TTC September/October 26

@GoneWithTheWind4 I’d say anything out of the ordinary for you would be a good sign? Mine’s been very milky and creamy but when I wipe it almost feels EWCMish, like slippery. V odd but it’s the reason I’m clinging onto some hope this month so we’ll see!

@LavenderSweetPea ooh this is good to know, I’ve got Easy@Home ones at home! Refusing to buy anything else as I spent a fortune last time

I use the easy at home test strips. They're pretty sensitive. Sorry can't help with CM, not something I ever thought to check except for at ovulation time. How many DPO are you?

although you said not CB, I like the ones with the red light on. Caught both of my pregnancies at 9/10 dpo! i also saw a faint line on the cheap easy@home ones at 8dpo.

i went back to look at my successful pregnancy and CM was creamy i noted down!

I really don’t know. I’ve cut down to less than 20 hours but I still earn similar to my husband working full time (minimum wage) so it’s a bit of a tough one. If I left veterinary and moved into hospitality or something they probably wouldn’t be as flexible. I think I’ll stay for now but it is tough.

Totally get the age gap worry! My sisters are 7,9 and 18 years older than me and I barely know them despite living in the same house. They went to uni when I was still a child so we really aren’t close

Can someone pls recommend early preg tests that aren’t the super pricey ones like Clear Blue? I’m now CD23 and would like to know by CD26 as supposed to be out for drinks (which I never do!).

Whats typical CM like when not pregnant V pregnant on week 3-4? I’ve seen a bit of stringy CM today which is giving me (false?) hope x

@LavenderSweetPea probably a more sensible plan 😂 not long to go until you test then! no idea about the copper coil but i did see someone on TikTok (lol) that they got pregnant the first month after taking their coil out!

i do sort of miss using the cheapies as it felt part of my routine when we tried for our first - excited to bring them back out! praying we get good news (dont think i'll be testing until 1st October though if my peak comes when it's meant to!)

@GreenPickle I feel ya, all the tiredness! I'm going with the as soon as the LH tests start to rise GO GO GO method 😂

I think I will test Friday next week, so that's 10 or 11DPO. If I don't come on sooner - my luteal phase is quite short, I can start spotting by day 8 tbh, although up until now I've had the copper coil so I don't know if that makes you spot earlier? Guess we'll see!

Haha yes it was a bit tiring! This was pre-child so the world was our oyster, now we’re just always tired 😂 partner wants a second more than me so he has to pull his weight! Only CD4 today though and feels like it’s dragging.

when do you plan on testing?

@HappyBlueDonkey Sounds like you are being very proactive with tests which is good! Really hope it works soon for you. Has work got any easier? I vaguely remember you saying you might quit in December if you weren’t pregnant by then? Is that still a possibility?

Sorry about the age gap thing. I’m finding it hard too. I started trying December 2025 to get a September 2026 baby. But here I am not even pregnant, forget about to give birth. The age gap is getting bigger and bigger. My youngest would be over 3 and a half if it happened now. Realistically almost 4. I wanted a 22 month gap and then, when that wasn’t possible, started trying for a 2 year 9 month gap. Just worried they won’t play together/ have any interests in common if it gets much bigger!

@LavenderSweetPea 90% sure I haven’t ovulated. Feel my CM hasn’t dried up enough. If it’s still there tomorrow then I’ll be 100% sure I didn’t ovulate. Won’t do the progesterone test I don’t think. Very annoyed at the situation but not much I can do! Currently on CD26, think this could be another 75+ day cycle ☹️
Hope your TTW passes quickly! Do you have any distractions planned?

They aren’t back yet which is annoying. I paid privately (less than £40) just to check I’m ovulating properly as we’ve been trying since April and I got pregnant first time with my 15 month old. I am still breastfeeding but if progesterone is normal we will do ultrasound / bloods / sperm analysis for my November cycle

@GreenPickle oh ok I get it. I would be doing that 🤣 I didn't ovulate until about CD21 this month so having sex every other day from day 6 or so would be a bit much for me I think!

I'm back in the TWW delusion state! 2DPO after the strongest LH test yet. This is cycle 9. Was feeling quite laid back about this cycle until we're past ovulation and I have to just wait. Anybody got any strategies to not go mad during TWW?

@LavenderSweetPea aww similar to mine then, 3 in a few months! I’ll try not to test until 10dpo. 12 if I can help it 😂 @Selyak I answered your question above - how old is yours? Best of luck! 🙏🏼

Sorry to hear about your chemical! I had one before conceiving my first. My cycle was messed up a bit but conceived him on the second cycle after! Not convinced I ovulated the cycle before that so all in all, was pretty quick! Apparently more fertile afterwards :)

Sperm meets egg method! Basically doing the deed every other day from when your period ends and then a few days in a row during fertile window. Maybe a few days after ovulation too.

last time we did every other day until I got high on my clearblue monitor and just went at it until the day after ovulation day (according to the cheapies)… 10 days in a row! Wasnt expecting high to start so early in my cycle!

it’s making sure there is sperm there to meet the egg when it’s released

@HappyBlueDonkey how did your progesterone results go? Interested to hear why you had the tests? I feel like mine is low but they wont investigate until ive had 3 miscarriages which is so bleak.

@Olivia2024 welcome! I think we should be on a similar time frame. My apps tells me I should expsct ovulation on day 17. Though having said that ive just had a chemical pregnancy and so it might be all over the place this month. No idea what to expect.

That's definitely a line! Congrats @Silverglass

Welcome! I am also ttc baby 2 and on cycle 2 of trying. How old is your first?

No I don't because it's something else for me to obsess over

@GreenPickle What's the SMEP method? 2ww is definitely easier than waiting for ovulation, at least you know exactly when it will end

@Baby2pls DS is 2, nearly 3. Wishing you best of luck for this cycle, when do you think you'll test? It's really hard not to obsess isn't it over every little thing, I'm the same!

ah, I’m another one TTC number 2 cycle 1! I’m going to do the SMEP method as that seemed to work first time round. And then got it on when my fertility monitor said high (it never said peak so we were exhausted). Naively hoping it happens this first month 🙏only CD3 for me though!

I prefer the TWW over the wait to ovulation as I worry it will never happen!

@LavenderSweetPea ahh best of luck to you, how old is your little one (or maybe they’re not so little?) 36 is definitely not too late, most of the friends I’ve made with young children are 35+ plus!

I’m 6dpo and after obsessing from about 3dpo last month, I vowed to put it out of my head. Was doing well until I had a spot of blood yesterday then crazy amount of milky discharge earlier (mixed with what felt like EWCM when wiping?!) so obviously I’ll think about nothing else now for the next 6 days 😂

@Silverglass That’s a lineeee congratulations!