SPEM - your opinion please

[RaRaZ]

Getting desperate now. Who's used this and would you recommend it? Did it work for you?

And how closely do you have to stick to it? This might be a stupid Q, but is it no sex during AF because the man needs to build up his sperm reserves/etc or because a lot of women don't like sex on their period? Personally, I'm usually up for it and I was wondering if it would make any difference. Same with sex after ovulation: it says

"+OPK day

BD today, tomorrow, and the next day.
Skip a day and BD one more time"

...so does that mean no more sex until AF/BFP???

I'm also interested in this topic - thinking about doing the plan if this month doesn't work out..

Hello

Ok so you start using opk's around day 8-10, most people do two a day however I only did one as I didn't know you were meant to do two have sex every other day until you get your positive opk then have sex for the next three days, on the 4th day take a break and on the 5th have sex again!

Now I have got my positive opk on the Thursday, we had sex on the Thursday and Friday night missed sat as dh was away and then managed to do it on Monday. So not quite following the plan. This was the first month of trying this plan and it worked for us! I am 6+1

You can have sex whenever you want, but to catch the egg make sure you do it when you get your positive opk!!

Thanks Cookie, that's really helpful.

What about if you're using the Clearblue digital OPK? It gives a 4 day fertility window... does it work with that? Or do I also need to use the normal OPKs?

Thanks, Cookie. I was going to ask the same as Ginger - please let me know as I need to buy some more! Why do you have to do two a day? That's gonna get very expensive surely .

So you don't have to follow the Plan to the letter and only start having sex on Day 8 and finish on the day after Ov? I was wondering if sex before Day 8 was supposed to deplete his supplies or something? Cos I'm Day 2 atm and kinda don't wanna wait another 6 days...though if I have to I will; would do anything to be pg atm.

I used Wilkinson strip test so was looking for the line, there is a photo of a positive ine in my profile :)

I believe you do two a day as the window is quite small so people often get a neg with the first test but a pos with the second. I tested around 4-6pm usually.

Sex before day 8 won't harm supplies at all, we basically did it every other day until our pos opk as it was our 2nd to last month of properly trying before stopping till next year. So we gave it every thing we had :D

Clear blue will work the same and if you're getting pos results doing it once a day I would continue with that!

Very interesting. I've seen a few people with successes using this.

I just waned to add.....I don't think the two a day is needed for CB. These work using flu, whereas the others should not, so the timing of these is different. So I think SMEP would work with Cb used in the morning.

Looking at my last cycle, I got CB first flashing smiley on cd12, and ovulated on cd 16.
So if I had followed SMEP I wold have dtd cd12, 13, 14, 15. Missed ovulation day and dtd day after ovulation.

Given you ovulate within a 12-36 window of all the predictions - it looks like SMeP would definitely ensure you dtd at all the right times.

Not sure I can talk DH into it. I'll try! . Though I might try and follow it without telling him. It sounds like a lot, and a lot of pressure! Fingers crossed my next fertile window crosses a weekend - we've then got much more chance of following the plan!

Good luck to anyone who tries it, and come back and report any positives!

*fmu not flu!

stupid predictive text!

What's SMEP? It all sounds very interesting but I can't quite follow what you're talking about :-)

SMEP? Ha ha,I meant SPEM!

Latin for "Hope in any other" :D but in this case I think it means differently.
Sounds interesting, might want to give it a try....

VJones you were actually right first time! It's the Sperm Meets Egg Plan - see here:

spermmeetseggplan.com/

It's basically a plan which tries to ensure you have sperm ready and waiting to catch the egg when you ovulate (great if you're not 100% sure when you're going to ovulate, which tbh is most of us!)

It involves starting having sex every other day from around day 8 and also using OPKs. As soon as you get a positive OPK you should dtd every day for three days, take one day off and then dtd a final time.

You can keep going with dtd after that but once you've ovulated you are no longer fertile so sex at this time won't make a baby.

Had to change my intro as initially had you down as Vinnie... showing my age!

Vinnie Jones? Ha ha! Close - my name is Vicky! Thanks for the link, will have a look at it.

Ah, okay, sounds similar to what we had planned anyway (dtd every other day and daily when I'm ovulating). However, I've only been off the pill for a week so I guess I have to wait for af to make an appearance before I could try this plan. I have bought an opk but don't see how I could use it before I've even had a proper period so I think I'll save it for a rainy day!!

jay thanks for the info regarding cb test, I had no idea about that. Totally makes sense now why you would only test once!!

Hopefully some bfp's are just around the corner!!

I'm definitely trying that next month although really hoping I won't have to

After three months ttc#2 got impatient and did smep. .not to the exact but approximately. Bfp after two months smep. Recommended! dhs only complaint was' sexual harassment'......Now he's not getting any..... haha! Good luck

Jaykay, I think SMEP says to dtd every day from positive OPK, which for CB advanced is the first fixed smiley. The flashing smiley means you're getting close to ovulation, so in those days you dtd every other day.

ahh. thanks Blue. I would have done it wrong then!