TTC - First Time! (2)

[mrsjkerry]

Hi all. Reconvene here!

Hello from San Francisco ladies! I'm currently in my fertile week, and taking advantage of being on honeymoon! The only thing is, I'm now wondering if I ovulated early, as I had twinges on my left side a few days ago, but stupidly didn't think anything of it, and we've DTD after the twinges are gone! My libido has gone through the roof the past two days! Have read that's also a sign of ov. Will just have to wait and see. Will keep DTD until end of fertile window and wait. Hope you're all well. X

Hi all, Can I jump into this one?
I'm now CD 52 with no AF.
Since coming off pill in December 2016 having been on it for 11 years, had my usual withdrawal bleed and then 2 cycles since then, 1st was 47 days and 2nd was 35 days long.
I'm now 16 days late for my projected AF based on ovulation (peak OPK), have had negative urine and blood pregnancy tests from GP now so I'm being sent for an ultrasound (were technically not TTC ATM and only using the withdrawal method hence the tests recommended by the GP)
I have bad bad cramp pains like period pains both in my lower abdomen and back but no other sign of AF. Really hope there's no serious underlying issue when I go for the scan as will be starting to officially TTC soon. What are your stories please? xxx

Hi all!

@ttcnovice thank you for that Easter fact! Hopefully it will mean good luck for us all!

@Flatwhite sounds like you are having a great time! I love San Fran. Good to make the most of being on honeymoon hey ;) no idea about the random twinges, could mean early ov or could just be one of those things! I take it you didn't take Opk sticks with you (not sure I'd want to be faffing about with those on holiday!)

Hi @littleemma welcome! when do you have your ultrasound? Hope that goes well. I'm no expert but the long/irregular cycles may well just be your body sorting itself out after the pill.

As for me, I am declaring myself officially In With A Chance this month after this morning - me and DP DTD, I'm only on CD8 and so thought am not in the FW window yet, but I did a CB OPK after and fully expected to see a blank circle but I was very pleased to see a flashing smily! Hooray! So have got at least one "qualifying DTD" () in if nothing else, which is a marked improvement on our total failure to manage any last month!!

Ultrasound is booked in for 25th (next Tuesday!). I don't mind the irregular cycles but the pain I've been in for 3 weeks now is becoming unbearable 😣 Xx

Flat glad to see you're making the most of your honeymoon!  How amazing would a honeymoon baby be?! I'm always really jealous of people who say they had one!

Pibbee yay for DTD on a flashing smiley day! Just think, that could be "the one" 🤞🏼

Hi littleemma1 welcome . I'm another one who doesn't have any experience with long cycles sorry! But I hope you get some answers from the ultrasound, best of luck for it!

As for me I'm on CD8 here (cycle day buddies Pibbee ) so have just started on my CB OPKs again today. "Low" reading (empty circle) as expected on the first day as it establishes your baseline levels apparently! Already started DTD yesterday, but we're going to try for every other day instead of every day this cycle, in case it helps to let the sperm regenerate more! Plus I was knackered the last few cycles of every day .

@ttcnovice the first time I ever peed on one of those CB sticks I got a solid smily (it was CD16). So whilst I'd thought that the first one would always be a blank circle, I found that not to be the case! I spent reading up trying to find out whether it works by determining the levels of hormones, or by detecting an increase on the levels of hormones. I had thought the latter but then my instant-solid smily would suggest otherwise...

*spent ages reading up, that was meant to say....

Ha yes cycle day twins! Although my cycles seem to alternate between 25 or so days and about 30 days so who knows how long this one will be!

Pibbee that's strange isn't it! Like you I thought from reading up on them that they detect an increase from your baseline levels. Obviously can't be the case if it gave you the peak reading straight away though . Unless it's the rise in oestrogen levels that it detects away from the baseline (to give a "high" reading), but with the LH surge (for the "peak") it would detect that independently?

Yeah exactly @ttc I don't understand it either. But that same day I had what I thought must be ovulation pains as well as ewcm so I came to the conclusion that the 'detecting a rise in hormone level' might not be right (even though that's what the instruction says as to how the test works ) and instead it just detects high levels! But how would it know what's 'high' for me if it didn't have some sort of baseline to compare to?!

Anyway who knows. Last time I started on cd8 and got the flashing smily on cd10, and this time I started on cd6 and got the smily again 2 days later on cd8.

All this is just evidence of the fact that it seems my cycles, whilst not completely all over the place, are not quite regular. I'm glad I started with the sticks on cd6 now (not sure what prompted me to do that as thought it was well early....I think I was just bored and fancied peeing on something ha) as if I'd started on cd8 or 9 I may well have missed out. Wondering now if it always (apart from my random instant smily that time) starts with blank circle and then builds up?! So if I had only just started today, would it have been a blank circle ie setting the baseline?!

Man these things are confusing!

Pibbee I think they're really confusing too! I think they work great when they (or your body!) does exactly what you expect, but as we know that's never quite the case! I'll keep you updated with what happens with mine this month - I think if I don't get a peak again and just day after day of high then I might not use them next month!

Guys has anyone ever used OPKs from savers. I had two days ewcm on Friday & Saturday and Ovia says most fertile day is today however been using OPKs since Saturday & no hint of a line!! I'll be miffed it my cycle has gone awry as DH and I dtd Friday, Saturday & today (tried yesterday but pressure got the best of us & we were just going through motions with nothing achieved).

Just a quick one on OPKs. I used them the month we conceived - boots own brand. I've attached the picture as I was able to pin down exactly when I ovulated. I didn't look out for ovulation "symptoms" as my body's weird anyway. And one 'ovulation symptom' could easily be something else.

Anyway, they worked for me and as you can see I ovulated somewhere around 16-17th of that month. We DTD a lot anyway, but on those days I think we did it twice a day!

Thanks MrsJ that's helpful to see.

I did another opk just now & the line is building although not positive but at least that matches with Ovia a little as I'm midway through fertile week. Panicked to soon at the stark white I think & using a brand I've never used before makes me anxious (silly I know)

I hope you're well & glowing with pregnancy. xx

@ttcnovice I have been pondering the CB sticks now and am thinking it could definitely be possible to miss the first fertile days if it's the case that (apart from my random one!)the first day is meant to be a blank circle. I mean, if someone were to test and their surge had already started, then the test wouldn't know that the surge had started and instead would just read that elevated level of hormones as the baseline and therefore produce a blank circle. Do you see what I mean? But then my instant solid smily would indicate that the test goes by overall levels rather than increase. Oh I dunno. Either way I have gone from blank circle to flashing smily which is heading in the right direction at least! Hopefully you'll get the flashing smily in a day or two....

@MrsJ thanks for that. I have ordered some of the ones with the lines for my next cycle (assuming I will need them!), they were meant to be here in time for this cycle but Amazon messed up!

Urge I can't believe it's back to work tomorrow! All weekends should be four days long....

I think OPK kits go on the hormone level, I only use cheapies off the internet and have managed to pinpoint 3 peak ovulation times with the help of Ovia... I'm doing it to try and track AF though (not that it worked this month!)
Out of the 3 I got 1 that came up as test line darker within seconds whereas in the days up to it it had not quite gotten there

Pibbee so my OPK was a flashing "high" smiley today, but it seems too early yet so I'm just as confused as ever! I might test again tonight and see what it says. How was yours this morning?

Twisted I haven't used those ones sorry! How many times a day are you testing? I found when using Tesco's ones (which look very similar to mrsj's) that I only got lines in the evening!

TTC testing twice a day. I am starting to see it darken so fx but I'm worrying that all our bank holiday dtd may have been too early to count now. Time will tell I guess.

Hey @ttcnovice I got the flashing smily again today. So I reckon going on past performance I will have the solid one tomorrow. Which is a couple of days early I think but not outlandishly so. I just wanna know when the solid one is going to be so can attempt DTD accordingly!

To add to the fun, I'd forgotten I'd ordered a load of cheap-ass OPKs online! They have been delivered to work this afternoon. Hurrah, more things to pee on!!

OK so these Internet cheapie ones - do you have to pee in a pot and dip the sticks in, or can you pee on the stick like the CB ones?

God, the things i ask the Internet....

Pibbee you pee in a pot with those ones! I use those little white disposable cups you get for parties . Hope you get your static smiley tomorrow!

Twisted they say that sperm can last for up to 5 days so hopefully you'll get your positive tonight or tomorrow! Fingers crossed for you 🤞🏼

Hey girlies, hope you're all good. Opks are mental 😂 I used the cheapy Poundland ones and the cycle I caught, I never had a positive, it went from snowy white to a squinter around the time I think I ovulated and then went white again lol.
So I went for my final scan today, as expected, my womb is now empty. I'm glad it's all over but sad obviously that there's no trace I was ever pregnant, like did I imagine it? Did I want it so much I made my body fake it?? Such a weird feeling 😳
She's told me I have to wait til after my first period before trying again. She said if I intend on having sex in the meantime I have to use condoms coz under no circumstances can I get pregnant before my next cycle. That scared me a bit. charl do you know why this is chick? I'm not saying I was gonna catch immediately but I'm not waiting ages to have sex lol waited ages as it is 😂xx

Sorry for being awol ladies I had a lot going on at work and home.
@Millie1994 I had the Mirena iud so no bruising as it was inside, did you have the one on your arm?

So I'm in my fertile window. DTD before it started on both Friday and Saturday (ovia said my peak would be today), was planning on doing it everyday but slipped in shower on Sunday night and hit my ear, head and shoulders. Not the bang I was hoping to experience that night LMAO. Luckily nothing broke and no major damage just bruising and pain but it's stopped me from DTD Sunday and yesterday. I did an opk now and the line is as dark as the test line but not as thick. I would usually think it's a positive but I'm not 100% sure as I took one before I fell on Sunday and didn't check the result until hours after when we got back from a&e. The line was as dark and as thick from what I remember, but it had been sitting there for over 5 hours. What do you guys think? After I put the positive result in ovia my fertility score went from 10 to 9.5...should I be worried? I plan on ignoring the pain and just DTD tonight. Told DH he will need to be quick and extra gentle.

Oh and he didn't manage to switch shifts but I am working from home due to the fall so that's ok.

I use the eBay cheap OPK, the ones where you pee in a cup and dip it in. I hate them but at the same time I can't afford to get fancy ones as sometimes I feel the need to pee on them twice a day