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 😊

@DSC1 thank you :)
Definitely getting some ovulation tests in. Already on the Preseed and the folic acid. Need to cut out or down the caffeine next! Have you all stopped caffeine?

I know how you feel about all the ppl pregnant around you @PinkFlamingoGirl. I know 9 all due to give birth this year, inc my sister and 2 of my really good mates! I just posted similar on another thread as they're talking about that too. It's so hard to keep hearing of ppl around you announcing! But like someone earlier said, hopefully it'll just make ours even sweeter when it finally happens! 🤞

Just popped on to Facebook in between posting on here to find my cousin has announced her second pregnancy , due at end of year-literally everyone!!

Welcome @gypsywater and @introv3rt! I've been here for like a day and I've learnt so much from these ladies already!

In terms of OPKs I would definitely recommend the Femometer app and the OPKs from the same brand, I bought mine on amazon. They do intelligent recognition so you take a picture of your test stick and it tells you whether but our LH is low, high or peak which is really useful! I even emailed them to ask a question and they sent me a pack for free!

@pinkflamingogirl thank you so much for sharing! I think we have every right to be bitter, I judge nobody that's going through this journey! It's so hard!!!

@Swifty2 Thanks for the recommend! Will check those out for sure. It's so hard to avoid that bitter feeling. Honestly dont understand how quickly some women get pregnant?! Do some people have a broader fertile window or something?

How amazing is it though to feel like we're not alone because we're all feeling the same things?! I think it's amazing and I'm glad for this support. Could be the wine talking too 🙊

Someone asked about caffeine. I'm not giving it up even though 2 days ago I said I would! I've done a little research and asked a fertility specialist I follow on instagram and she said below 200mg of caffeine a day is absolutely fine for ttc. I only have 1 coffee and 1 tea a day so I'm below that and I enjoy those so much if it's safe to have I don't want to give it up, not yet at least. I don't want to deny myself a small pleasure every day! Self care is really important in my opinion too.

I screenshot some positive affirmations and I'm keeping them in a folder in my phone so I can go in every day and read them or say them out loud. Can't hurt!

Yeah, it's really tough when everyone else manages it so easily but I'm beginning to wonder how many of them really have managed it easily. Perhaps this is just so unspoken about that we just think it's easy for them. People may think it about us when we get our bfp.
It doesn't make it any easier though!

Presumably it's a lot about luck! I read that 1 in 7 couples struggle to get pregnant. Perhaps 1 in 7 also get pregnant first time. It'll be a combination of accidental good timing and genetics. Like before contraception was invented and some women had like 14 kids - that's got to be good fertility genes!!

Very pleased to hear about the 200mg caffeine limit

I have wondered whether some people make out they conceived really quickly when it may have actually taken them a few months?!

Yea absolutely @Fifol all of my friends have had children or are pregnant and they just keep saying, you need to relax and stop stressing, easy for them to say huh?! It's great to be able to say how you're feeling and not feel like you're being silly or judged xx

@Fifol yes I was just thinking earlier it's really nice to come on here and not feel alone!

Regarding caffeine I only drink 1 tea a day but I switched to decaf just in case

@Aokbaby I feel like everyone I know is blooming pregnant haha!

3dpo today and I like this part of the cycle - nothing more I can do and not at a time where there could be symptoms so its almost relaxing :D

@Annny27 I know, it's crazy, someone posted earlier that it's almost a running joke, me and my DH just say 'another one' now, seems to be someone new each week. Hopefully it'll be all of us ladies soon xx

Morning all! Don’t know what happened but I stopped getting notifications yesterday so didn’t see any of your messages come up! Just caught up this morning and it’s been so lovely having a read of this super supportive group as always. And like always, I feel like I’m reading my thoughts most if not all of the time when I read this!

We’ve had a couple of missed months along the way, but have essentially been TTC from around August / September of last year. Just on my AF now and am getting panicky that I’ve only got 3 months until that dreaded Inform ‘infertile’ diagnosis from my GP for when you’ve been trying for a year without any success. Trying to change my mindset as I’m sure that cannot be helping me! However had my bloods back on Friday and everything is normal apparently and on Monday I’m having AMH done and a pelvic scan and my OH is having a semen analysis. We then have a consult on Thurs to go through the results. That weekend I’m also meeting a fertility naturopath / herbalist (over Zoom!) as someone I know went the natural way for her fertility and managed to fall pregnant recently so I thought why the hell not. They’re my new efforts for this cycle and then come July when things are open again I think I’ll add acupuncture and fertility massage into the mix if I’ve got the energy!

How is everyone doing today? I see there has been quite a lot of chat about supplements and periods. I’m on COQ10, Fish Oil, Vit D, Pregnacare Conception, Vit B (for my atrocious PMS) and Magnesium to help me sleep.

For people looking to learn about their cycle, I recently read Period Power by Maisie Hill and it blew my mind. I’d recommend!!

@jessmcg I completely agree, it's so helpful to be able to identify with others. It's a strange feeling around tests isn't it, it's like ah at least I'll have some information...but what if it's not what I want to hear?! Or what if it basically tells me nothing (which seems to be the case in a lot of examples I've heard about). I also have the issue of not quite trusting that I'm getting all the information because it comes via the GPs interpretation...which j know is the right thing as they're actually medically trained! But somehow even that's frustrating when they say 'normal'...normal how?! On the high side of normal, or low side of normal?! We've got our consult on Friday to go through the semen analysis results, but even now I'm thinking I wonder if it'll matter than it took us 40 mins to get the sample to the clinic, wonder if anything is low if it could be to do with that. Let me know how your consult goes Thursday, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it's positive news 🤞🏻

@Tilly1403 - I know what you mean! I’m waiting for my exact results on bloods to come back from the GP and already I know I’m going to scrutinise every detail. I’ve totally stopped trusting what I hear. I think it’s because I want a reason why things aren’t happening and I want something to blame for our misery. I also read so many stories about people who are told they’re fine and it still doesn’t happen for them as things aren’t picked up. No wonder we are a bit paranoid, haha! Will have my fingers crossed for you for Friday too. So crazy we are going through this the same week!

Morning @jessmcg I hope everything goes well for you on Monday and you get some useful information!

Can I ask what mg of the supplements you take please? Filling up the amazon basket!

Thanks for the book recommendation, will check it out 😊

@jessmcg and @Tilly1403 best of luck for the results! My gp won't let us start any of the tests until month 12 which is September. It's so frustrating! Wish I'd just lied when I first phoned up but I thought they do it at 9 months seeing as I'm 34 but nope! So it's 3 more months for us too and then it's testing time. I truly think everything's ok and it's just taking time with us. The stats for first time couples usually is up to a year. Therefore I'm just going to believe that it'll happen in the next 3 months 😬af is due this Friday...

@notyetamumbuttrying You’re right! 85% of couples will conceive in the first year apparently, so there is hope definitely! My paranoia is that now I’m in the last quarter of my first year of trying that I could be in the 15% which makes me miserable. Totally the wrong mindset I know lol.

@Twinkletoes85 I take a high potency magnesium supplement, a 1000mg Fish Oil, a 1000iU Vit D, a high potency Vit B, a standard Folic Acid and a 30mg COQ10. :)

Oh I feel exactly the same tbf @jessmcg!! If my period comes on Friday I'm gonna be pretty crushed! I feel like it will as I have my usual pms symptoms. I know they're the same as pregnancy ones but I can't get my hopes up again, it's too crushing every month. Ttc is really taking its toll now! I don't know how ppl do it for years?! I think I'll only go as far as 18 months and then try ivf. Have you thought that far ahead yet?

@jessmcg thank you, I'm going to have a good browse today.

@notyetamumbuttrying af is due anytime from tomorrow for me, I wrote us off pretty early on for this month so been fairly relaxed but I'm still getting the will it won't it anxiety. I really hope she doesn't show up for you this month!

@notyetamumbuttrying I’m crossing all my fingers and toes for you that this is your month! I know exactly where you’re at. It’s getting worse and more crushing as the months go on.
I’ve absolutely thought that far ahead! I spend my days reading about IUI and IVF but am yet to make a plan on when I pull that trigger. I think this week’s results will mean my OH and I sit down and make a plan on how we want to tackle this. In my mind I think I’m willing to give it June, July & maybe August but then I need to do something different. Depending on what the results say we might give IUI a go and then if that doesn’t work, IVF. I always said I wanted to try naturally for as long as possible but frankly it’s so crushing for me mentally I don’t think I can cope for another year of trying.

Ahh it's so tough isn't it @Twinkletoes85! Hope she doesn't come for you tomorrow! Thank you, will keep you posted on mine.
@jessmcg thank you, I have everything crossed for you too! Sounds like you really are prepared then. I still need to read about iui as I only know what ivf is. I never thought I'd be getting to this kind of point but I need to be realistic as I don't think I can go through this for another 12 plus months. I'll see what the next 3 months bring first and try and take it month by month. How long have you been ttc again?

Good luck to you all expecting af I hope she doesn't show.

I haven't thought about ivf at all yet. Maybe I'm being naive but I have to believe it will happen naturally and that it's totally normally for it to take a year.

@jessmcg @Tilly1403 I think it was you who mentioned blood tests and semen analysis, how did they come about it you're trying less than a year? Sorry for asking straight out just wondering as I thought the year thing with docs was pretty strict!