Introduction & Dumb Question

[katiewintle]

Hi all, I'm new here. Just signed up today. I am currently not pregnant but my hubby and I will be trying later this year hopefully.
I want to ask a dumb question but before that I need to give you a bit of background info, then the dumb question may not be so dumb if you see what I mean.
I am 33, in my lifetime I have had 3 open heart surgeries, with the last being nearly 6 years ago where I had my mitral valve replaced with a mechanical valve. As a result of this I am on warfarin for the rest of my life to prevent and blood clots.
As my hubby and myself want to have a child, it doesn't come without its risks. I will need to go onto heparin and inject myself twice daily. Warfarin can get through the placenta and cause all types of problems such as miscarriage and still birth, whereas heparin is much safer for the baby.
As soon as I find out I am pregnant I will need to go straight onto heparin.
Now here's the dumb question "how soon after having sex will I become pregnant?" I know everyone is different but I just want a rough answer. I will be armed with pregnancy test kits but will need to find out if I am pregnant or not very soon after doing the deed.
Thoughts pls?????

Thanks all
Xxx

[Craftynonymous1]

Hi. Two weeks after ovulation will be fine. Which would make you 4 weeks pregnant Hopefully someone will correct if I'm wrong but it's a good few weeks before the placenta takes over so you have a little leeway.

[katiewintle]

I just didn't want to leave it too long from doing the deed to going on Heparin as warfarin not good for the baby. Thanks anyway x x x

[eurochick]

Should you be on heparin whilst ttc? Have you taken advice?

[katiewintle]

What does ttc mean? I am in full conversations/meetings with my cardiologist and obstratician. They are helping me plan my pregnancy.

[Junosmum]

You'll need to know how long your cycles are. most women ovulate 14 days before their next period. You can track ovulation several ways including pee sticks and by checking cervical mucus- it will look like egg white just before you are due to ovulate.

If you have sex around the time you ovulate from about count day 10 to count day 17 (counting from the first day of your period as day 1) the magical average couple has a 25% chance of the sperm meeting the egg and fertilizing it. Depending when you ovulate and when you have sex it can take between 12 hours and 5 days for the sperm to meet and fertilize the egg.

Once the egg is fertilized it carried on down the fallopian tube and in to the uterus where is finds a soft bit to implant in to. This can take 6 to 12 days from ovulation or 6 to 17 days from when you had sex. About 48 hours from implantation a very sensitive test will pick up enough HCG to show a very faint positive. But you'd officially be positive from when it implanted. Prior to implantation you are not considered pregnant.

I'd get yourself some very sensitive home tests (cheap ones from amazon seem to be popular on here, you get like 50 for £3, it means you could test every morning from count day 24 or something so you know as early as is possible due to your health) ones that test at a sensitivity on 10mlu. The only shop bought ones I know to be that sensitive are superdrug own brand. Expensive ones such as clear blue are actually less sensitive. Also pink dye tests are easier to read than blue dye ones.

Embryos live off a yolk sac for at least the first 6 weeks (4 weeks from conception) and usually until 10ish weeks until the placenta is formed and attached.

Good luck!

[Junosmum]

ttc is 'trying to conceive'

[katiewintle]

If I was on heparin whilst trying to conceive, I may not become pregnant straight away. It could take me a few months or a few years. I am not keen on injecting myself longer than I really need too. Plus heparin injections give you lovely colourful bruises! Not the most glamorous thing really!

[lilyb84]

Can you alternate between the two? So for each cycle, test for ovulation and switch to heparin injections at that point until you've done a pregnancy test? Or would heparin affect your odds of conceiving too directly? I guess it might also make the waiting game even more stressful...

Do your health providers have any advice? As other posters have said, it's a while before the placenta takes over so the warfarin might not have any affect on the embryo in the first few weeks, by which logic you'd be safe taking it until you got a positive test. I got my positive (which is referred to on here as a bfp, by the way - big fat positive) the day before my period which if my ovulation dates are correct would have only been 10 days after conception, so there's a chance you'd be able to switch to heparin early!

One final thought is that ttc is stressful enough as it is without worrying too much about things that might or might not happen. Unless your doctor specifically advises otherwise, I'd recommend not worrying about it and just concentrating on being healthy and positive!

Good luck

[Brummiegirl15]

I am currently 10 wks pregnant and I do a heparin injection every day and will do throughout my pregnancy - this is the standard treatment for recurrent miscarriage.

You would get a positive test 2 weeks (ish) after ovulating so my advice would be start the heparin then.

Heparin is absolutely safe during pregnancy

[katiewintle]

I can only start the heparin once I know I am pregnant. As soon as I find out I have to contact B'Ham women's hospital and go straight down there to be transferred to heparin. Got to stay on warfarin whilst trying to conceive. Oh the joys eh! Anyway I'm excited but very nervous! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

[Memphisbelly]

2 weeks after ovulation. I found out when I was 6 weeks and went onto the injections at 10 weeks. I didn'y bruise once I started injecting it into my thigh rather than my belly.

[katiewintle]

Ahh that's interesting to know Menphis! Will try to remember that once I am on them!