Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

SMEP - feel free to join! :)

965 replies

danielasummer · 03/12/2019 07:34

Hi everyone, just making this thread as it seems a few of us will be trying SMEP to TTC! Adding these lovely ladies in from another thread but I hope everyone feels free to join! All welcome :)

@Devgirl31 @fayy123 @NCON @MrsKJW19

Some stats about me:

TTC #1
27 years old, DH is 28 years old
Missed miscarriage in October 2019 at 7+2 weeks
Still in that cycle (no AF yet)
Long and irregular cycles, some anovulatory
Suspected low progesterone/hypothyroidism (I think this based on symptoms, not diagnosed yet!)

Hope we can all provide support for each other in this crazy TTC journey.

Feel free to introduce yourselves :)

OP posts:
Thread gallery
39
Lnix · 12/02/2020 19:23

@danielasummer I had been testing 2 or 3 times a day...but as turns out I got a surge this morning, day 16. I'm usually spot on day 12 so who knows what's going on down there. Glad to see you got your static smily! Go go go! This is a nice thread, I'm enjoying the more relaxed posts! X

ChampooPapi · 12/02/2020 19:23

@danielasummer @JoesM12 so I'm now weeping in bed of course, god you women are just so incredible and just so bloody brave. I am the one who is admiring you all , trust me, I am very fortunate and I just lost my head, and myself, the last few months and I'm now being vaguely normal.

Love to you all ♥️🌈

JoesM12 · 12/02/2020 17:14

@ChampooPapi this is a very admirable approach to ttc after a loss ❤️ You should be very proud.
I hope you get your bfp this month lovely ❤️

JoesM12 · 12/02/2020 17:09

Hi ladies 😊
Sorry for not keeping up with the chat! I have enjoyed catching up today and seeing how everyone is getting on.
We weren’t successful last month but to be honest we didn’t manage to keep up to smep! My husband was unwell and I think he felt the pressure to perform so neither of us were really feeling it.
We both have been a lot more relaxed this month. We’ve been quite busy and had a weekend away with friends so it’s totally taken my mind off it and I hadn’t taken a single opk until yesterday on CD16. Its much nicer being a lot more relaxed and not stressing about it but it’s certainly easier said than done if you dint have much distraction 🙈

I took another this morning and I got the static smiley same as @danielasummer & @paintfairy 😊 so we are for sure in the two week wait together ladies!! AF is due the 26th and my luteal phase is usually pretty spot on so I’m hoping to hold out to test until at least the 24th!
Fingers crossed for those bonfire night babies ladies ❤️

Is anyone trying anything different this month? I bought some soft cups & some preseed!xx

Original poster
danielasummer · 12/02/2020 14:58

@ChampooPapi that is such a great way of looking at it. I remember us talking late last year and we sound like totally different people, don't we? My fingers, as always, as crossed for you though and I do think of you often. Again, as always, lashings of baby dust your way.

Also, I second that - be kind to yourself and give yourself a break. As much as I want a baby, I have recently found who I am again after a traumatising few months and that in itself is priceless. x

OP posts:
ChampooPapi · 12/02/2020 13:00

@Shazzzzz good for you, it really makes the time go a lot more slower in my opinion checking everything constantly, whether that's checking physical factors or mentally checking. You should be proud and let's stay on this track for March if we don't catch this month.

My period is due around the 23rd/24th of feb, but it has taken the last 4 cycles for my period to kind of function in the normal way. I honestly can't believe I was on here last October after my miscarriage looking for support and wanting to try again. It shows that time passes pretty dam fast, I do look forward to re visiting a lot of the threads I've been on once I'm pregnant again, because it is kind of like a diary in a lot of ways and it'll be pretty incredible to read each stage of the journey.

Good luck to everyone this month, I can probably test in ten days but I'm ok with trying in March, I've found some real inner peace and serenity at last but it has taken 4 months so anyone who has been through the same thing, give yourself a break, it takes a lot longer to get over a miscarriage then I ever thought

Shazzzzz · 12/02/2020 11:57

@ChampooPapi i have done the more relaxed approach this month and feel so much better, i havent done an OPK or anything and everytime its come in my mind ive tried to think about something else. Im in the TTW and AF is due Monday for me so not long 😩😳

Original poster
danielasummer · 12/02/2020 08:52

@paintfairy if I do indeed ovulate (which I'm certain now I will - woohoo!!) then I will be testing around the same time as well. Fingers and toes crossed for us! We'll have to keep each other sane in the TWW!

@ChampooPapi oh this thread is the only thing keeping me going in this journey.. there's no way I'm letting it go haha! Bless you, that was the same as me last cycle - so much sex it was unreal. We were both fed up by the end of it I reckon. So yes, I agree with you that an element of it comes down to luck. I'm really glad you're feeling more relaxed this month and just doing it as and when you feel like it. I think conception desperation ebbs and flows doesn't it? Sometimes I think 'oh I have so much to look forward to in the next few months that it's ok if I don't get pregnant', other times I feel like my womb aches of longing whenever I think of babies. I'm just desperate to be a mum! When is your AF due? Bonfire night or Christmas babies sounds perfect :) x

OP posts:
ChampooPapi · 12/02/2020 08:44

Hey @danielasummer, so glad your keeping this thread going as took a few weeks break from mumsnet and got a very warm feeling when I saw it in the conception chat scroll bar.

Hello to all new smep members and all the old hands as well 🙄

I have stopped smep after having sex no less then twenty times last month and not becoming pregnant , I mean what the actual f*#k

And ladies that is with the same male of the species that I have two children with so goes to show that there is a lot of luck involved in it.

So after that insanity we have just been doing it as and when we feel, total relaxed approach and been feeling so much less stressed or worried about becoming pregnant.

Now I'm in the two week wait, though will keep doing that baby dance untill my af when we feel, I can slowly feel the conception desparation creeping in so I'm back for the wonderful support of you all.

To bonfire night or Christmas babies ladies 🌈♥️👣

paintfairy · 12/02/2020 08:39

@danielasummer 29 feb I reckon I'm due? I won't test though unless AF is late.

Original poster
danielasummer · 12/02/2020 08:35

@paintfairy ooh matching ov days - that would be great! :) How long is your luteal phase? We might be able to match up testing dates (I only ever test when AF is due though) x

OP posts:
paintfairy · 12/02/2020 08:28

@danielasummer I'm using them for the first time so can't help with that. But I've had my static this morning too!

Original poster
danielasummer · 12/02/2020 07:10

PRAISE THE FREAKING LORD...... 🙌🏻 went from blank circle for 7 days to now static smiley. Is this ok? I pray it is!!

SMEP - feel free to join! :)
OP posts:
Original poster
danielasummer · 11/02/2020 20:07

@HE88 that's great news. Wishing you luck for your 12 week scan, please do keep us updated! Will you be finding our baby's gender? x

@Lnix no problem at all, will send it over now :) How often did you use the OPKs? As you may have missed your surge if only testing once a day? And what time did you test too? So many variables with those things! Honestly I think you're fine if you've DTD every other day, that's what I'm going for this cycle anyway and if I get flashing smileys on the CB then I will attempt to do every day but I won't push it if DH is too tired or we can't be bothered! I must admit I'm getting a bit annoyed with the empty face (had it for 7 days now) but I just keep thinking, one more day closer to becoming a mum. x

OP posts:
Lnix · 11/02/2020 19:22

@danielasummer thanks so much. That would be great. I'm going to chalk this one up to maybe just missing the surge as this is the best possibility for my head!! We have been dtd every other day so MAY have caught it. Aw man it must be so frustrating having mad cycles...I feel bad for complaining. Glad you can temp and get confirmation that way. I know I have lots to be grateful for in terms of regular cycles. I haven't tried CB properly. I got a set this month when I got a random result on Monday and it said no surge detected...a sad little empty face. They didn't have the flashing ones available. I didn't do any more of them because it actually made me feel extra rubbish seeing the empty face! When I took the stick out of the thingy the line was def there but it wasn't positive. Anyway...tww begins. I hope! Thanks for chatting with me, really helpful x

HE88 · 11/02/2020 17:01

@danielasummer thank you was such a relief knowing everything is OK. Well going by my last period I'm 9 weeks +1 but the scan was showing me as being not as far as that so I would be 8 weeks +1 going by the scan so who knows ha ha I'll find out for definite at my 12 week scan. Xx

Original poster
danielasummer · 11/02/2020 16:40

@Shazzzzz that's such a great way of looking at it.. I kind of felt the same last cycle and I think it's contributed to me feeling more relaxed this cycle! Fingers are crossed for you x

@paintfairy oh I wake up in the night all the time and all sorts! As long as I've had 3 hours of sleep, I log it and I always see a pattern :) it's so helpful I find x

@Lnix Please don't despair with the OPKs, I kept getting random surges and no positive, I feel much more relaxed with the CB this cycle. Have you tried the CB? My fingers are crossed it'll happen for you soon. Stay positive, only 5 more months I guess of trying and if no luck (which I'm hoping there is for you) then you can try the doctors to find out why. It's great too that your cycles are regular as it shows things are happening on time within your body. I'm slightly envious, my cycles are crazy haha. Also with temping I love it because temping, blood tests and an ultrasound are the only ways you can confirm definite ovulation. I like to use the OPKs to predict it and temping to confirm it. I use the app Natural Cycles which I've used for years (I used to use it for birth control, then when I fell pregnant used it to track my pregnancy - sadly miscarried - now using it for TTC) and I love it. If you want to try it I have a discount link so let me know if you'd like to try it and I'll send it over! x

OP posts:
Lnix · 11/02/2020 16:25

Hey @danielasummer no this is my 7th cycle CD day 15. Feel quite down as every other month I've had a very obvious positive opk. Hoping I've just missed the surge rather than not had a surge. The idea of that is quite depressing! 7 months doesn't seem long but it feels like forever 😏 I haven't bbt before - I'm not sure where to start with it...is there an app you can log temps and it all looks fairly obvious to an untrained eye?? To be honest I wasn't that keen as it's just another thing to add to the pressure of ttc but right now I'd absolutely love to know if I had. No knowing that now of course! Ahh! I have regular cycles and have had a positive opk every month since using them so that's pretty encouraging but this has made me feel less hopeful that "everything is ok and it's only a matter of time..." Glad we have been doing SMEP this month at least! X

paintfairy · 11/02/2020 14:11

@danielasummer yes I track BBT. Sometimes it's hard as I wake random times. But having a general pattern definitely helps (although you only know that after the effect. Lol).

Shazzzzz · 11/02/2020 12:49

@danielasummer ive not this cycle! Im not getting my hopes up, if it is a sign of AF hopefully she is early so we can try again sooner 😄

Original poster
danielasummer · 11/02/2020 11:34

@paintfairy good luck for SMEP! Great news about flashing smiley. I'm still waiting on mine..!

@Shazzzzz sore boobs aren't just a sign of AF (not to get your hopes up). How do you usually track ov or are you not this cycle?

@fayy123 hello, sorry AF got you :( happy to hear your cycles are regular and predictable though. I don't use lube but have tried preseed in a previous cycle..don't think I'll bother again. If I were you I would DTD every other day from when you finish AF. I'm getting on ok. Willing ovulation to happen now!

@HE88 so glad your scan went well, good luck for your first midwife app! How far along are you now? I can't be doing with strip OPKs anymore.. I was getting obsessed about them.

@Pixielou16 hi, always good to get bloods etc done. So is this your first cycle TTC? Yes I'm using the CB Dual Digital for the first time this cycle and I like it. Pricey though! On sale at Boots currently though.

@Lnix good luck for SMEP this cycle! I would do every other day from AF until next AF (hopefully it won't come for you) to cover yourself. Sperm can live up to 5 days so you should be fine. Is this your first cycle TTC?

Do any of you track BBT? Just asking because a lot of people on MN post about uncertainty with ovulation. I've been tracking BBT for around 3.5 years and love it for confirming ov. Definitely recommend it :)

OP posts:
Lnix · 10/02/2020 20:49

Yeah maybe every other day til AF. I don't understand it, I'm normally pretty predictable with when I ovulate. Lucky me I guess...but this has thrown me off! Can't face 5 days dtd in a row - it's Monday, that's 5 school nights!! 🤣 can only try I suppose!

bluemoon2468 · 10/02/2020 20:34

@fayy123 if you ovulate on CD11 usually then I wouldn't wait until CD8 to start. If I were you I'd probably DTD CDs 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14. No I've never used lube, got pregnant 2nd cycle without it, DTD every second day from day 6 to 14. I know some women swear by preseed, but from my reading it doesn't actually improve fertility, it's just less harmful to sperm than regular lube.

fayy123 · 10/02/2020 20:16

@Lnix maybe just keep DTD every other day until AF! Or not AF hopefully
@Shazzzzz It’s a sperm friendly lube, mimics your CM! Helps the swimmers get up there

Shazzzzz · 10/02/2020 20:15

@Lnix if i was you i would try and dtd like 5 times in a row, if you knew it was building then its gotta be soon! X

Swipe left for the next trending thread