TTC Myths Exposed!

Agree totally emerald. Apart from anything else it's just really annoying when people tell us to relax!!

Oh, and the one about stress is reassuring too as I too have CONSTANTLY heard people saying, "Oh, you should stop trying and relax; I had a friend who stopped trying and she was pregnant an hour later" etc etc. I have bought into this and have been beating myself up for not 'relaxing' enough and for 'trying too hard'. Seeing as all I am actually doing is using a CBFM and having sex as much as poss and more on fertile days (plus drinking pineapple juice because I'm nuts) I don't really see how much more I can 'stop trying' unless I am hoping for an immaculate conception!

"Every OTHER day" - not every day!

The EOD theory is to let the swimmers recoup and it also definitely does stop you getting sick to death of it. We DTD EOD and I was so sure it would almost work but all my "2ww pregnancy symptoms" turned out to be Type 1 Diabetes.

Not self fulfilling prophecy then :)

But yes, the point of a 2 week wait is waiting for a positive result. It's not the time to see how many symptoms you get - since medically, a large majority of women only get those symptoms at approx. 6 weeks.

The forum makes it sound like implantation happens to everyone (probably about an 18% chance of you feeling it?) as does Ovulation pain (happens to about 20% of women).

Of course, that's probably me just being silly and all "reading medical journals" because obviously they aren't correct! ;)

Sorry ruthless but I don't have much sympathy for you on that front!

CaveMum I have found this a really reassuring thread actually - I can't believe how naive I was and have been over this whole process, getting stressed out when it hasn't happened after only a few months! I did 'know' it might not happen immediately but I didn't really believe that IYSWIM.

Stupidly I even delayed ttc by a couple of months because I was paranoid that I would get pg right away and I had a major work issue looming during which I didn't want to be pg! 6 months later the work issue has come and gone and of course I am not pg yet!!!

It is really reassuring to read this thread - yes of course I have read everywhere now that it takes time and not to worry etc but for some reason your thread has been the one that made it hit home.

I am 35 so I think the real source of stress is more just that it feels like time is not on my side - every month that goes by is a month older, more than anything else.

Anyway, thx for the thread! Love the pineapple juice one - I read this a few months ago and didn't believe this for a moment but I bought pineapple juice anyway

Yes, feeling like you have to have sex NOW NOW NOW does take the joy out of it. But believing you shouldn't because you did it yesterday is equally nuts.

Even when we are being as rational as possible we buy into the myths. I'm currently following some of the "how to conceive a girl" ones which are driving me insane. I know, I know.

My dh can only manage every other day at the most and tbh every day is too much for me too!

I think the every couple of days thing is ti take the pressure off so to speak, as sperm can live at least a couple of days in a woman.

The every day thing can get very stressful after a while.

Watching with interest as I'm terrible for buying into ttc myths:
I eat much more pineapples than before (read somewhere they were good for fertility... Probably bollocks but has to be better for general health than a bar of chic!!
Manuka honey-the month I conceived (subsequent ectopic) i had been taking manuka for a cold. Coincidence? Probably and Its too blooming expensive for me to take every day!!

In my experience getting pregnant is bloody luck more than anything!!!

I agree that most symptom spotting in the 2ww is just wishful thinking.

The only symptom I had that was not attributable to premenstrual hormones was a sudden nursing aversion (pg#3, dc2, whilst bf dc1) which persisted until dc1 weaned. I reported the aversion to a friend who knew I was ttc, and she told me that my HPT would be +ve. It was, but only faint, and only three or four days later. She had had the same reaction during successful and mc pgies.

Obviously nursing aversion isn't a symptom a first-timer can spot!

There's a myth about sperm being less good if you have sex every day. Frankly, if you're charting, having sex every potentially fertile day is a great way to get pregnant...

Yes I remember the cough medicine thing also, was nearly tempted by that one but reason prevailed. It really is very hard not to try everything and anything to get there but in my case anyway it just lead to me nearly driving myself mad trawling the internet for the "magic bullet" which just doesn't exist.

Unprotected sex every two to three days is the best way to increase your chances short of medical intervention. (acupuncture I'm half convinced about and did give a go, for me, was a waste of money)

I think the thing about CM is that it can help the swimmers up to the egg. So increased CM if you're particularly lacking in CM is a good thing.

But obviously not with grapefruit juice.

Unless you use it as CM??

Can't remember but when I was trying for a 2nd dc I saw it quite a few times on here and ff.

I've not heard the grapefruit juice one!

It helps with conception by increasing fertility or what??

Grapefruit juice, don't know where it's come from but the idea that it helps conception is unfortunately untrue.

The two week wait symptoms are indeed wishful thinking or a self fulfilling prophesy.

The supplements, I was told by my consultant that there was no evidence to support their use in aiding conception but that research was still going on. That was in Queen mary's in London a few years ago. I 've not seen anything since to change that recommendation.

'Relax'.

total Myth.

All the relaxing in the world won't help someone with fertility issues get pregnant.

'Go on holiday, my friend tried for X years and then went on holiday and got pregnant'

total anecdotal myth... sperm still swims the same in France as it does in the UK!

similarly 'Stop trying, my friend tried for 8 years and got pregnant as soon as she stopped trying' - bully for her.

Or you get a positive pregnancy test!!

And even doctors say you should aim for every other day instead of just having sex when you get a smiley face.

But I can see how that's confusing for some.

My "opinions" are actually medical fact... :)

But sure thing - you're right

kick I have seen your theory on the 2ww and others including the futility of timing sex for conception many many times on threads here. I have also seen that many women have taken your insights very seriously.

Seeing as, like me, you have not been pregnant yet it might it be better to leave the observations regarding pregrancy symptoms to those with more experience? The details you decribe are not completely correct, in my opinion. Yes, of course, some pregnancy 'symptoms' may just be hindsight and we have all been there with 'symptoms' which turned out not to be so after all.

If it was this simple I suppose the '2ww' would not be as it is. Many of us are anxious to get there and trying to fight the urge to read too much into what is happening in our bodies is part of that. Unfortunately the fact that we are all different and bodies are confusing things does not equal, in my opinion, 'there are no pregnancy symptoms'.

The thing about it is that its a self fulfilling prophecy. Loads of us have had those symptoms (fair enough, mine turned out to be Type 1 Diabetes) but everyone always talks about the differences in their body in the 2ww. I watch ladies every month talk about nausea, hard tummy, increased CM, decreased CM etc etc.

You're bound to be right when you do eventually fall pregnant... :)