Pre-conception, planning and trying!

[sunflowersaremyfav93]

Third thread here we go...

@CookieMonster3001
@lollipop87
@bells3032
@thenewmrsM
@curiosity101
@AMS19
@butterfly5291
@clouless
@gems05
@HeyDW96
@kittyT30
@Pebbleinthesand

I've started a new thread for us, tag people I've missed.

💘

@Curiosity101 just had the scan! Yeah it felt like aaaaages and you know what? They've dated me at only 6 flipping weeks 😩 baby looks fine thankfully but I have to come back in 6 (SIX!!!) weeks to do the 12 week scan properly.

Think I saw the heartbeat but it still looks like a little pea sized alien rather than a human-ish being. Definitely pregnant!

I'm a bit miffed that I'm not as close to the feeling better bit and a bit upset that I'm not closer to the "magic" 12 weeks where the miscarriage risk is lower, thought I might have got to skip the a lot of worrying bit but nope.

Mixed feelings!

Really wanted to be able to tell people at xmas too!

Going to do more whining about telling SIL because we speak all the time and shell eventually guess anyway

@olderthanyouthink On the plus side you've got a nice healthy bean and it's in the right place. Not much more you can wish for at this point. I totally get where you're coming from though. I keep wishing for one of those cryptic pregnancies you read about where the first the person knows about it is when they're full term and in labour! 😁

Congratulations! You could still tell people if you wanted to, it's a very personal decision but you don't have to wait until 12 weeks. Have you had any symptoms yet?

@Curiosity101 cryptic pregnancy's sort of my fantasy! No needles and no worries and minimal symptoms, sounds like heaven

Thanks! DP doesn't want me to tell his sister because he thinks it's unfair to his mum and that she'll accidentally let slip

@olderthanyouthink It really does sound good doesn't it 😄. Even if things go well this time around I already know I've got blood tests to look forwards to every 4 weeks!

And that makes sense about your SIL. You could always leave lots of saltine crackers and lukozade hanging around the house where she might see it 😂 I'm sure she'll put two and two together.

How was your first pregnancy? Are you expecting to be in for a rough ride?

@Curiosity101 4 weekly bloods would end me, seriously I have had more needles in the last few years than ever before (still not that many) and it's not really getting much better.

She lives ages away but we talk aaaallll the time, not sure if I'm seeing her at Xmas but she would defo work it out if I saw her.

First pregnancy was kinda standard, just super tired and a bit nauseous. I had some horrific heartburn but that was in part my antidepressants, I went home from work crying once somewhere around the end of the first trimester I think.

@curiosity101 we ended up watching nativity which I found funny but I ended up falling asleep by 10pm 😂
Ooh that’s great news so you’ll still be on plan to start next week if all is ok, keep us updated. It’s great that you’re being looked after and seen though.
Did you also say you’d be testing NYE? What a start that would be!

@ttcwc2 Oh gosh I know I was so good up until we got our puppy and now I’m just being terrible. We started using hello fresh on Monday and omg I can’t believe how good they are?! I had no hopes for the meals tbh and didn’t think it was worth it but my bf wanted to and I’m so glad he did!! We’ve had really good dinner this week and the best part is he’s cooked them all! I think they have an option for healthier meals which we’ll do in the new year. We’re starting TTC in Feb so jan will be a strict month! Not too strict though because I heard that can mess with cycle?
I agree though, it’s the festive season if we can’t now when? I’m going to eat all the soft cheese before I hopefully get a BFP!

@olderthanyouthink Hope you're ok! Of course it's all so overwhelming but like @Curiosity101you have a little baby in there all healthy, how amazing. I bet you're itching to tell people. My SIL didn't tell us until 8 weeks so a Christmas Day announcement could be cute to your nearest and dearest?

@sunflowersaremyfav93 Yeah, if my levels look good then we'll start this month. It just depends how much my TSH has come down and if it looks like 1 more dosage increase will be enough to get me into the normal range.

And yes, it might not be new year though. My longer luteal phase has pushed things back by a couple of days. NYE is predicted to be 9DPO for me. However the thyroid medication may also shorten my folicular phase and mean I'm around CD14-15 rather than my usual CD17-18. I'll know more this time next week.

Hello all, going slightly mad here 🤪😂

AF due today, 15DPO, but no sign yet, usually have a bit of spotting a couple of days before. Been a little crampy this week but not AF type cramps.

BBT not as high as it was earlier in the LP but still comfortably above the cover line.

Negative FRER yesterday and a CB today which I have been squinting at every which way trying to convince myself I see the faintest shadow of a line, so yeah, losing it 😂

One thing that is unusual is that I have been super wet (sorry TMI) down there all week. Like I can feel it in my underwear wet. Not usual for me before AF due but probably just my body f**king with me, who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️ given that I'm not getting anything on tests pretty sure she'll show up soon. Going to try to wait and see now and only do another test if she hasn't arrived by Sunday.

Next cycle I WILL NOT TEST UNTIL AF OS LATE!!! It's just a recipe for driving yourself slowly insane and spending hours googling pictures of other people's pg tests 😂

@TheNewMrsW Unfortunately I have to agree that if you confirmed ovulation with BBT and are still getting negatives today then that's probably a reliable result. 😔

It's so difficult not to test isn't it! Fingers crossed for you AF shows up ASAP and you can move onto the next cycle.

@Curiosity101 I agree, although FF's early pregnancy monitor says that 90% of positive tests come by 15DPO, so I can't help but hold out that tiny shred of hope for the 10% 🤷🏻‍♀️

But yeah, I hope AF doesn't hold out on me if she is coming and just bloody well shows up so that I can a) move on to the next cycle and b) have a glass of wine. 11th December and I haven't had a single bloody glass of wine this month yet not even when putting up the tree last weekend! If I'm not pg I just want to enjoy the festivities now 🎄

@TheNewMrsW I definitely understand where you're coming from. I really do hate waiting, I'm not a naturally patient person.

I decided to start early with OPKs this month. I'm CD7 and showing 0.39 according to Premom. I don't normally test this early. I normally start CD14 with the expectation of a peak on 17ish. I did wonder whether there would be a positive knock on effect from the thyroid hormones though and it seems there might be.

Time will tell but perhaps I'm on track for a slow and steady increase this month rather than my usual stark white to overnight peak result. 🤷

I definitely have a feeling ovulation will be earlier this month, sometime around CD14 I'm guessing. That would be lovely as it'd keep me on track for testing a day or two before New Year.

I just got my thyroid results back. 😔 I'm going to speak to DH but we might need to delay TTC until January. My levels have come down but not by much. I think I was right when I anticipated I'd need 3-4x the dose that I'm on now.

Initially my TSH was 6. It's now 5.25. Good levels for pregnancy and conception are 1-2.5.

How are you feeling @Curiosity101 sending you love xxx

@sunflowersaremyfav93 I'm ok thanks. Bit disappointed, but not overly surprised. We can technically still TTC this month but it worries me. I don't know exactly what part of conception and pregnancy the high TSH affects. If it's a case that the embryo would be less likely to implant in the first place then I'd be fine TTC as my levels will be brought down to normal within the next month or so. What makes me nervous is, what if it's those very early connections and placenta forming processes that are affected and so it's the levels at conception that are the real risk factor... 🤷

I'll do a bit of research tonight and see if I can figure it out. From the papers I've read so far they don't seem to go into that sort of detail. Maybe I can find some research on the outcomes of pregnancies where hypothyroidism was picked up and treated from the first trimester onwards (as opposed to being properly under control before conception). That might give me some ideas ☺️

How're you doing?

Oh gosh, I hope you manage to find some answers. Are there any FB groups you can join or any threads on here?

I'm
Happy the working week is over, eating is a joke still, I got some lovely fresh crusty rolls from the bakery earlier, had a roll for lunch with a packet of crisps..then had another packet of crisps a few hours later and I've just had a buttered roll whilst OH cooks dinner..work sent me some nice Prosecco for my promo and I was saving it was Xmas Eve but I've just stuck it in the freezer so we can have some tonight.... feel like I'm undoing all my good eating but hey ho.

@sunflowersaremyfav93 Thanks. I spent a few hours reading research papers last night. The general consensus seems to be that it's the antibodies from Hashimoto's that are linked to placental abruption. TSH and T4 levels are linked to early miscarriage and lowered fertility. Then later in pregnancy, they're linked to Hypertension/Pre-eclampsia, PROM and Premature delivery. The later pregnancy issues seem to be more around if your levels aren't maintained correctly though as opposed to just if your level wasn't ideal at conception.

So... we had a long conversation this morning about how we must be crazy people for considering having another. But there's no reason to delay until January.

Anyone any good with ovulation tests? I'm due to ovulate next week around the 16th I would expect to see my ovulation tests get stronger but they started to get darker and now are really light again, I literally just did one that had no line at all and I was dehydrated so it wasn't because of too much water.

I haven't really bothered much with them in previous months so I don't know if this is normal? Normally I randomly use them not not enough to see anything and I have only ever had 1 that came close to a positive one.

@wrensandrobins Normally I only test from the beginning of EWCM and until I get a peak. But this month I decided to start testing early and mine have done similar to yours. Normally mine go from stark white to positive within 24-48 hours.

@Curiosity101 thank you! The reassurance I needed :)! I am expecting to ovulate in the next 5 days and far too excited about it!

@Curiosity101 you're right, there is no reason to delay and you'll have a medical team looking after you the whole way through. Similar to me, I'll be high risk and risk of premature babies BUT we're well equipped with knowledge. I keep thinking 1 in 4 pregnancies sadly end in miscarriage so whilst we're at higher risk we also have more knowledge and the medical support around us. It's so hard isn't it?
My and my OH were chatting today during our dog walk and I was saying I keep getting really emotional thinking about next year.. we've got so many exciting things to look forward to but also a lot of possible heartache, possible miscarriages.. but it is what it is. You'll get your second baby and it'll be worth it all.

@wrensandrobins I always thought the tests were more accurate when you did them later on in the day? I could be wrong though?

@Curiosity101 has it made you feel better doing the research? It's good news you don't have to delay and I'm sure your levels will get back within range quite quickly now you have a diagnosis

@sunflowersaremyfav93 Your feelings are very understandable. It definitely feels like a double edged sword. But you are right, from my perspective I just need to get through a pregnancy and then I never need to worry about this again 😄

@wrensandrobins I'm glad I did the research. Personally I'm an ignorance is bliss kind of a person. Before TTC DS I didn't Google anything. I didn't want to give myself things to worry about. But unfortunately because I had the abruption I wanted to understand what could have caused it, risk of it happening again etc. I'm much happier feeling confident that there is currently no way known to science for me to lower the risk of it happening again. And having a better idea of what my raised TSH means in terms of risk as then I'm able to make an informed decision in when to start TTC.

Morning ladies.... I will catch up with all the messages tomorrow properly but I needed your opinion before I go mad....