The Elderberry Pavlovas are pimping everyday – a lovely thread for 30+ ladies TTC #1 (Thread 7)

Thanks berries. I'll keep on keeping on with the sensitive skin stuff, methinks.
sid, thanks for the dildocam info. All sounds good!
Think I'm on the 2ww now, perhaps?

We've got friends over for dinner this eve, DH cooking up a storm after his cookery course on Monday. Salmon masala & Bombay potatoes. Good ttc food. Fortunately it's a gay couple, so no talk of babies!

Have a good evening. I'll check in later

Back from the dildocam appt, guys. Nearly shit myself when I realized the only sonographers coming out of the exam rooms were big burly men, but happily a grandmotherly type lady was the one who worked her magic on me. Yes, the wand does in fact look like a dildo; it's awkward for the first few minutes, but I could've stayed in there for hours looking at the screen - it's weirdly fascinating. The only abnormality was a good one - two ready-to-pop follicles one one ovary, and lots of little ones on my right. No guarantee that the two mature ones will actually release eggs, but even still, seeing for myself that everything up there is alright was a HUGE relief. Nice to have visual backup that the cbfm peak reading this morning was accurate.

Shag week now in effect!

Ps about skin woes, have you tried tea tree oil? It dries spots up really quickly. Wish it worked on skin redness, which is the bane of my existence.

Re acne I was also on Dianette for years & then they told me it was no longer advisable due to high hormone content or something & switched me to Microgynon. My skin seems to have settled down now which you would hope by the age of 36 but i totally understand the misery it can cause. I got told to take evening primrose oil to try to regulate hormones but don't take it now & not sure it's safe if TTC? I use Liz Earle cleanse & polish which seems to work for me. The super skin oil is also good but pricey.

TMI alert but bunny you did ask. It's a silicone funnel shaped thing you insert which collects all the blood. You simply take it out, empty into the toilet, rinse & re-insert. Costs about £20 but you never have to buy a tampon again. After AF has finished you boil in a pan to sterilise until next month. (DP was horrified the first time he saw me doing that!) Can be tricky at first to get hang of & you do have to be happy to rummage around inside a bit but no risk of TSS, saves a fortune & is so much better for environment as you're not creating any sanitary waste.

Firstly wtf is a mooncup?!?!? Sounds like something an astronaut would use!!!

Secondly, anybody staying in on the pity sofa tonight? Hubby is out from 5 till late so I shall be lurking on here I expect with my strange spotting awaiting evil AF with a glass of

I'm not really sure what my previous cycles were like cats. I went to the doctors at 19 because my periods were so irregular, and got put on the pill. If I could go back now I'd demand that they do some investigating to find out why, but they never gave any hint that it might be something to worry about and my 19-year old self was just happy to be regular.

Since coming off the pill 8 months ago I've had cycles ranging from 14 - 35 days. Last 3 were between 26 and 29 days though, so I thought things were starting to settle. So you can imagine my excitement as the days ticked by this time and no AF. I really thought that this was the one, but it's just the opposite! I don't think I was ill around O time, but I've only ever had one definite positive using OPK sticks so maybe I don't ovulate much at all?

I just want to know what's going on really, but all the doctor said was to arrange a 21 day blood test when I finally get AF. So here I am, just waiting. Man, I hate waiting!

barking, sorry about your skin. I empathise with the misery. Mine is also quite sensitive, so that stuff in Boots irritates it too. Dr Google, here I come!

frog she has tried a mooncup but wasn't for her. I've never tried one. Yet to be convinced. A mate got one stuck and she had to ask her boyfriend (now husband, but was quite new at the time) to fish it out!!

cats I've had bad acne since I was a teenager but the pill Dianette got rid of it and I had lovely skin. Now I've got horrible acne again and can't take anything for it. It is killing my confidence. Don't know who I'm more jealous of, pg women or ones with flawless skin. Dermatologist has given me some cream to try, but suggested that the change in hormones involved in being pg might help. Hmm. Do you not think I'm trying?!?!

I love my mooncup. I've been using them for about ten years now.

As for spots, my skin brews out when AF is visiting and when I ov, so I've nearly always got bad skin.
I have just changed to using stuff from Lush. I got their Herbalism face scrub and a face pack called something like calamity, it had blueberries in anyway, that I remember. It has made a difference.

V good sign cats!

A 5 month period for your friend barking - eeek. In terms of expense has she tried a mooncup? I used to think it was a v hippy thing but something made me try one & now I love it. No forgetting to put that spare tampax in your bag.

Sorry about the diagnosis cherry, please keep us posted.

Bfn this morning. I was starting to get my hopes up as 3 months since oh had cut back on drinking (and one month since giving it up completely). Plus I had the hsg. No 2013 baby for me now, I won't have one till I'm 35 now as its my birthday in jan. I started this process when I was 32. Very depressing.

Ooooh. It was stretchy! Just as well we dtd successfully straight after. That'll be within 48 hours of pos opk and about 18 hours after ov pain. Probably a bit late, but I don't care as I'm too pleased to be seeing ewcm! This is the only place where that sounds normal.
I have resolved never to use hormonal contraception again. It's evil.

I remember some talk of bad skin after the pill. Any advice on ttc friendly stuff that works? Not supposed to use retinol, I know, but my forehead has reverted to its teenage self and my chin is disgusting.

Oh and Cats, you need to do the Pipbin patented method for telling lady emissions from gentleman contributions.
Squash the questionable matter between toilet paper, if it sinks into the paper it is leftovers if it is all stretchy when you separate the paper again then it is yours.

It's 10DPO here and no spotting. Clearly one good thing to come of the lap and dye is it stopped the spotting.

How are you feeling Merk and Cherry?

haycorn- I feel your pain re the absent af. What were your previous cycles like? We're you ill around ov? Could it have been delayed?

Early birds berries all round. Was up early for acu, which I'm getting used to. Was thinking, what do you think about starting berry off shoot thread to support cherry, in case our chat here is a bit much for her, but she still wants to drop in for a chat?
merk, st georges is in tooting. Not a million miles away & their midwife led unit has v good rep. I think, when the time comes, you should have a tour of all of them and go with gut feel. In a previous job, I went to your local hospital labour ward to meet the head midwife. She was lovely. Bit disconcerting having a meeting about parenting programmes surrounded by screaming women. Personally, I've had treatment at st George's for pericarditis and I've been to their a&e and both times I've felt very impressed by staff and facilities. It's a massive teaching hospital, so you do get lots students....my mate trained there & loved it. Our local hospital also has midwife led centre, but I know someone who is suing them, so I'm not convinced either.
TMI alert here. After my second wee of the day this morning (I.e. not first), I got a great glob of cm when I wiped. It was very very stretchy, but creamy in colour. Is this anything to get excited about, or could it be by product of our dtd last night (no jiz expelled)??

I know frog how can they be so laid back? Ever since we made the decision to try its been the only thing on my mind, it can drive you crazy and when OH is all it'll happen one day luv you can have a meltdown, don't they care?!?!?

FB status from my best friend yesterday reminding everyone that its her last Friday at work for a year. She starts her maternity leave next week. Obvs I'm really happy for her but it just seems so unfair. I recently remembered a conversation we had on a girlie hols about 5 yrs ago when I said I was desperate to have kids & she said she wasn't that bothered .

Had a row with DP last night about how I'm getting too obsessed with TTC & I need to relax & just let it happen. What is it with men & their laid back approach to this?

CD18 today & biggest temp shift this month to highest ever. I either just missed O or it was last nights curry & alcohol. If it was O then v unlikely to get a BFP this time as we haven't DTD for the last 4 days.

Ugh haycorn I know what you mean, in 2 months time I will be getting the same text. She reminded me earlier this week that in 9 weeks time her FOURTH will be here!!!
Sorry to hear about your vanishing AF, nightmare, have you seen the doc? And yes lovely snow this morn I wish it would feck off!

A 5-month period? Blimey. Come on bodies, surely it would be far easier just to work normally than to come up with all these cruel ways to torture us.

Sorry your period has gone AWOL hay. My mate (who has been ttc 17 months and has her FC appointment the day before mine) has the opposite problem, she's had what seems to be one continuous period for the last 5 cycles. So annoying. And expensive for her! These things run like clockwork for years and years and then when we need all the mechanics working at their best they break down under the pressure. Rubbish.

My alarm went off to take my temperature at 7 and I didn't get back to sleep . Annoying, because I don't usually bother setting the alarm at weekends if it's beginning or end of cycle and not going to give me any useful information about Ov but I forgot to turn it off!!!

P.S. I'm also in the south-west bunny. What lovely weather we are having at the moment!