TTC Myths Exposed!

Having regular sex won't get you pregnant.

Apparently. Well, with me anyway

"I have since read "no orgasm" on the "conceive a girl" lists as you want the Y sperm to die before reaching the egg, so no acceleration desired."

I have 3 girls, no boys, always orgasm.

Anecdotal obviously, but there's no way I'd do that much shagging if I couldn't orgasm.

ab - thanks for info on EPF, that does make some sense :)

My best is: "if you don't get a positive test on the day AF is due, I know a women who knew a monkey's uncle who had a positive a WEEK later"

98% of women will test positive on or the day before AF is due

2% is not that many women :)

The one thing that we are kind of similar in is that we need to follow the masses. Not the exceptions to the rule. Because (as much as we are all special and wonderful and beautiful), there is a large chance that we aren't going to be exception.

And if we are, wow - what a story!!

Further wondering but if we all experienced those, I wonder how much higher the awareness of a failed pregnancy would be?

I mean - don't they say something chronic like 70% of most conceptions end in chemical pregnancies?

Perhaps one magic of the 2ww and the "no symptoms" ideology is that you can protect yourself (and others) just in case? Maybe it really is nature just trying to protect us?

Pregnancy isn't going anywhere if you ARE pregnant.
But I found it hard and lonely place to fall from - with chemical pregnancies AND thinking I was pregnant when I was actually only just about killing myself.

I know that women like to think there are symptoms and we're all the same. But we're really not. And every single one of reacts differently. But we all hurt just as much when we're sure we are pregnant and it turns out we're not.

That's what I hate about the idea that there are symptoms (aside from an almost 95% medical agreed-upon asymptomatic 6 week journey) is that we feed a largely incorrect theory. Fine - maybe 5% of women just know (like I did - right about the time I decided maybe vomiting was good this time) but the rest of women don't. So assuming that everyone is the same is not only heart breaking, but incorrect and unfair.

I have to say I tried the grapefuit juice thing this cycle and (am not pregnant but) I had a ridiculous amount of EWCM. Ridiculous. Fertile CM can only be a good thing, surely, so I am going to carry on with the grapfruit juice even though it tastes like shite

Surely calling them "conception symptoms" would be more correct then?

Since pregnancy won't even happened yet? :)

#justwondering

Very sensible thread, though I take issue with the 2WW thing too. I agree that in most cases people are probably overanalysing, especially if they have never before paid much attention. But I have conceived three times and had almost immediate very marked symptoms each time (strong nausea within 48 hours of conception, rapidly progressing to hyperemesis), totally different from non conception cycles and I had charted carefully for 4+ years so was used to paying careful attention. By the time I got a (very faint) positive I was quite badly unwell each time, no missing it. The tests were a bit redundant really. I knew a lot about the science of implantation and was very taken aback by this as I thought it was impossible so did a lot of reading and also concluded that the early pregnancy factor must be the answer. In my case I am no doubt oversensitive to these early chemical changes, hence the very severe hyperemesis and very early hospitalisation. Many women with hyperemesis also report marked nausea well before a positive test.

Sensible comments on ovulation. The OPKs seem to confuse as many people as they help.

Brilliant havealittlefaith - I shall amble over there shortly :D

Controversially, I'm going to say that you CAN experience pregnancy symptoms in the TWW. Not from hcg (since that doesn't get into the bloodstream until after implantation), but from something called 'early pregnancy factor'. It's some sort of protein created when an egg is fertilised and works as an immuno-suppressant to prevent the body rejecting the fertilised egg. The theory goes that this causes pregnancy symptoms during the TWW.

Since not every fertilised egg (by a long way, unfortunately) implants and leads to a positive pregnancy test, arguably you can get pregnancy symptoms from EPF without then becoming pregnant, hence why some women 'feel' pregnant in the months they don't become pregnant.

Ruthless - it's random because they say the little boy sperm is faster but dies quicker and the little girl sperm is slower but lives longer.

The thing with having an orgasm is literally meant to be that it shoots the spermies up to where they need to be. And then, lady orgasm is meant to...push the spermie up based on the contraction type of movement.

I have heard orgasming increases the liklihood of conception

kicktheGuru you belong here in my humble opinion. Please come and have a look around. You'd be in glad company! :)

Fuck knows why, or where I read it. But I ignored it and mc, then obeyed and have a squirmy DS2.

I have since read "no orgasm" on the "conceive a girl" lists as you want the Y sperm to die before reaching the egg, so no acceleration desired.

Nuts.

Ovulation is the entire process - from preovulation, to "ovulatory" to the luteal phase. When the egg drops can happen any time during 1 - 7 days.

I am also in love with kicktheguru's no shit-taking bluntness.

ruthless, I know you mentioned it in the context of rubbishy myths, so I am definitely not going to be sucked in by it, but what's the "no orgasm" thing? I thought you were meant to have one, for full sperm-sucky-up potential.

What does ovulation mean if it doesn't mean "you dropped an egg"? Pardon my foolishness.

LOL yes it is a very luxurious worry, ttc a particular sex, although in my defence I do know it's indulgent and counterproductive really... It's just that the little crazy part of my brain says "yes but..."

When I mc (a cp, and then a mmc) I got totally completely mental about doing everything "properly", and obeyed even the rules I knew to be stupid (legs in the air, don't orgasm, don't pee afterwards) and every single 'how not to mc' myth I ever heard. Since it worked (inasmuch as I gave birth to a healthy baby) it only served to prove the "little voice" right.

Some people believe firmly in logic. Others secretly read horoscopes or have psychic readings, even though they don't believe them. And that's why myths persist - because they will have worked for someone somewhere just on balance of statistics, and she loudly says MONSTER MUNCH HELPS YOU CONCEIVE and we all believe her.

So this isn't the place to ask about how to conceive a blue eyed, curly haired girl then?

Can't think of any thing to add at the mo, but kicktheguru, I think I love you- I want you to be on all the mad threads here to beat some sense into posters.

kicktheguru sorry about your diabetes troubles :( Also I do know how you feel about having to wait for more time cos of health issues - I had to 'take off' 2 months from ttc earlier this year because I had to have a tonne of tests done for alarming digestive issues. I was miserable and frustrated because I just wanted to be getting on with the ttc thing BUT a good friend reminded me that my own health was important FOR my future baby. Don't know if that helps at all but it did help me (I still went slowly bonkers, though). Best of luck and fingers crossed for you x

Yeh we make sure we DTD EOD from the minute AF buggers off to the minute AF is due. Can you say John Wayne?!!

Agree 100%. Now, I just want a baby. I would give up a lot for a baby. I have already. Plus now, I get to wait even more with recent poor health so I get to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else knowing there is nothing I can do about it.

OH well. I will read more books!! Hurrah! Every growing fountain of knowledge...

Also, MN makes it sound like anovulatory cycles are a lot more common than they are. There are a few things - like having sore boobs is actually a sign of ovulation rather than not. So if you normally don't get sore boobs, 20% of women would actually have an anovulatory cycle.

Obviously things like heavy OR light AF, missed or prolonged AF or longer in duration are more likely combined signs of anovulation.

Not just not picking up a smiley face.

OH and here is another one:

The LH surge may last for as short a time as 3 - 4 hours! So, if you aren't testing a couple times a day, you may potentially also be missing the surge! Hence - DTD EOD

And temping is only reliable to figure out when the LH surge occurs but even then - the temperature increase only happens AFTER the surge and therefore after the ovulation. BUT ovulation does not in itself mean that you dropped the egg... :)

Just humpalot.

It's easier

To answer an earlier question wishing I would tread very carefully with Agnus castus. It is a very potent drug which can significantly impact on your cycle. I would only take it under the recommendation of a herbalist in fact, I personally would not take it at all!

Wow, that ovulation stat is really interesting. I'm surprised by that. I've always thought I ovved 15-17 but maybe I am wrong!

On the gender thing - it does seem to make sense. At the start of this journey I am ashamed to say I hoped for a girl but we didn't try anything specific as I just wanted a baby. Now 12 months on after a couple of losses and now having reduced fertility I feel like a right twat for having had a preference. Babies are a gift. I hope I get to carry one home one day x

I think the trouble is that the people who can say "relax and it will happen" are mostly the people with babies. They're not the ones who are in it for the long slog.

I also wonder how they long they tried for?! I mean - I would never say that to anyone because I think it's a slap in the face.

Like - yes, I am that uptight that I keep my legs firmly together. Oh crap, what?!! That's wrong?!! OH DAMMIT I knew I should relax more!

I suppose all the stuff about relaxing means make sure you're not too stressed for shagging. A lot of the time there's something in the old wives tales, but a lot of it comes down to luck of the draw.

ruthless

We did the "conceive a boy" - then we both decided it was not only highly unlikely but we also reduced the chances of actually falling pregnant with ANYTHING

As someone said - OPK only picks up the LH surge. You can drop the egg any time up to a week after the LH surge is detected (or not at all!). So it's very unpredicable to "time" sex (what that dragon person can't seem to understand).

You should DTD EOD as much as possible for the longest possible period of time.

another myth

They did a study of women trying to conceive who started TTC on month 1. 68% of the women on this trial fell pregnant within the 6 months. Interestingly enough, 70% of the women ovulated before day 10 and after day 17. And even those who OVed earlier or later carried a healthy baby to term.

What does that mean? 70% of women probably do NOT Ovulate between 10 - 17. You should actually be testing from the day AF ends until the day AF is due.