Post Pill TTC - Party Hard with a Vengeance

[TheHotelCalifornia]

It’s that time again, the 5th post-pill thread of ladies who are experiencing the highs and lows (mainly the lows…) of coming off the pill and TTC! Here you’ll find stories of delayed ovulation, crazy long follicular phases, crazy short follicular phases, light AFs, short luteal phases, long luteal phases, confusing temp charts and blindingly white OPKs, to name a few. Join us, won’t you? We're a lovely bunch and we'd love to help you make sense of post-pill life if we can!

Welcome back:

@mintgreenlife
@juno231
@kay00
@sperr
@mrsmacmc
@chinchilly
@curcurbita
@tillybabs
@ams19
@moocher90
@trying4one
@flowerbudd
@pumpkineverything
@tatty1987
@mancmama39
@elsie2021
@danielle2012
@spencer22
@charwils
@ftm94
@lobster8
@musicaljojo
@laurat94
@crabette
@moocher90
@cams50
@thedaydreambelievers
@K80AWE
@emmgrem
@MissC07
@MOL234

Apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone, please tag them!

@Juno231 your charts are always a thing of beauty!

My current chart is hilarious- up and down like a yoyo. I recently started using FF and it clearly isnt sure what to do with me.today it stopped plotting the temps at all so theres a bug in the software somewhere!

These apps need a post pill and post miscarriage option as they are both (FF and Natural Cycles) trying to incorporate this into my 'normal cycle' (whatever a 'normal cycle' is - amirite ladies just off the pill ?! Havent seen a 'normal cycle' in 18 years!)

@mrsmacmc so subtle, right? 😂😂

@Juno231 @Kay00 I felt extra sad last cycle because that was my last chance at having a baby before 30, granted it would of literally been by a week but still 😂😂

@juno231 @chinchilly thanks ladies x

My chart just for reference. I have the mildest of mild cramping so I assume AF is still a couple of days away for me.

The silver linings are... im going to have a hot bath when AF arrives, im going to drink and have fun all over Xmas and I think I did everything I could this cycle, so im not annoyed with myself 😊

Hey ladies how is everyone doing? Miss you all!! @Juno231 your chart is looking amazing!! How are you feeling?? Some crazy crazy high temps there!

@TheDaydreamBelievers how are you doing lovely? I hope you're okay, I think of you often xxx

@Kay00 sounds like youre being super positive and I love that you're focusing on silver linings! Being able to have a few proseccos over Christmas is awesome!!

All good over here, I'm 6 weeks today and have my midwife appt on Saturday so just trying to not be an anxious wreck and stay positive and calm at the moment. I feel good, boobs are huge and very sore, very constipated, bloated, achy back and sore calves really. No nausea or anything yet so doing okay generally. Finally got my dye stealer yesterday which cheered me up haha! Just still can't believe it all really, all feels very surreal still. Struggling a lot with worrying so working really hard to just accept I have no control and what will be will be.

Anyway hope everyone's doing okay and sending you all the love and baby dust in the world. I really think we have such a lovely, supportive, lucky thread here so keeping everything crossed we get some more BFPs soon ❤️

@TheHotelCalifornia look at that dye stealer 😍 I really can’t wait to see one of those of my own 😍glad your doing well!

Popped my first seven seas tablet first thing this morning, I haven’t felt sick yet which is good as the folic acid on its own used to make me feel so sick about an hour later

@thehotelcalifornia ahh, how lovely!! I totally get why you would feels anxious, I know I would be the same 🙃 i think mindfulness and gentle stretching are a great way to reset and relax xx

@chinchilly hoping the Seven Seas are the miracle tablets for you xx

I have my blood test on Thursday to relook at my hormones so im hoping they will give me a clearer picture of what is going on. If my tsh levels are still on the high end of normal then I'm starting: selenium, iodine and extra iron supplements. And dietary changes to follow in the new year 😇

My desk draw is starting to resemble a Holland and Barrett though 🤣🤣 I might need to have a think about what I can stop taking???

@Kay00 fingers crossed! I’m hoping the extra vitamins many do something for my thyroid also having a glass if milk a day as apparently its the best sorce of iodine!

Having a tsunami of CM today not sure why as only CD9

@chinchilly ooh sounds like things are starting to gear up for you! I suppose its time to start POAS?!

I drink easily half a pint of milk a day and I eat 3 x Brazil nuts a day so I should in theory be getting enough Iodine and selenium... although maybe my TSH would be worse if I wasn't doing this 🤔 best keep it up!

Hey, would love to join this thread and get to know you lovely people!

A bit of background...I stopped the mini pill in October and we've been 'not trying, not preventing' but since this cycle we've been properly ttc for baby no 1.
So far I've had 2 cycles lasting 24 days (used to be 32 pre pill) and 6 day periods. Each cycle I've had EWCM coninciding with cramps, bloating and nausea but I've been temping and using OPKs to check but no positives yet.
Currently on CD14, so looking likely that it will be another annovulatory cycle again.
How long did everyone else take to start ovulating post pill?

@Kay00 it sounds like you should be getting enough iodine and selenium in that case. I kind of can’t get excited about this cycle now I know about my thyroid which is a shame! Im going to push for my GP to test my hormones I think, I don’t have any of the side effects of a thyroid problem so I have a feeling they are going to dismiss it.

Welcome @KGH5121 ☺️ I stopped taking cerazette in June and I’m pretty sure I wasnt ovulating so i started checking in September I think, I’ve got positives on OPKs since then and my cycles tend to be regular, doctors advise that it could take upto 12 months for your body to get back to normal.

Oh and ladies with an interest in thyroid issues, I did find a post yesterday (have since lost it) where a lady mentioned that the pill was a trigger for her thyroid problem! May be somethiny in it as alot of us who have recently come off the pill seem to have elevated TSH

That is certainly interesting. Hopefully our bodies will correct our TSH levels overtime.

@chinchilly I know what you mean about not being excited, that's why I have been testing lots this cycle... I just want to have a bit of fun with TTC 😊

Its a shame im very unlikely to be pregnant (BFN @ 12DPO) because my boobs are sore, I have felt a bit sicky the last couple of days and I have been quite gassy 😆🙈. I could have been very excited. I even had a weird inflammatory episode at 9DPO which got me wondering what was going on... but I think I'm just a bit poorly 😆

On that note... does anyone know anything about inflammation and TTC?

I have been suffering with an undiagnosed (despite the involvement of specialists) condition whereby my joints become stiff and painful. It flares up for a few months then goes away, sometimes for years, it usually effects my back but may have effected my eyes etc.

A few weeks ago my hip, knee and big toe on my left side all became stiff, not too bad, but difficult waking uphill/stairs. Then on Thursday (9dpo) it all flared up... every joint on my left side...(!! So weird) my toes, ankle, knee, hip, neck, back, shoulder, elbow and hands 🙄🙄🙄 it was very painful, I couldn't walk, my heart was pounding... and of course I couldn't take anti-inflammatories.

Im starting to think my body is a bit useless... I wonder if my body being inflamed like this would effect a potential pregnancy??

@Kay00 certainly keep pushing the GPs for that! Not sure about its effects on TTC but I read this week that taking baby aspirin daily helps people with auto immune disorders like eg psoriasis conceive - so might help you too? Long shot maybe.

@Kay00 Yep, I had all those symptoms plus AF was late, I’m sure my body was laughing at me! Not sure about the inflammation and pregnancy, maybe one to ask your GP about

Welcome @KGH5121
I'm in a similar position to you..
I came off the pill on Halloween and first cycle after withdrawal bleed was only 18 days long (with Ov symptoms around CD7)! This time im up to CD20 already but my temps are fluctuating so much and OPKs going from high to low and back again (with no peaks) so am starting to think I haven't truly ovulated yet and my body has just been trying so far 🤷🏻‍♀️ But they do say you should come off the pill 3-6 months before you properly start trying to give your cycles time to regulate again so wish I'd listened to that now!

@ChinChilly thanks for the welcome ! That's good to know. Guess I'm just impatient haha! I thought it could take a while and DH wanted to wait til the new year before thinking about TTC so I thought my body would have a bit more time to settle but he surprised by saying yes to TTC this month . Guess it will be a practice run!

Noticed there has been mentions of thyroid troubles, have you all had them since coming off the pill or whilst taking it? I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 7 years ago but took many years to get that diagnosis!

@KGH5121 I’m not too sure when my thyroid issues started as I’ve never taken much notice of it to be honest, only since TTC and one of the ladies who posts on here mentioned your TSH levels should be below 2.5 to sustain a pregnancy, I had a blood test for something unrelated to TTC and mine came back as 4.4, last year they were 3.3 so it’s got worse over the last year or so, I’ve got a telephone consultation with my doctor to discuss the levels so hoping I’ll get somewhere, I don’t think 4.4 is high enough for treatment though

@Emmgrem I had a plan of coming off in October as DH didn't want to TTC until next year so thought that would give my body at least 3 months to settle but he surprised me by saying we could TTC earlier! I guess the positive is that our bodies are attempting to ovulate...but hopefully sooner rather than later

@ChinChilly ah yes 'normal' TSH. I've found that I do better when my TSH is around 1! Make sure you talk about symptoms (try to largely mention those that are 'common' thyroid symptoms) and how it is impacting you but be careful on how you word it as I was told that I was anxious, going through a phase and depressed before finally having an abnormal TSH result 3 years after first going to the doctors. Utimately having the right doctor makes the biggest difference!

@KGH5121 I’ve had a look at the symptom list and I don’t think I’ve got any of them 😕 thats why I was surprised when it came back quite high although ‘normal’ apparently! Definitely having the right doctor helps, mine are abit rubbish I had to call for those results as they were ‘normal’ they don’t contact you 🙄 how did you get your levels down? If you don’t mind me asking!

@KGH5121 hi there!! Post-pill cycles are certainly interesting! I was also a bit complacent in timing coming off the pill. Should have done it ages ago. Are you temping or just using OPKs? This is my first full cycle since coming off the pill in Nov (CD10 today), so don't think I have actually ovulated yet 🤷‍♀️

Someone on here mentioned their skin breakouts since coming off the pill. Annoyingly, I am getting tiny pimples that are almost rash like in patches on my forehead and cheeks. Usually lucky to have really clear skin, so that's definitely the hormones kicking back in. Anyone else had it?

Also ladies, when to start ovulation testing? It's CD10 for me. When I was off the pill years ago, my cycles were 25-32 days, averaging about 27. Time between withdrawal bleed and real period was 29 days, so think I might start today..?

@Nellieee good idea to start today I think! As for acne - mine is still pretty bad. I had no spots ever on the pill and was never a spotty teen but since I came off the pill in Sep '19 I have been covered in it. They seem to flare up both for ovulation and AF so there's no respite for me really? Def at its worst in the LP though.

@KGH5121 welcome! Another one here with a 3+ TSH. GP fobbed me off though so kinda just plodding along with it and hoping it'll work out! Interesting to hear you feel best at 1, makes me wonder how I'd feel on that level.

@Nellieee I normally start at around CD10!

@Juno231 are you trying anything to bring it down naturally? I feel like mine is really high as it is 4+ I fear my GP is going to fob me off aswell, will find out on Friday! 🤞🏼

@ChinChilly not doing much atm about it, think I'll kick into gear properly after Christmas.🙊 Kinda hard to motivate myself when I won't know if it'll work!

@ChinChilly I hope you get a good GP though that listens to you!