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.

💘

@MissDreanor90 welcome :) opks (I use fermometer ones) which show an LH surge before ovulation then bbt (thermometer which you take your temp every morning) if you ovulate your temp will increase to over 36.4 after ovulation :) that’s my minimal understanding as this is only my second month tracking :)

@mackjm20 congratulations on your weight loss that's fab!

I'm on day 4 of flashing smileys. First month TTC so don't know what's normal for me yet but husband was away Thursday, we DTD Friday, Saturday I was skipping as was going to do every other then he was sick yesterday 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ he's working away Thursday/Friday/Saturday so I really really hope I get my peak tomorrow!! Going to DTD today tomorrow and Wednesday if we can manage!

@MissDreanor90 I use the CB dual hormone and they're fab there's no guessing involved it just shows a picture xx

@mackjm20 the work conversation is yet to occur... I'm hesitant to tell them as I'm worried it's going to get round pretty quick even though I want it quiet

Just because my FIL and sister both work here
It's such a school like gossip place here
🤣

@gems05 oh blsss you I would feel exactly the same! Not like you want he doing your reveal for you! Are you managing work wise with what you can do whilst pregnant :)? How are you feeling? Xx

@Arrierttyclock thank you :)

Happy Monday guys :)

So another day another high LH for me now 3/5/6/7and 8th high but no peak! Bbt still way under coverline. I’m now CD 20 so unless my cycle is totally messed up and I have the longest cycle ever I’m out for this month as #1 still haven’t ovulated #2 it would be the shortest literal phase ever if I did! I’m totally confused and deflated no idea what’s happening. But on the cycle 7 I guess haha! Just need af to show up now! X

@mackjm20 tbh it's my 1st day back after I injured my hand, fractured finger, so we shall see... I'm on restrictions for my hand for 2 wks so it might give me a chance to get the nausea out of the way? Not that I have had much anyway... 🤔
Didn't sleep very well last night so I'm gonna be tired later 😴😴

Ooh @wowthisisreal I don’t know how you’ve waited this long and not tested!! Good for you, I need that strength! When are you due on?

@mackjm20 Hello! I’ve been good, trying not to symptom spot. It I’ve symptom spotted every twinge or cramp or anything I feel so I’ll be a nightmare when it’s my first ‘proper’ TWW. I tested yesterday morning, wasn’t FMU and it was a BFN, I think yesterday was 9dpo so I guess I don’t know until AF arrives but I’m 97% sure I’m out this month which is fine. I’ve been taking a lead out of @cookiemonster3001’s book - DTD often so there is always some sperm up there 😂
@mackjm20 have you done anything differently this month exercise wise? Apparently that can change your cycle? Even diet changes can so it could be where you’ve lost weight, or stress? I can imagine it being soooo frustrating! I feel you completely, I think if you can’t find your peak the best thing is to keep DTD regularly. Maybe have one month off the tracking and temping and ‘go with the flow’ it’s just so hard isn’t it, I completely get how you’d be down about it but you’ve got this in the bag and it will happen. Knowledge is power 💖

I just want AF to arrive and then go so I can start the next cycle, I’ve been much more active in terms of instigating DTD were young and child free but after working all day I’m so tired so I feel like we had been DTD less than we should we so now this is our first month actually trying I am really trying my best... even keeping on top of shaving my legs!! Haha!

Happy Monday ladies, really appreciating this group and even more in days when I just feel like the most impatient woman on the planet.

@mackjm20 hiya- i’m new to this malarky and just wondered how you know difference between high and reaching peak? I thought it ovulation test just if it detected lh then you will probs ovulate in 1-2 days?

@sunflowersaremyfav93 apps says today is cd28 so I think any time from now really. My average cycle is 29.5 days. Even writing that down makes me want to test!! I guess I just think that a negative test is just as disappointing as AF arriving at this stage so I might as well wait a bit longer.

But now I REALLY want to test.

@sunflowersaremyfav93 @Magnum99
No it's not normal to have such a long period, I'm usually about 5-6 days but I had the implant taken in October and I think my body is still adjusting. Might look into OPKs but conscious of doing too much tracking as got a bit obsessed when trying for #2 and it was only when I deleted all apps and concentrated on other things that I finally conceived. Yes you're definitely more aware of every twinge aren't you! Definitely plenty of sex being had 😉
@mackjm20 Thank you I'm doing ok. Bleeding finally stopped now so I'm back in the game. Just having plenty of sex as no idea when ovulation is. Sorry your cycle is all messed up, so frustrating for you! Well done on the weightloss. I put a pound on this week 🤦🏽‍♀️ too much comfort eating!
@Wowthisisreal Ooh you're doing really well not testing yet. Keep going! Fingers crossed 🤞🏼
@sunflowersaremyfav93 You never know, you might not be out, 9DPO is still quite early but if not hopefully AF comes quickly so you can start again. Shaving legs...that is dedicated 😂

Morning Ladies,

Wow lots to catch up on!

@kayeyeem I have spoken to him a couple of times and he says he is definately not under any sort of pressure and a lot of the time he is in the moment enjoying himself so he doesnt really know why it happens. We had an hour break, had some coffee and a chit chat and then got back to it and the break seems to have worked. It doesnt happen as often, but now and then it does get to him and he says it rocks his self esteem. I usually get a pain on one side of me when I am ovulating. I have always felt it, sometimes it hurts a lot and sometimes its mild. My sisters find it wierd that I know pretty much when I ovulate and which ovary its from lol, what you described sounds exactly like ovulation pains to me!!

@newbieb hi lovely, welcome to the group! Glad you had a chat with the OH and he is on board, how exciting!! I know the feeling with not having sex very often, me and OH are the same, and at first found it a bit of a struggle, but we have sort of found the best way around it and I think as the months have gone on, we have got a bit more used to it. Concieve plus lube has been my best friend during this time haha. Some guys find its best not to know when you are ovulating, my OH is the other way around. He likes to know (not all the intimate details like CM etc) but he likes to know what days we need to DTD so he can prepare himself mentally lol and it seems to work. The one month I tried to be spontanious was the worst for us because he is very much a planner and has every second of his day planned and it threw him off! If you are using a CD advanced digital ovulation kit then when you get a flashing smily it means your LH levels are high, and a static smiley indicates your peak which means you should ovulate within 24-48 hours.

@magnum99 Welcome!! Hopefully you will concieve with ease, my sister is 39 and got pregnant pretty quickly (within 3 months). I do think sometimes there is a lot of emphasis on it being harder to get pregnant with age, but I think its so individual you should try not to put too much pressure on yourself and just see how it goes! Fingers crossed for you

@sunflowersaremyfav93 no I was reading the Vex King book Good Vibes Good Life, absolutely loved it, would highly recommend. I have even highlighted certain pages so that I can refer back to it when I am feeling a bit low. 9DPO is still early, The month I fell, I got a BFN on 9DPO and then a BFP on 11DPO. Ahh dont worry, I think I am just as impatient!! I need to know everything right away hahaha.

@princesscallie I think the recommendation is every other day until you get to your ovulation window. When I get my peak me and OH usually DTD the day of my peak and the day after.

@arrierttyclock welcome to the group! fingers crossed for you!! I think the first time you use CB ovulation kits it tries to get a baseline for you, and I think a lot of women can have quite a few flashys before getting their solid peak smiley face! I would keep testing and just DTD every other day where you can. Hopefully you can get it in before he goes away!!

@wowthisisreal you have held on this long!!! You have got this.

@mackjm20 I am doing well thank you!! Ergh tell me about it, I cant wait until we can just have sex for fun rather than to make a baby lol. I got my peak yesterday so hoping I ovulate today or tomorrow! Your cycle does seem to be giving you a bit of a run around!! Now you have a high, maybe keep testing 2 or 3 times a day to catch your peak. Are you taking any particular supplements that could potentially be throwing your cycle off? They do also say its not unusual for women to have an anovulatory cycle once in a while (I hope this isnt the case!) Also you may just be ovulating later this cycle and your LP might stay the same just making your cycle longer. How long are your cycles normally? I can imagine your frustration, fingers crossed you ovulate soon lovely! And well done on the 2lb loss you are killing it!

@missdreanor90 I track my BBT which tells me when I ovulated, and I use OPKS to measure my LH to see when I am about to ovulate.

Update from me: I got my flashy on Sunday and my cheapie OPK was really close to peak, so I testing again at around 2pm and I got my solid smiley and peak on OPK yay!! I did another OPK this morning and its even darker, so now I am wondering, do you ovulate 24-48 hours from your FIRST positive or from your DARKEST positive?! Me and OH are going to DTD tonight but I dont think he will want to do it again tomorrow as well! So far we have DTD CD 8, CD 10, CD 11 and CD 12 (tonight). Even if I do ovulate tomorrow and not today, hopefully we will have covered our bases! Then finally into the TWW. Blergh hate the TWW!! haha.

@CookieMonster3001 ah thanks for the reply. I’m just using the regular ovulation sticks where it shows double line if high Levels. It says on box that when positive line, you will ovulate within 24-48 hours so guessing that would be showing peak then. So confusing. Also- it says on flo app that I’m due to ovulate around day 14 but Last month i had the stretchy CM day 16. I’m testing from today (day 10) though so will see.

I also had bleeding after sex lash month (a week before period was due) which i was worried was something serious/to do with hormone levels but i am a worrier.

@NewbieB with the cheapie OPKS it takes a while to get used to your body pattern. I had been tracking for 3 months before TTC and for me, I know that my LH levels tend to stay around 10-30% (I use fermometer which gives you a LH% when you scan your OPK in). A high OPK for me is usually between 50-90% and a peak usually comes with a value of 100%-200%. Generally, I get low OPKS until literally the day before I ovulate and would get a peak out of nowhere, but yesterday my opk was so close to being almost the same colour as the control line, so I was convinced that if I didn't test again that day, I would miss my peak and I was right as I got 110% at 2pm (not my darkest line, but it was defo darker than the control line). This morning though it was 196% and SUPER dark. (A positive or peak is when the test line is the same darkness or darker than the control line). I also found my apps were way off, I used to use period tracker and it had my ovulation day down as CD15, but I actually generally ovulate CD12 (so would have been missing my window completely).

I wouldn't worry too much about the bleeding, as long as its not too heavy. I think they say that some womens cervix can be a little sensitive so can cause bleeding after sex. If it continues or happens often, maybe worth checking it out?

@CookieMonster3001 oh wow- so much to it! I think i’ll stick to the positive line atm seeing as it’sMy first time trying this month and then if not luck after a few months, get a bit more technical! I’m not expecting it to happen straight away anyway although would be a lovely surprise.

Yeah, i’m trying not to worry too much about it atm. Thanks again for your advice x

For everyone who has conceived before- how long did it take you to conceive? I’m planning to use ovulating test and have lots pf sex around fertile time each month. I know every woman is different but just wondering how easy you guys found it? X

@NewbieB my first baby took approx a year but my ex (baby's dad) worked away a lot so we couldn't always DTD at the right time, plus I didn't realise I ovulated so early in the month. The month I was pregnant I didn't think it was possible, I was 6 weeks pregnant before I did a test because I thought it was impossible as the only time we had DTD was right after AF had finished.
2nd pregnancy was very easy, we just stopped trying to prevent getting pregnant and within a month or 2 I was pregnant.

So it really can vary depending on lots of different things, you might get lucky this month or it could take much longer.

@Magnum99 ah that’s mad, didn’t think that could happen. I’m hoping to at least get a positive ovulation test this month just to know It’s all working ok after years of being on the pill 🤞🏼.

Pretty sure AF is on her way and that's me out. I kind of want to test now so I know for sure? Gutted.

@gems05 bless you that will hopefully buy you a bit of time :) I hope your hand is feeling better :)

@sunflowersaremyfav93 the tww is the worst and I swear symptom spotting is the most horrid feeling as like you said every twinge it’s like Omgosh! Lol! Sorry to hear BFN but 9dpo is super early still keeping everything crossed for you :) it’s such a good method to always have the sperm waiting lol we are going to try that next cycle :) so Since January I have upped my exercise, followed a vegan diet and added extra vitamins so I shouldn’t be shocked really that I’ve sent my hormones all wonky but I’m so annoyed lol! Like I’m sure that’s what this is it’s just frustrating that losing weight to be healthier is actually currently seeming detrimental to ttc. However I feel like at the moment that’s something I can control so sticking with the weight loss even if it makes ttc longer as I know the health benefits will mean a healthier journey when it does happen. The not ovulating this month has been a kicker though lol but atlesst no tww! That’s amazing that you have been more active on dtd and loved the part about the leg shaving haha! I time my legs being shaved around my fertile stage now lol! Ah always here to chat from one inpatient gal to another :)

@NewbieB it’s really new to me too! So I use the fermometer opks and thermometer and there is an app with them so it tracks all your temps and when you take a pic of the opk it tells you low high or peak. My understanding is you can have a high opk without ovulating but when it’s ‘peak’ that’s when you should ovulate and then temps going above 36.4 confirm that :) my knowledge is super limited though as this is only my second month tracking but I’m learning :)

@Kayeyeem glad to hear the bleeding has settled :) good luck this cycle :)

@CookieMonster3001 I know I miss care free sex! Although I can actually see why loads of people don’t have sex whilst pregnant probably nice to take a break after all the ‘chore’ sex haha! That’s amazing eek so excited for you! I’m hoping this cycle is for you :) so January I changed from just folic acid and vitamin d and added calcium, vit c iron and b12. It could be they have thrown the cycle off a bit I’m not going to stop taking them though and see if it settles next cycle as with the vegan diet I’m currently following they really help :) I’m thinking maybe the weight loss has thrown my hormones off but it’s okay what will be will be and I’m so determined to keep losing weight as really want a healthy pregnancy when it happens :) it’s frustrating not ovulating as feels just like a missed cycle but I’ve written it off and hopefully March will be better :) still tracking so that I can look for patterns etc :)

@Wowthisisreal sorry to hear that! What makes you think she is on her way! Sending love x

Update for me: So CD21 another high LH no peak lol! Will keep testing but have never wished for af more to just get this cycle over! I’m starting to feel the same way about opks as I do a preg test! That same disappointment to not see a peak lol! Hoping for another weight loss this week so that atleast cheers me up :) x

@Wowthisisreal really hope it isn't and you get your BFP! I'm on day 6 of flashing smileys which is disappointing as my husbands away Thursday/Friday so I don't think I'll test and itl be hard seeing the peak and not being able to do anything

Yep AF is here. Gutted to be honest. Giving my DS lots of cuddles today.

@Wowthisisreal sorry to hear af arrived! Lots of rest and treats today! Was this your first cycle? Really hope it happens for you soon. X

@Arrierttyclock sorry to hear your partner is away during peak hopefully if you dtd in the 5 day lead up there is still a good chance x

@mackjm20 yes it was. I guess because we were lucky enough to get pregnant first cycle before I haven't had this! I know it's to be expected but still a bit sad today. Next month 🤞🏻

@NewbieB sorry I realise that was a bit information overload haha!! I have a tendency to get a bit too statistical with TTC haha! If it helps, my first pregnancy before I miscarried, I got pregnant on my 3rd cycle :) and we just BD every other day and then two days I a row when I got my peak.

@Wowthisisreal I am so sorry AF arrived! Keeping my fingers crossed for you next month!

@mackjm20 ergh I am so sorry your cycle is going wild on you! Hoping you either ovulate soon or AF arrives so you can move onto the next cycle. Defo keep on with the supplements, you are right it might have caused changes this month because they were a new addition but hopefully it will regulate itself for next month!

@Arrierttyclock ah that sucks about your flashy smileys still! You might be able to get some BDing in tonight and tomorrow and hopefully that will cover your bases?

OPK still high this morning but defo not peak anymore so slowly going down, this is the longest I have ever had..normally my LH levels rise up superquick and then have gone down by the next day so this is interesting! I am not 100% sure if I ovulated yesterday or if I am ovulating today. I did have a few pains last night so who knows. Temp has gone up a little today but not loads and tbh its not that accurate as I really am supposed to have a thermometer with 2 decimal places not 1 lol, either way we are no way DTD again today!! 3 days in a row is enough for us, it will have to do! So onto the TWW now!