7 months ttc (cont of 6 months ttc)

[Twinkletoes85]

Hi ladies,

Following on from our 6 months ttc thread, for anyone wanting to join in it’s just a group of us who have gone past the 6/7 month mark ttc looking to chat and support each other. All welcome 😊

Hi @introv3rt my af started yesterday so I know how you feel. This is now cycle 8. Yesterday was my down say but I'm back to feeling positive today and looking forward to a new attempt.

@aokbaby I think my luteal is 14 or 15 days. Dont know a whole lot about it

Definitely also feel I'm learning so much! My periods have been 3 or 4 days since coming off the pill, usually 1 pretty heavy day and 2 medium or lightish. Heavier than when I was on the pill for sure and the cramps are killer for about the first 24 hours. Which kind of worries me because they're so intense. But I only get mild cramps around ovulation and in the days before af so maybe its normal.

Does anyone else get really bad af cramps?

@aokbaby mine is about 12, although I'm not sure exactly as don't know when I ovulate after price lh test. I'm definitely not an expert but I had read that less than 10 and it's harder to conceive. Was it this thread talking about Angus Angus castus? I think that might be why people were taking that for the first half of their cycle. As I said though, I'm no expert so may be wrong. Let us know what you find out.

@fifol I've also had terrible cramping this past few months. Up to a week before af as well. I've also had ov pain. I never normally get this and the only thing I've changed is no acupuncture so I wonder if that was helping in that department. Last month I got a lot of pain for not much period so that doesn't seem good to me and is why I'm now so interested in it.

@Aokbaby my luteal phase is 11 days, so slightly on the shorter side but still classed as normal. Shortest it’s been is 9 and longest 12 but it’s steadily been 11 for months now. I took Agnus Castus last month and all I did was ovulate 2 days later and my LP was unaffected. Yet to see how I go this month, currently 9DPO. I have only taken half the dose though as I was worried about it messing up my cycle loads

@Nat4392 @Hoping41 my af arrived about 3 days early this cycle, thought it may have been implantation bleeding at first but alas no, heavy bleeding since. I'm hoping that cycle was just anyone off in terms of luteal phase,🤞

@Fifol yes quite a bit of cramping although it's quite mild but definitely noticeable.

Anyone experience cramping after af??

Would it be OK to join this?

Not really sure what month I'm on as had a few half-assed attempts at trying last year and then more properly since Jan but I think the problem has been not enough sex (though all the sex we have had has been around CD 11 to 14). So I am counting myself as on Cycle 6 this month.

@Fifol I get pain around ovulation and cramps first day of AF, some months quite bad

@gypsywater I think we need to be having more sex too, we do it 2/3 times during the fertile window and the day I get ovulation pain, but I think we need to be doing it more, it's hard though to force it

@introv3rt I feel you! If I'm being honest we have been having sex like twice a month since Jan And then it makes it so hard to tell whether this actually counts as a month of trying or not! Feel like my GP would laugh me out the door if I said I've been trying for 6 months can I have some tests (I'm 35 next week). Then again CD 11 - 14 ish is surely a decent try?!

Hi @gypsywater I didn't ovulate until cd 18 last cycle so it could be that ovulation isn't happening until later in your cycle, have you tracked it in any way?

@Aokbaby That's a really good point. I think I've been working on the (likely incorrect) assumption that ovulation must be around CD14 Or perhaps CD12 as I tend to have around a 26 day cycle. Can I ask how long your cycles are for Ov at CD18? I've not been testing for ovulation, just using Fertility Friend app.

@gypsywater last cycle was 28days, I ovulated on day 18 and had af 9 days later, I didn't manage to catch ovulation day the cycle before so not sure if it's just a one off. I thought ovulation was around cd 14 too and was really worried I wasn't ovulating but got positive opk on day 18 so would have ovulated around then

@Aokbaby That is so interesting, thank you so much for sharing that. Had no idea ovulation could be around then with a 28 day cycle. Seems the FF app can be a bit off the mark then and lull into false sense of security! Will get the ovulation thingies. What do I need to get?!

I just bought a bundle off eBay, got 50 ovulation tests and 10 pregnancy tests for £6, was going to fork out for the expensive ones but a lot of ladies told me the cheaper opks do the same thing, especially if you're testing a few times a day. I just started testing once a day after af finished, then when I noticed cm changing I changed it to twice a day. Eventually got my positive on cd 18 like I said but it didn't last very long, was only a faint line the next day which is why I think I may have ovulated on the same day I got my positive. It's all new to me and I'm definitely not an expert but that's what I did. Plan on doing the same this month testing from around cd 14. Hope it goes well for you x

Will order them this evening! It looks complicated but hopefully I will understand what I am looking for! Also going to aim for sex every other day!! Thank you.

Evening ladies!

I haven't noticed too much with AF tbh as I haven't paid much attention. All my attention goes to after AF.

I start spotting a few days before AF (only when wiping after the loo) then I have 2-3 days of heavier normalish flow...Red blood. Then a day of not much. Tails off from then.

My LP is about 12 days but the spotting started earlier last month. I think I had a chemic though so that's probably why.

Never used pre seed but conceive plus is basically the same thing I think. It's a fertility lube to help the swimmers. Second month of using it. I use an applicator and insert a little 15mins or so before DTD.

Thanks @PinkFlamingoGirl can I ask about your chemic? Did you do a test or just thinking because of af? I think i may have had one this month so did a test when bleeding but it came up negative.

Thanks for the info on the lube, think I'll give it a go this cycle

@aokbaby I did a test (FRER) at 10dpo and I had a faint pink line. I was absolutely over the moon and couldn't believe it. I have never had even a hint of a line in 6months of TTC! That evening I started to get cramps and started to spot. I took a test the next morning and it was really faint, could barely see anything. Then nothing later that same day. The spotting continued for 4 or 5 days before AF turned up properly.

On reflection and looking back at my notes I had been feeling a bit nauseous and had an upset tummy for a couple of days before. Plus headaches.

I still have the photos of the test in my phone and go back and look at it sometimes to be like, did I imagine it? But no, it's there. I can see it so clearly. Anyways, if I hadn't tested I wouldn't have known.

I have mixed feeling about it. I'm gutted it didn't stick. It's been tough because that night that I got the BFN after BFP my friend announced her pregnancy (she hadn't to know) and also since then another friend has conceived. It was really tough. On the other hand...it gives me hope that something happened. The sperm met the egg. So it can do it again and hopefully it sticks ♥️

Also I'm not sure if it's put me off testing or not. I find the wait agonising. I want to just know is this my month or not. Like ripping a plaster off. BFP or BFN??

@PinkFlamingoGirl thank you for sharing, that sounds tough! It's great you're looking at the positive side that you did conceive, sending lots of love and luck for this cycle💕
It's never easy when people announce their news, always seems to be amplified when things aren't going right for you! My friend text me the other day to say her baby was kicking away and I had just started bleeding heavily, she didn't know of course but it really weighs heavy on you.

@PinkFlamingoGirl that's so tough so sorry to hear that. That's why I dont test as the thought of a chemical is so heartbreaking and if af just comes and I never know then I think that's better for me. However particularly before af the other day I think if I had tested and it was bfn it would have settled me I've started to get so anxious when af is due. So it's hard to know which to choose as both so difficult!

The announcements of others are tough to take for sure. Especially when they haven't been ttc long. It will make it all the more sweet when it's our turn!

Hi @gypsywater welcome to the group! It’s a good idea to start tracking when you are ovulating, most ladies find the day they ovulate changes slightly each month too so it’s good to know when to DTD. I do sometimes get a bit stressed out from all the testing and am honest with my DH about when my fertile window is so he is prepared!

@PinkFlamingoGirl thank you for sharing the above, it really makes me feel for you just reading that. As has been said, try to take some comfort in the knowledge that you can conceive - easier said than done I know as my first pregnancy ended in an early MC. I have been doing early testing for probably the first 8-9 cycles as I also have an overactive thyroid so as soon as I get a BFP I need to increase my medication. I am also the sort of person that just wants to know one way or the other - anyway, I recently took the decision that I wasn’t going to do it to myself anymore and test early as I just get so disappointed seeing nothing. I then also try and convince myself that maybe I’m testing too early so don’t feel I do gain anything... I have 1 FRER left and I promised myself that I am not going to use it unless I genuinely believe I need to.

Thank you ladies ♥️

@DSC1 sorry to hear about your early MC. I have tested most cycles too and know that feeling of 'maybe it's too early' too well. I think I may try and hold off this cycle and see what happens. Unless I get some really obvious symptoms. Wait it out to see if AF comes.

Defo agree about others news. It's really tough and does weigh heavy but at the same time I am happy for them. I'm trying not to be a bitter person. I swear almost every person I know it's pregnant right now. It's got to the stage I told my DH about another friend the other day and we actually laughed because it is beyond belief. I just said comeeee on...it's got to be our turn now lol. It was a bit of needed light relief.

One thing that grinds my gears on here is when I see the threads about women who have fallen pregnant but we're actively trying to NOT get pregnant. No offense to any of them. It's nothing personal. I do wish them the best. It's totally about how I feel as we do everything we possibly can and it's still not happened. So I'm always like WOW. How did it just happen and you weren't even trying or actively trying NOT to?? 🙈🙈

@PinkFlamingoGirl thank you for sharing that. You’ve confirmed even more for me now not to test early. Going through the heartbreak of a chemical is much worse then never knowing it even happened.
Really hoping for some good news for all of us soon ❤️

@PinkFlamingoGirl I'm so sorry to hear that, I'm glad your finding the positive from this ❤️