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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.

Newbies: anyone else just starting TTC#1 ?

509 replies

Joey0805 · 04/09/2014 21:59

Well that's it. After 13 years of being on the pill I am now not. For various reasons I didn't come off a few months ago to allow my cycle to get back to "normal" (who knows what that is when I was on the pill twice as long as I had periods naturally) so I have no idea how long it'll take me to ovulate. Anyone else in the same boat? Having spent my whole adult life assuming I'd get pregnant just by looking at a boy without BC I am now realising it might actually take months or even years to conceive. Plus I'm not talking about this with friends; they either got pregnant vv quickly or are no where near that stage. So, would be great to hear from a few of you in the same boat...

OP posts:
TheProofIsInThePudding · 17/09/2014 09:07

It was a 35 day cycle. I'm usually 30 days, but the last few have been a bit erratic. I haven't been on hormonal birth control for several years (using condoms), but I seem to remember a 40 day cycle not long after stopping the pill!!

Baffers100 · 17/09/2014 09:56

So, can you have EWCM without actually ovulating, or do the two go hand in hand?

N1kkiL · 17/09/2014 10:04

Hi everyone,

I stopped BC last month and had my last AF 28/08.

We haven't used other protection since then and taking it casual until I start being regular (just in case anything lucky happens), then we're going to start tracking properly etc.

Very excited & nervous of course but glad I'll have somewhere to 'talk' about it because only one of my friends know and I don't want it to be all I talk about with my other half.

Good luck everyone!

jellypi3 · 17/09/2014 10:37

Hi All,

I had some advice from a doctor last week on TTC. I told him I hadn't had a period since coming off Depo in February, and he gave me some tablets that I'm hoping will kick start my hormones.

However, I mentioned OPK's (ovulation sticks) and he said he doesn't endorse them and their does the royal college of medicine. They say the best way to get pregnant is to DTD 3 times a week. Stressing over it won't help.

So I've ditched the sticks :)

TeamJ83 · 17/09/2014 16:08

I am now 5 days off the pill and today all of a sudden I started getting pains in my left side! Of course because TTC is all I am thinking about I had to google this to see if it was pregnancy related - apparently this could mean I am ovulating so fingers and toes all crossed that I am! It seems very quick but after reading so many different stories it does seem like a possibility! Smile Its so good having this forum as I havent really told anyone we are even trying! Smile

kaykayblue · 17/09/2014 17:03

Hello ladies, I am not ttcing right this second, but we will be starting in January, so I'm keeping an eye on the thread to see how it goes for all of you and see if I can get any tips.

Lots of very young women here!! I am 30, and had considered that on the "younger" side!

I'm not on the pill - I came off around three years ago, and we have been using condoms ever since. But since lots of you seem to be coming off of it, I thought it might be helpful to say how it went for me when coming off.

It took me a long time to settle into a regular cycle when I came off the pill (I had been on it for 13 years) - at first my cycles were pretty long - on average 32 days. Over the course of many months, it gradually reduced by a day here and there. So now (I'd say about 3.5 years later) my cycles are 26-28 days. I'd say it took two years before it was this consistent. But that doesn't mean that you have to wait until your cycles are consistent - it just means it might not be a good idea to rely on those "fertility prediction" calculators, where you type in the length of your cycle.

So my advice for people who have just come off the pill is to not pay too much attention to the length of your cycle but to try and track ovulation through other ways - like cervical mucus (CM) or through those ovulation sticks (which seem expensive...).

I am so excited about ttcing. I'm probably as excited about it as the thought of our wedding! (also in January).

TheProofIsInThePudding · 17/09/2014 18:49

Baffers I fear that you probably CAN have EWCM without ovulating in that all sorts of strange things can happen with your body without any particular rhyme or reason. From what I was reading you can use CM as a way to predict when you will ovulate and BBT as a way to check that you have ovulated. If you wait to DTD until your temp has changed you will be too late and have missed the egg.

kay congratulations on your forthcoming marriage - being married is great!

Skiptonlass · 17/09/2014 18:49

I'm 36, kaykay... 30 is fine !

Emilyjane11 · 17/09/2014 18:57

Hi ladies. I am defiantly going through some wierd symptoms. My boobs absolutley kill even my clothes and bra are hurting them, i washed my hair last night (normally wash it three times a week) and its greasy today! Whhhaaaatttt?!

I know its coming off the pill but if i didn't know other wise i would be pretty sure im pregnant. Xx

Shellbell0403 · 17/09/2014 21:07

30 is defo fine.... I'm 30 in 5 weeks time ?? and TTC our first baby (although hubby has 2 girls from previous relationship)

It's so confusing as the symptoms are so similar ?? my AF hasn't appeared... 3 days over! Thinking it's maybe just as first month after coming off pill and not the constant DTD on honeymoon!! Haha ?? #tooscaredtocheck

Lauramum23 · 17/09/2014 23:02

Hi everyone I've enjoyed reading your posts but I hope u don't mind me on here I'm 31 and I have 3 lovely kids 11,8,5 but hey I'm greedy and I love kids so I want one more! Need to convince my husband tho! He doesn't want to fork out on a big car(!) my first child happened very quickly, 2nd about 3 cycles and the 3rd was an accident, this time round I've had a coil in for 5 years it's due out in a few weeks and I wanna get cracking after crimbo just to let my periods get right, my advice to get up the duff its to have sex at every opportunity! The more the merrier! Again I hope u don't mind me on here if you need to ask me anything at all about birth and babies and what not go right ahead xxx

gemsparkle84 · 18/09/2014 07:29

Hello ladies... I'm very happy to join in. I just turned 30 in August after getting married in May. Hubby and I have very excitedly started trying to conceive baby number one! I lost my Mum in March to terminal cancer unfortunately so I would feel so blessed to be able to have some very positive news to look forward to before the end of the year, but we will see. We had always planned on TTC following our wedding so now it's finally here we are so excited! It's so strange having spent half of my life trying not to get pregnant and now trying! Smile I'm currently on cd3 of my second "trying" cycle so got a few days to wait yet but have decided I'm going to go the whole hog this month, ovulation kits, temp taking etc. I'm so ready for my baby now. Look forward to hearing everyone's updates xx

Joey0805 · 18/09/2014 08:02

I'm on cycle 1 and yesterday, if it were a normal cycle, would have been ovulation day...not even a hint of a line! We're DTD eod / daily just in case but feels like a bit of a lost cause until I've had my first post-pill AF. Which might not come for a LONG time given the experience of some of you. Damn it, so wanted a summer maternity leave!!

OP posts:
Joey0805 · 18/09/2014 08:08

Also I read another post where the poster said a way of dealing with the BFNs is to do something fun you wouldn't be able to do if you were pregnant - large glass of wine, sushi, whatever. I thought that sounded like a really nice idea given statistically speaking most of us are going to have a few of them...

OP posts:
Joey0805 · 18/09/2014 08:12

Just re-read both of those and realise they sounded quite negative which wasn't the intention at all, I'm actually quite relaxed about it all at the moment. Did anyone else feel like they we're doing something a bit wrong the first time they DTD without contraception?! DH and I both found it a bit weird knowing I was off the pill.

OP posts:
Shellbell0403 · 18/09/2014 08:58

Well tested today and negative ?? no honeymoon baby for us! Oh well looks as though just effects of first month off! Hate how the symptoms are so similar!! Glad to have people to talk to about it without sounding like a crazy lady Smile xx

gemsparkle84 · 18/09/2014 13:24

Yes joey0805 we felt the same... It didn't take long to get used to it though Wink shellbell0403 I know when it's new and exciting you want to talk about it a lot! Xx

ThenewMrsB82 · 18/09/2014 18:45

I'm dying to have a large glass of red wine.. Anyone else??

gemsparkle84 · 18/09/2014 19:12

I'm on my period so I'm indulging in a large glass of white! Sorry! Wink xx

Shellbell0403 · 18/09/2014 19:20

Im still waiting on mine to come bit now I know no baby this month then defo a glass for me tonight!! Xx

scienceteachergeek · 19/09/2014 16:53

Evening all

Any news Shell? I'm having a bit of a potential implantation bleed panic! AF due in 6days but definitely found a pinky colour on the tissue when I last went for a wee. How soon would the early tests tell me a positive..anyone heard anything on that subject?

There's no thread on Mumsnet about it! :(

Emilyjane11 · 19/09/2014 17:21

That definatley sounds like inplantation! I'd still wait the 6 days before testing though. Any cramps? I have deffo noticed when I've ovulated this month the symptoms were there so that can only be a good sign right? Cx

scienceteachergeek · 19/09/2014 17:51

Yeah Emily, great news on the ovulation! Get babymaking :)

Yes to the cramps but (TMI approaching) I've not had solid poo for 4 days...don't know what's going on there!

Never had this pinkness before though and not once had an early period, even back when they began when I was 11.

I fear I'm going to wish my weekend away just so I can POAS!

TheProofIsInThePudding · 19/09/2014 17:59

BTW for those wanting wine in the TWW the placenta will not have formed yet, so you won't be sharing any blood with the baby therefore you'd be fine to have a glass. It probably wouldn't be the wisest thing to get wasted, but a glass won't hurt. Obviously it's up to you and if you don't feel comfortable drinking that's fine too! Two weeks isn't that long to wait - if you get AF again you can indulge!

Have you got any other symptoms scienceteacher? (I'm not sure whether it's helpful for me to encourage this sort of behaviour! It's too early in my cycle for that sort of thing so I'll live vicariously through you!)

ThenewMrsB82 · 19/09/2014 18:07

It's really great to have this thread.. I literally can't talk to anyone about it because we have chosen not to tell anyone but I just love posting here and knowing that other people are doing the same as me!!