9DPO Symptom Spotting

[unCliche]

Hey @ButterscotchBabe! Continuing our chat here 😁

I loooove that your temps did exactly what mine did too. So good that AF hasn't arrived at CD26!! Happy for you! When your temps increased last month, was it is to a gradual high or did it jump up again and then AF started? Because if this pattern is new, it could mean good news!

Ours definitely look like the beginning of a triphasic chart. My temps last month started dropping at 7DPO, so it still being high at 9DPO is such an achievement for me and no sign of AF either although my vulva feels AF'y in a weird way. My pulse and breathing rate have also continued to shoot up!! If temps don't tell you AF is coming, pulse rate defo will because it always starts falling a few days before AF for me.

I do suspect chemical but no BFP so can't confirm and nothing else changed that cycle so I can't explain it. Hormones were defo the reason I never took the pill, it plays such a big part in changing your reproductive cycle that of course it would have an affect on cycles after you come off them! 45 day cycles sound like a nightmare - especially when TTC too.

I do have a FRER! I'm always so scared to use it though. I always use rubbish ICs which probably aren't the best thing but I will use my FRER with you!

I like predicting what my temps will do with DH. What do you think will happen tomorrow? I think both our temps will go up again 😆

[ButterscotchBabe]

@unCliche oh wow that's so funny our temps did the same thing. I've attached my chart from last month and this month's, there's definitely a different pattern and slightly higher temp, no sign of AF yet!

I see your RHR and breathing has gone up, that's exciting! It's also really good news that your temp has stayed high for 2 days longer than it did last cycle. All positive signs 😊

You made a good decision not to take the pill, I'll never take it again, if I get pregnant and want a gap before the second one I'll just use a barrier method.

That's great you've got a FRER 😊, I've only got one left so I'm hoping leaving it till 11DPO there would be enough HCG for it to detect. I was tempted to do an IC tomorrow just in case 😂, what do you think??

Ooh I don't like to predict because I don't want to be wrong 😂 but if our temps go up again or stay high that would be a really good sign. Whilst I've been writing this I've been getting very mild aches on the lower right side, I believe I ovulated on the right side because that's where I had ovulation pain. Don't know if that's good or bad but I don't normally get that before af. Have you got any cramping?

[unCliche]

@ButterscotchBabe I thought I was cramping earlier on today but soon realised that whatever I ate yesterday has really upset my stomach!

Looks like this cycle and your last cycle did the same thing with dropping around 6DPO but so far with this cycle your temps have recovered. So that could either mean AF is not imminent or a BFP or both! If AF does start for me, it won't be today at least. Phew!

If you can face the risk, the pullout method has clearly been a success for me 😁 chancing pregnancy every time you DTD - definitely the silly hormone-free way of doing things.

Tomorrow you'll be 10DPO which I think is a good time to test. I don't trust ICs on their reliability but maybe you'll get a vvvvvfl with them?

Have you been cramping or have any spotting? I see from your chart you've been gassy?? I've been the exact same way! Even when I haven't eaten my body still finds a way to get some gas out of me - it's horrible 🤢

[ButterscotchBabe]

@unCliche oh no, do you feel unwell? Do you know what it might have been?

It's nice that whatever happens now, BFP or AF at least something good will come out of this cycle. If it's not BFPs then we'll have lengthened our luteal phases 😊.

Haha I don't think my DP could cope with the pull out method 😂. I always thought that didn't really work because some sperm come out in the pre cum but obviously it's worked for you 🙂.

Yeh if I see a very faint line on the cheapie then I might use the FRER but if it's negative, I'll wait until Tue to use the FRER with fmu. Do you have an IC you could use tomorrow?

Yes I've been very gassy over the past couple of days 😂😂, if you're pregnant the rise in hormones cause your digestive system to slow down, this means more bloating and gas. Or it could just be from what I've eaten! Today I've had cramps on the lower right and left sides (not gas) so hopefully something is going on in there!

[unCliche]

Yeah, I feel really sick @ButterscotchBabe. Could have been the "spicy" chicken that wasn't even spicy and my body just didn't like it. Or potentially food poisoning but DH is fine, so I'm not sure.

Hopefully tomorrow is another AF-free day. From our temps, I kind of feel like it will be but I definitely don't want to get ahead of myself.

After every deed thats done, DH pees to empty out any left over sperm. It's really only a risk if you DTD and don't pee the sperm out. But a lot of the pulling out does hinge on my trust in DH's timing. I secretly wish I did get accidentally pregnant, it's definitely better than sitting around waiting for the TWW to pass.

Yup, I have one more IC. Just the thought of testing tomorrow morning is making me so nervous! My heart has been super racy but luckily no more anxiety-like attacks.

How do your cramps feel? Are they like AF cramps or stabbing pains or something different?

[ButterscotchBabe]

@unCliche oh no I hope you feel better soon, if your DH is fine then it's unlikely to be food poisoning, could be a pregnancy sign??

Each day going forward now without AF is a really positive sign, so either way we've got something to look forward to 🙂.

Aww well don't test if it makes you feel uncomfortable, it's probably best to wait until Tuesday, I'm just being impatient 😂. Try to relax, have a lie down or a warm bath and think of happy things, hopefully then your heart rate will come down 🙂.

My cramps have felt slightly different to af cramps, more like the pain I get during ovulation but maybe I'm just over analysing!

[unCliche]

Thanks! @ButterscotchBabe I'm feeling a little bit better now. I don't think it would be pregnancy related, just felt like a normal tummy ache 🤷‍♀️ but who knows what pregnancy is meant to feel like.

I think I've been more impressed with the vitamins this cycle. The fact that my temps are staying high for so long means that my progesterone isn't falling off a cliff too early. But also worried that because of the vitamins, I'm no longer sure what to expect from my temps. They could come crashing down tomorrow for all I know. But all we can do is see what happens!

Oooh that sounds really good. I've read it being described as something similar to Ov pain many times! One more sleep and you may find out if your are pregnant! Have you planned how you're going to reveal the news to your DP??

(and maybe I'll test tomorrow morning too. I'll see what my temps do then I'll decide. Still nervous though 🙃)

[ButterscotchBabe]

@unCliche glad you're feeling a bit better, hopefully you'll be much better tomorrow. Maybe something you ate just didn't agree with you.

Yes fingers crossed the vitamins have helped your cycle, it's the only difference I've made this month so it must be down to them! I was wondering, if our cycles are successfully lengthened do we need to continue taking the vitamins or will our bodies know what to do??

Ooh that's interesting about cramps being similar to ovulation pain! I can't quite imagine actually getting a BFP but I would probably just run to DP with the test to confirm I'm not seeing things 😂. Have you thought about how you'd tell your DH? Do you think you would tell family at Christmas?

Good luck for tomorrow, fingers crossed your temp stays high! If mine drops drastically then I probably won't test but we'll see what happens 😊.

[unCliche]

Had such a terrible night's sleep again ☹️ either way, my parameters have gone up. I was hopeful so took an IC HPT - BFN. Not even a hint of a line 😕 don't think I'll be testing tomorrow because I've lost a bit of hope. But the good news is, no AF!

I'm not sure about the vitamins. I was planning on taking them right into pregnancy in case my body still needed some extra help. There's nothing to lose taking them and vit C is such an important vitamin, I don't think it'll be a bad thing to keep taking them. You can always see how you do without them during one cycle? But hopefully you won't need to if you get your BFP soon!

Haha! That's what I'll probably do too! I do have some big elaborate plan in mind but I think in my shock I wouldn't be able to keep it to myself. I have a cutting machine and was planning on making an iron on vinyl decal that says "hey, baby daddy" and putting that on one of his tshirts. Then I'll find some way to get him to wear the tshirt and see if he notices.
If I had gotten pregnant last month I probably would have told them at Xmas. I guess if this month is successful and I can get a 10 week scan, I might be able to in time for Xmas or New year's. How do you think you'll tell your family?

Do you feel hotter?? Don't judge me but I read on a forum that a woman and her DH were DTD and he noticed how hot she was inside. So of course I suduced my DH, and asked him if I felt warmer and he said I felt noticeably warmer then I got off him and we went to sleep. But had to sleep topless because I was cooking! Is it just a general symptom of progesterone? I just don't think I'll be pregnant this cycle.

[ButterscotchBabe]

@unCliche great to see everything is still high! That's a shame you didn't get a good night's sleep, if you managed to get 3 hours before taking your temp that should okay. I had a nightmare with the thermometer this morning, I didn't trust the first reading so I took it several times and each time it was different. It ranged from 36.6, 36.7, 36.8 to in the 37s and 38s! I recorded a temp of 36.74 because it was one higher than the lowest and it seemed the most sensible.

My IC was also a BFN but we're only 10DPO so it was always unlikely to show on a IC this early. I'll still be doing the FRER tomorrow. Based on what I've seen on here, most pregnancies would show a faint line by 11DPO on a FRER. If it turns out not to be this month, we should still be pleased our luteal phases have extended 🙂.

I think I would be nervous now to stop taking the vitamin C incase it lowered my progesterone! Yeh you're probably right, the body needs vitamin C anyway and I don't eat much fruit.

Aww that's such a cute idea!! But I think in reality you probably won't be able to hold the excitement and not tell him 😂 but if you can that would be amazing, you'd have to try and video his reaction!

I think the latest scan we would be able to get before Xmas would be 8 weeks? I would have to tell family otherwise they would be very suspicious of me not drinking 😂. I would probably announce it quite quickly after arriving as normally I get handed a drink straight away!

I don't feel hotter but my DP says I'm always hot (temperature 😂). However that's a good sign if your DH has noticed a change! The rise in temp would be due to progesterone whether you're pregnant or not but the fact it's still high is a great sign.

How are you feeling this morning? My cramps got worse last night but I've been cramp free so far this morning.

[unCliche]

Oh no @ButterscotchBabe, I went to check my CM and it was pink with the tiniest dot of red! I don't usually spot but I think AF is going to start now. And I'm probably not cramping because the vitamins are doing a good job of inhibiting all PMS symptoms and my temps will probably crash by tomorrow morning. Bleh.

Hey at least despite the nightmare of taking temps this morning, you were able to see that all the values you got were still pretty high.

Sorry about your BFN! It's always so deflating not seeing a line, IC or not. I know they're notorious for not seeing much on but it still sucks! Good luck with the FRER tomorrow. I'm so excited for you and I really hope this is it for you. Your temps are so promising - I love looking on the FF website at BFN and BFP charts to see when their temps start tapering off and it's usually a few days before AF - so good news for you! Questionable news for me.
And while I am pleased that my cycle lasted a day longer, I ov'd a day later so my LP would still be 9 days if AF starts today! I really hope she stays away for at least another 2 days.

His reaction would be so cheesy. He'd start crying. Then I'd start crying. Then we'd both be a blubbering mess. And if I pointed my phones camera toward his face he may start to be suspicious but then again, I always bully him so maybe he won't suspect a thing, he'll just be like "it's unCliche being so cliche"

On Xmas, could your DP not run interference and serve you a non-alcohol drink before someone hands one to you. Then you can nurse that same drink the entire night or have DP keep serving you? I'm not a huge drinker so my family wouldn't suspect anything but do you think 8 weeks is far along enough to reveal the news? I'd really want to have scan photos while telling them.

I'm feeling much better than yesterday evening. I felt so sick. It felt like a stomach ache, or indigestion, or a very unsettled stomach. I took four indigestion tablets, then I started feeling lightheaded and a bit nauseous. Today I feel nothing. Just annoyance that AF is coming.

Not feeling cramps could be a good thing but I guess you always want to feel something to have that reassurance. Are you worried about your cramps stopping? I think it's alright if you've been feeling cramps and there's no AF. And pregnancy symptoms always come and go. They're never constant.

I'm going to keep an eye on this spotting and won't test tomorrow with you, sorry ☹️ Just took my vitamins and got heartburn. Ugh.

[ButterscotchBabe]

@unCliche don't lose hope yet, it could be implantation bleeding! You'll have to see if it gets heavier, keeping my fingers crossed for you 🤞.

Ooh I didn't know you could see other people's charts on FF website, I'll check them out! You could have ovulated on CD14, your temp dipped then and ovulation happens 12-36hrs after OPK peak. That would mean you would be 11DPO, so that would be an improvement on your luteal phase.

Aww well one day you will get the chance to tell him, hopefully this cycle but if not, you will soon!

There's also another reason why I'd probably have to tell my family soon, my Dad is organising a holiday to Greece in June but if I got pregnant this month, I'd be 7 months pregnant then, so it wouldn't be fun to go. I think it would be okay to tell close family at 8 weeks. Each week that goes by the risk of miscarriage gets lower, so whilst there is still a low risk at 8 weeks, you're much safer than at 6 or 7 weeks.

Glad to hear you're feeling better, although concerned about af. I'm nervous now every time I go to the toilet, hoping not to see anything.

That's understandable you don't want to test tomorrow, I hope you're okay x

[unCliche]

CM is tinged slightly less pink now but never shows up when I wipe. I wouldn't have even known if I hadn't stuck a finger up myself 😑 that's what I get for being such a control freak 😆

You're absolutely right! I could have Ov'd CD 14 which is an improvement for sure. Thanks a lot for the positivity 💕

Oh a big family holiday abroad sounds amazing! Funnily enough, my family are planning something similar for next year December. And it's literally the whole extended family going, aunties and cousins and all. (And also my DH is Greek so it's so fun you're going to Greece). But yeah, I don't think holidaying at 7 months would be best.

Sending hugs your way! I completely get it - I keep checking my underwear for red too 😪 My lightheadedness is back and it's making me feel unwell again so I might take an afternoon nap. I've told my boss I'm not feeling too good, so should be fine. How are you feeling apart from the nerves?

[ButterscotchBabe]

@unCliche have you seen anymore pink/red CM? It sounds like there was only a tiny bit? I havent had any spotting yet, had very mild cramps throughout the day (they were worse yesterday).

Oh that's cool, whereabouts in Greece is he from? Aww that will be nice to holiday with all your family (if you all get on haha). I think everyone's gonna want a holiday after this year 😂.

Did you finish work early and take a nap? I'm feeling okay thanks, looking forward to testing with a FRER tomorrow, fingers crossed this is the month!

[unCliche]

Luckily I work from home so just relaxed in bed. I'm absolutely knackered but I chose not to take a nap in case I struggled to sleep tonight. CM is still pink/tan colour with some stringy bits of brown appearing. Still nothing when I wipe, only when I'm poking around at my cervix. No cramping so AF is keeping away for now.

Are your cramps still like Ov pain? Sorry they're getting worse, fingers crossed it's for a good reason.

If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I'll be turning 28 next week and hoping to get an early birthday present BFP. We got our mortgage offer today too so it's a good month so far.

DH is from Thessaloniki. Where abouts was your dad looking to book?

[ButterscotchBabe]

That's handy you work from home, I do too 🙂. Did the lie down help? If I lie in bed I find it difficult to avoid napping 😂. Maybe just wait and see if anything comes out when you wipe. Sounds good that you've had no cramps and only a tiny bit of spotting.

My cramps aren't getting worse, they were worse yesterday but today they've been very light 🙂. Although I've got a headache instead this evening!

I'm 29, oh no so you'll be having a lockdown birthday, have you got any plans for the day? Congratulations on your mortgage offer, that's great news! We're currently saving to buy our first house, takes ages though ☹️.

My Dad's already booked a hotel in Rhodes, I haven't booked yet though, waiting to see the result of tomorrow's test!

[unCliche]

Yeah the lightheadedness comes and goes. Again, not sure if it's all progesterone related 🤷‍♀️ or it could just be because of the terrible sleep I'm having.

Oh sorry, misread! Regardless cramps are always a good sign as is the headache! What are your usual PMS symptoms? Mine's just sore boobs and I still have them now. How are you feeling about tomorrow? I'm actually really looking forward to your HPT results.

This is our first home and we also really struggled to find something that's good value for money because everything is just so expensive. I really hope the market corrects so things become affordable for the majority. Are you in the south east? So overpriced here!

Let me know how you get on tomorrow!

[ButterscotchBabe]

Feeling stressed this morning, woke up at 3.30am and couldn't go back to sleep, so decided to try and take temp, however my thermometer must be broken as it kept showing wildly different temperatures. So I've been unable to note a temperature. I got up at 4.45am and took a FRER and it was BFN. I'm 11DPO now so I think it's unlikely I'm pregnant or it would have shown on the FRER. On the plus side I've gained 2 extra days so far on my luteal phase, if af came today, so that's good.

I don't normally get PMS symptoms, maybe some light cramps the day before af but that's about it. I don't get sore boobs either so if I did suddenly get them that would be a big sign.

How are you feeling this morning? Anymore spotting?

Yes 30 years ago a house cost about 3x your wage, now houses cost 10x your wage, it's very difficult for young first time buyers ☹️. I'm in the South West, so it's pretty pricey here although not quite as expensive as the South East! You've done well to get your first home before 28 🙂.

[unCliche]

I'm sorry about your BFN. You're always still in for a chance if AF hasn't arrived but congratulations on your LP either way. That's still a huge improvement and will make getting pregnant a lot easier going forward. Maybe give yourself until 14DPO before testing again. I think that's what I'm going to do as I'm not sure if the vitamins have increased my LP to the point that I'll actually have normal length cycles.

Feels like we're living parallel lives, I slept terribly as well. Woke up at 2am with an extremely dry throat. Then I was up again at 4am. Then again at 6am. I wear a fertility bracelet which captures all my parameters and somehow, I was able to get a reading today???

Are you still getting cramps similar to ov pain?

I'm still getting the CM but it's darker now and feels like there's more. Not sure if it's because it's turning brown or because AF is coming. I'm not cramping at the moment but not feeling hopeful. I think the vitamins are just doing a really good job!

My temps are dropping in a similar way to last cycle's so I think I'll expect AF tomorrow. (That being said, I think I've just started cramping so here she comes! Or maybe it was just trapped wind 😅 Nope, feels like mild cramps. I'll see how it progresses)

[unCliche]

Getting quite fed up with this back and forth I'm having with my body - makes me really hate the TWW. The cramping was another stomach ache which disappeared after I went to the toilet 🥴 Seems like any little spice I eat is making me ill.
CM is dry and very minimal but still brown. No cramping now. I'm also getting obsessed and really need to keep my fingers away from my cervix!!

[ButterscotchBabe]

Yes I'm impressed with how much the vitamin C has lengthened my luteal phase. No cramps today and no sign of spotting or bleeding yet, so it looks like I'll end up getting at least 3 days extra. Which is great because that's now long enough to sustain a pregnancy.

Haha yes it seems so, that sucks you had a bad night too ☹️. That's handy wearing the fertility bracelet, because at least then you're not just relying on a thermometer!

That's a shame your temp came down, maybe it's not our month ☹️. Although I was looking at some of those pregnancy charts on FF and some of them did get a lower temp towards the end of their luteal phase 🤔.

The TWW is rubbish, particularly the final week! I wish my period would just start so that I know what's going on and can mentally prepare for the next cycle. It's not possible when there's still a small chance of a BFP.

Probably best not to keep poking around 😂, wait and see what comes out, you don't want to make any cramps or spotting worse. That's strange with the spices, are you normally okay with spice?

[ButterscotchBabe]

Just noticed your RHR is still higher and your temp didn't come down too much, so there is still a chance!

[unCliche]

But that's the thing! Nothing is coming out onto my underwear or when I wipe so how will I know what's going on inside me 😭 I don't think I'll be able to stop but I'll try.

Oooo look at us fixing our bodies with vitamins and entering the realms of normality! Definitely the best £30 I've ever spent. I'm so glad I started tracking temps and LH so early into my TTC journey because I would have been none the wiser as to the state of my cycle. Did you make a decision to start OPKs and temping as soon as you started TTC as well?

I'm too undisciplined to wake up at the same time everyday to take my temps and I've read about how some women get temping anxiety and end up waking up at inconsistent times. And since I worry about everything, I'd definitely be one of those women! I'm already struggling to sleep thinking about what my temps would be the next day and whether I'd get enough sleep for accurate results!

Glad you mentioned you've been looking at the pregnancy charts on FF because I've been doing the same and checking for exactly the same thing! Also been checking for spotting, type of CM and when they got their BFP.

If it'll make you feel better, on average implantation completes around 9 or 10DPO. We're only 11DPO (and still have a chance at implanting today or tomorrow) so at the moment, you just might not have enough hCG to be detectable. If no AF, would you like to test with me at 14DPO?

The spice thing is weird. I grew up with spicy food so not a big deal, I don't react much to spice unless I've had something ridiculously spicy. But these last two incidents, what I've eaten have been so mild I barely even noticed it was spicy food 😪 My DH has barely been bothered by it and Greeks don't eat spice!

[ButterscotchBabe]

Yes I agree it was definitely a good decision to track BBT and LH otherwise the short luteal phases could have gone on for months! I didn't start straight away, I did BBT from 3rd cycle and OPKs from this cycle (4th). Did you start from the 1st cycle of TTC?

Could you set an alarm? I have an alarm set for 6.30 but annoyingly I sometimes wake earlier than this, then I'm just lying awake in bed wondering when I should take my temp. Sometimes I've just done it a little earlier, I don't think it has to be exact, aslong as it's not more than an hour out.

Yes that's a good point about the implantation dates, sometimes having an early BFP is a bad thing because it can mean the fertilised egg hasn't travelled the full way into the womb and has attached in the fallopian tube. Yes let's test on Friday if af doesn't appear 😊. I ordered some more FRERs today, if they don't arrive by Thursday I'll be so annoyed I didn't pay for next day delivery!

I'm a right wimp with spices 😂 but it's strange you're having that reaction when you're normally used to them. Food adversions are common in pregnancy!

[unCliche]

Just got woken up from my nap to discover AF is here! I guess she is right on time. And I suppose my LP did get a little longer. I'm surprised I have no cramps but then again, I don't think I'd appreciate the pain of AF adding to my disappointment.

Yeah I started tracking last month which is when we started TTC, so I'm still getting to know my cycle but I'm quite pleased that the OPKs have worked for me because not everyone sees a peak.

Sorry, I didn't mean I temped myself, my bracelet does all the work for me, but if I had to do it manually with a thermometer, I'd really struggle. I could not wake up early if I tried (well I have been recently, but not on purpose!)

Obviously I won't be testing on Friday but I'm still looking forward to seeing what happens with you! Let's hope one of us gets lucky this month 😁

[ButterscotchBabe]

Oh no! So sorry your af has arrived ☹️. This cycle was still a positive one, keep up the vitamin C and your next cycle might be even longer or a BFP!

Are you taking vitamin D? I ask because you said you haven't got any cramps. I have always had very painful periods but my last one there was hardly any pain at all and the only difference I made last cycle was taking vitamin D. I did a little research and it seems vitamin D does reduce cramps 🙂.

I also found OPKs really easy to use and it was clear when I had a peak, let's hope it stays that way for both of us, I'm sure it will.

Hopefully you can enjoy a few drinks on your birthday next week 🥳.

No sign of AF yet for me but I'll keep you updated x