Any buddies trying SMEP for the first time this cycle?

[HopeWish]

Hello all!

I am 26, and trying for my first baby. I'm currently on CD4 of Cycle 3. After two cycles of only DTD a few times in fertile window and no result, DH and I are going to give the Sperm Meets Egg Plan a go this cycle.

For those who don't know, the plan goes like this:

-> From CD 8 DTD every other day until a positive OPK.

-> Start testing with OPKs daily from CD 10 (but I will be using earlier as O'd on CD11 last month!)

-> From positive OPK DTD on the day of the + OPK and two days after, then miss a day and DTD again the next day.

We will also be using pre-seed for the first time this month.

Is there anybody else who is doing SMEP this month? Or anybody who has tried it before successfully or unsuccessfully?

After the disappointment of AF arriving early, I'm excited to start a new cycle.

@GiraffeInScarf great that you had a little staycation 😎 this is my first month but I thought you did 3 in a row from the day of peak (which would be day before, day of and day after ovulation in theory). I'm currently CD12 aswell and just had my fourth day of a blank circle, thinking I'd ovulate somewhere between Sunday and Tuesday but I have no idea 🧐

Ooh @GiraffeInScarf I'd love a holiday at home with my OH but he seems to enjoy work too much!! Hope you had a nice relaxing time. I was going to do my three days when I got my peak on CB monitor as I've had highs for days on end before! No harm doing a bit extra if you fancy it though. Yeh excited to get started properly, feel like the last week has dragged. I have a strange feeling it's going to be a long cycle but we'll see. Love your username by the way!

Thanks for the advice, I think my Clearblue picked up on my dilemma and solved it by giving me my first peak this morning 😬 We DTD on CD 10 and 12, so now we’ll do 13, 14 and 15... heads up to be ready if you get a peak on an odd number CD you’ll end up with 4 consecutives... I think some preseed will be welcome by the end 😂

I’ll try to post a pic of a cheapy OPK later, I’ve never got obvious positives from them but I trust the Clearblue (it goes to high once estrogen rise detected then peak with LH surge). Hopefully share some reassurance with others that it’s ok if they don’t look super dark. I‘d struggle with SMEP on cheapies alone as I’d never trust when to stop in case there was a stronger one to come tho! BBT will hopefully go up in the next few days and we can DTD without a calendar again ☺️

@HopeWish sounds very promising, I’m sure a peak is definitely on its way! I know what you mean, an app can only guess in the middle of your cycle length, and it’s partly guessing that too. My app’s been predicting Monday (CD 16) even tho I’m reliably day 14 and looks like it will this time too. I’d have missed half my fertile days based on that!

@SmileyT hope that smiley face is on its way soon, how long are your cycles? I think my fascination with my own (after being totally ignorant of it for twentysomething years) is now spilling over to everyone else’s! 😂

@cherrychatter how long have you been using the monitor? Have you found it ‘learns’ you? First month I got highs from about day 8-13, second month I worried, kept getting lows until day 12 but seems it was just being more accurate with what was actually high. Hope it’s not too long a cycle for you, together we can all share the highs and lows. I also have a work addict DP 😬 Username comes from totally loving giraffes, they’re so unique and awesome. I used to want to be a zookeeper so I could breed a miniature version to have at home. I was about 10, but still wish it was true 🤣

Yay to getting your peak @GiraffeInScarf and definitely get that lube out 🙌🏾

I'm CD13 today and still blank circle staring back at me, this is the first time I've tracked ovulation but my cycle is normally 28 days (checked back on my Fitbit app and it says shortest was 25 and longest 33) so I guess I could have not been ovulating when I expected on CD14. Last month cheapie opks said CD18 so we shall see, I'm sticking with it. If I'm learning something from TTC it's patience x

Well I did the cheapy OPK, remembered I had some others come with my BBT thermometer too so I experimented with both since they’re different test brands. I think they claim to be the same sensitivity but definitely not equal! The ones I had been using (top one in the pic) read at 34 (high) in the app, the other got 111 (peak) from the same sample. I’m irrationally excited at seeing an actual positive line 😂 but goes to show that while the first brand must work fine for some going by the reviews, don’t worry if they don’t and maybe worth trying a different one 🤔

@SmileyT hope the ovulation tracking helps you, I’ve read many posts where people ovulate more like CD 20 but still have around 30 day cycles. Shows how easy it is to miss, especially when ovulation symptoms happen before/during/after/never! If nothing else it shows you’re not missing the important days. I think I’m having patience forced on me rather than learning it 😂 the downside of ovulating earlier is that it makes the longest part of the cycle even longer waiting for an answer from AF 😣

Glad your peaks arrived @GiraffeInScarf ! I started using the monitor at the start of November so this is my 6th cycle using it. There's been a couple of cycles where we didn't manage to DTD so completely missed them. Im not really sure if it's getting used to me or not, the first 4 cycles I ended up using all 20 test sticks and it's changed quite a lot each month. One month I had 14 low, 1 high then peak, another month 16 low & straight to peak, then another month 2 low, 13 high then peak 🤷🏼‍♀️. The more I think about it the more I get confused and worried. I'm not entirely sure if Im even ovulating. The last cycle & this one it's asked me to start testing on CD 9, the rest were CD 6. Low today as expected as first day testing.
Really cute story behind the username 😊🦒

@SmileyT I need to take a leaf out of your book and learn some patience, TTC has highlighted how impatient I am!!! 😂

Thanks everyone for your really kind message! Dads okay and come to recover with me which hasn't been helping with the BD, like living at home again trying to sneak about

I'm super excited today because I've managed to pick up a much darker line on the OPK and I'm day 13 so positive about this cycle.

We've DTD CD8, 10 and 12 so perfectly on SMEP track and tried out the preseed as well. Fingers crossed for everyone this month!

@GiraffeInScarf did you get the femometer bbt thermometer? I've switched from the top opks on your pic to the bottom ones (just because they were cheaper on amazon prime at the time) and think the femometer app is better at reading their own strips. Well I'm only on my 2nd full cycle so I imagine my patience will wear thin but with OH doing shifts so generally 4 on 4 off I just pray i get a positive at some point and he is home 😂

@cherrychatter bloody hell I'll have to work on my patience skills if I get 16 low readings, don't want to use all 25 sticks this cycle, with the supplements and lube this ttc is getting expensive - but doing SMEP is probably doing good for my anxiety because I know we are covering our bases anyway 👌🏾

Hi all

I'm currently on CD7 and know smep says to start dtd on CD8 but I think it might be a bit too early for me as I always ovulate on day 14 or 15.
Might start on CD 9 or 10. Do you think this would be ok?

@hopefulmummie I would start DTD CD8 of you want to follow it exactly. I'm expecting ovulation at CD14 and have followed the plan to the letter but just do whatever you feel comfortable with!

Good Afternoon ladies!

So I have got an almost positive OPK this morning - reckon it may be positive tonight.

DTD early hours of morning so classing today as the first of the 3 in a row if I peak today! Have to admit that SMEP is knackering!

On a side note... been really emotional today (usually a sign of AF for me!). Anybody else get emotional around O day? I don't even know if it's a thing!

@cherrychatter sorry to hear it’s making you worry, it sounds like it’s maybe your cycle is still getting settled. At first I was happy it was giving me peaks but like you I began wondering if I actually ovulated - that’s why I started with BBT as well. And I also spent some time thinking because I was so regular maybe the computer thing was just following a programme rather than actually reading it, I’ll always find a new worry 🤣 I get asked for sticks from CD7 now.

@SmileyT yes, they’re femometer strips and I agree... if I’d done BBT from the start I’d probably have got their strips too. It’s weird tho, even without the app the first one definitely looks negative while the femometer is very much positive 🤨 Lesson learned not to lose heart with dodgy tests tho, I’d prefer to not have to re-stock but if I do I’ll be switching! Hope your OH’s shifts work ok, he’ll just have to make the time! Hopefully you’ll start to get some warning tho with some smiley faces 😊

@HopeWish excited to read your post - fingers crossed for tonight’s test! Early hours sounds perfect timing to cover today, if you ovulate tomorrow or Sunday then your 3 SMEP days are just right 🙂
Haven’t noticed emotional symptoms around ovulation, just left sided cramps and sore nipples... but only on alternate months 🤨 I’ve concluded that laying eggs from the right side is symptom free and I’m weird 🤣 do you get any other signs?

@GiraffeInScarf well I have been doing the cheap opks in the afternoon (just to check) and I got a blazing peak, so I tried the CB and it was a static smiley face 🤯 so I guess I do ovulate on CD14. OH is back from work at 7.30pm tonight and not back in work until 7pm on Sunday so absolutely perfect 👌🏾 I'll confirm with BBT over the next few days but looks like we'll all be in the TWW together @LottieX @HopeWish 🤞

@SmileyT Hey! Yay exciting! I just had my positive OPK too! When do you plan on testing? During TWW? 14 dpo? or waiting for AF?

@giraffeinscarf I get a sharpish pain in my lower abdomen. Its actually what prompted me to test for ovulation last month when I ovulated early and noticed it again this month.

@HopeWish I was planning on waiting until the 20th as the 19th is the latest my apps predict my period to start but SMEP says 15 days after peak so the 16th so may cave then if no sign of period 😬 when are you going to test?

Has anyone ever had ovulating pains early on? On CD7 and have been getting pains I normally get on the day of ovulation

@SmileyT my app says to test on the 15th May but I might test around 12th because I am impatient!

@hopefulmummie I had what I thought were ovulation pains around 3days before my peak this cycle (cd12). You could be experiencing them early but I also think because we are more in tune with our bodies we notice more which might just be nothing!

Hello Ladies,

AF started yesterday afternoon so it's definitely another round for us. Will be trying with Proceed this time

Do you think that if we DTD more than once on the 3 in a row most fertile days it can lower the chances?

Sorry to hear AF arrived @BabyDust7. Give yourself some love with a glass of wine and a takeaway! Did you follow SMEP last cycle or did you DTD more often?

Go go go! @SmileyT @LottieX @HopeWish

On cycle day 10 today and so far BD cd 4, 6, 8. Expecting to ovulate CD 13 as I'm like clockwork too @GiraffeInScarf

Channelling those positive vibes!

Hi all,

I hope you don't mind me jumping on here. I'm 27, TTC #1 and on cycle number 10 of trying.

I use opks every month and have an app called 'Premom' (little purple logo) which came recommended with some opks I bought a whole ago. It lets you take photos of your opks after you've tested and reads them for you. It's not amazing, if there's a light line it can't pick it up, but it definitely works once the lines are very visible so if anyone else is using cheap opks, and needs help reading them, I'd recommend.

We've used preseed a few months. It is a bit of a mood kill and has hasn't worked for us so I don't think I'd rush back to it. I know loads of people get food results with it though so fingers crossed for you all.

My doctor kindly sent me for some CD21 bloods a few months ago as well as a sexual screening check (standard procedure despite being traumatising at 27 ) and everything came back fine so they're assuming there's no issues with me. No test for DF though as I got my results the day after we went into lockdown and they'd stopped those kinds of tests.

We're trying SMEP this month for the first time too and also bought some vitamins to try and help. Both young, fit and healthy so everyone is telling us 'it will happen' but I suspect after ten months we might need some encouragement.

@SmileyT woohoo! Shows how quick it can suddenly come along, great that you caught it and even better timing for DP being around 😊 mine’s on a double shift today (well, 2 different jobs) and only home for 3 hrs in between. Really he needs sleep before night shift but sleeps better after DTD so I think it’ll work 😂

@BabyDust7 sorry that AF arrived, but it’s the start of a new cycle and hopefully a lucky one 🙂 I don’t think it does any harm going more than once a day if you’re up to it! I’ve just found out that sperms take 2-3 months to mature before they’re released, there’s still millions no matter how many times you DTD - it only takes one after all! I guess it also means that all the health stuff DP started on when we began is only taking effect now. Seems the men’s side is quite fascinating too 😆

@Seafrontsky not long for you now then, good luck! Looking forward to cheering you on to help pass the start of my TWW! Are you temping too?

Hi @Slug123, hopefully some virtual encouragement will help 🙂 what CD are you on now?

@HopeWish @LottieX @SmileyT so today looks like ovulation day for all of us - hope you’re all feeling positive, surely the odds are that there’ll be some BFP’s to come! 🤞🏻☺️

@GiraffeInScarf I've only just signed up to Mumsnet the last week or so and it's already helping so much. Felt so alone before and like me and DF were the only couple not to conceive in month 1 haha

Currently on CD10 and normally OV on CD12/13. I have pretty regular, 26 day cycles but, since starting TTC have had two months where they've run over to 31/32 days- just to play with my emotions I think- haha!

What CD are you on now?

Hi everyone

Today is cycle day 13 and I still don't have a positive OPK. I'm using the Clear Blue 2 day kit. Should I be worried? Any thoughts?

Been trying to do the deed every other day since cycle day 7. Mostly successful...