The First Time Frolickers, come and get your pg tests here as we’re all going to need them on this thread! Come and join us if you have vast experience of hiding from pg ladies and babies!

[JosieSmith1]

Here?s the new thread! My imagination left me this morning so I apologise for the crap thread title!

I think I?ve got the list right but I may have completely messed it up, sorry!

TomboyWife TTC#1, Cycle 15, UCL 28, CD40
Truffkin TTC#1, Cycle 9, UCL 28, CD20
LateToTheTTCParty TTC#1, Cycle 3, UCL 26-ish, CD18
evilgiraffe TTC#1, Cycle 7, UCL 28, CD15
LizzyMathsWhizzy TTC #1 Cycle 3 UCL 30 days CD14
Impers TTC#1 Cycle 3, UCL 35, CD14
CookieMoo TTC#1, cycle26, UCL26, CD12
FingersCrossed TTC#1, cycle3, UCL29, CD8
Weimy TTC#1, Cycle4, UCL28, CD7

MI SWI A
TanteAC TTC#1
Yumstepmum TTC#
Ilovemarmite79 TTC1
Pinklady76 TTC#1
Puppygirl TTC#1
RaspberryTipple TTC#1
JosieSmith1 TTC#1
Kaloki TTC#1
Tigerseyemum TTC#1

Not Counting Days
CaveMum
Miffles
Chalky3
DessieLou
Zippys
Calyx
Ariesgirl
Goldmaple
MissFlick
Womanlytales
Gobolino
GardenPixie
Karstan

2010 Graduates
Superpenguin BFP 1 July
Haloflo BFP 22 July
Saor Alba BFP 7 August
MrsWajs BFP 13 August
stegasaurus BFP 27 August
Roamfree BFP 1st September
Kurlyvoice BFP 1st September
Crazybutterflylady BFP 1st September
Cherrycobbler BFP 3rd September
Crazydays BFP 4th September
Bellaby BFP 11th September
Highheelsandequations BFP 30th October
IfAtFirstYouDon'tSuceed BFP 25th November

Recent Graduates
Slowshow BFP 3rd January
Roundtable BFP 14th January
CrazyAlien BFP 29th January
Toriajayne BFP 16th February

Are any of you CM observers perchance? I have EWCM for around 5 days per cycle and just wondered if there's a normal point during said EWCM abundence that OV occurs (e.g on day one, half way through or at the end)?

I think I will try temp charting next cycle - the whole thing is really quite fascinating!

Truff I have to say that I was completely envious of you this weekend - BFP and a lovely chilled out spa weekend to boot!! You must be feeling totally chilled out.

Late would be interested to know the results of your expensive OP v cheapo OP experiment. If only the expensive ones work, I'm not sure I'll bother!

Imps I'm an avid CM observer

I had 3 days of definite EWCM in my first cycle of ttc last month, sorry for tmi but I always notice it v clearly when I wipe after a poo

I had stomach cramps at the same time as EWCM, then it all comes to a head and stops. We shagged on the first and third day of EWCM, so I was feeling really confident. I'm clearly not pg though, damn ERTD!

I assumed that ovulation happened on the 3rd day of EWCM, which means I have a 15 day luteal phase (get me with my technical lingo!)

Lizzy and Truff

Charting seemed to work for you so I might give it a go this month. How does it work?

Right, I'm buying one of those basal thermometer thingys NOW! If it's good enough for Imps and Truff...

When ERTD is finally out of the way I will be giving that a go - along with the Great OP Stick v Strip Experiment. It's going to be a fun month, rock and roll!
(looks around for DH to get him organised....)

Sorry, that should have been
If it's good enough for Lizzy and Truff...

Lizzy rather than Imps Late! Wish I'd been that organised up to now!

Yes, next month is going to be a crazy one for both of us - peeing on a new kind of stick, taking my temp every morning and charting it...

...how the hell do women get pregnant by accident?? Particularly those on the pill!

You take your temperature as soon as you wake up in the morning (vaginally if it doesn't gross you out too much) and record it on the web every day. You also record CM type, so that the computer works out your ovulation on a couple of different indicators. You can also put in the sticks data if it helps, but I never got a positive on any of them, and clearly ovulated! When you ovulate your temperature will go up, and the computer will tell you after three days of higher temperatures that you ovulated. It only tells you when you have already ovulated, so is supposed to be better for predicting future cycles. You can also put in when you SWI and it gives you a score, I got high! When you are due your period you will see your temperature drop if it is coming, or rise again (in theory) if you are pregnant. There are variations in individual cycles, but there is a gallery on the website you can look at which helps decode your own chart. You can search for charts like yours to see how many turned out to be pregnant for added obsessing!

BB thermometer has been purchased! Bring on the charting!!

Any questions, see the charters anonymous thread, they know everything!

I was charting my temps, but gave up a little while ago - didn't seem much point during my (still) never ending cycle!

You can take your temperature orally (I did). The key is to take your temperature at roughly the same time everyday and most importantly before you get out of bed.

The most important thing to remember with charting is that it can only tell you after you have ovulated, so you need to use it to learn how your cycle works. You will see a rise in your BBT after you have ovulated and the rise needs to be sustained for at least 3 days to confirm ovulation.

Fertility Friend is an excellent site to use for monitoring your temperatures.

I also used Fertility Friend link to my charts here and recorded temps + CM but not cervix position (I couldn't get the hang of it)

I'd say it took me 2-3 months to see a good pattern regarding ovulation, but I had no previous idea and had experienced very long cycles when first stopping contraception. It doesn't predict ovulation but gives you a fertile window of 4-5 days, when you can plan your shag fest! Then once you have ovulated, you will get a significant thermal shift (you can clearly see mine on all of my charts) and if you are pregnant the temps stay high after your period would normally have arrived. There are some good 'lessons' you can do that teach you the finer points of charting and the basic membership is free.

I've charted for 7 months (and used a thermometer I bought from Boots) the key tips are to get a basal body temp thermoneter, as this measures to .00 of a degree, important when your thermal shift might be only .2 of a degree.

Phooey no need for there's no such thing as TMI on a TTC thread! That's actually the best time to check CM as the contractions mean it gets pushed down to the opening of the vagina and you don't need to furkle around for it!

Good luck everyone and I second Lizzy's recommendation to join the charters anonymous thread if you have questions or want opinions once you are past ovulation on your first chart.

Wow thanks Lizzy , Cave and Truff for loads of helpful info on how to get started with charting!

I'm a bit about being too organised about it, superstitious that if I plan it too much it won't happen. Also DH doesn't want to even know anything at all until I'm pg, and doesn't seem as interested in the finer details of EWCM-spotting as you lovely ladies! It wasn't really a very sexy evening last month at prime shagfest time - we were staying at my mum's, and I literally had to seduce him as he was scared she would hear. I didn't say anything about baby-making, didn't want to put him off as he was nervous enough!!

I think men are more romantic than women about this sort of thing, we have to be more practically-minded!

Heading off to Fertility Friend, just for a look you understand

Also Truff I love 'furkle', my new fave word. In fact even mire so now my iPhone just tried to autocorrect it to 'fertile'

• more dammit

Has anyone had hiccup type feelings in their uterus before?! It's been happening all day and it's very weird.

Probably just wind though!

It is very hard not to get obsessed unfortunately! When I had a reflexology appointment 5 months ago the practioner told me how anti ovulation testing, charting, etc she is. She said it means we put too much pressure on ourselves and stress is very bad for TTC. I think she has a point, after all our own mothers didn't have all these weird and wonderful ways of testing themselves and they managed ok!

no furkling here I am a bit prudish!!!

I don't want to ask personal questions (apart from about CM obv ) but maybe it's to do with age? I'm guessing most on here are older than their mums? And the Pill etc, controlling our fertility.

Apologies if I'm talking shite, you'll have to put up with this for a week or so before I cut out the wine again

I'm 31 btw, no spring chicken but my mum was 26 when she had me.

I have a very stressful job which I'm sure isn't too helpful for ttc. In fact it's one of the reasons I'm keen to ge knocked up as soon as possible

The sooner I can get out of the shithole the better

at phooey, your posts made me laugh this morning!

I'm 37 and, although DH and I have been married for 9 years now, we've only been able to ttc from January this year. You might be no spring chicken phooey, but apparently if I fall pg I will be a 'geriatric' mother, can you imagine what that feels like!

For what it's worth, when I started stressing about my age to my gynae, she waved it away and said she'd be very surprised if we weren't able to conceive naturally and (although you can't get away from the fact that fertility does drop off after 35) I wasn't that old yet.... Maybe she was just saying it to make it one less thing for me to stress about, but I do actually believe her.

To add stats, I'm 29 (30 in May) and my mum was 26 when she had me too! Until about January last year I wasn't that bothered about have children. I knew we'd have them one day but it didn't seem like there was any hurry. Naturally my body clock decided differently and kicked in big style! Thankfully DH has always been on board with regard to having children, so I know I am lucky.
Turns out it was a good thing my body clock decided to take charge because I've had secondary ammenorhea (absent periods) since last June - hence tomorrows appointment with a gynaecologist

Late I recall reading an article about a year ago that said there has been a big rise in women in their 40s having additional babies (ie not their first child). They think this is because the media has been so full of stories saying women over 35 have fertility problems. The older women are thinking they can't get pregnant at their age so stop using contraception. Drs are now saying that they should tone down the doom and gloom a bit

Haaa Phooey it took me a while to figure out when you said that we're "older then our mums" that you meant than she was when she TTC, rather than now!!! Think I need to wake up a bit more

I'm 31 too! I was panicking that I was over the hill, but no longer think that - partly because there are so many celebs who have babies later in life!

My mum was 29 and 32 when she conceived me and my sibling, so similar age. I would hope to have 2 in quick succession (if I get that lucky) so hopefully the second would arrive by the time I'm 33/34.

Late - love the term "geriatric mother"! Time for the medical world to update their language methinks!

Morning everyone, having a bit of a down day I'm sorry to report. Now that the novelty of coming back to work and being able to see everyone and tell them what I've been up to on my time off has passed, it's back to the mundane day to day rubbish. I'm still really tired and have no energy or motivation to do anything but now I'm aware that it's all a symptom I know I can get better. I was ok yesterday and down again so quickly today, I can go up again just as quick so that's my task for today.

I tried temping and just couldn't get the hang of it. The ov sticks have predicted nothing again today and I've got no other symptoms of oving so god knows what's going on this month. If the ov sticks don't pick up any surge do you think I should go to docs again and tell them? And I keep getting an annoying twinge in my hip and it's really getting on my nerves

Hi ladies, Phooey you also made me laugh with your posting

I am 32 now and I was a bit like Cave in that having children didn't really interest me all that much. In fact before I met my husband I was convinced I didn't want any at all, ever! He had always grown up just thinking that he'd get married, have kids etc etc but toned that down when he met me Of course, when we wren't pregnant immediately after starting TTC I got all competitive about it and was charting within 6 months I totally get what people are saying about charting adding to the stress but I think it depends on how you learn and plan things. Charting appealed to me as it put me in control of certain things, I knew when I was ovulating (and more importantly, that I was ovulating every month) and I liked the routine of temping (and furkling of course) It's not for everyone but I think worth a try to see if it helps.

My Mom was 18 when she had me and my parents got married when she was 5 months pg (og yes, one of those accidents!) so a different situation entirely.

Josie sorry to hear it's a down day for you. Have you thought about a bit of an overhaul in terms of diet, routine etc? I know you have previuslt mentioned you are a particular type of eater but sometimes just knowing you are making positive changes in your life can have a huge impact on your general wellbeing. We made some significant changes around Christmas time (I think I mentioned here that DH started taking Wellman Conception vitamins - am convinced this had something to do with our win) and it helped me to feel like I was changing. The quote that helped me a lot (and does in all areas of my life) is 'if you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got'

Tell me to bugger off and shut up if you like, I realise I sound like a preachy old woman How about I just give you a (((hug))) instead hey?