SMEP - feel free to join! :)

[danielasummer]

Hi everyone, just making this thread as it seems a few of us will be trying SMEP to TTC! Adding these lovely ladies in from another thread but I hope everyone feels free to join! All welcome :)

@Devgirl31 @fayy123 @NCON @MrsKJW19

Some stats about me:

TTC #1
27 years old, DH is 28 years old
Missed miscarriage in October 2019 at 7+2 weeks
Still in that cycle (no AF yet)
Long and irregular cycles, some anovulatory
Suspected low progesterone/hypothyroidism (I think this based on symptoms, not diagnosed yet!)

Hope we can all provide support for each other in this crazy TTC journey.

Feel free to introduce yourselves :)

AF came for me today :( @fayy123 I'm going to try and do the same, but will continue temping I think x

awww sorry! You’ll be fine.. new cycle and fresh start next month! I’m not going to use OPKS I find them stressful so I’m just going to just DTD as much as I can! Eventually I will fall🤞😂 I thought I did quite well this month as well! What a shame 😔 keep us updated! X

Af is losing closer, the big question, have we done enough 😣

Well once is enough so probably yes after having had sex like a hundred times! So really for us all is , have we been lucky? I will test Saturday if my period doesn't show on boxing day

*looming closer

Hi lovely ladies, I'm so sorry AF has shown up/is it on it's way for some of you it's such a shit feeling but last cycle I tried to look at it as a fresh start. We only have 20-25% of conceiving every cycle so our chances of it happening in the next 4 cycles are quite high, if that makes sense?

As for me, I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer but I've spent the morning crying.. as Christmas gets closer, I feel sadder and sadder about my MC. Trying really hard to stay positive about TTC and SMEP but I feel overwhelmingly anxious this morning that it's going to happen again to me. As well as feeling all this, I then have to put on a brave positive face so that we can DTD at the right time and hopefully conceive again. What a rollercoaster of emotions this is.

I'm thinking of you all and just want to say a massive thank you to everyone for being a part of this thread. Originally @fayy123 and I found eachother on an old SMEP thread and I feel like the support in this group has been fantastic. I have a thread where I really feel like I belong and we all seem to be going through the same/similar experiences. Lashings and lashings of baby dust to you all. 2020 sounds like a good year for us. x

awwww I’m so sorry you’re feeling that wayy!! It is really difficult especially when you have actually conceived before.. really thinking of you! We’ll get there ladies! Let’s continue to have a positive mindset for this journey! How has SMEP gone for you so far? and what cd are you on? remind me how long you have been TTC? X

@fayy123 thank you lovely. I'm so worried it'll happen again but at the same time desperate to be PG again. Just having some awful anxious thoughts this weekend! It's gone ok but I ovulate really late in my cycle and sometimes I don't even ovulate so I haven't exactly followed SMEP to a T. Fertile window coming up on 25th December until 3rd Jan (apparently!) so we'll see. I'm on CD17. This is my first cycle after my MC in October so I guess Cycle 1? We weren't trying to get PG before (even though I was desperate to, had to wait for DH to be ready so we planned to start trying in January 2020) but it's made him realise how much he wants a baby now. We got married a week before we conceived last time so it all felt a little too good to be true!

How are you feeling about next cycle? x

Sorry ladies that I haven't replied.. i had to take a few days out!.. i am doing ok, just disappointed.. my cycles are still all over the place since stopping the pill.. but really hoping for a BFP soon for all of us 🤞🏼

awww! I’m so sure you’ll fall again soon! Everything happens for a reason.. you wasn’t using any contraception were you? And how do you know whether you ovulate or not? Are you using OPKS are going off any app? I was a little upset and down AF arrived but I’m hoping next month is our month!! 😔😔 really want it now! I’m going to try DTD as much as I can. I’m using FLO app and it’s pretty accurate with predicting AF so will use that and keep DTD throughout the whole month 🤞 X

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@danielasummer it's ok to feel like that! I have been feeling exactly the same, another 2 people have announced pregnancies , all due a month or so after I would have been. Really brings it all to the surface doesn't it again, just that ache in the heart comes back with avengence.

It's hard, and it's really ok to feel deeply upset about it again. We need to re visit these things sometimes though I think to process them again, to build our strength back up again, and to feel better in the long run.

Feels awful though doesn't it, big virtual hugs to you from a fellow griever 🤗

Hi lovely ladies
Can I join? TTC #1.

CD 8 today, going to give SMEP a go this cycle (or as close to it as we can). Long cycles, so looks like OV may only be mid January (ffs). So now in the arduous wait hoping OV would happen even a little sooner this month.

Is anyone else finding the wait for OV super tedious?

Still reading through the whole thread. Hope everyone is having a lovely afternoon.

@sojo44 i feel like it is taking forever, im getting a bit obsessed with ovulation sticks! Im expecting ovulate on the 24th but test is still negative yet

That’s why ovulation strips stress me out!! I didn’t get a positive last month When my app was saying I should be ovulating and just stopped testing half way through the month! Made so anxious😒😒😒 I’m just using FLO app to check for my fertile days! And I can feel myself ovulating anyway and the OPKS still didn’t pick up on it last month😐

What CD are you on? How long have you been TTC? X

@fayy123 no im not using any contraception... stoped pill end of October! Iv gave up with OPK too, i kept forgetting to test and never got a peak on them even with other symptoms! Im just going to relax a bit and go with the flow if i can... my other half is working away during the week for the next 12 weeks though 😐

It's such a pain the area isn't it @Shazzzzz ! It's the first time I'm going to try OPKs properly for the full cycle. Are you using an app to track them? I found it so much easier than putting my Sherlock hat on and trying decide the strength of the second pink line. You may be close to OV though!

@fayy123 I'm using Flo and PreMom and hopefully one of them will get it right. I'm on CD8 now, have super long cycles but can feel small dull occasional twinges, so hoping my body may try to ovulate a bit sooner this cycle and not on bloody CD 30 😒

But also DTD as often as possible to cover every possible base especially as the long hours of work wont be getting in the way. Lucky DH this Christmas 😜

@fayy123 im on CD12 and its my first month, i feel like thats why its taking so long because ive never tried before! I was caught with my first born while i was on pill

@fayy123 thank you.. no not using any contraception. I track ovulation with BBT so can confirm ovulation or not. Going off OPKS and using an app too. My fingers are sooo crossed for you and everyone on this thread!

@ChampooPapi thank you so much you lovely lovely lady xx your messages have been so helpful, you have no idea, thank you. I do feel a little better this evening, especially since I think I've just got my positive OPK? Please advise me on this as this is my first time, and I've no idea! Sending you so many virtual hugs at this difficult time of year. I'm trying to think of every day as one day closer to being a mum x

@sojo44 hi, yes of course - welcome! this is such a supportive, lovely group. I also have long cycles normally. How long are yours?

Can I ask you all for some advice please - I am SO confused! I'm on CD 17 and these are all taken from the same urine at 4.30pm. A few different brands, and the Wondfo ones are coming up darker. I'm so confused. Are any peak or positive? How can they be so variable and different?

@danielasummer i am only using one brand for this reason, my friend used 3 different brands and was all different readings!😫 i guess some of them may be more sensitive? X

@Shazzzzz I'm just confused because the 2 purples and the bottom one are the same brand with same urine so how are they so different? I will test again in an hour ☺️ x

@danielasummer how strange, i have just done another and its negative! Are results within 10 minutes? im hoping i will get a positive by christmas eve 🤞

@danielasummer my first cycle after coming off the pill was over 120 days, so my period was induced by the GP :| but my last 2 natural cycles have both been about 45 days (ffs) where I got positive OPKs about CD 31(FFS x 2)! so keeping my fingers crossed this current cycle would even be just a week shorter! how about you?

On the OPKS, I use the Wondfo ones, find them really good. Did you wait longer each time when you took the picture (is it the same OPK stick)? Did you take the picture in different places/lighting/background? I found all these things skew the OPK results so now taking the photo in the same background/place for each cycle day which has seemed to make my results more reliable.

@Shazzzzz yes results were in 10 mins. Ahh my fingers are crossed for you! Keep us updated. This OPK business is confusing x

@sojo44 hello, no they were different tests, all within the correct time frame. All taken in the same lighting too. Very confusing but I'll do another test in 20 mins with new urine (sorry sounds so gross!) so will see what comes up. Sorry to hear of your long cycles but glad you've had some natural ones. It sounds like your body is gearing up to do what it naturally should which is promising!