9DPO Symptom Spotting

[unCliche]

Hey @ButterscotchBabe! Continuing our chat here 😁

I loooove that your temps did exactly what mine did too. So good that AF hasn't arrived at CD26!! Happy for you! When your temps increased last month, was it is to a gradual high or did it jump up again and then AF started? Because if this pattern is new, it could mean good news!

Ours definitely look like the beginning of a triphasic chart. My temps last month started dropping at 7DPO, so it still being high at 9DPO is such an achievement for me and no sign of AF either although my vulva feels AF'y in a weird way. My pulse and breathing rate have also continued to shoot up!! If temps don't tell you AF is coming, pulse rate defo will because it always starts falling a few days before AF for me.

I do suspect chemical but no BFP so can't confirm and nothing else changed that cycle so I can't explain it. Hormones were defo the reason I never took the pill, it plays such a big part in changing your reproductive cycle that of course it would have an affect on cycles after you come off them! 45 day cycles sound like a nightmare - especially when TTC too.

I do have a FRER! I'm always so scared to use it though. I always use rubbish ICs which probably aren't the best thing but I will use my FRER with you!

I like predicting what my temps will do with DH. What do you think will happen tomorrow? I think both our temps will go up again 😆

I don't think ovulation happened yesterday, the LH peaked again and my temp was low this morning, so I think ovulation is happening today! Least it will be one day closer to yours now 🙂.

Yes I'm definitely making the most of lie ins while I can! Once we have the first baby it will be around 20 years before the next lie in 😭😭.

Your ovarian reserve should be good as you're young, even if it's low it doesn't stop you getting pregnant aslong as you're regularly releasing eggs. Do you know what they'll be looking for with the ultrasound scan?

Are you able to DTD today or is that too close to your appointment?

That must have been scary for you at 16, how did it happen, were you drunk at the time? It's surprising how many men will try to sleep with girls much younger than them. I remember when I was 14 an 18 year old boy kept trying to get me back to his house, luckily I guessed what his intentions were so I didn't go. Then when I was 15/16, my Mum's new boyfriend's mate was flirting with me and trying to pursuade me to go back to his. When I was 20 I woke up after a night out at some guys house I didn't know, I had no memory of how I got there. He quite quickly wanted me out and drove me to the nearest bus stop or train station I can't remember, I was probably raped that night but I didn't think about it at the time, just thought it was my own fault for getting drunk.

Hopefully you'll receive good news but if there is something bad, at least you've found out early and have plenty of time to either fix the issue or have help to conceive. I would like to book an appointment asap but I need to convince DP, I think he's more keen to try for a bit longer but he may change his mind if we get another BFN.

Oooh yes that would be lovely to see those! I've never sent a private message on here so I'm not sure if it can be done, I'll have a look after I've sent this message.

Hmm yes it seems the private message function is very basic, you could upload them to a photo sharing website and send me the link through private message?

Well happy ovulation day for today! 😂 It would have been too spooky if I ovulated today as well but I had another -ve OPK today so hoping for my +ve on Tuesday - that would be best case scenario. And then you'd only be 3DPO ahead of me.

I think 20 years is quite a conservative number! If you get accidentally pregnant at 40, then what??!! My dad's friends just gave birth to triplets (via IVF) and they're in their late 50s!!!! While I'm so very happy that they can finally be parents, I think it would be difficult being quite old and having to raise 3 kids. But at the same time, I get it. Being a woman and holding out hope for kids. Bless 'em. Can you imagine your mum getting pregnant again??

Yeah agreed. I'm not worried about the number of eggs I have left so I do think I may have jumped the gun and booked something I don't need. I think the scan is to check for number of follicles or something like that - I can't remember. I had a gynae appointment just before we started TTC and all is generally fine although I do have a small, 1cm fibroid but I read 98% of the time, they don't cause fertility issues 🤷‍♀️ but maybe it'll be worth having it checked again anyway...

How about you ask your DP whether you can book the appointment in advance as you'll have to wait about 3 weeks anyway, and if you do get a BFP this cycle, you can cancel it. If not then you'll only have to wait about a week after AF starts.

I hate that 9 out of 10 times another woman will have a story about sexual assault. I was just young and stupid. I didn't really start drinking until I was about 23. I think he lied about his age. He must have been in his 20s, which is absolutely disgusting just thinking about it. He basically kept asking me to come over to his place. I actually tried one time and my mum called to find out where I was and I lied and said I was still at school. She then asked to speak to my teacher but I was on the bus trying to get to this guys place!! I panicked and got off the bus and didn't know what to do!! Then I saw these two women smoking and I approached them (they thought I was going to ask for fags.) I asked them if they could pretend to be my teacher. Thankfully one of them agreed and spoke with my mum then the random lady told me to go straight home and I did. But the guy didn't stop asking me and again, I gave in. This time I made it to his place - I took the train instead. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I told him I didn't want to have sex. He pinned me down, fingered me (?) and tried to get a condom out. I tried pushing him off and he wouldn't move but eventually he did and I went home. There was something on my leg and school skirt. Not sure if it was my fluids or his but I've always been confused about that night. When I got home, I went straight into the bath and scrubbed my skin raw. I felt disgusting. The worst part is, I actually felt pleasure from the fingering. It took ages for me to work through it and I couldn't bear to be touched down there nor did I ever find sex pleasurable, but now I'm really trying hard to enjoy it more.

And that's my crazy story. It's bad, but I think what you potentially experienced is worse. The not knowing must be horrible and I am so sorry that that is something you have to live with. What I've learnt is that it wasn't my fault and it's not your fault either. It's horrible that some men can be so predatory but you're a stronger person for getting through it. All we can do is teach our sons to be more respectful of women and women's bodies.

Yes, maybe a link to the photo will be better!

Just sent you the link. You can see my covid weight gain!! I was hoping for rain as a sort of juxtaposition to the summery fabric but no luck! Either way I'm happy with how my first project (in a long while) has turned out.

Also DH and I won't be able to DTD today as it is too close to our appointment, but defo on Tuesday when we return from it.

Wow your photos are amazing! You look great and that's so impressive you made those clothes! I'm excited to see what you make next! Is your DH the photographer?

I liked your post and followed you but I don't use Instagram much so there aren't many pics of me on there. I'll private message you my username.

Yeh I think you'll ovulate Tuesday or Wednesday, can't be Monday as you didn't have positive OPK today. Will you do OPKs twice a day from tomorrow? When it gets close to expected ovulation I do them twice a day so I don't miss the LH surge. Last cycle my surge was quite sudden, this time it was gradual. So it seems it can change between cycles.

I never thought of being pregnant at 40 but I suppose accidents happen! Oh gosh that would mean like 30 years of no lie ins 😱😱😭😭. Wow triplets in late 50s!! Omg they're gonna be a handful! Haha no I don't think my Mum wants anymore kids, at Christmas she gave me a box of tampons as she said she doesn't need them anymore 😂.

I'm not sure about the fibroid but I'm sure they'll be able to tell you if it's an issue. Is your DH feeling okay about providing a sperm sample? It must be awkward having to do it in a clinical environment 😂.

I know his answer will be no if I ask him now but I'm hoping he'll change his mind when he sees a BFN. Although hopefully it will be a BFP, we've definitely put enough sperm up there 😂.

That's funny you got a random lady to pretend to be your teacher, quick thinking!

That's awful what that guy did to you, it's unbelievable what some men think they can get away with, they think it's their right to touch any girl/woman they want. I think there definitely needs to be better education on what is/isn't acceptable treatment and girls need to feel more comfortable to come forward and report it. Part of the problem is most girls probably don't report it and these men keep getting away with it. Yep we'll definitely teach our sons to be respectful and our daughters what is not acceptable!

Thank you 😆 My DH only took the most recent pic. Previous ones have been exes 🙈 and friends. But going forward ALL of them will be taken by DH. Might even invest in a new camera. You should also share your sewing makes on social media. There's a huge community and lots of people to learn from. I've followed back with my sewing and personal page too. I'm not much of a poster on my personal either.

Phew! I may have a chance this cycle then although I haven't been pumped full of sperm like you have 😂 I'm not sure how quick the vitamins I bought DH will work but I hope they'll help this cycle. If not, then next. Strangely enough, my OPK lines have been almost none-existent but tomorrow I will probably test twice a day regardless. Can LH surges go from sudden to gradual and back again??

Over the weekend my mum would not stop talking about me being pregnant!! She bought me a robe and slippers for after I've given birth!!???? 😂 She had all her kids by 33 so by her standards, I'm old 😂 I think after my 2nd or 3rd I'll ask DH to get a vasectomy, don't think I'd want to risk pregnancy in my 50s (I'm not even sure if my mum has started the menopause yet so I could be fertile for ages (is it hereditary??)). Haha! Your mum is funny! But no more AFs can only be a good thing (at least once you're done with baby making). Is she expecting grandchildren any time soon?

I haven't actually asked him how he feels about having to do his business somewhere awkward. I don't want to ask because I don't want to get him nervous. How do you think your DP would feel about doing the same? Maybe in the meantime you can order a progesterone test? It cost me £45 from Superdrug.

Haha yeah! I can't believe she agreed to speak with my mum 😂 I wonder if my mum actually believed it?! She must have heard I was on the bus before 😂

Welcome to the patriarchy. Many women blame themselves and are too ashamed to come forward 😔 I think we should consider ourselves very lucky with our other halves. My DH is amazing 💕 I'd hate to be single in this day and age, dating seems so complex! How did you meet your DP?

Yes I could upload my sewing makes, I'll have to get DP to take some good pics. There's probably not much point me having a separate profile though as I'd have no followers 😂. How did you build up your following?

Haha from Tuesday evening you'll have to get on it! Yes LH surges can definitely change, in my 4th cycle TTC (1st time using OPKs) the rise was gradual (lasted 2 days), on my 5th cycle the rise was sudden (1/2 day - 1 day) and this cycle the rise was gradual again (had two peaks over 2 days). So it's best to test 2 or 3 times a day around the time you're expecting to ovulate.

Omg I can't believe she got you clothes for after giving birth, not exactly a subtle hint 😂😂, what was your reaction?? I'm not sure if when you start menopause is hereditary, I started my periods 3 or 4 years before my Mum did, so I don't think my body is following hers! I don't know if she's expecting grandchildren, she hasn't said anything 😂.

Ah yeh probably best not to mention the awkwardness as you don't want to put the idea in his head. I don't know how my DP would feel about it but I think he'd be okay. I'm probably not gonna order a progesterone test just yet as I just bought some more sewing stuff and I'm meant to be saving money 😂😂.

Did your Mum challenge you about it when you got home? If not then she must have believed it 😂.

We met through dance classes, DP is a more experienced dancer and I was a beginner, he took a liking to me and I got lots of 1:1 practice 😉. How did you meet your DH?

A lot of my following came from youtube. I have about 40,000 subscribers on there. I blew up some years ago and was popular for a while until I quit. I don't think I'll go back. I'll follow your makes and like every single one!

I know what I'm going to sew next! It came to me at 2am in the morning and I had to quickly sketch it down. It's going to be a half one shoulder/half strapless V neck dress with a skirt like this and a single sleeve like this. I can see it in my mind and I think it'll be nice. I might refine the design though - I'm not a fan of long sleeves. I'm thinking about making it twice, one in black and one in white. The black version will be styled gothically while the white version will be more innocent and cute and I'll caption it, "better the devil you know..." "...Than the angel you don't know" or something like that.

I'll have to do an OPK at 2pm and then maybe 6pm or 8pm. I hope I peak today. I had looooads of EWCM yesterday, so annoyed I couldn't DTD. When wiping I saw a random streak of brown in it. It wasn't a lot but it was pretty conspicuous, which is interesting as I've never spotted around ovulation. Have you?

Have your temps gone up?

My mum is actually crazy. I graciously accepted the gift and didn't react because I refuse to give anything away. She'll find out once there's actually news to share 😂 You're lucky! At least your mum isn't applying any pressure. I like that no one knows! Do you have any friends that are pregnant or have kids?

Haha cute! What sewing stuff did you buy??

No, she never mentioned it. Parents probably do know when you're lying but I guess the random woman convinced her 🤷‍♀️ I don't think I'll ever ask her.

Ah! That's amazing! I used to go to salsa and bachata classes, I loved it! What dance style does he do? I love dancing! 1:1 practice sounds like a great way to woo a lady, hehe!
I met DH at a young professionals meetup. The first time we met, I had no opinion of him and we never spoke. The second time, we spoke briefly and that was that. I wasn't interested in him but we somehow found ourselves meeting up with each other and the rest is history! It's a long crazy story 😂 which is pretty synonymous to my life.

Temp went up this morning and OPKs are negative so pretty sure ovulation happened yesterday! Have you had a positive OPK today?

That's strange you had a brown streak in your CM, some women do have spotting around ovulation but it's not very common. Have you had anymore since?

Haha oh dear, it probably makes it easier to hide TTC during these lockdowns as you're not seeing your Mum as often? None of my friends are pregnant or have children, one friend is TTC, she's 40 and it hasn't happened yet so they must be struggling but we're not close enough for me to ask personal questions! How is your friend doing, the one that recently had a baby?

I bought a few haberdashery bits- zips, bias binding, beads, needles, thread. Don't know what I'm gonna do with them all but I'm sure I'll find a use for them 😂.

That must have been a lot of pressure having 40K followers but pretty cool as well! I hope you're proud of what you've achieved!

Aww thanks haha, it will take a long time before mine are anywhere near as good as yours! I think at some point I'm gonna need to get an overlocker because the fabric on the inside keeps fraying up to the seam.

Haha that's an awesome quote to go with your new design! What fabric do you think you'll use? Looks like you'll need tulle for the bottom of the skirt? Maybe the white one could have sleeves as it's the more innocent look and then sleeveless for the black one.

That's cool you dance too! We do jive dancing but have also done a bit of salsa. Although I found salsa harder, jive is basically salsa without the footwork 😂. Aww that's sweet and a nice way to meet a decent guy, he obviously grew on you!

Oh that's awesome, I hope your temps go even higher! I wonder what mine are doing - actually, I don't want to know. Yes, I got a positive OPK this afternoon, it was at 118% then and 90% this evening. So looks like you'll only be 2 days ahead of me, which is pretty good considering you started AF 4 days before me. You ovulated on CD17 right? Has it ever been that late before?

Nope, no more spotting. It was pretty random. Not sure what to make of it. Some say it means super fertility. I hope so since we've only DTD once on CD12.

Gosh, I think if I saw my mum more often, she'd drive me crazy with the constant questioning 😂 I guess this lockdown has been a blessing in some ways. Is your friend TTC her first? As she's 40 she can probably see her GP after 6 months so hopefully she'll get the help she may need soon.

I haven't spoken to her, only her husband. Her and the baby are home now I think, so they must now be busy adjusting to a newborn. My neighbour is also due to give birth this month. Babies everywhere! So exciting, hopefully if I conceive soon, my child will have friends to grow up with.

You can never have too many spools of thread so that's only a good thing. The beads, will you be adding embellishments to garments? You don't really need an overlocker to stop fraying. You should zig-zag stitch the edges of your fabrics (see image) or you can use the overlocking stitch that's on your sewing machine. I rarely use my overlocker and I haven't found it essential as I'm barely a professional seamstress. I only sew for myself.

Oh that's an idea. Going sleeveless with the black. I might just do that. Yes, I'll be using a stiff tulle, which I have loads of. The fabric is kind of like satin, I'd have to take a photo to show you. But the black and white are exactly the same, just different colours.

I also recieved the air mesh (the teal one) that I ordered from China today. It matches the colour of the fabric I already had, although I wanted the mesh holes to be a bit bigger, like the black one I've attached.

Cont...

I think I'll buy that black mesh fabric and pair it with one of the attached fabrics. Not sure which colour to go for but I like either of the top two.

I've also decided on buying a white faux suede to match with this white trim and make the design I've attached here. Loads of ideas!

Haha I don't really take dance classes anymore but I'd love to go back, I really did enjoy it. Are you really good at jive?

Yay so that means you should ovulate tomorrow, keep doing the OPKs tomorrow though, to see if it stays negative because I had 2 peaks this time. Yes so I think I ovulated yesterday which was CD17, I previously ovulated on CD17 on my 4th cycle and that was the one where I had an 11 day luteal phase, the longest yet! That's great our cycles will be closer on the TWW 😊.

Sperm can survive up to 5 days so DTD on CD12 should be close enough but you'll definitely need to DTD tomorrow!

Yep TTC her first, I haven't caught up with her in a while so I don't know how she's getting on but she hadn't been with her boyfriend for that long, so I think she's had to wait for the relationship to develop. It must be really hard for ladies who want to have children but didn't find the right man when they were younger.

Aww hopefully you'll get to meet your neighbours baby before you move out, is your new place far away? Winter is a nice time to have a baby as you can dress them up all warm and snuggly 🥰.

Yes I was planning on adding some embellishments around the neck area or waist probably but depends on the dress. I didn't realise you could do a zigzag stitch that close to the edge of the fabric, I thought it might break the sewing machine if there was no material to pierce through 😂. Which stitch would you recommend for this?

Ooh the air mesh looks cool, although I agree I do prefer the larger holes of the black one, it has more of a sexy look!

I would recommend the blue or purple fabric!

I like the white trim and the design is cool, it looks grecian! So many ideas, need more sewing time 😂.

Yeh we're okay at jive, it's difficult to judge yourself! We've had compliments so we can't be too bad 😂. Dance classes won't be coming back for a while unfortunately, everyone's gonna be rubbish by the time covid is over 😂😂.

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow! Hope all goes smoothly and they give you an idea of what's going on!

Just finished my scan. All is good. I'll be ovulating from my left ovary as that's where the dominant follicle is. It hasn't happened yet but will very soon!! The sonographer counted 11 follicles on my left and 23 on my right. Apparently my right is polycystic so I guess it's a good thing I'm not ovulating from there. My endometrium is good too. I think generally, I'm fine! Just sat in the car waiting for DH to return now.

Maybe a CD17 ovulation is a good thing for you then! Fingers crossed that your LP is even longer than before. Hopefully last cycle was just a fluke too.

Since the egg hasn't even burst forth yet, we probably still have a chance if we DTD today and tomorrow. I know his sperm will be so depleted though 😔 but it only takes one. Did you manage to DTD right through ovulation?

Ah that's sad. It can't be easy going through your 20s and 30s single and knowing biologically your clock is ticking and there's nothing that can be done about it without going down the sperm donor route. To be honest, I've rarely been single but I think I'd start feeling anxious if I was at 35. In that situation would you ever considered a sperm donor and going it alone? I'd hate to settle with just any guy for the sake of a baby.

The way things are going, we'll probably have winter babies too! Being a November child myself, I think I'd prefer if my child wasn't born in November!
Yes, I'll definitely have the opportunity to meet my neighbours baby. But we'll probably visit loads anyway as the new house is just a 10 min drive away.

If I got pregnant this cycle, I think I'll be around 12 weeks in March so hopefully I can announce the news on my one year wedding anniversary 🎉

Looks like your Greek holiday may not be going ahead... Pregnancy or no. We're right back where we started with covid.

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Home now. DH hated the experience! I couldn't stop laughing. Poor guy is traumatised 😂😂 he said 'never again'. I think he's in a bad mood now and he says he won't be in the mood to DTD today. I'll have to find a way to seduce him! 😂😂😂

Thanks for the recommendation. I was leaning towards the blue, so would probably go with that. It's upholstery fabric which is great because I like structure in my garments. Plus I love going with the unconventional 😁 you should buy something like curtain fabric and try it out.

I bet you guys are amazing at jive! Do you practise at home together? DH and I spontaneously dance sometimes - no style in particular. Just random.

How are you feeling about the national lockdown?

BTW, I don't have PCOS. I think it's just PCO, which is more common.

Oops just realised I'm ovulating from my right ovary! But it was sonographers left. Not that it makes any difference...

Yay go left ovaries! I ovulated from the left ovary too, I always get ovulation pain on either side so I know which one is ovulating. That's great to know it hasn't happened yet, hopefully you can pursuade DH to DTD later! If his sperm count is normal then it shouldn't be depleted as you haven't DTD for a couple of days. When will you get the results?

With your right ovary being polycystic, what does that mean for TTC? Did they say if it would make any difference? Does that mean you might release more eggs?

😂😂 Aww poor guy! Hopefully he'll recover soon 😂. He shouldn't need to do it again unless you have IVF but hopefully that won't be needed!

Had a good rise on my temp this morning so feeling quite positive about this cycle 😀. Unfortunately due to ovulation pain we didn't manage to DTD on ovulation day or the day after, so I'm really hoping there were some sperm up there already waiting!

Same I've hardly ever been single either, I think the longest time is probably 3 months 😂. If I hadn't found the right person then I probably would go down the sperm donor route but luckily neither of us need to 😊.

Ooh yes if you got pregnant next cycle that would be getting close to a November birth! I'm July so there's no chance of a baby being born then, unless I got pregnant this cycle and it was premature.

Aww that would be so lovely to announce it on your wedding anniversary! I like the idea of keeping it secret for as long as possible, so I don't have to deal with other people's views and opinions 😂 but I don't know if I'll be able to!

Yeh I'm not sure what to do about the holiday, I keep checking the price daily hoping to grab a bargain. Who knows what will be happening by June 😕. The new lockdown doesn't really change anything for us as we've just been at home all the time anyway. How about you?

I never thought of wearing upholstery fabric but I also like clothes with structure so maybe I'll give it a go! How do you know what needle to use?

Haha love the random dancing! We can't dance at home as there isn't room but if we go out for a walk, DP sometimes starts spinning me and trying to include some jive into the walk 😂.

Ah I didn't see your last message before I sent mine! So is the left one polycystic?

We'll be speaking with the consultant via web conferencing on Monday about our results, so just under a week to wait. I'm wearing sexy lingerie around the house in hopes that that will convince him but we've been cracking up laughing instead. I'll figure it out!

I googled it and PCOS is due to a hormonal imbalance and PCO is apparently "considered a common variant of normal ovaries" and doesn't really impact fertility. I think the problem with PCOS is that woman don't always ovulate but I ovulate every month so that part of my fertility isn't impacted. I also think my follicles are maturing nicely so I reckon, if there is an issue with me, it's probably more to do with my luteal phase rather than my follicular phase as my uterus lining is nice and thick. My progesterone kit arrives today as well so I will test at 6DPO.

If he has an issue with his sperm, he may have to do it again! Awkward!! 😂 He told me that in his paperwork it said that if he wasn't able to ejaculate, they'd give him a special condom to take away and use while DTD. He said that sounded even worse! 😂

Oh wow! Look at your temps go. That looks awesome!! Fingers crossed for 36.8 or 36.9!! Do you think cutting back on the vit C has had much impact?

Does your ovulation pain get bad? I'm not even sure I feel anything. My left side feels more sore than my right but I'm ovulating from the right side, unless I got it wrong??? Oh I don't know anymore. I'll ask the consultant on Monday. Actually I think I'm ovulating right now because it's a bit sore on my left! I need to up the seduction!

Haha me too! 😂 I got out of a 5 year relationship in 2017 and was back into another one 3 months later. That lasted 4 months then I got with DH 3 months after....! Hopefully this one will last forever 😆

I wouldn't mind a July baby! What was it like being one of the youngest in your year group?

Oh would you tell people you were pregnant straight away? I'd like the enjoy the secret with DH for a bit but I'd probably let it slip to someone. Maybe my chosen godmother for my first born.

Yeah same here. I'm at home day in, day out so nothing will be changing for me either. We went to Tesco today after the appointment. It was around 10am and was quite empty! I thought people would go crazy again.

For thicker/heavier fabrics, a denim needle is always a good shout. You may need to adjust the tension on your sewing machine too but it's pretty simple to sew. Not all machine can handle very heavy fabrics though, I know mine can't so you'll have to take it slow and be very careful with thick layers. When I did bra making, my sewing machine sucked at going over the thick bits and always skipped stitches. So annoying.

Hehe that's cute!! I'm going to watch jive videos now!!

Wow look at that legwork. Can you do this too??

😂😂 good luck! If that doesn't work, maybe try without any underwear?!

That's good the PCO isn't an issue, did you discuss luteal phase defects and what can be done to improve it?

Maybe the special condom would be better, at least then you can do it in the comfort of your home, rather than him doing it in a hospital 😂😂.

I don't think I've ever reached 37.8 but 37.7 would be good, that's pretty high for me. Although your temps shot up last month to a new high, so who knows! I don't think taking less vitamin C has had any impact, I'm still taking way over the RDA. That reminds me I need to order some more!

Yes sometimes the ovulation pain is awful, it can either be a sharp, twingey pain or a sore dull ache. I get a mixture of both and it starts before ovulation and lasts for about 4 days afterwards. One night a few cycles a go, I was in agony and had to take codiene. Also DTD makes it worse, the ovary must get quite inflamed, so his willy bashing around down there makes it very painful 😂😭.

I didn't like being the youngest, especially as I'm quite short, I was an easy target for bullies ☹️. I'm hoping our kids will get DP's height! Are there any features you would choose from you or your DH if that was possible?

No I would keep it a secret for as long as possible, a minimum of 12 weeks but hopefully longer. Also then friends and family don't have as long to wait once they find out. Keeping a pregnancy hidden during lockdown will be easy so hopefully it will happen soon for us!

We went to Tesco last night during Boris's speech, hoping it would be quiet. It was fairly quiet but the shelves had been raided! People obviously went shopping earlier, knowing the lockdown was coming.

I'm not sure what dancing that is the video you shared but it's impressive! We do modern jive, more like what's shown in this video:

Husband was successfully seduced 😂😂 I feel like there was less semen though. A lot less than usual came out of me. Anyway, we'll give it another shot tomorrow. Is going underwear-less how you seduce your DP? 😉😂

No, the lady who did the scan was just a sonographer, maybe she was a doctor too but I'll be speaking with the consultant on Monday so they'd probably be the best person to ask about LP defects. I'll let you know what they say in case it can help you too.

Do you think I should reset my FF password and check my temps 🙈 DH won't be too pleased with me if I do 😁 I'll just pretend your temps are my temps instead. I'm so happy at how high it's gone at 2DPO 0DPO! Yay to my temps!

I've started taking vitex (angus castus) and not sure if that's impacting ovulation. That random blood streak in my EWCM and today's ovulation pain!! It felt like an intense stitch on one side and DTD hurt too so I completely get why you didn't appreciate much bashing around during ovulation day! 😂 But yours must be really intense if you have to take codeine for it and it lasts 4 days!! It must be a curse and a blessing (when TTC).

That sucks to hear! Kids can be quite mean. Hope it didn't affect you too much?

I think I'd love my kids to have my curiosity and creativity and my husbands intelligence and kindness. Physically, I'm an ok height, 5'4" 5'5" and DH is apparently 6'2" but I reckon 6'1". I think his nose is cute, so defo his nose, maybe even his lips. But 100% my lack of interest in food. Imagine being surrounded by foodies and not understanding the fuss over a generic piece of mushroom.

I agree. I think you can get a scan at 10 weeks, so once I have pics to share I'll probably break the news. I know the moment I do, my mum will make it an excuse to starting shopping for anything and everything baby related... God help me. So yes, again, lockdown has its advantages. How do you think your mum would react?

I managed to book a delivery slot on the Tesco website last night for the 24th Jan. There may start being long queues again. Did you at least manage to buy what you needed?

Haha I searched Jive on YouTube and that was the first video but the one you linked is completely different and I now get what you mean that it's similar to salsa. I like a little bit of sexiness in dancing.

Haha good work! I wouldn't worry about there being less coming out of you, that's just the liquid the sperm live in, the sperm should have shot straight up and began their journey! Do you lie down after DTD or do you get straight up? Haha I don't really seduce him, he tends to instigate sex quite a lot 😂. Nowadays I live in my pyjamas unless we're in bed, then we're naked! 😂

Thanks it would be interesting to find out what they can do to fix luteal phase defects. I had another small rise this morning so still looking positive 😊. Haha I don't know, depends how mad he'd get! Can he tell you what your temp was, so you know if you ovulated yesterday?

How come you started taking Agnus Castus? It's probably better not to take things that might change your cycle because any changes you won't know if it's a change in your body or due to the Agnus Castus.

Yeh the ovulation pain is awful, I still have it today albeit a bit milder. It's nice as another sign to confirm ovulation but as I use OPKs and BBT monitoring, I don't need the pain to confirm ovulation! Do you normally get ovulation pain or is this the first time?

The bullying had lowered my confidence but this has improved with age. It's important to me to make sure my kids are happy and confident individuals, as this will set them up well for adulthood. I think confidence makes a huge impact on all aspects of a person's life. How did you find school?

You've both got good heights, so your children should be tall and you're clearly intelligent so your kids will definitely have height and brains!

I'll definitely get an early scan at 8 weeks, then the NHS one at 12 weeks, then a private one at 16 weeks to find out the sex, then the 20 week NHS one to confirm it 😊. Haha well if she buys lots of things for you that will help out with the costs! My mum would be very pleased and excited but she's obsessed with conspiracy theories and reading misinformation online, so I will end up receiving countless messages of links to websites telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing! That's why I wanna leave it as long as possible before announcing it.

That's good you managed to get a Tesco slot, I often can't get one. Yeh luckily there was enough left to get what we needed.

But what if less semen means less sperm 🙁 Yeah, I usually lie down after DTD. Sometimes I put my legs up but nowadays I can't be bothered since that clearly hasn't gotten me pregnant. What do you do?
Haha! It's so hard to maintain the sexy during lockdown. There's no longer a need to dress up or look nice. Thank goodness they love us for more than just our looks!

Yaaaay!! There's already a clear temp shift from FP to LP. I think it looks really, really good!! Most of your FP temps are under the crosshairs and all your LP ones so far are above it - perfect!
I logged myself into my Ava account instead. My temps have been going up and down, especially during my fertile window. I'd be interested to see what it looks like on FF.

I just thought there's nothing to lose. Angus Castus helps with low progesterone and although my LP has increased, it's also brought about spotting, which I never had before, so I'm not sure if my progesterone is improving or not. I've had spotting twice at 10dpo so that doesn't seem like a longer LP to me...

Haha well I guess the pain confirms ovulation before your BBT chart can! Yeah, I sometimes do get ovulation pain but it's rare. Maybe once or twice a year. Perhaps the ultrasound waves vibrated my ovaries too much 😂 that's probably not how it works but that's my theory (says the girl with the engineering degree 😂) Have you ever been able to find a reason for your ovulation pain?

😞 Sorry about the bullying. Having a lack of confidence can be so debilitating sometimes. Especially as a child. No one deserves to suffer through it but I know you're a better person for it since you're so lovely! School was fine for me. I mixed with pretty much everyone and didn't have much trouble with the social side of things.

But I agree, instilling confidence into our children from a young age will help them in later life. I was considering private school for them as I know that helps but I wouldn't be able to stand the entitlement of their peers and their parents plus a normal comprehensive school would teach them more about real life and privilege by allowing them to meet people from different walks of life. Have you thought about schools yet? I'm aiming to get them into a grammar school.

You're very intelligent yourself! Very articulate too. What did you study?

Hahaha you've planned out all your scans! I've only gotten as far as the first one, which I thought could only happen from 10 weeks, but 8 weeks sounds even better!! Haha oh no! Hopefully she doesn't send you anything scary and cause a panic! I think I'd probably get quite obsessed with every stage of my pregnancy. I'm already a perfectionist and a control freak so I'd be googling about anything and everything. What sort of hormone monster do you think you'd be? Cool, calm and collected or in a perpetual state of paranoia?

Yeh there might have been less as he'd already ejaculated that day but like you said, it only takes one! After DTD I lie down for around 20 mins and then do the 'cum run' to the toilet 😂😂. There's conflicting information about whether you need to lie down or if you can get straight up but I think it's safer to give the spermies a hand, so they're not fighting against gravity straight away! Haha DP said to me this morning 'are you going to get dressed today?' maybe that's a hint 😂.

I'm not sure whether you ovulated yesterday as your temp has gone up but only a little bit, although I can't see what the number was yesterday. What do you think? Have you done an OPK today?

I think a small amount of brown CM is normal one day before af arrives as it's the start of the womb lining being shed but its brown as it's coming out slowly. If you're getting spotting for a few a days before the heavier red stuff comes then that would probably indicate an issue with progesterone. Let me know how you get on with the Agnus Castus.

Haha I don't think the ultrasound waves would cause the pain but if your ovary was already inflamed due to being about to release an egg, then them poking around in there (assuming it was an internal scan) could have made the area sore. I've researched ovulation pain and apparently it's normal, I'm just unlucky ☹️. Because I'd been on the pill for 4 years and don't remember experiencing this pain before, it's come as quite a surprise.

Aww thanks, I don't know if DP would always say I'm lovely 😂😂.

Yes I'd actually looked up the costs of private schooling as I think they offer students better opportunities but we can't afford it unless both DP and I get big promotions! However there are benefits to non private schools as you've mentioned.

Haha thanks! I studied nursing at uni but I left after one year, I was living with a bf at the time, so I didn't have any support from other students which made assignments and end of year exams harder.

😂😂 I think I'd be obsessed as well and be worrying a lot, especially up until the 12th week. That's why I want to have lots of scans, to keep reassuring me it's still alive! I've seen lots of ladies on here saying they had a missed miscarriage, that sounds so awful, your body not realising your baby has died and so you're carrying it around for weeks. I'm just hoping that because we're still young our chances of a miscarriage would be lower.

Yeah, I think I feel much better laying down for a while to give the sperm a chance to get to where they need to before I stand up. Hehe, does your cum run involve you plugging yourself up with some tissue to stop it all falling out? Because mine does! Waddling with a tissued hand between my legs running to the bathroom 😂

I never have a sharp rise after ovulation. If you look at my previous charts, you'll see my temp barely goes up. It's always very gradual, so I won't be able to tell for a few days. But I think I won't look again because I don't want to start obsessing over them.

My AFs never gave me any warning, they'd just start out of nowhere. Last cycle I spotted on CD26 and CD28 before AF started on CD29. Not sure how normal that is... You just get one day of it right? Regardless of the length of your LP??

I'm starting to think maybe it was just trapped wind. It felt like wind. A very sharp stitch feeling to just one side. I have no reason to start getting ovulation pain out of nowhere. But maybe the poking around did exacerbate it 🤷‍♀️ Do you get the pain every month? I wonder why the pill prevented the pain. Maybe it's all connected to hormones or something.

I think we'll get them tutors to supplement their education and raise them to be good people and keep them from joining a bad crowd. Best we can do as parents!

Oh no! Did you go straight into work after leaving uni?

A MMC sounds like a horrible, horrible thing to experience. It must be so traumatising. I don't know what I'd do with myself if that happened! Oh, I just hope we both get pregnant soon whilst we're still young. I can't imagine going through years of TTC.

I've started reading before bed. I think it helps. I've been sleeping like a baby. I literally dozed off the moment my head hit the pillow yesterday. I've read about 300 pages since yesterday and I think I'll continue reading through the evening until bedtime now. Do you have a bedtime relaxation routine?

Haha I used to just run without tissue and if I got there within about 4 seconds it was okay... but sometimes I didn't get there in time so now I hold tissue and walk there 😂. Sex is gross!

Ah yes I think I do remember now yours having a slower rise. I just thought it might be useful to keep an eye on temps so you know if you've ovulated but I suppose that was the whole point of this cycle, you werent supposed to be looking 😂.

Yeh that probably isn't normal to get spotting 3 days before af. For most my cycles that have been 8/9 day LP I had 1 day of spotting. On the 1 cycle where I had an 11 day LP, I didn't get any spotting, it went straight into full blown af. So that cycle my progesterone must have been higher. If you're taking the progesterone test at 6DPO, will your DH tell you when that is?

If it was wind the pain would move around, so if it stayed on one side it probably was ovulation pain. I didn't get it the first month I came off the pill but I think I've had it every cycle since then. The pill stops you ovulating so that's why I wouldn't have experienced the pain before.

Yeh I had to get a job after leaving uni, luckily at the time the government were paying for student nurses to study, so I didn't have a student loan to repay!

Yes reading definitely helps me sleep, I tend to read the news on my phone with the blue light filter on. Are you more of a fiction or nonfiction reader?

I watched your wedding video (hope you don't mind!) it was beautiful, your wedding looked amazing! Lovely colours and sparkle! I definitely want to have a wedding video, I think it really helps you relive the day. Photos are great but it's not the same.