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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

How many times did it take you to get pregnant?

171 replies

jaykay987 · 27/08/2013 14:00

Just wondered - those with +ve tests, how many times did you dtd the month you conceived?

I know dtd every other day is the best way to get results, but that is just not practical for us.

I am temping and using opks so hopefully we will time it right and catch the fertile window a couple of times.

I see many people who are dtd every day or every other day or "only 5 times over the weekend"! Even with the best intentions, we will not manage this even in my fertile window.

Anyone got any good news stories to share? I'm worried keeping my fingers crossed isn't going to be enough! I'm really hoping this isn't going to put back our HPT date many many months!

This time last week I was feeling so positive. I need to get my positive vibes back!

OP posts:
bugoven · 29/08/2013 08:13

We conceived last month and I was away for a week over ovulation so I'm guessing it was the one time just before. This was our 20th month trying I think =)

BooMeowson · 29/08/2013 08:37

To catch it theoretically you should dtd every 2-3 days ALL month and every day during your fertile window.

When I finally fell pregnant my husband stayed inside me for 5-10 minutes and I think that made the difference...

Good luck!!!

Bragadocia · 29/08/2013 08:56

One time in the first month trying; very relieved as I had ridiculous cycles (only about 8 a year, sometimes three months without menstruating) and was being tested for PCOS, so it was a shock, but brilliant.

flowersinavase · 29/08/2013 11:21

DD - first (only shot). I told DH I'd already ovulated that month.... Woke up the morning after to a huge temp rise (was charting - although I clearly couldn't read my chart properly!!): to this day I remember my shock at it. Seems we timed it perfectly.

DS - first month trying. Had sex when I was fertile (based on CM this time!) about 5 times over the course of a week. I like to think he was conceived in a quickie before heading to a garden party for the Queen's Jubilee last year. I can't stand the monarchy normally, but the Jubilee allowed DH to have some time off work and not be abroad whilst I was fertile so my opinion of them went up... :)

namechangedjustforthis · 29/08/2013 11:34

I've got 4 children all conceived doing it once (was only 18 with first so no idea about fertile times, she was only 4 months old when I got pregnant again, whilst on mini pill and fully breast feeding! Again no idea if I did it at fertile time. I was pregnant again but lost the baby a month ago.. That one took a year of having lots of unprotected sex at fertile time.. I'm 35 now not sure if its my age that's made it take so long, when I was young i only had to look at husband too long to fall pregnant!

2lilgirls · 29/08/2013 12:20

I really can't remember because I'm mixed up with all the months.

SMEP is very succesful though so that would be every second night til ovulation and then 3 nights in a row, skip a night and then DTD one last time.

marzipanned · 29/08/2013 13:14

I am one who thinks taking the pressure off helps.

We conceived on 6th cycle of clomid, though only the second cycle I'd actually ovulated. It was the first cycle I genuinely didn't care if I got pregnant or not - only had sex because DH really wanted it. All other cycles we'd had sex many, many times - that cycle only twice. Didn't bother with pre-seed, sticking bum in the air, any of that. Felt completely unstressed and unpressured and bingo.

Peregrin · 29/08/2013 16:32

The month I conceived - exactly once! We had been in different countries for a fortnight and met up on the way home. Just about caught the last day of my fertile window - I ovulated within hours of BDing.

I should add that we'd been trying for 7 months or so with a somewhat larger frequency, so it's not as if we just need to look at each other and I fall pregnant.

Littleen · 29/08/2013 18:05

3 times a week as normal, but when ovulating (knicker test :P ) we had sex every day except 2. Was on holiday so wasn't a big ask ;)
Got pregnant straight away, apparantly women are more fertile right after stopping the pill, and it seemed the case for us!

tb · 29/08/2013 19:31

Once - twice Grin first time didn't 'take'. Was 40 (nearly 41) and rather overweight, too. Makes me thank my lucky stars that my misspent youth didn't bite me in the arse, too.

DrDolittle · 29/08/2013 19:36

Twice. Once on the honeymoon (too drunk to bother with contraception) = DC1. And again a couple of years later, on a weekend away (too drunk to bother with contraception) = DC2. We made sure that no more accidents happened after that Smile

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 29/08/2013 20:06

With my first it was every 3 days but I knew when I ovulated tbh and made sure we did it that night too. With my second child it was once Blush I got my dates wrong and was foolishly using the rhythm method at that stage. I now have a coil fitted Blush

So I conceived both times in first month of trying and approached it differently both times. I didn't do any bum in the air after or anything like that. I was younger though. Not sure I'd be so successful now!

I wish you lots of luck and that you have that BFP soon.

eeky · 29/08/2013 21:59

I'm a gynaecologist and work mainly in contraception and related fields.

TTC (or not!)is a little easier once you know the theory... sperm can live for a week, even ten days if super swimmers. Once you've ovulated the egg is only viable for 24-48 hours max. There is very little point in ttc by having timed sex after ovulation - chance is less then as egg will have died by the time sperm reach the fallopian tube.

Much better to have sex every couple of days in the week before ovulation. However, really important to emphasise that the chance of conception is not related to frequency of sex. I see lots of women with unplanned pregnancies who have had unprotected sex once! Lots also who haven't been using contraception for months or years whilst in a relationship, then conceive for no particular reason.

The pill is NOT related to a delay in conceiving or ovulation once discontinued - otherwise how would women conceive after missing a couple of pills or having D&V? It can however mask an underlying subfertility issue, for instance , PCOS, where women may not ovulate regularly. Whilst on the pill it seems as all is normal due to regular "periods", but they are just withdrawal bleeds and don't indicate that you ovulate. Of course, the combined pill works by stopping ovulation anyway.

The only contraceptive method that can cause delayed return to usual fertility is the Depo Provera injection, but still not always the case.

Wish you all well in baby making - but it really is important to relax. Completely normal to take up to a year to conceive, so enjoy the process Grin

YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka · 29/08/2013 22:26

I'm interested in your point about discontinuing the pill eeky; I've been on the pill for the best part of 10 years now, and whenever I've stopped taking it (three times; twice for TTC and once just for a break) it's taken 6+ months for my periods to return. When I'm not on the pill (apart from the initial delay when I've stopped taking it) my periods are regular and predictable. Is it possible that some women are more sensitive to the hormones in the pill than others, and their bodies take longer to 'take over' again after years of artificial hormones?

VJONES1985 · 29/08/2013 22:33

Yippee I came off the pill last month and luckily ovulated quickly but my luteal phase was only 7 days long so, like you, I am wondering if the pill has affected me somehow. Obviously it's not been long so hopefully this will improve but I am wondering if b6 supplements would help.

internationallove985 · 29/08/2013 22:39

With my angel it was a one night stand. We D.T.D 3 times so if we'd only done it once I may not have got pregnant but that's something we'll never know.
My D.D was a concieved on a first date
This one is proving much harder though. I couldn't count the number of times I've D.T.D in ttc this time around. I'm enjoying practicing though xx

hellymelly · 29/08/2013 22:39

Took me three months dd1, had sex a couple of times each month as I was v. stressed at the time due to family stuff. DD1 I got pregnant the first time we dtd. Both dds conceived in my 40s so I was very lucky indeed.

eeky · 29/08/2013 22:41

Occasionally see women who describe the same thing, Yipee, but it's rare. No physiological basis for this - but everyone is different. The hormones in the pill aren't artificial though. They are oestrogen +/- progesterone, both of which are in abundance in our bodies. I do see several women each day who have conceived shortly after stopping the pill to "give my body a break"...

Mumzy · 29/08/2013 23:01

9 months, 6 months, 3 months DTD 2-3 times a week. I think the average conception time is 6 months. Best advice is to do it as normal and relax

YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka · 29/08/2013 23:34

OK, artificial was the wrong word; "from an artificial/external source" maybe. I do know what oestrogen and progesterone are :)

Boiing · 29/08/2013 23:51

Wow, jealous of those managing to have sex every day! Because of my husbands job we only have sex at weekends. We spent 9 months ttc. I was doing ovulation testing because I wanted to know if we were missing the window or not and actually we mostly managed to have sex at 'the right time' each month. However... The month I got pregnant we had sex 6 days before I ovulated, and then not for another week, so I didn't think it would be possible to conceive. But that's when it worked. I reckon it was because we were so relaxed and not focusing on 'baby making'. One of my friends had the same thing: didn't get pregnant at the right times but when she basically gave up and booked herself in for an ivf appointment, they relaxed because it wa sout of their hands and that's when they got pregnant. So, um, try to chill out, I know that's very annoying to hear but it seems to make a lot of difference. One practical suggestion I read was to watch lots of stand up comedy on YouTube - all that giggling is good for relaxing and that's good for baby making!
Oh and I also gave up alcohol and caffeine completely 2 months before I got pregnant, that might have helped too, they're very bad for fertility.

Good luck xxx

toobreathless · 30/08/2013 01:53

Two babies. Both conceived very easily (within 3 months of 'trying') and with only one tube, one unplanned ectopic pregnancy (hence one tube) after missing one pill

DTD on an ad box when we felt like basis until day 8 then every other day for 10 days until day 18ish.

Worked for us Smile

toobreathless · 30/08/2013 01:54

ad HOC rather than on an ad box! Grin

eeky · 30/08/2013 05:50

Sorry Yippee, am so used to seeing women with unplanned pregnancies because they are terrified of hormones in contraception, often without ever having used them. Didn't mean to patronize Smile.

Boiing, that's exactly what I mean, the week before ovulation is actually a great time to have sex in order to conceive in that cycle.

Conceived dd and ds in first month of stopping contraception in my late 30's, so very, very lucky here.

UnicornsNotRiddenByGrownUps · 30/08/2013 07:14

Eeky can you tell me more about depo? I was on it for a few years but that's was a couple of years ago now.