Rabies shot.
-I'm not sure that you can have a rabies shot if you are pregnant.
-Best to make sure you are not pregnant.

when i go doctor they ask me and im like i dont rember i dont keep track of it

I am horrible at keeping track of my cycle. I can never tell when it is going to happen. YOu would think I would remember from the previous month but I never do!

I think the next time I see a doctor and he/she asks me when my last was I'm just going to say, "I have ADD. So it's been between 1 and 4 weeks. Does that work for you?"

The last time my period started, my dh said, "Oh, so it should be a quarter moon tonight."


:confused:

Apparently he remembered what type of moon was out there last month and knew it would be about 3 weeks later (I have a 21 day cycle!!! SUCKS).

I can't remember it EVER but he can track it by the moon.

Whatever.

Facebook has a program called Ladytracker. It tracks the monthly cycle (ongoing) and ovulation dates. But you have to know how many days the cycle is.

A 21 day cycle is really short.

Do you get anemic? (e.g. pale; calf pains; low energy; short of breath; can't concentrate well.)

I don't have that much of a problem I have a calender next to my computer, it is in arms reach {so I will write on it} and when I start I draw a red line under the date {if I can't find the red pen I put a triangle around the date} and I am done - some times I will mark all the days I menstrate but not always the most important one is the first day of each mensus.

When I remember I do the same with the calender in my purse - I often do that one several months at a time normally when I know I have to see the doctor {because they always ask and are always surprised I know the exact date}

A 21 day cycle is really short.

It is a little but that depends on weather or not she is tracking first day to the next first day. Many people mistakenly track from the end of one bleeding cycle to the beginning of the next which will results in the appearance of a 21 day cycle when in reality it is a 27 day cycle. She doesn't mention if she begins on a last quarter or a first quarter moon which would also give me an better idea. I used to have to pry this information out of patents on a regular basis Can ya tell?

I know how a cycle starts on day one of your period, so I am not confusing that.

But, like the whole point of this thread, it is possible I am just not keeping track well and it might be more like 24 days, which wouldn't be all that short. Short, but not out of the range of normal.

I have had 21 day cycles for sure, but it was when I was still nursing and my cycles may not have regulated quite yet.

I finally chose a message board I go on every day and just started a thread for myself for the sole purpose of tracking them. If they are really 21 days, I am going to double check with my gyno.

Yes, I have low energy and bad concentration, but of course it is hard to separate all these stupid symptoms. I should also add I am 36 and have a lot of those perimenopausal symptoms, like suddenly getting horrible acne all over my back when I have never had acne in my life. Very irritating.

I have trouble keeping track of mine. So I got a calander. Only thing is I forget to mark it when I ovulate and when I start. Being able to feel ovulation is the only thing that half-way saves me from being completely unprepared.

I have trouble keeping track of mine. So I got a calander. Only thing is I forget to mark it when I ovulate and when I start. Being able to feel ovulation is the only thing that half-way saves me from being completely unprepared.

This is what is so silly.

You would think we could just take a pen, and write something on a calendar each month.

Yet, I never do.

This is what is so silly.

You would think we could just take a pen, and write something on a calendar each month.

Yet, I never do.

You would think. The problem is the procrastination and forgetfullness. I always put it off(ends up being days before I get around to it) but by the time I do it, I cant remember what day it happened on.

Oh wow. That is totally me, I have no clue when it is ever, hence I ended up getting pregnant. They had trouble estimating how far long I was since I the last period I remembered was over 8 months before, b/c I actually wrote it down that time. :eyebrow: Now, I use this website that emails me when Aunt Flo is coming or when my fertile days are.

Oh wow. That is totally me, I have no clue when it is ever, hence I ended up getting pregnant. They had trouble estimating how far long I was since I the last period I remembered was over 8 months before, b/c I actually wrote it down that time. :eyebrow: Now, I use this website that emails me when Aunt Flo is coming or when my fertile days are.
That is a great idea! Where did you find the website?

I don't have that much of a problem I have a calender next to my computer, it is in arms reach {so I will write on it} and when I start I draw a red line under the date {if I can't find the red pen I put a triangle around the date} and I am done - some times I will mark all the days I menstrate but not always the most important one is the first day of each mensus.

When I remember I do the same with the calender in my purse - I often do that one several months at a time normally when I know I have to see the doctor {because they always ask and are always surprised I know the exact date}


That's the most amazing thing I've heard and I am super impressed that you can do that. No sarcasm what-so-ever. Swear. :eek: :confused:

know how a cycle starts on day one of your period, so I am not confusing that.


I only mentioned this because it is so common.




Yes, I have low energy and bad concentration, but of course it is hard to separate all these stupid symptoms.

I agree, like concentration problems can be a sign of soo many things it is difficult to tell. I do know for sure concentration problems are not helped by hormonal fluctuations.

Why can't men have some of these problems?




I should also add I am 36 and have a lot of those perimenopausal symptoms, like suddenly getting horrible acne all over my back when I have never had acne in my life. Very irritating.

I can imagine.

I had acne as a teen maybe I will be lucky and skip the perimenopausal version. I have been lucky so far but I am just now beginning to show signs of perimenopause I probably have a ways to go. .

I only mentioned this because it is so common.



I had no idea how a cycle was counted until I decided to try and get pg, which was in my early 30's. Definitely a good thing to mention!
;)

I hate to even admit this because I feel ridiculous but I'm on the pill and my period *still* sneaks up on me half the time. Lol. I guess I just take 'em, I don't really look at 'em, other than to make sure I'm on the right day. And I don't bother with the placebo pills so I have a tendancy to just forget about it before it gets there a few days later. :P

i never rember minds

I have never remembered! I have been reminded when it doesn't come though... when I start to think... "Ohhhh crap, I think I'm late!"

I guess another interesting question would be, how many people have a hard time remembering to take their vitamin pills.... much less BIRTH CONTROL PILLS?!

Gawd, I so don't feel alone now! One would think 27 years of a routine (cycle) I'd remember. Ohhh yeah, minus the years I got PREGNANT and nursed... still, my cycle is a life event, and I know it with come and go... at least until menapause.

I don't menstruate at all and it sucks. I should probably see a doctor about it, woops. =/

arghhh yeah i forgot that was a symptom of ADD thought i was just a useless spacecadet... but thats not the worst forgetting is just the begining cause really i spend half the month wondering if am actually pms yet or ovulating wich makes me emotional i think and umm get to the day i have my period and think oh great no pads and don't even remember to get them for a couple days after that. and then i keep getting wrong dates and tell my Bf am pmsing and he's like umm you where pms last week and the week before that? so I guess i live in period limbo i never know when it will surprise me i just recognise it by the fact i start craving carbs week before and eating loads of lemon couple days before .. its instinctive strangely i think thats supposed to delay your period.. speaking of wich i read somewhere that periods in women are not even that great for our bodies since we loose alot of essencial minerals and things our body needs in that time and other things i can't remeber.. Oh how I love my vague general knowlage. tgf google huh.. p.s thankx for that link i think will come in handy lol

Tracking a mentrual cycle? LOL. Mine just gets here when it gets here. I've had the brilliant idea that i was going to use a calendar before and the first day got marked of and that's it. When I got pregnant with my second on accident the only way I remembered when my last cycle began was by the events surrounding it. And then I didn't have an exact date. Just a ballpark within a week.

i have this problem. i ended up just having to put a red dot on the calendar the day i start so that i can go back later and know.

I can never remember when my last period was... Heck... sometimes, unless I make a mental note, I forget when I start! I'll be on my period and if I don't mentally take note of what the first day is and count out 7 days in advance, I'll forget what day it started so I'll not know when to expect it to end. lol. Now that's ADD at it's finest! HAHA!

But what's really funny is one year it will be within the first two weeks and then the next year, it will be within the last two weeks, then the next year it will be within the first two weeks again! lol. It's funny like that... I'm pretty sure I haven't had it this month so it'll probably come while I'm on vacation! lol. That's like the only time it goes screwy... like my body knows I'll be leaving for vacation and will decide to hold off until I'm on vacation. So I can pretty much set my watch to it... I just have to figure out if it'll happen at the beginning of the month or the end of the month. lol. And Febuary always throws me off. lol.

My very first period ever was when I was 11 yrs old and I was at Outdoor School! (for about 1 or 2 weeks we would go to a camp site with our class and other schools would be there too at the same time and learn about the outdoors while we camped.) Ever since then it's always happened when I'm camping or out of state or something like that. lol.

(Also, me and my friends, back in H.S. would all start around the same time within a few days of each other. lol.)

I live with 3 other females..we cycle together..I do the washing...I simply..possible couuld never NOT remember !!!

Haha, I didn't think anyone kept track of their period and thought it was such a stupid question to be asked at the doctor's office! My husband has tried to get me to keep track of it so many times, and I'll start - I'll mark the day on the calendar, but never remember to mark when it ends. Oh well. I can usually recognize PMS anyway.

absolutely...and what makes it worse is, i'm irregular!

I have never kept track of my cycle just because I forget. I forgot to take the pill once or twice and had a beautiful baby boy (now age 4). I am also irregular, even on the pill. I HATE That question at the doctor's office. I usually just write ?. I hate it when the nurse looks at you and asks, "So, you really don't know when your last period was." I usually say something like, "No, but I can guess for you and guarentee that the date will be somewhere within those 20 days.
I don't remember those things. Why would I want to? The period to me is hell. It's something I would rather forget. That's my rationalization for a horrible memory. I just say it's selective memory.

Guys,

I have a HUGE CALENDAR in the kitchen (can see it from almost every angle) -- and on my FIRST DAY of bleeding -- I write a Big P.

Need a reminder to mark the calendar?

1. When you remember, phone your voicemail or answering machine and remind yourself to mark it down.

2. Or i write it on my hand.

Wow, it's so nice to be here with others that have the same problems. I NEVER remember when mine is gonna start. I have tried to remember to mark it on a calendar, but always forget. The last time I was pregnant(before I knew) I had to call a friend who was on hers the same time as me the month before so I could figure out what the date was, so I could figure out how late I was. I'm sure she thinks I'm crazy. She's super-organizer/planner. At least I could count on her for the date:)

I chart my waking temperature, so for the most part I don't forget when mine is coming. I'm fairly aware of when I'm fertile, when I've ovulated, and when my period is going to start because I write EVERYTHING down.

My problem is in order to accurately take your waking temp, you have to sleep for more than 3 hours and you have to take the temp immediately upon waking up. You can't get up first.... And I CONSTANTLY bound out of bed and to the bathroom to pee before I remember to take my temp.

Been there with the blank stare in the doctor's office. Never tried to get pregnant and I figure that that's a part of it. My mommy friends know all sorts of stuff (gross stuff, in my mind) about their cycles....:p

But when I went off the pill recently (with the Adderall, my blood pressure was way too high for it), I started tracking it in my Outlook Notes as "Important Dates." I'm sure anyone paying close attention in my IT group can figure out anything they want about me from that thing. :o I also have a little Wing and that helps a lot because I can enter it in whenever I remember and don't have to log on or anything. I use the voice mail trick for all sorts of things. I've even dictated the first paragraphs of briefs into voice mail on occasion because I woke up at 4:00 am with the paragraph in my head.

YES! I have no idea when my last period was, I know it was recent-ish, but I don't know if it was 2/3/4 weeks ago.....

This is what is so silly.

You would think we could just take a pen, and write something on a calendar each month.

Yet, I never do.
I have approximently 850000 small calanders in a drawer bought precisly for that purpose.:D
I didn't know I was pregnant untill I was 5 months along. My stomach was still flat as an ironing board,and then I remembered I hadn't had my period in awhile. Maybe a long while. So I went to the doc and he showed me a little baby sucking her thumb and I went hystarical in his office.

And here I was going to say I just put a red dot on when I had a TOM and go 28 days and put a blue dot. That's what helps me keep track

I've broken so many bones, being so accident prone (total A.D.D.!), and everytime I end up in the ER and they ask me when my last period was I can't ever remember and the nurses look at me as if I'm a complete idiot! I always thought it was just me that didn't keep track of this!