CYCLE 5 FAILED - WHAT NEXT

[Choczz]

Hi everyone

Just finished up cycle 5 TTC which ended in me getting my period.

I’ve tried:
-Sperm Meets Egg Plan
-Used OPKs every month
-Used a pillow beneath me after DTD
-Put legs in the air after DTD
-Tried different positions
-Gave up caffeine (huge sacrifice for me)
-Ate implantation/fertility friendly foods
-Tried not to think about it
-Thought about it too much
-Tried not to obsess but obsessed anyway
-Wasted money on early testing each cycle

I’m mentally and physically exhausted. It’s still just the beginning of the journey for me but already feeling defeated.

What should I do now, any tips? Should I do anything different?

Please respond with your success cycle number and what you did that may have helped.

Ps - I know it’s very early still, just want to know how ya’ll got on in your journeys x

Completely empathise. My bfp was cycle 7. First month of not obsessing over exact days to DTD and just doing it when we felt like it around the fertile period. Had reflexology with fertility specialist for two months leading up to it not sure if that helped or not but did relax me. Sending lots of luck

With my DS I concieved cycle no.4 and the first cycle that I used Preseed and OPKs, not sure which one did the trick though or if it was just luck.

Am pregnant again now after 8 cycles. I did have chemical pregnancy in cycle 7, both months I had started using OPKs again and cycle 8 I used Preseed. Could just be a coincidence though.

Conceive Plus fertility lube and charting my BBT helped me. Finally conceived after 12 cycles

I could have written this exact post @Choczz... obviously I haven't got my bfp but just sending you love and baby dust because I totally understand how you are feeling right now 💗

I've just conceived on cycle 9. The month we were successful, we dtd every other day for about 8 days around my fertile dates.

I'm now on cycle 11, though technically only 8 as we took a 3 month break because I was so stressed and depressed. Less stressed now getting back into it, but I can feel myself starting to spiral down again. It's so hard. What makes it worse is my sister got pregnant really easily as soon as she stopped BC and she assumed she would have fertility problems due to endo. Of course I'm happy for her but it's hard! I'm waiting for a gynaecology referral because my cycles, whilst regular, are just messed up and not normal nearly a year on from ending BC.

So I'm sorry I can't offer anything, but just wanted to say I'm here with you. We will get our BFPs soon. ❤️

I totally empathise. It took 8 months for us, which isn’t long in the scheme of things but it felt like forever and we were the longest out of most of our friendship group.

I don’t know if these things contributed to us falling in month 8 or if it was coincidental but:

my husband and I had Both started Couch to 5K after being fairly inactive other than being on our feet all day at work.

We had also made an effort to focus on other things and not try so hard.

I had switched to cheap amazon ovulation strips.

We had also had some good open honest chats and got a lot of things off our chest which we didn’t realise had been weighing us down.

We have just fallen pregnant with our second baby, a total accident that we weren’t thinking about at all, but I had just taken up Couch to 5k again.

@Choczz and @Doctorbambino can I just join in to say I feel the exact same going into cycle number 5....fed up and stressed out already!

becca3210 - so on your 7th cycle did you still use OPKs to identify your fertile period?

Csari- preseed? enlighten me?

polkadotpixie - I always wanted to temp but I don’t think I would be able to do it correctly. Is it fairly easy to do?

Clear blue digital advanced worked for me 6 times ( some miscarriages but bfps nonetheless).

There is quite a bit of chance in TTC, remember anything up to a year is normal so although it doesn't feel like it at the time, sometimes you just need to keep trying. I recommend temping, take your temperature every morning as soon as you wake up and plot it into fertility friend. It only really shows you when you have ovulated, but it made me feel much more in control. Plus I can see the day before if my period is coming because my temperature drops, so it helps me to manage that expectation! Good luck!

Temping sounds like it would really save a lot of heartache and money on early testing. I heard you have to take your temp around the same time daily, now that’s impossible for me x

@Choczz

becca3210 - so on your 7th cycle did you still use OPKs to identify your fertile period?

Csari- preseed? enlighten me?

polkadotpixie - I always wanted to temp but I don’t think I would be able to do it correctly. Is it fairly easy to do?

Yes I did. I used the clear blue smiley face ones. Ovulated day 16 I think and had sex days 5 9 12 14 16 so still worked with fertile period but remembered that month I wasn't as obsessive about following an exact 'schedule as it were'

Pressed is a sperm friendly lubricant conceive plus is another. Worth a try

@Choczz I second temping! I've seen ladies on here miss their FW for months because they relied on OPKs only and it turned out they'd have a second surge with actual ovulation that they didn't know about because they'd stop testing after the first peak. How come you don't think you'd be able to test regularly?

I'm on cycle 8 now but it's normal, so don't fret too much about being on cycle 5!

I conceived on cycle 8, mmc at 12 weeks and then conceived again 8 cycles later.

I tried everything. All that you've listed above, plus: fertility acupuncture, DH10 tablets, temping, dtd multiple times per day, pre-seed, soy isoflavones and probably much more that I've forgotten. Honestly? In my 16 months total of ttc I felt that not one thing specifically helped. The most useful was temping alongside cheapie opks.

I know it's not what you want to hear but it is totally normal to take a year to conceive. Even if you hit everything bang on in your cycle you have only a 25% ish chance of conceiving in any given cycle, many fertilised eggs won't implant either! I totally get the frustration, I've been there and it's horrendous but it will happen.

After my mmc I struggled with my mental health and had dh and I do extensive, private fertility tests that came back as both of us being very fertile and healthy. The consultant told me that she expected I'd be pregnant within 6 months of that consultation. I fell pregnant 2 months later.

Hey there...
Well no success yet to tell you of lol I'm on month 13 and currently 3dp so early in the tww and hoping upon hoping that we get lucky this month!!
I have tried it all, opks every month, preseed, legs up, and grapefruit juice (urgh), no exercise, no exercise, bbt charting, having sex 5 days in a row, having sex every other day, having sex only on very fertile days 😒 absolute shit show 😂😂

Had all tests done, both myself and partner are healthy and should be able to concieve, I even got my tubes and womb checked privately and all is fine!! My cycles are bang on 29 days every month and I ovulate day 15 without fail every. Single. Month

Not a WHIFF of a bfp. I have a son who is 9 from a previous relationship and I fell pregnant super quick after that in a bad circumstance... Now I am in the best circumstance with a very loving man and its as if I'm being punished 🙄 God I sound negative but 13 months of Ttc will do that I think. Sorry, just hear to say I feel your pain and its all I think about. Hopefully we will get some luck soon, all of us!!
My partner and I have decided that if we haven't fell by January we will go ivf, hopefully it doesn't get to that because I don't know if I can go on that long!! ❤️