Thread 31, TTC1 | Jam and her dodgers still riding the bonking bus for that elusive BFP

[Jamon]

Calling all OPK-ers, Temp-ers, Clomid-ers, Femara-ers, IUI-ers, IVF-ers and anyone else on the TTC #1 Bus.

We've been going a while now so the novelty has well and truly worn off and we're slightly battle scarred and bruised in the cervix area. We don't get a lot of baby dust in these here parts, we just keep it legs spread and fingers crossed (LSFX). We love a baby bomb from a prior bus-mate but if we get told to 'just relax and enjoy it' ONE MORE TIME you will get a punch in the face!

Hop on board, post your stats and prepare to be dazzled by the wealth of TTC knowledge we long-timeys have to share...

Key:
HS - have/had sex
GOS - good old shag
ELH - enthusiastic lavatory happenings
LSFX - legs spread, fingers crossed

Guys S.O.S - please help.

There are like 7 pregnant women in my new office. It's taken me a while to notice. But once you see you cannot unsee 😱

Struggle NYC and Washington how fabulous and great to have something to focus on besides TTC. We went to NYC recently and had some fabulous tapas in Toro down in Chelsea, big cool warehouse type space if you like that kind of thing

We unfortunately had to reschedule the counselling as I've got a horrible bug - full of cold and totally blocked ears plus an upset stomach to boot. Woke up in awful earache pain thankgod for nightnurse

Tufty you don't sound like a dick at all - just try not to get too worried about it all if you can - this thread has many long timers now and doesn't really reflect the typical experience. Many women do fall pregnancy quickly and easily. I'm not going to say relax and enjoy it as that's shit but equally there's no need to think it'll be a long hard battle ahead

Great news rainbow glad all going well

Kath what's a dummy embryo transfer? Day 14 shag sounds good to me

Eurgh skipper I've got two in mine, not sure what to recommend as it is hard. With my friend Jess I'm seeing it as someone I can learn from and hopefully borrow maternity clothes from as she is tres stylish. Appreciate that you new though and won't know these people so well. I suppose you don't know what they've been through to get there

May I rant???

Just had a letter from my endocrinologist and he's changed his sodding mind on what he wants me to do. Originally i was in the higher dose of carbimazole until I saw the gp last week. Then drop down a bit for 3 months then re test my levels. Today I get a letter saying stay on the higher dose (which i haven't been on for a week now) for a fortnight then drop down for a month then have the blood test!! Arghh!!! Going to have to ring the office tomorrow!!!! Ffs why cant they just stick to a decision.

Jam, the way the doc explained it, they basically do a test run of what the embryo transfer procedure would be (but without an embryo obviously) to see if there will be any issues getting it to the right place etc and then you have scans to check. I think it's so they don't get through the whole process of egg collection, fertilisation etc only to discover that for some reason the transfer won't work.

Basset, that drives me absolutely bonkers. It makes it really hard to have any confidence that they know what hears doing.

Sk1pper, bloody hell, that's bad going. Has anyone cracked an unhelpful joke about there being something in the water yet...?

Kath - basically an email came round saying that there was free drinks and cake to celebrate hitting our targets. Then in brackets (and non alcoholic drinks for the many pregnant ladies in the office). And that was it...suddenly I could see them everywhere.
BAM pregnant lady, BAM pregnant lady, BAM pregnant lady, BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM....cue me sinking into a corner by the printer, laughing hysterically.

Hi ladies hope I'm not too late to join the thread!

My stats
Hopefulbunny
Very nearly 36
Cycle 8 ( had a break for 3 months due to abdominal myomectomy surgery.

Now ready to start the ttc journey again.

Will have a proper catch up soon but wanted to mark my space and say hi!

Hi all, fell off the thread again with work, being away at the weekend, and having a couple of baby bombs this week. With the start of AF and a bit of time this evening have had a big catch up again (sorry, feel like I'm always catching up)

Thanks for the new thread jam. I love the pics 👍 sorry you're poorly- feel better soon. Hope DHs behaving better? Mine sounds like kathrino's- not really engaged but not doing anything wrong per se- guess it must be hard for them just in a totally different way

Congratulations Harriet and smitten - everything crossed for you having a wonderfully boring 9 months🤞🤞🤞and hoping for some more of us getting frers like that soon!

Glad the new job is going well skipper 👍 but boo about all the preggos. Hope you join them very soon

Great to "see" you again Alexa but sorry it's not with your BFP. And that your mum has been an idiot. Totally Insensitive, hope you're ok? 💐And hey to pug too- sorry you've also had a hard time of it 💐

Sorry for the shit time many are having 💐

As for me, I had another stinker of a long cycle (38 days) but on the plus means I'm able to get my CD 2-4 bloods and my first cycle monitoring TVUS booked in at times I'll be around. Thanks for the info about the hycosy too. Glad to have things to head for (small mercies on CD1)

Unfortunately though have also found out that DHs SA wasn't actually all clear as he'd been told by gp but he's said he'll take whatever I suggest and try to cut back booze (not a big drinker really except when he's got crappy night shifts). His count was much better than normal but low morph and motility, so I'm hoping a good vitamin and encouraging him to eat a bit better and reduce booze right down will help? Any reccs on vitamins oh wise ones? Was it proxeed someone suggested before? Have a gut feeling that the combo of our factors means now it's less likely to be a straightforward slow natural TTC/ clomid only journey now. Trying to have my peace with that and fingers crossed can get some treatment happening as quickly as some of these tests have been arranged 🤞🙏

Hello to all the newbies, Harry, pop your stars in a post so we know where you are in your TTC journey. X

I'm currently feeling really silly. Put my temp in this morning and it switched my O date again to CD16. If that's true I'm completely out. I've had a look back over my other charts and stupidly hadn't noticed my EWCM stops on CD16... every... single...cycle. The tummy twinges was me probably ovulating. I'm feeling really stupid I didn't take your advice to carry on with the OPK and maybe accept I have a very very short luteal phase... means I'm pretty much doomed doesn't it. Fml. Why can't I just be normal, I feel so broken. 😢

Mouse 💐you are not broken. You have now noticed a pattern- this might help for your next cycle, or allow you to get any extra help you might need to get your sticky bean. It's not unfixable, today is a bad day but we all have them, and you'll get through. You are so strong and you will get to hold your baby- we all will- just the best destinations can have a bit of a journey to get there

Sending you lots of ❤️, 🍫 and 🍩 x

struggle great to have trips booked.

jam I had a dummy embryo transfer before doing IVF - they are just checking they can get catheter in easily. I also had a 3D scan - which they did not like the look of so had a hysteroscopy- which was fine (but required a general). Basically the usual protocol of IVF is 2 months - 1 month to "down regulate" and then a month to stimulate, collect the eggs (which I found to be the hardest part) and then transfer. If you are doing "mild" or natural cycle IVF then it may be quicker. Any questions let me know I have done both a stimulatee IVF and a natural cycle one.
Are you going straight to IVF or do they oblige some IUI rounds first?

skipper So sorry about your many pregnant co-workers - maybe take as a positive sign that office is particularly fertile?

Welcome hopeful!!

On plane to Corfu!!!!!!! ✈️

harry I have never temped - some ladies on here are pros. All I know is that you get more consistent results if you take temp in fanjo not armpit

mouse YOU ARE NOT BROKEN!!! Remember you had a BFP before and you will again! Not get shagging!!

Taxing to runway!!!

Oh mouse I second everything kwick said - you are not broken. You have had a bfp before and you will have one again. I ovulate really late - day 20 or 21 - and the first cycle I used opks I thought I hadn't ovulated either! My LP used to be 10 days but as soon as I started taking vitamin b complex it lengthened to 12 days with a 32/33 day cycle.

I'm feeling pretty horrendous right now as had brown spotting and cramping last night. I've googled loads and it could either be totally normal and fine, or a sign of another impending miscarriage. No way of knowing. Obviously I'm now expecting the worst. I'm 14dpo today and got a lovely line on FRER this morning (progression from 10dpo attached), but i know from bitter experience that it's meaningless at this stage. Will keep you all posted.

Oh basset how frustrating. Have you managed to get a straight answer?

Thanks for the explanation kwick and kath. That makes sense. I had the catheter thing for the HSG and it was totally fine. Ummm down regging and stims - I thought this was two weeks each so I must be getting confused. No idea what protocol will be but it won't be natural cycle I'm pretty sure. They won't do IUI kwick as success rates too low for the NHS to fund - in my CCG anyway. We decided for that reason it's not worth our money either - double blow of it not working plus cost would have been too shit. Also our only known problem so far has been sperm morphology so I have a feeling we may need ICSI to nail it.

Welcome back hopeful that seemed to go so quickly ! Glad you're back and trying again

Hello binky sorry about AF and the sperm results, it sounds like you've got a plan though and it's great your DH is on board. Proxeed Plus boosted motility and morphology for us, I definitely recommend it. Chlo also posted a diet list further back for improving sperm quality - watercress featured highly!

Mouse you're not broken lovely, I can see why you temp but it seems to be stressing you out - I wonder if you're better off having sex every other day - at least during your fertile window and using OPKs and dropping the temping? I can understand you needing to know when it happens - could you book a couple of private scans to see your follicles get a predicted ovulation date and then have another to make sure it has happened? I had a scan when non clomid and it was really reassuring to see the follies and be told when they would likely release

mouse even if it is day 16, you're in the game with your BD on day 12. I think the truth is FF isn't really sure so perhaps jamon idea of every other day while EWCM is a good one? How confusing and frustrating though

I hope you are feeling better jamon

harriet you must be so worried especially given past experience, but that's a really strong line! Those symptoms are non specific and hopefully nothing at all to worry about, but I know there's nothing to be done but wait it out. Have everything crossed for you .
It's encouraging you lengthened your luteal phase as I'm at 7 days last cycle. I'm on 50mg B6, plus pregnacare which people moan lengthens their cycles but is what I want, plus 700mg vitamin c which I heard helps with progesterone so we shall see this cycle.

Have a lovely holiday kwick!

binky I have pretty much no EWCM so I occasionally use fertile check from boots, it helps the little swimmers get up there! I think it's similar to proseed, there is some science behind it from what I can tell. Might start using it more often it we don't conceive soon, but as we are early days and it is very wet just seeing how we go mainly.

Welcome hopefulbunny! Pleased you're recovered from your surgery and good to go again!

sk1pper seven?! That's ridiculous!!!!

To clarify when I said it is very wet I meant the fertile check gel!

They look good harriet. But I totally understand your hesitance. Just look after yourself. Thats the most important thing.

Jam yes i did. Its a hybrid of the two options. I was very impressed left a message at 9.20 they rang me back at 10.20.

Mouse you are not broken. I second jam could you have a cycle of recording things??

Keeping everything crossed for you harriet I've seen so many women online saying they had cramps and spotting and were convinced AF was coming. Fx it's all normal and just uterus expansion.

I keep dropping off of the thread for some reason!
I agree with the other ladies mouse, you are definitely not broken. We've been recommended to HS every other day starting from day 8 through to day 20 and then 3/4 times a week at other times to keep the sperm nice and fresh. I know there's lots of conflicting advice out there but it makes sense and also a lot less stressful for me than using OPK's. I'm over POAS now to be honest!
Sorry to hear that harriet, can totally understand you being worried. Only advice I've ever found worth listening to in that situation is that today you are pregnant and try not to worry about tomorrow or thereafter. Of course that's easier said than done though so take it easy on yourself.
Sorry to hear you're having a tough time alexia. It's such a shame your mum isn't more supportive. Mine also says the wrong thing sometimes but she does try. It's so hard going through this, let alone not having the support of your family and close friends. Hope you're ok.
I'm very up and down at the moment. Feel great doing the eating plan and have lost weight (DH has lost a stone now so that's great) but it's just the every day reality that I really struggle with. We're going away to Spain in a few weeks time, we always go this time of year for DH's birthday and lots of our friends always seem to be there at the same time and last year, I was there with my best friend whose now had her baby and another friend who had just found out she was pg. This year, they'll be back there with their babies and my other friend who will be there has just had a successful round of IVF so I know this sounds self centred (particularly as it's taken them a few go's and they've really struggled with it), but I just feel like a year on, we're in the same position whilst everyone else's lives have moved on and it's really getting to me. I thought that at least we would be pg by now and I just find it really upsetting. Sorry for the downer :( I know that we're on the right path and hopefully finally getting somewhere but by god this journey is tough

I tried to keep up but quickly lost track of who everyone was and where they are on their TTC journey so last night I re-read the entire thread in anticipation of being here for a while.

This morning I was feeling so down thinking that AF was on her way that I decided to ‘waste’ my last HPT just to confirm what I already know – that I wasn’t pregnant. And then this happened…

My Stats:
Age 31:
TTC #1
Cycle 9 (Since end of November 2016)
Cycles alternate between 27 and 29 days
Positive OPK usually on Day 13 (in 27-day cycle) and Day 14 (in a 29-day cycle)
Today: 12 DPO (I think)
Medications/Vitamins: 50mcg Synthroid for hypothyroidism, Centrum Pre-Pregnancy vitamins.
Symptoms: None really. I thought I felt ‘different’ since O – my uterus felt really bloated – but that might have been my imagination. I was definitely a lot hungrier than usual, waking up in the middle of the night thinking about Nutella on toast, which never happens.

Right now I am off to get another test to make sure. Whatever happens with this pregnancy, I hope it shows that there is a little bit of hope for us long-term TTC-ers. If you don’t mind, I will hang around a bit longer and let you know how it goes.

(PS I deleted the previous posts because I was worried my friends/family might read them and know it was me).

Oh harry that's brilliant! What a strong line! Please do stay around. I always wake up in the night hungry because I'm a greedy fecker so I won't be able to read anything into that!

Maybe joining this group was a lucky charm for you .