The Turkey Baster Gang (gobble gobble)

@eloiseislost bless you. I think I'd be taking more pregnancy tests than anyone ever while I waited! 😊 I'm sure it'll sink in and then you will be ready to book.

@DinkBoo those are so really strong lines! Surely that must be a good thing?? I didn't even know cheapies could get so dark. I'm so sorry to hear about your colleague, that must have been a shock! Make sure you continue to take it easy, hopefully the GP is helpful and reassuring.

@eloiseislost my fingers are very tightly crossed for you!

@MrsKin90 still bumbling on I've been royally kicked in the arse by nausea and tiredness (and burping, good lord the constant burping!!!!) for a few days, hence my abscence.

Did my repeat after a week test yesterday as instructed and got an instant positive on a cheapy (pics attached of actual result and within seconds, cause I realised I have failed in my duty to post things I've peed on ) and then found out a much loved former colleague had died, so the day was rather derailed.

Need to ring the GP today. Still spotting. I know my mum bled throughout both pregnancies, but still not allowing myself to be convinced of the stickiness of the bean.

Morning @MrsKin90 🙃
I can't bring myself to book the early scan yet, I think I will wait until I'm 5 weeks and book it for 7 weeks. I'm still processing it really! 😅

@DinkBoo just wondering how you are and how things are going?

@eloiseislost have you actually booked a scan or are you waiting until closer to the time? I hope time doesn't drag for you!

@bigsweetpotato I think low sex drive/not ejaculating can probably mean lots more old lazy sperm in the tank! And I agree with Lori!
We try to er.. 'have fun' twice a week as that's all hubby can manage/wants and then push ourselves a bit more when I think I'm fertile. But if we ever go a period of time without, we always have a 'practice' insemination a couple of days before it's actually needed, just to hit refresh on the swimmers!

I'm 7dpo today. And I've got my standard tww cold/sniffles 🙄 my cramping went away but only yesterday! Thank goodness though as it was freaking me out. My BBT has been a bit rocky since O but I've had some sleepless nights / 4am wake up calls on behalf of my cat🐾. So I'm not going to take it for the rest of the tww 😊

Fingers crossed for everyone on their FW (even if a bit earlier than earlier than expected!). 🤞🤞

@bigsweetpotato hey! I have the same concerns with my hubby... we do it every other day and then sometimes nothing for weeks when I’m not in my fertility week as he has a really low sex drive. I have said to him he needs to do it more even if it’s just on his own 🤣 but I’ve told him to try and make sure he is at least twice a week, I used to think the longer they left it the more sperm there would be and a better chance but actually they just become poor quality and it’s better the more they ejaculate so the sperm are fresh and healthy xx

Hi everyone, hope everyone ok

@eloiseislost the test looks good to me! Good luck

@primrosechill hello buddy! AF finito and I've got my 20 pack of flat syringes and soft discs at the ready! I've been using cheapies and cb as well, but tbh I'm more used to looking at the lines so I eject the CB tests and look at the actual stick afterwards. They usually match my cheapies though so I wonder if it could be a bad batch?

PS. I've been worried about something recently. My hubby has pretty low sex drive and we really don't do it much in between trying. I'm worried that this will or does affect his swimmers. What do you guys think? X

@primrosechill I’ve never used the clear blue tests I’ve only ever used the cheapie ones, I tend to go by my BBT more and try and inseminate every other day until I have 3 hight temps. Does seem very early to be getting a peak unless you do ovulate mega early this cycle? Oh why can’t our bloody bodies make sense! We inseminated on Saturday and will do it again tonight before bed, so much easier with the V Applicators! I’ve had lots of EW cm for 3 days which is really early for me too so no idea what’s going on!?

@eloiseislosti hope you can get an appointment sooner rather than later 🤞 xx

@primrosechill I used the CB digital and it gave me no smiley face, went straight to peak… TWICE! Drove me mad, I literally threw it against a wall and that was the end of it. 🤣
If you ovulate between CD11-12, starting your high days at CD6 is not unreasonable. You could get 5 or 6 days of high fertility. The flashing smiley appears when your FSH is increasing -this is the hormone that stimulates the follicle prior to ovulation. So I say, get right to it!! And best, best of luck and tons of baby dust! 🧚🏼‍♀️

@primrosechill I think you're right, there's no stopping the worry! I decided to save the money I would spend on tests and just book an early scan at 6 or 7 weeks. It'll probably end up being cheaper anyway!! 😆

@eloiseislost the black and white photo shows clear progression :) I know you want an absolute dye stealer to put you at ease at this stage but like @MrsKin90 said, it's still very early days. One thing you could consider is maybe buying a ClearBlue weeks predictor test? If you take it in a few days and it says 2-3 weeks, you'll know your HCG levels are exactly where they're supposed to be. Then again, if for any reason it comes with a different result, it's a fast track to often unnecessary worry - so maybe the best idea to just burn all pregnancy tests altogether! ;)

@Lori23TTC how is your insemination going?

I have a quick q re ovulation tests! I finally caved in and bought the ClearBlue digital tests. I'm CD6 today and the test already says I'm in high phase! (flashing smiley face) That seems insanely early - the cheap OPK is a complete squinter today and normally according to cheapies I ovulate on day 12-13 like clockwork. I will of course continue to test with CB but at the rate it's going, I might get a peak from it on CD8 or CD9. Anyone else had similar experiences with digital OPKs? xxx

@Lori23TTC Thanks, I hope it's a sticky one! 🤞🏼 I self-referred to the maternity unit this morning and have set me up with an online account. Now waiting for the midwife to contact me for my booking appointment, but they said this could take weeks!

@MrsKin90 how are you feeling today re the cramping? If it’s still bad you should go and see your GP - they won’t roll their eyes it’s what they are there for and your health is more important than anything.

@eloiseislost that has got darker! Try not to worry (easier said than done I know) have you book an appointment at the doctors? X

Looks a bit better in black and white! I have a short LP so AF is already late but, yes, technically it's very early.
I feel fine so I'll take that as a good sign.
How naive I was to think that the worrying would stop once I conceived! 🤦🏻‍♀️

It looks like the 13dpo one is a bit more defined than the 11dpo one to me. I so hope it turns into a bright pink bfp for you soon! 13dpo still feels early to me.

Good morning everyone! I hope you had a great weekend!
Just took another FRER and I'm panicking that my line is not progressing. 😞
Any thoughts?

@Oilyoilyoilgob happy birthday 🎂

@Lori23TTC I went by my cervix weirdly otherwise I would have missed it too as had very little to no EWCM! We luckily did SI on CD12, 14 and 16 (just in case!). I ovulated CD16 last cycle so expected it to be similar this time.

I only wait 5 minutes for hubby's sperm to liquify. I use an "if I can pour it, it's ready" rule that I've based on zero scientific evidence or understanding 😂 I like the idea of gently swishing it... Feels like you're making the sperm dizzy and hoping it gets them into a swimming frenzy! Like giving them a caffeine boost without warning!

I'm 5dpo today. I couldn't sleep last night because I was having such bad cramps and back ache! I honestly wouldn't have been surprised to wake up to AF only it was much worse than AF cramps. I usually cramp a little after O but not like this, feel like I'm out already or something's gone wrong in there.
I've actually had cramps on and off since my cervical screening at 2dpo 😒 so wondering it's being made worse by that! They say you're not meant to cramp afterwards so wonder if I should contact the GP or if they'll just roll their eyes at me. 😒

@eloiseislost thank you, you are full of recommendations 🧡 I hope everyone is having a nice weekend xxx

Happy birthday @Oilyoilyoilgob 🎉 ❤️
I hope you are having a wonderful day, getting spoiled like you deserve! 😃

@Lori23TTC ha I know! 45mins sounds super long but in reality according to benchmarks anything below 60mins is a norm :) of course in lab setup they don’t do anything to help it, whereas at home we hold it to keep it at body temp so it probably doesn’t need quite that much!

I also bought the vaginal applicators, will give them a try this cycle!

@Lori23TTC I think I recommended the vaginal applicators a while back, I believe I posted a link on Amazon for the ones I got. They are definitely better than syringes, they are actually designed to go in there and squirt things! 😆 Best of luck for this cycle, keeping my fingers crossed for you! 🧚🏼‍♀️

@eloiseislost thank you for the link! I’ve just SI with the vaginal applicators omg so much easier! So thank you to who recommended them it was a while back! Don’t feel guilty about having a drink, a few drinks can’t hurt and you know now 😀

@MrsKin90 yay for CD14 ovulation... I ovulated on CD14 last month and completely caught me off guard and we missed it as I’m normally day 17/18. I’m CD9 today and did my first SI tonight so if it happens again I don’t miss it! Fingers crossed for you xx

@primrosechill 45 mins?! I only leave it about 5 lol looks really liquid to me tho.. hubby’s is quite liquid anyway tho?! X

@Birchybirch welcome to the gang! I have to say I used to be unnecessarily dismissive of forums like mumsnet but this thread has been a godsend! I’ve spent so long hiding so many things and feeling inadequate until I’ve realised how many other people have issues with sex and “normal” ttc - life’s too short to dwell on what’s not going well, I’m just glad we have alternatives!

@bigsweetpotato is it weird/creepy how much I LOVE that we are complete to-the-day cycle buddies? 😂 day 4 here too and AF is almost completely gone. We will inseminate every other day starting from day 7. Bought preseed lube which I’ve never used and we will also give it more time to liquidate this cycle. When my hubby did his sperm analysis, it says on the results that it took 45mins for it to fully liquidate! Which makes me think that what’s “liquidated” to my bare eyes is still not optimal for meeting my ladies 👀😂

@MrsKin90 yay for ovulating on day 14 this cycle and sending lots of good vives and patience for your TWW 💆🏻

Big love to you all! xxx

@bigsweetpotato Thanks! In real life, they are less faint, but my camera is not great. I'll test again on Monday and then phone my GP. I can't quite believe it!! And DH is just so calm about it, it almost annoys me! 🤣

Fingers doubly crossed for you @eloiseislost !! I can see a faint line!

Welcome @Birchybirch I have found this group amazing as I haven't really told anyone about our ttc and how we are doing it. Everyone shares advice which I have found super useful

I'm on CD4 so gearing up for trying next week. Might get some softcups to try and the flat syringes! Have a good weekend everyone

@Birchybirch A very, very warm welcome! Everyone here is so lovely, it's really a place of safety, no judgement and great compassion. Good luck with the OPKs, once you pinpoint ovulation, you will be more confident that your timing is good. Apps are a bit rubbish if I'm honest, they assume women ovulate two weeks before their period, which is not always the case. My luteal phase for example is 11 days.

@Lori23TTC Thank you, I think it's very early and I won't quite accept it until I see the lines getting stronger but for now, I'm happy that the method clearly works!
I used these: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000X29GY6?ref=ppxpopmobapshare
I practiced with one and found it very easy to insert and remove. The first time I did it with semen though, most of it leaked out. Second time, all stayed in and third time some leakage. So it takes a bit of practice and the risk of things leaking I would say is always there, but it keeps the sperm flat against your cervix, shortening the journey that they have to make to find the egg.

@MrsKin90 Thank you! I keep thinking that if yesterday's test was positive I wouldn't have drunk so much wine and I feel a bit guilty. But I know it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.