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

Smitten 💐 thinking of you. Take care of yourself at this dreadful time x

So sorry smitten 💐

jamon in the UK we seem to rely very little on blood analysis where as I find in Southern Europe this is usually the first port of call when trying to understand what is going on.
I think I can do 14/10

Oh smitten I am so sorry I know platitudes like "well at least it means you can get preggers", "you will now move into a super-fertile phase" and "it happens a lot" do not really help right now. Rest out a cycle and then shag for Great Britain.

Welcome blooming!
I too am having to lower BMI before continuing with treatment - it can be done though! Are you following any type of plan? I do Slimming World - have lost just over a stone in past couple of months.

Sorry Smitten 💐

Welcome Blooming. Sounds like you have a lot going on. Good luck.

Oh smitten, I'm so sorry for your loss. Glad to hear you feel supported and all clear from GP; as jam says, you sound incredibly strong xxx

Welcome blooming sorry the TTC journey is taking a while, but you'll find sage advice and good tips from the other women here!

In other news, think AF is on the way...only 9dpo today I think, so that'd be a bit shit. Will wait and see. Bugger it all.

I'm following Slimming world but I just want Cadburys and cheese... my fitness buddy has sodded off to Australia and I just can't focus. I used to have my Sw down to a T, 5lbs a week but I just can't get off my arse, like literally. Defo literally.

Hi ladies 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

smitten I'm so so sorry for your loss. I've been there and it is just awful. It's completely up to you but there is no medical reason for having to wait a cycle before trying again. Conceiving again straight away does not make the next pregnancy less likely to succeed. It helps doctors with dating which is why they always recommend it, but you don't have to do it. With my mcs my AF came back about a week later than normal (though everyone is different), and since you have long cycles anyway maybe you will feel ready to try by the time you next ovulate? Just something to think about. It is a total platitude as kwick said but I really did take comfort from the fact I could conceive after mine. You did before and you will again.

Wow blooming! You need to get your SW mojo back as 5lbs a week is amazeballs! Do you have any food diaries from back then? i would ❤️ to take a squizz
I naughtily weighed myself this morning (as I do most days) and I am back to pre-holiday weight - yay! Just need to go hard and fast so I can actually start with IVI in September.

quiet what a fcuker - I really hope you are not out yet. 🤞🏼

So sorry Smitten

skip so annoying doctors don’t really listen when you talk about your periods. Maybe you should take a creme egg along for reference next time?

jamon love the Grateful app - I definitely need to do this. I might try and make it a before bed routine to think about what I’ve been grateful for that day.

The fertility group sounds great as well. Luckily I have a couple of friends going through similar things, it’s so helpful to have someone who understands. Would be keen for a meet up if I wasn’t so far from London!

Pyjamas really rooting for you, hope you are feeling OK. Sounds like it’s all going really well.

Babipot did AF arrive? Hopefully not!

Mouse I read that same thread in AIBU - I can't believe someone could be 20 weeks and not know. It seems so unfair that some people are so fertile, and then there's us at the back of the queue...

Flash sounds like a great superstition, who needs an excuse to finish a bottle of wine eh!

It’s so frustrating there is just so much conflicting advice about what to take and what not to take. I’m just taking Vit D and Folic Acid as I’m worried about messing up my cycles…why is nothing straightforward!

Smitten so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Take it easy and look after yourself. I know there’s nothing anyone can say that will make you feel better, so just be kind to yourself.

Welcome blooming. Sorry you've been trying so long too, it's the pits. Hope you don't mind me asking but are you considering IVF or been referred onto NHS fertility service?

Smitten I am so sorry. You do sound incredibly strong but it's ok if you have ups and downs. I haven't found life after a loss to be linear. I've had awful times and great times but the trend is definitely upwards so take care of yourself.

CD1 for me today. 12 day LP. Weirdly I don't feel upset because I know as soon as the spotting starts that I'm out. Saves on pointless HPTs though!

That does sound very plausible Mouse re follicular phase. Anyone got any suggestions on how to lengthen/improve it. I very much believe my LP would have less spotting if my ovulation was stronger.

Welcome Blooming. What a great thread you've joined! (Not that I'm biased).

Kwick massive snogs right back at you! Have you got some eggy wisdom re my crappy early ovulation? You know everything about eggs!

On a totally un-TTC related note: I would like cats. DH dislikes pets (he doesn't hate animals, just doesn't want pets). I have made it clear from the beginning that at some point I will want pets. However, MIL is allergic to cats. I know this isn't AIBU (can't face that) but WIBU at some point to have cats, knowing she has an allergy?

Ooo Kathrino well done on the rose! Sadly it didn't work for me this cycle but I'll keep perservering.

Babipot I was in the French Alps, La Plagne specifically.

flash what kind of allergy does she have? If it's the sneezy itchy eyes kind rather than the wheezy tight chest mind then I think it's totally fine. DH has this and we have a cat! He takes antihistamines occasionally but has actually got used to it and his allergies have got less severe. Probs wouldn't happen with your MIL as she wouldn't be around the cat enough, but she could just take some loratidine before she visits you and it's all good. If it gives her asthma type symptoms though then maybe id think again. Also depends how much you like your MIL - could be a good excuse to keep her out of the house!!

Harriet well she does have asthma, and I'm not minimizing that. However, she's stayed with my parents, who have a cat, and while she did have itchy eyes/sneezing etc, which I am sure is uncomfortable, she didn't seem to have any breathing difficulties etc. She's also allergic to dust mites, pollen etc so can be quite wheezy, even in her own house.

I do like MIL but we only see her every 6-8 weeks (she lives about 5 hours away) and we visit her some of those times, so I would feel disappointed not to be able to have a pet because of that. It is not only cats that are an issue and she does have a dog, but I'm more of a cat person then a dog person.

I think I'd go for it flash as you don't see her too often and it sounds like her symptoms are more hay fever type than asthma. My DH is the same - he's really allergic to dust and pollen too. There are certain breeds that are meant to be hypoallergenic so you could look into that? Btw when people are allergic to cats it's to the proteins in their saliva, which is transferred on to their hair when they clean themselves, not to the hair itself, so you don't have to get a bald one! Also I think one sex produces less than the other but can't remember which.

Flash, my DH is allergic to cats and dogs (and has asthma) and, despite this, his parents have a dog so on that basis, I say go for it.

Hope you're doing ok smitten xxx

Sorry about looming AF quiet - really hope it stays away.

Welcome blooming!

Your rosé sounds divine kath - very jealous!

I say go for it as well harriet!

Had my scan/bloods this morning at clinic - there are 7 follicles growing including 2 dominant ones. I was hoping for more considering the increased dose, but we are where we are! I also asked to what my latest AMH level was as I forgot to ask when they tested me back in June and saw it had gone from 5.8 in December to 12.8! Have checked with dr and she said it's normal that it fluctuates but the overall trend will be that it goes down over time. Adding the second injection to stop ovulation tonight and back in for another scan on Friday. If it's anything like the last cycle, egg collection will be early next week!

Flash my mum is allergic and she's asthmatic but they've always had cats. She just doesn't hold them or pet them too much, washes her hands etc

It all happens so quickly pyjamas how do you find the injections? Is it at all easier this time now you've been through it once?

Sorry to hear that smitten, hope you're doing as ok as you can be.

Sounds like everything's moving quickly pyjamas. How are you feeling about everything? Are you still seeing Emma Cannon? I read something about her the other day, she's a bit of a fertility guru isn't she.

I'd say go for it too flash. My MIL does't agree with pets (weird) so I was dreading telling her about our puppy but she came round and didn't stop playing with him and stroking him. I let it put me off for ages as thought they'd go on and on about what a bad idea it was but actually, they were totally fine! It's your life and your home so do what you want to do.

Not much to report my end, I'm in the 2WW and trying to stay positive after a few days away in the sun with family. My nieces are in their twenties so it was nice having girly time without the constant baby talk/pressure that comes with spending time with my own friends.

Not sure if anyone's read it or heard of it but my reflexologist lady emailed me today to recommended a book called Getting pregnant faster by Marilyn Granville. The name rings a bell, someone may have mentioned it on here before. Apparently her colleague gave the book to a couple and they followed the advice/supplements and his sperm quality improved considerably in a few months so sounds like it could be interesting.

Did anyone else also hear in the news (can't remember where I read it) about fish displaying female tendencies and actually morphing into female fish in some cases?? Apparently it's because of the chemicals in our water from the pill, plastics, food chain etc. I guess this is where the whole thing about BPA plastics comes from and eating organic food. I've noticed there's a big focus on male fertility in the news and press at the moment, which is a good thing as it's so often overlooked.

Thanks for hello everyone!! 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

kwick I haven't, I'm retro, I do find light meals like omelettes etc work instead of the huge steak and chips but only when grazing throughout day (pickles, veg etc) otherwise I get my DH is I haven't eaten!!!

I have reread my SW book... (pfft) ha ha

I find the injections totally fine jam - used to it now! The hardest thing by far for with in this whole IVF business is the emotional side. It's hard to say how I feel to be honest - not as excited as last time which I suppose is understandable, fearful of it not working, generally a bit 'blah'! You're right, it's so so quick - but that is because I'm on short protocol, long protocol adds a few more weeks I think.

Yep - actually saw Emma Cannon for a session in my lunch break today chlo. I really like her and I always feel very relaxed after a session with her! Hadn't heard the fish thing!

Thanks for the reassurance re cats! Now I just need to work on DH...

Pyjamas I've got everything crossed for you. Does it feel strange to know that that is how you might get pregnant? I don't mean that in a deorgatory way at all, I would 100 per cent consider IVF if needed, but just that I feel I've moved past the phase of 'Just have fun sex and see what happens' to 'Trying to actually make a baby' to 'Having sex as and when but not really believing it will work' and I wondered if IVF has that sense of 'OK, this is what we're doing now'.

Also, does anyone else feel that they can't really read the threads on Conception anymore? I've just read one with a woman who, judging by the ages of her existing children is probably 40 at least, was sterilised, had a reversal in January, and is now pregnant. What are all these supremely fertile people doing that we aren't?!

Also, if anyone fancies a toilet-humour chuckle, read the thread on pumping on the Christmas tree.