Sperm Meets Egg (hopefully)

[AllHopeAndNoResults]

Hi guys,

I’ve done a few threads on here for ttc but this month I am in a new positive state of mind and I am determined to get that BFP!!

I’ve been to the GP today who said my bloods have come back fine for hormones etc and just that I am very low on vit d (which I knew from last check up and have been taking vitamin tabs twice a day) anyway....

She has said there is nothing to suggest any infertility or that I’m not ovulating and that perhaps I am ovulating and not timing it. I was convinced at this appointment I would be prescribed chlomid, but no she said that I just need to come back in 2 months with a new blood test and see from there...

I came away disheartened and a little bit like I’d given up until I thought hold on she said there was no reason to suggest in infertile or have a problem therefore I am fertile and need to work harder! So I got online ordered loads of OPKs, preseed and a basal thermometer.

I also downloaded Sperm Meets Egg and I am determined this month to follow rule by rule. Sorry that was very long! But I am due AF any minute so will be tracking from about day 8 anybody want to do the journey with me??

Again sorry for how long that was!!

@jen306 do they literally just do a smiley face if ovulating and sad face if not? Is it as simple as that? If so then I might ditch my IC as you have to work out the line strength

@AllHopeAndNoResults I buy the advance ones which detect two hormones/things in your wee to predict fertile period and peak fertility. so you get a blank circle when not in fertile period. A flashing smile when it detects estrogen which is higher concentration in the build up to ovulation and so in your fertile period and then a static smile when you get your LH surge e.g just about to ovulate.
There’s a chart which shows when to start using them depending on your cycle length.

@jen306 so you ovulate when you get the static face? So if following SMEP do you dtd on the flashing smile or the static face? Sorry if I’m asking to many questions or if it’s obvious just want to be sure lol

Sorry to crash the thread, I haven't read anything apart from your first post so apologies if I'm speaking out of turn.

I struggled for nearly two years trying to conceive, I had very irregular cycles (sometimes lasting up to 120 days at the longest) I'd tried opks and charting and all sorts and nothing worked. I tried to use fertility friend and got a bit confused and ended up making the switch to Natural Cycles.

I paid for a year subscription determined it would work, I took my temp the same time every morning, it said it can take a few months to detect a pattern but for me within five weeks it detected that I was ovulating. We had sex once each day it said I was ovulating and then a few weeks later it noticed a spike in my temperate and told me to test and I was pregnant. It might just be a coincidence that it happened so quickly, but it definitely detected my ovulation date accurately which was something I just couldn't do with irregular cycles unless I did OPKs every day which gets expensive. The only annoyance was that I wasted money on a years subscription 😂 my baby is due on Thursday, and it worked for me! I can't help but recommend whenever I see threads like this.

@Nobhobs
Wow 120 days?! So did you still have long and irregular cycles when you did conceive? What is natural cycles do you have a link? I’m not sure I’ve heard of it.

I’m no expert @AllHopeAndNoResults but what I’m doing is making sure we’re dtd every other day during the flashing smiles and then once got the static once a day - has been doing twice in a row but trying to follow the SMEP approach this month so aiming for 3 days then a break then again. But we’ll see I’m not sure if we’ll manage that often tbh!

@Nobhobs congratulations! Glad temping worked for you not sure it would for me but i might have to give it a go!

@jen306 ok I think I understand a bit better now. So I’ll follow similar to you then. It’s a bit annoying isn’t it that it might take a few try’s to get familiar with it but a few try’s means 2 months at least with no BFP. But fingers crossed for us all.

@Nobhobs indeed I forgot to say congratulations!! Xx

@OP I don't want to sound negative but I think the stats are something like even if you time sex with ovulation the chances of conception are only around 1 in 4? So we really want to make sure we're doing it right, as chances aren't amazing even if we do! But if we keep it up hopefully we'll all get bfps within a few cycles.

@Jen306 might follow your plan and start DTD every other day now I have flashing smiley.

@Skyla01 I’m sort of basing my plan on SMEP principles using the info from CB OPKs to guide us. Seemed a reasonable way forward for now!

@Skyla01 let’s hope so! I know the odds really aren’t great but it’s got to work!

Morning ladies, I’m getting a little frustrated now! AF still hasn’t came and all tests are bfn. The only time I actually want her to come and she’s playing around.

It’s cruel really and I’m disappointed in my body for throwing me all the pregnancy symptoms and a really long wait for AF 😞

Maybe I’m getting bfn because my cycle is usually long and irregular maybe I have to wait literally until a month has passed with no AF. Or maybe the more likely is she will come right at the end of the month giving me a really heavy period!

Any update from anyone else? How’s everyone feeling?

@AllHopeAndNoResults that's annoying for you, especially with irregular cycles it's hard to know what's going on/ whether to get hopes up or not. I really hope you find out either way soon. It's hard when you're just waiting with no way to speed things up.

I'm still in 'high' fertility according to cb, but haven't had any fertile cm yet so think ovulation might be a while away yet.

@skyla01 very annoying and it’s like a cruel joke.

What do you plan to do? Dtd every day or every other day? You don’t want to miss it.

Why is it so hard for us? 😞

Just been reading up on a few things, has anyone had any experience with Agnus Cactus? It’s supposed to be like a natural Chlomid and there are women who swear by it and are convinced they fell pregnant because of it.

I’ve also seen conflicting stories of it not working but it’s a bit like chlomid, the majority it works for, apparently you take 1000g 3 times a day. Anyone heard of it and advise for it against?

Just putting it out there incase you haven’t and want to do your own research to see if it will help you

@Jen306 with the cb digital does it still work if you use the same kit a month later? I thought the battery might run out or something?

@AllHopeAndNoResults hmm I'm not sure- don't want to dtd too much now in case ovulation is like a week away and we run out of steam by then! I think I'll wait for cm changes and then DTD every other day. I've heard of Agnus castus but haven't used it. I'm a bit wary about some of these supplements, not always sure what's in them. Some people seem to find success with them though.

@skyla01 it’s really hard to determine when to do it isn’t it? It becomes a bit of a task! I agree it’s not really knowing what’s in them and whether it does more harm then good but it’s a natural supplement so surely it can’t do harm?

I’m considering giving it a go after reading some stories.

How are you feeling overall? Are you feeling like it will be a success this month? I still haven’t seen AF and I’m day 38. I was convinced I was pregnant. I felt it. But now every twinge I’m like AF is here soon.

@allhopeandnoresults what has been your longest cycle recently? I don't want to get your hopes up without reason but you aren't out until AF arrives. Maybe you ovulated later this cycle? I would think about testing again if AF doesn't show in another few days.

I'm feeling good for this cycle! Last month I didn't know when I ovulated, didn't know how long my cycle would be... it was all very confusing! This cycle I should have a better grip on things, especially hoping I get a static smiley with cb to pinpoint ovulation. Lots of dtd around then to give us the best chance!

@skyla01 I think my longest has been between 42 and 45. You can’t give me any more false hope then I’m giving myself at them moment. I keep asking DP if he thinks my nipples are darker 😂 I am definitely later than usual and having a lot of symptoms but it seems very unlikely I managed to conceive this month.

Fantastic that you feel good for this month, I think being positive can have an effect on things. It’s always a good excuse to dtd even more often 😉 I think as the months go by you will gain better insight bit by bit.

I’m waiting for AF to arrive just so I can get started! I mean it will be great if she doesn’t and I do get a BFP but it’s doubtful but you are right I will test again at the weekend if she still hasn’t arrived. How long does it take to get a BFP on a test? If I remeber when I was pregnant with ds I’m sure I was getting bfn for a while 🤔

Yes the cb digital pack lasts me the couple of months. I’m sure the battery would go eventually but I manage to use the 20 oack of tests over a couple of months without any problems

@Jen306 that's good to know if I have tests leftover after this month.

@AllHopeAndNoResults you can get early detection tests that cab be positive from around 10dpo but I would stick to using a normal test that will be positive once your period is late. If you don't know when AF is due though it's really tricky (That was me last month with a 44 day cycle). So waiting until end if the week is a good idea.

Tbh I’m really not feeling good about it anymore. My body seems to be playing a cruel trick on me.

Last night I felt sick and dizzy and this carried through to this morning, I’d had really sore boobs through the night, woke up today to do a test as I’ve pretty much convinced myself I am pg. Still no sign of AF and a BFN not even a faint line.

I’m not sure if I’m testing to early or in fact I’ve convinced myself so good that my body is giving me symptoms. I don’t know how I feel about it all at the moment.

@AllHopeAndNoResults I had a similar experience last month. I didn't know when I'd ovulated so didn't know when to expect AF. My cycle was 44 days long so I so wondered if I could be pregnant. Eventually did a pregnancy test after a day of nausea, BFN. AF came the next day so for me the nausea was part of pms. I'll know for next time. Hence why I decided to use opk this cycle- at usually come 14 days after ovulation so if I can work out ovulation day I can maximise DTD but also know when to expect AF, so know when I'm late.

Long irregular cycles are a pain, I would try and not think about it too much and wait for AF (or bfp).

@AllHopeAndNoResults with a new cycle if you start with temping & opk hopefully that will make things clearer. Keep thinking positively!!