AF is finally here!! What now...?

[ttc97]

So! After a long and tough few weeks of nausea, cramping, sickness? Headaches and mood swings from hell following the removal of my Nexplanon implant early August, AF IS FINALLY HERE! 🎉
I had been waiting and worrying for a few weeks now, after having pregnancy like symptoms, getting 4 false positives and still no sign of AF I was really concerned as to what was going on, but alas AF has arrived and I'm so glad as it means I can try to track my cycles better..
Now for the 'silly' bit 🤣
We are TTC our first baby, and I wondered if anybody could explain to me how to track ovulation, how it all works and when to expect ovulation following AF! It's the first time I've ever had to track before and I really want to make sure I'm getting this right and ensuring I'm giving us the best chance to conceive 🙈 any help, tips advice and guidance would be much appreciated 💓

Thank you!

@Sarahp2308 yep, TRC number one for me. We were supposed to be getting married next summer.. I'm 23 and I was adamant that I wanted to do things the 'right' way around, but I've been having mad baby fever and maternal urges for over a year now and thought why not.. I think so many people are just doing it whichever way around works for them! Xx

@ttc97 Oh gosh don’t get me started on those AF pains 🤣

Ooo how exciting! Im 29 ttc number 1 also! Yeah which ever way suits you i suppose..we are engaged not married and no plans as of yet but I thought we both knocking on 30’s door better get a move on 😂

@Sarahp2308 ooh good to find someone in the same situation! So frustrating isn't it! I know 2 months is nothing but I just want some sign that everything is working. It doesn't help that my 2 SILs and 3 BFs have all had babies in the last few years that were conceived without trying or on their 1st attempt (or so they say...). I think I just need to be a bit more patient!

@Hufflypuf it is frustrating! Especially when lots of people around you are having babies! 😕
One of close friends had problems after stopping the pill with not ovulating it took 12 months for her to get pregnant but her GP told her anything upto 12 months is normal 😮 it’s reassuring that it isn’t anything to worry about but also 12 months seems like a long time!

I'm an oldie at 35 and ttc number 3 for me (2 for the other half)
I'm feeling pretty cruddy today, cramps for the past few days, last night they kept me awake. Af due on the 6th. I've been strong and not tested so far as it's only our first month trying.
I'm buckling myself in for the long haul. (Not too long though hopefully)

@ttc97 How exciting, a race to see if baby or wedding comes first!!! I am 30 and got married last October so I've run out of reasons to wait

@Hufflypuf we had to cancel the wedding due to covid and the venue not being particularly accommodating.. sadly 😣 but we have always wanted children, OH is 26 and has been ready for a baby for so long now, he's always banging on at me about it so it's nice that I finally feel ready too 🥰 xx

@ttc97 that's a shame about the wedding - fingers crossed next year will still be a good one baby-wise!

@Hufflypuf it's okay, it's one of those things! I've been having a bit of a battle with myself anyway about babies or wedding.. I feel so ready for a baby, we have been together 7.5 years now so wedding or not, we are very stable and both want the same thing 💓 It's lovely that we are all on this journey together! Xx

@ttc97 I think that is most important that you both want it and are stable! We’ve been together 12 years this year, goes so quickly! I would say we’ve been ready for a while but thought it was best to wait for a while whilst we adjusted to just taking out a mortgage for the first time...2 years and a dog later I think the time is right

@Sarahp2308 ahh so lovely 😊 when you know, you know! I find myself going into shops and I just cant bypass the baby section.. too cute! even though I'm not even pregnant I find myself in a bit of a daydream In the baby department 😂🥰 I just look like such a weirdo to other people hahaha! 😅

Xx

It took a while for my OH to be persuaded and he's still a lot more relaxed about the whole thing than me. He's more of a "when it happens it happens" kind of person (little does he know about the stash of OPKs I've got hidden in my bottom drawer )

@ttc97 it sounds like you are definitely ready then! How exciting, I’m trying not too look at all those cutie bits yet 🙊

@Hufflypuf me and my partner are both very much like ‘what happens happens’ kinda thing not sure how long that will last for me tho LOL

It seems like you have to DTD on such precise dates i think its going to be difficult for both of to carry on being so laid back about it 🤔

@Hufflypuf oh your OH and mine sound super similar 😂😅 he's very much the same, tells me not to track anything or stress.. in a way he was right! I was getting so upset about AF never having come, and the few days I decided to just let nature take its course, were the days it arrived! So strange 😂🤣 stress definitely plays a huge part on our bodies x x

I know, I find it bizarre how people can get accidently pregnant while still on contraception, yet when you are actively trying it can be so difficult!

I know! We spend so many years trying to avoid pregnancy only to realise it isn’t actually that easy 🤦🏼‍♀️

So.. I'm finding AF is being really strange.. 😂🙈🤦🏼‍♀️
In the mornings / afternoons, it's fairly heavy and painful.. and then in the evening it completely disappears! Only to re-appear in the mornings again until that evening.

I've never had a period like this before. Anybody else had something similar?! X

@ttc97 My AF’s are fairly similar actually, mornings are horrendous, afternoons are ok and evening and over night I don’t bleed at all!

Pre-pill, AF used to start off very heavy for me and gradually get lighter throughout the week. I had my 1st post pill period last month and I had brown, very light discharge for the 1st few days followed by a lighter than normal period for 7 days.

How long have you been on contraception for @ttc97? I just figured I've been putting unnatural hormones into my body for the last 6 years so it's going to take a while to recover!

@Hufflypuf I've been on 2 separate implants but for 6 consecutive years without a break, so when the old one expired a new one was put in its place immediately! I can't actually really remember my periods before the implant but having spoken to mum she said they were really heavy and extremely painful, which if I remember rightly was half the reason I went for the implant in the first place 😂🙈 xx