TTC#1 - Looking for Others in the Same Boat PART TWO THE SEQUEL WHERE WE ALL GET OUR BABIES???!

@MocktailMe I didn’t know you could even do that and now you’re giving my dangerous ideas.

Luckily I have a very busy day at work today and I should probably order more first responses 😂

@lavafield thank you honestly it feels like looking at a COVID test.

I’ve been talking a lot to chat GPT 😂

I feel like by end of the week if I’m still getting squinters I’ll know. Eek.

@CharLdn this is definitely a line! I had a similar one when I tested positive, it even appeared after a 5 minute window, but still turned out to be BFP, I was 9DPO then. It is likely you ovulated a couple days later after CM! For me CM actually usually starts to dry up a bit on the actual ovulation day. Plus kits are not 100% accurate, by my fetus measurements I ovulated a day or two earlier than I got a positive OPK! Also they can implant 5 days after ovulation or 12 days after, all is normal. I am cautiously optimistic about your line, but you are very right to not jump ahead of yourself! Just take it easy and see what happens!

@CharLdn you could definitely have CM a few days before ovulation so you might just be a few days behind and this the beginning of a line 🤞 can’t wait to hear any updates!

Thank you @Waitingformiracle and @KT199 I’m not feeling too stressed.

I’m going to try to maybe skip testing tomorrow and do Thursday AM (I day this but I’ll probably crack).

Re ovulation I actually don’t know I just know I had CM on day 18 so made us BD then. So it could have been day 18 or later.

I’m away this weekend so it would be nice to know either way then. I have previously skipped ovulation so a later period isn’t a guarantee.

Thanks for joining me on the waiting game!

@CharLdn I definitely see what you’re seeing. If you’ve tested in the evening after a lot of fluids this early on you wouldn’t have a super obvious line. I would see how it looks with first/second morning urine and see if it’s any clearer. Even if you are 14 DPO it doesn’t matter it’s not blaringly obvious as implantation can happen from 8-12 DPO so you may have implanted later. Got my fingers crossed for you, keep us updated!!

@CharLdn I definitely see what you’re seeing! Any chance your ovulation was a few days off and you are earlier than you think? Try another test this evening and see if it has progressed 🤞 I would guard your heart a little bit as I’ve had terrible indents on the first response but there is definitely something on those tests. Keep us posted!

@MocktailMe @Tater05 I tested again and it looks exactly the same - the line came up straight away or within about 5 mins.

My periods still not here though… my temperature is 36.5 and then 36.7 which would be good! (36.7+ is luteal)

I’m feeling not super hopeful if I ovulated on day 18 this would be 14 days PO so I feel like if I was preggo it should come up?! Especially first response.

@CharLdn omg there is definitely a line there! For self preservation I wouldn't rule out the possibility of it being an evap though, it looks quite grey. Fingers and toes are crossed for you!!!

I don’t want to get hopes up because it’s probably too pale and could be an evap but do we have a squinter?!

@Waitingformiracle @Tater05 weddings are hard as it’s those awful catch up conversations with life milestones.

I’ve found having some safe people who know what’s going on helps and a few glasses of bubbles helps!

@Waitingformiracle we’re now playing waiting game as to when we actually start ivf - going nhs so it’s likely to be glacially slow.

I’m trying to just not get stuck in waiting mode in the meantime but it’s taking up a lot of mental space :(

@Tater05 I’m so sorry that happened to you. I find weddings particularly hard. I have a raft of them coming up over the next 3 months and I am dreading them I must say. Sending you hugs!

@CharLdn I wouldn’t worry too much about having the odd night of drinking. In nearly two years of trying I have gone months and months without drinking and it has made no difference, and I’ve also had months where I had loads of fun and drank and it didn’t make any difference to my egg count for IVF so try not to worry. Plus the one time I did get pregnant I drank so much the night before ovulation that I spent the next day with my head in the toilet!! So you just never know. So much of this is just random good luck and I’ve spent a lot of time making myself feel bad about every single thing I do or put in my body but I’ve now gotten to the stage where I say life is for living. If I’m blessed with a child I’ll be so thankful but I also don’t want to look back on these years and say I didn’t live my life because I was so obsessed with getting pregnant. I went out and had loads of drinks this weekend even though I’m hopefully doing a transfer in a month. That’s just where I am at now with all of it, obviously everyone is different and it’s a personal choice but please don’t feel guilty!

@MocktailMe it made me realise how lucky I am that most of my friends are so understanding about fertility struggles - I actually forgot that most people assume it happens quickly! That's such a good point thank you, yes it can be very cute when they grow up together as besties but you can't force that to happen. You're much better off making your own friends rather than the offspring of your parents friends

@CharLdn nothing wrong with having a bit of hope, have you done a test this weekend or are you holding off? Either way I wouldn't worry about having a few drinks, I think the main effect from alcohol is on egg health so having a few wouldn't effect your chances now, and it also doesn't effect pregnancy in something like the first 8 weeks.

@MocktailMe I think you've hit the nail on the head, it's fine to make changes if it's going to be 6 months but when it starts to become 2 years, plus hopefully another 9 months during pregnancy, you're changing your whole lifestyle with no guarantee of result. And when you have people getting pregnant with very unhealthy lifestyles it doesn't help you stick to the regime!

@PearOpal I used to never test at all and just wait for AF! And I very rarely test before 10DPO, I used to feel like I was jinxing it if I test early.

AF did arrive, exactly on time. I was at a lovely wedding yesterday but it was also quite difficult, being on day one of cycle 17 and surrounded by kids and babies. I've been quite sheltered from it because most of my friends know what we're going through and are very good about it, and I work freelance so I don't have to deal with colleagues talking about it. But yesterday the amount of times we were asked when we're going to start thinking about kids... Especially when someone said 'you better get on it because all your friend's babies are starting to grow up'. Thanks. We started trying at the same time as them, just what I really needed to hear. Nearly burst into tears right there. I would've come back with the absolute hard truth if they'd said that earlier in the day but it was 1am by then and I just wanted to go to bed!

Hey ladies!!

@CharLdn please don’t feel guilty for your drinks yesterday, the cycle I got pregnant and MC’d id not had a drop of alcohol for a good few months. The cycle I fell pregnant id had a fair few drinks due to the wedding and all is looking really good at 15wks we even found out gender yesterday so that’s a very accurate upto date check too. Fingers crossed for you!!

@MocktailMe was it AF that had arrived?

Thanks @MocktailMe

I’m now day 29 - my temps still high. This is first month post hycosy so there’s a chance…

I don’t want to get my hopes up but they’re on the rise. I ended up having 4 drinks yesterday which I regret but also so many of my friends have drunk through TTC and had no issues so I think it’s probably OK to be moderate.

That said I think I probably need to stick to a 2 drink limit next time!

Side note the tanqueray Sevilla non alcoholic gin is delicious if anyone likes a G&T!

@Tater05 making it to CD27 to test is a feat of strength in my book! Sorry to hear about the BFN but I totally get your mindset about knowing before AF shows up.

@CharLdn i think there’s general agreement that it’s better to limit driving but I can honestly say I haven’t done much in that regard. Perhaps I’m lowering my odds but I also don’t want to totally change my lifestyle for sobering that might take months or years. That being said I’m not the heaviest drinker so I tell myself it’s ok.

Hi all, great to see a new thread!

@MocktailMe , so glad to see your remaining tube is good, and that you are back to TTC while pencilling in IVF later this year, that's a solid plan!
Same for @CharLdn, it is good to know we are giving all options the best shot possible.

Good luck to everyone in TWW or preparing for the next month!

I am 21 weeks pregnant now, and all goes well so far.

On alcohol, I have never been a big drinker but I had my last drink a month before our successful conception. I don't know if that played a role, as a lot of people I know who got pregnant kept their moderate/occasional consumption!

@MocktailMe that's good to know, thank you. You're going into this cycle really positive, let's hope it brings some good results!

@CharLdn I'm exactly with you here, day 27 and a BFN (yes I caved and decided to test). Sometimes I prefer to know from a test rather than going to the loo one day and AF just being a nasty surprise. I'm just waiting for AF now so I can get on with the next cycle.

I have definitely been overthinking alcohol and now I just have a drink or two if I'm out somewhere and feel like it. I don't think that will hurt and you have to enjoy yourself. Especially if the consultant said some is ok. I'm not sure I'll even want to drink too much this weekend anyway, alcohol+ heat and alcohol+ period don't mix well for me so all three is just a bad idea 🤣