Preconception planning - anyone want to join?

[sunflowersaremyfav93]

Hello!

I've been reading loads on the importance of pre-conception nutrition and preparing your body. Some say 3 months before and I've seen some that say 6 months before.

I find myself trawling through threads on Mumsnet but wondered if there were any ladies planning to start TTC in the next few months and wanted a forum to chat about ways to prepare / excitement of it all etc.

I often find myself going on to my bf and mum and they're like ok ok! 😂

@CookieMonster3001 OHHH that gives me so much organisational happiness!! #proudofyou

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Regarding TESTS

I suggest you guys have a smear and a rubella IGG when planning to conceive. That was my GP's main suggestion in terms of health checks. I've now finally received both with good news!

@mackjm20 ooh that’s a good question, I don’t know how I could not tell my mum and my sister! We’re very close and my sis even sent us a photo of her positive test being like “I think that’s a line?!” and then the digital one afterwards. I doubt DH would want me telling them though as he’s quite private, will have to wait and see I guess! Someone once said to me that you should tell people you’d want to know and support you if you had a miscarriage, and they tick that so I probably would tell them but not friends (maybe my best friend as she told me straight away with her first).

@CookieMonster3001 I’m loving the planner!!

I’m afraid I can’t join in with the smear as I had mine in Nov, but I really admire you all for getting them / trying to bring them forward to before you TTC. I had an abnormal smear at my very first one when I was 25 and had to have pre-cancerous cells removed so I always go religiously!

@Lollipop87 Sorry to hear about it - but if you've been having it regularly then there's nothing to worry about. My last one had been 3 years ago. So I rushed to do it just in case.

@stepmumSW5 oh yes I’m not worried about not having another one, and my smears since my treatment have all been normal and I was put back on 3 yearly ones a good few years ago now with no further problems 😊 Thanks for the tip about the rubella test (and to the other person who mentioned it), just done some googling and it says even if you had the MMR vaccines as a child there’s still a 1 in 50 chance that either the immunisation didn’t work or that the immunity has worn off so I’m going to ring my doctor’s surgery and ask if I can have the blood test to check if I’m still immune. Did you just have yours at your usual doctor’s?

@queenatom my thoughts exactly. DH is set on keeping it just us until 12 weeks but I can barely keep it quiet what I had for dinner let alone a baby! If it happens by Christmas I know I’ll be bursting to tell people.

@Lollipop87 yes my DH is exactly the same but think what you said about the support is so important my mum and sister would be top of my list too! I get excited even just thinking about it!

@Lollipop87 I had my mmr when i was a kid in Brazil and luckily i was still immune. I used VisitHealth for the rubella igg as I didn't want to use my gp or go to a hospital. My stepsons nanny is 60 and we've been trying to avoid any risks to protect her. Results came within 24h. And i was refunded by my insurance.

@mackjm20 I think I would tell my sisters and my sister in law, but then tell everyone else at the 12 week mark. My older sister is going through the same journey as me and it will be nice to have someone to confide in. And I cannot tell my older sister and not my younger (we tell each other EVERYTHING!)

My ovulation this month is really confusing me! I had ovulation pains yesterday, but my app is still saying its not due till 25th. I did my OPK just now and the LH surge has definitely gone down, which is leading me to think the OPK I posted the other day could have potentially been a positive, which would have meant I ovulated yesterday (corresponding with the pains) and now the LH has dropped. Not to mention my temp has gone up this morning which usually happens the day after ovulation.

If that's the case, the apps really have my ovulation dates all wrong (by probably a week!). I am going to keep an eye on my temp over the next couple of days to see if it stays up and I think that will probably confirm it. Either that or I am reading everything completely wrong!

@CookieMonster3001 what OPKs are you using? Which apps? I have the femometer OPKS and the app - its free and you can log everything in one place. I've not had a full cycle yet so I am still totally in the dark....had a few faint lines on OPKs but not consistently so I dont think I have ovulated yet.

@butterfly5291 I picked up the onestep ones from ebay because my whole family uses my account on amazon so couldn't buy from there. Its either that or my urine is too diluted (I drink a lot of water in a day!)

Tbh I wasn't even going to track this month, so I might just do it properly next month instead. Glad I decided to start tracking in advance though. If I had to do this in the first month of TTC, I would be going batty!

oh and forgot to mention, I am using Fertility Friend and I have downloaded femometer but I am not using their OPK strips, not sure if that makes a difference

@CookieMonster3001 I've got the one step ones too, although they dont always give the same readings as the femometer ones...even on the same sample..no idea which one is more true!

You could try taking a picture on the femometer app with the one step ones?

I would definitely have liked to know what my cycle was before I started trying so you are doing the right thing I think.

@mackjm20 I would probably wait until I‘ve got the confirmation from a doctors office (from what I’ve read 6-8 weeks pregnant) and then tell my mum. Although this plan may be hijacked by the fact that I have to tell my boss as soon as I know from a positive home test as I wrote somewhere before..) And I think it would be strange to tell my boss but not my mum :D

@CookieMonster3001 My app predicts my ovulation wrong too I think it’s just pretending like it reads all the info I give it and does the so called „normal“ 14 days lutetal Phase thing anyway ..

wow @CookieMonster3001 I love your diary! Such an easy way to keep track of things!

I've just had the period from hell, it's been awful however i think the Iron tablets are already helping so that is good.

Sorry you're having a rough time @JamesZebra, that's no fun at all. Glad the iron is helping though!

Smear is done, thank goodness, and no dramas - I have a 'very co-operative cervix', apparently! Long may that continue...

Well I have being taking the calcium and so far so good! No pmt symptoms and normally I would be really ratty and my boobs sore! So fingers crossed that it will continue!

Good morning everyone!

Thank you for the advice about checking our immunisations, I've now got a blood test next Thursday

In other news, I had been suffering with headaches since March, we thought it was Covid related. Finally got medication to help by end of May. I am trying to come off the medication so I don't need to take it when I am pregnant. Long story short, I'd had a CT scan back in April and they said that was normal but when I spoke to the Dr yesterday she said there was actually a cyst but they had deemed it irrelevant!
WTF! how do you not mention to someone that there is a cyst in their brain and not think its possible relevant given I am still getting the headaches when not on medication?!
So I have pushed for a referral to neruologist but not exactly an ideal situation for when we are TTC!

Rant over [angry[

@butterfly5291 thats really scary. Well done for pushing for a referral, at least you will be able to see a specialist and have you mind put at ease.

@butterfly5291 Oh my goodness - that's really scary, as you say why didn't they think to mention that?! I hope you are able to get some answers soon. I am very much not a doctor, but wonder if the issue may be that the cyst is taking up space in your brain and increasing your intracranial pressure, which can cause headaches? I had an incidence 8 years ago of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and the headaches from that were unbelievable. Fortunately, that was easily treated with a lumbar puncture and I haven't had a recurrence. Hopefully there will be a similarly easy answer for you. If you notice any changes or black/blind spots in your vision, this can be a sign of increased pressure and you should go to the opticians right away and they should refer you urgently (as in - same day) to the hospital.

@JamesZebra sorry your period has been horrendous but glad the iron is kicking in!

@queenatom glad your smear went well. Already dreading mine as my cervix is most definitely not cooperative!

@wrensandrobins that sounds promising!

@butterfly5291im so sorry to hear your suffering. Glad you have pushed back and asked for a referral as that sounds silly that they didn't tell you! My mum had a similar situation with a lump in her brain (if I rightly remember) that they discovered during a scan as she also suffered from horrible migraines, but it didn't come up until a few years later when she went back for the same issue and it was in her notes, but no one had told her that's what they had found! ridiculous!

On ovulation note, just as predicted (by me and not the apps!) my bbt has gone up again today. I think I missed my peak reading which probably was 12 hours before my first OPK as it has just been going down since, and I 99% think I ovulated Tuesday and not predicted Saturday. Just for fun, I put that I got a positive OPK on Monday in my app, and it changed my date to Tues/Weds, but when I take it out, it goes back to Saturday.

@CookieMonster3001 - this I think is the benefit of taking some time to start tracking etc before we start trying to conceive, now you know that the app alone can't be trusted (which is a mistake a few friends of mine have made!)

On a connected ovulation note, ClearBlue says thumbs up for me at CD13! Will hopefully be able to confirm with temps but I would be very pleased if my cycle has regulated this quickly after coming off the implant.

@queenatom 100% agree!! Much rather get it sussed out now then when we are TTC and waste a couple of months. I'm going to carry on tracking with my OPKS until September and then fork out for some CB tests to 100% confirm and then I will prob use a combination of both on the first month we try.

There is no way me and DH are going to be DTD every day of the month, so want to make sure I have it pinpointed to at least a week.

Good to see your cycle is getting back on track so quickly!! I have to admit, my periods pretty much went straight back to normal after coming off the pill, but I was only on it for 2 yrs.

@CookieMonster3001 - yes, I'm saving the ClearBlues for confirmation only, have been using the cheapies up until now!

Feeling Confused/Impatient

Finished my pill packet on 21st June. Had extremly light withdrawl bleed on 23rd (one tea spoon/brown blood).

Checked ovulation strips couple times and on 9th had 2 very stronger ovulation lines. Had unprotected the 2 nights before and that day.

Almost 5 weeks since stopping pill and 2 weeks after apparent ovulation surge Im still due a period.
Took 2 pregnancy tests and nothing.
Also no sign of period coming (no cramps, mood swings, no sore tummy).

Anyone else experince of coming off the pill similar?

I came off it feb 2019 for 3 months due to skin. Had period within 10days and it was like clock work after that. Cant understand what going on with my body at the min. Not stressed either.

@KittyT30 hi Kitty I stopped my pill 5 years ago and the first 3 months were very messy but then it got regular again.

Oh really @stepmumSW5, ya I have heard people saying it takes a while. I was on the pill for 8 years so I'd say my body doesnt know what is going on. Hoping to get pregnant by October because of work situation. If it have of happened this month would have been a plus I'm not stressing over it.

Other than Folic and VItiam D combined from boots I haven't been taking anything else. Trying to eat for avocado, orange juice, broccoli etc.
Also out walking every day.