Hoping to ttc in 2024, please tell me what you wish someone told you

[samegreenjacket]

Getting married in the spring and hoping to ttc asap. I'm 32 and he's 36.

What did you wish you had done before? How much did you have saved and did you have nursery care planned in advance?

I know that it will happen when it happens and truthfully I'm so worried that it will take us years. I've always wanted children.

I know lots of people say just enjoy it and don’t stress about TTC and it will happen when it happens but honestly I found using ovulation sticks and knowing when I was ovulating meant that I didn’t waste time guessing and trying for months without success and obviously you’re only fertile for a few days each month! (I know it isn’t always a simple as that but just saying what worked for me!)

Also, if you’re on the pill stop now! I wish I’d stopped sooner to get my body used to being off the pill as took a few months for my body to settle down.

Do you know your cycle? If not, get to know it.

You usually ovulate 14 days before the first day of your period, there is nothing wrong with using ovulation sticks to get to know your body and when your most fertile period is, there are plenty of cycle tracking apps.

I knew my cycle before I went on the pill. I'm on my last packet which is exciting and terrifying!

Monitor your symptoms that AF is coming because that might help the frantic symptom spotting every cycle.

I wish I had been told that it takes time and that’s not an indication that something is wrong. I wish I had been told not to throw money at useless fertility monitors as they don’t actually help anything. I wish I had been told about SMEP sooner and to make sure I was taking the right vitamins.

Don't waste your money on the sticks. Just buy a fertility thermometer, and get used to using that instead.

Take folic acid before trying

Don't have a massage if you think you're pregnant. I think it caused a miscarriage for me - no way of knowing for certain, but ...
I didn't know you shouldn't

Get suitably drunk at a time when you’re not expecting to get pregnant in your cycle.
Worked for me 🤣

I had my children long before ovulation sticks etc were a thing. We were just told that you ovulate mid cycle. I was fortunate that I had a very regular cycle so just made sure to definitely have sex from day 12 to day 16. It worked well for me and I had 4 babies in 4.5 years (single pregnancies).

I realise we were fortunate, and I had mine from age 25 to 29 so that probably contributed to my fertility being high.

Honestly, I would just try to relax and see what happens for a while. You have time to do that.

Biggest advice I can give you is to make sure you and your DH are on the same page regarding kids - (ideal) number, how the workload will be shared, how you envisage going back to work or not. Acknowledgement that it's a huge life change for you both and WILL stress your relationship. I see so many threads where this could have helped, and I certainly could have done it better myself!

I spent a fortune on fertility gizmos, and ended up going through the fertility clinic and clomid for DS1, but both my conceptions occurred when we weren't particularly focused on all the technicalities.