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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

Cycle Day 1 - SMEP method?

169 replies

MummyStevensToBe · 28/10/2021 16:18

Hi Mummies-to-be! Is anyone at a similar stage in their cycle and going to try the SMEP method this time? Would love to share the highs and lows of the journey together!

This is our second cycle, TTC baby #1, but first cycle I’m pretty sure we DTD around the wrong time / missed my ovulation day. Thought SMEP could give us a better chance!

OP posts:
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mrsS21 · 06/11/2021 14:44

Sorry wrong button! That’s great you’ve had 3 in a row, hopefully you’re close to peak! How can the apps be so different?!

mrsS21 · 06/11/2021 14:43

Thanks @MummyStevensToBe that’s my plan :) every other day, up to peak, then 2/3 days in a row.

Original poster
MummyStevensToBe · 06/11/2021 11:39

@Firsttimetrier ah congratulations - lots of exciting things happening! Don’t blame you for taking it a little easier - you don’t more stress! Ultimately just DTD is what it’s all about. Keeping everything crossed for you - on the house and baby!!

@mrsS21 yayyy!! So now onto the every other day plan? Good luck! 🤞🤞

@Moonshine160 oh no so confusing! I would maybe DTD for the next couple of days back to back just in case and then keep on testing in the meantime? These clearblue tests are not filling me with heaps of confidence! Yes that can’t be right RE ovulation?! What app do you use to track BBT? I use natural cycles but also find my temp is a bit all over the place too - I’m sure it doesn’t help that I wake up to an alarm every day and EVERY day I get the fright of my life, so by the time I’ve come too, my temp might have gone up 😂

I’m now CD11 and had 3 flashing smiley days - will test again around 1pm and see what today is saying. Both apps I use are saying different predicted ovulation dates - Ovia is saying CD Monday (CD13) and natural cycles is saying CD18! Not hugely helpful 😂

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Moonshine160 · 06/11/2021 10:55

Hope everyone’s getting on ok.
The confusion continues for me. Got another flashing smile on the Clearblue test this morning. Did a cheap OPK with it which to me looks positive, both the test and control line are equally dark. After I did the Clearblue test I had a look at the two lines and the test line is darker than the control line, so I don’t know why I’ve got a flashing smiley and not my peak?
I’ve also been tracking my BBT and the chart is all over the place. It reckons i ovulated the day my period ended 🙈 which I know isn’t right.

mrsS21 · 06/11/2021 07:12

Whoop! First flashing smiley this morning!! Hope everyone is having a great FW so far!🙌

Firsttimetrier · 05/11/2021 21:09

Hi all, been MIA as life has got really hectic for us. We’re selling our flat and hoping to find the dream forever home, so the last week we’ve been getting the flat ready for the open day tomorrow.

As life has been so busy, I’ve decided not to track ovulation with OPKs this month, we’re just going to DTD as much as possible over my predicted fertile week!

I guess we’ll see how we get on 🤞🏽

Moonshine160 · 05/11/2021 12:36

@MummyStevensToBe we’ve been trying to DTD every day but it’s getting quite tiresome and like you say the flashing smilies seem to be quite premature for me too… I get the impression that they measure the first test you do against the others and if there is an increase in hormone then it’ll give you the flashing smiley, even though the cheap OPKs are negative. But I never ovulate until cycle day 16 and on the clearblue ones the flashing smiley has started at CD9!! X

mrsS21 · 05/11/2021 11:04

That’s a great shout @MummyStevensToBe at least you’ll definitely cover all your bases whilst your flashing smiley is there!

My tests are low again today, so not sure if I’m maybe too early. Going to keep tracking, see how it goes. Planning on dtd every other day too!

Original poster
MummyStevensToBe · 05/11/2021 09:55

@Moonshine160 so sorry I missed your message too! Yes agree about DTD every other day - hard to keep up otherwise! I've only been tracking ovulation for a couple of months and it's usually mid cycle - around CD 14/15, so the flashing circles seem very premature! CD 10 for me so will see what my OPK says today! I normally test around 1pm - do you guys test more than once a day?

OP posts:
Original poster
MummyStevensToBe · 04/11/2021 13:57

Hi @GoldenElephant :) do you mean what is SMEP? It's the Sperm Meets Egg Plan - a schedule to try a time conception: spermmeetseggplan.com/smep-step-by-step/

@mrsS21 that's so confusing! Maybe it's the time of day? I know some say they're more sensitive later in the day? Maybe test again this afternoon? I think we've decided to DTD every other day while it's flashing and then once we have a static smiley we'll start the 3 days in a row thing - I have no idea if that's right but scared that I could be on flashing for quite a while given it's started so early in my cycle, and that would just be exhausting 😂

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mrsS21 · 04/11/2021 08:10

@MummyStevensToBe I’m super perplexed this morning - tested with cb advanced the last 3 days, got the empty circle as low fertility…tried an easy@home this morning and it’s saying high @ 0.88! Which one do I go with?! And now, do we dtd every night or every other night? Having a bit of a flap this morning!

Cd16 today :)

GoldenElephant · 04/11/2021 01:17

What is it?! CD6 here… (just!)

mrsS21 · 03/11/2021 21:41

Ooh quite possibly @MummyStevensToBe sounds like it could be ovulation bleed… have you done just one opk today?
We’ve DTD tonight cd15, not due to peak until next Friday - but I’m determined to cover all our bases 😆 so just talked to Mr about now dtd every other day until day before peak, then every day for 3 days. Going to need a rest after that!! November is gonna be the month! We totally got this!!🙌

Moonshine160 · 03/11/2021 18:12

@MummyStevensToBe I was going to DTD ever other day but might try every day, just in case!
Oh it could be! I’ve never had that before but I’ve read on here that it can be a thing. What cycle day do you usually ovulate?

Original poster
MummyStevensToBe · 03/11/2021 17:44

@Moonshine160 eeek exciting! Will you DTD everyday from now then? Or wait for a static smiley?

I'm absolutely baffled now, as I just had a bit of spotting - could it be ovulation bleeding? Is that a thing?!

OP posts:
Moonshine160 · 03/11/2021 17:38

@MummyStevensToBe Similar over here! I’m on cycle day 10 and started testing yesterday and today I got a flashing smiley too! Yet I don’t usually ovulate until cycle day 16 which has confused me a bit. Although I have had some EWCM today so I’m wondering if I’m going to ovulate early?! Bit of a mystery. On the cheap OPKs there’s hardly a line there though.

Original poster
MummyStevensToBe · 03/11/2021 15:28

@mrsS21 😂 I'm on CD8 now and did my first ovulation test yesterday, which was negative, but then did my second today and it was a flashing smiley?! I thought it was way too soon in my cycle for that - glad I started testing early now! Just texted DH saying it's on tonight 😂🤞

I'm not sure with the SMEP whether I should DTD everyday once a flashing smiley (high fertility) comes up or whether that's when the static smiley (peak fertility) comes up? Does anyone know?!

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mrsS21 · 02/11/2021 17:50

ROFL why not ey @MummyStevensToBe😆 are you on cd8?
We started on day 8 but now had a few days gap. I’m still 4 days before FW so hoping if we start today, then every other day up to peak 🤞🏻 Whoop!! DH is going to be fed up of me soon 😆

Original poster
MummyStevensToBe · 02/11/2021 12:04

@UmmSA at least he's keen and getting into it 😂 I have heard that but don't know if it's more of an old wives tale? You have to do it every day at peak fertility anyway, so can't imagine it does any harm - just might be a bit exhausting! 😅

@mrsS21 I've already realised that I've gone wrong in my planning - I got the starting OPK testing and DTD the wrong way round - I think I should be DTD today and then starting OPK Thursday... But maybe I'll just do both?! 🤷‍♀️

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mrsS21 · 02/11/2021 08:27

Ooh good luck @MummyStevensToBe I was going from my shortest which was 31 days…but got the low fertility day result yesterday.

Yeah it’s not great at all that you have to buy the whole thing again - why they can’t just sell the sticks, it’s terrible. Think we’ll see how this cycle goes, but don’t think I’ll purchase again knowing that x

UmmSA · 01/11/2021 22:58

CD 10 here now and I'm feeling like I may ovulate a little later than last month (boooo).
So far hubby and I have been dtd everyday (tmi) rather than every other day (he keeps begging me lol) and I'm worried as I was of the inclination that we should dtd every other day to allow the spermies to rebuild up again 🤔

Original poster
MummyStevensToBe · 01/11/2021 19:55

@newnameanon19 congratulations!! That’s so exciting! Best of luck for your pregnancy - how are you feeling? X

@mrsS21 oh gosh these things are so complicated, I’m definitely going to make some sort of mistake - don’t worry, at least you’ve got it figured out now!

Welcome @siaa and @cocoforbes :) lovely to have you in the journey! Here’s hoping for more positive SMEP results!

I’m now on CD6 - I read the CB ovulation kit leaflet last night and it said the day to start testing should be worked out based on your shortest cycle in the last 6 - my cycles are a little bit all over the place as I only came off the pill in august, but think shortest was 26 days, so going to start ovulation testing tomorrow and then DTD every other day from Thursday (I hope we can keep it up and I don’t have a late ovulation 🤞😂)

Good luck ladies, let’s hope this is our month 🙏

OP posts:
cocoforbes · 01/11/2021 19:47

Hi I'd like to join. I'm in my second cycle, CD3. We did SMEP last cycle and found it quite hard going especially since we ended up with 4 days in a row based on my LH surge. Going to try and stick to it again but if it ends up just being every other day then so be it, don't want us to get burnt out again!

Good luck everyone! 🤞🤞🤞

siaa · 01/11/2021 18:27

Hi everyone can I join, in my experience SMEP works every time so I'm hoping it'll work this time for us too, this is our first month properly TTC this time round and I'm 3dpo today x

Moonshine160 · 01/11/2021 18:11

Thanks I’ll have a look! Mine are 30 days on average @Firsttimetrier