Post Pill TTC - Rave on

[Juno231]

It’s that time again, the 6th 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:
@kay00
@Moocher90
@MintGreenLife
@Emmgrem
@Nellieee
@TheHotelCalifornia
@ams19
@chinchilly
@MancMama39
@sperr
@crabette
@charwils
@LauraT94
@TheDaydreamBelievers
@cams50
@robyn101
@abi555
@luna57
@tillybabs
@MissC07
@mrsmacmc

@Nellieee It definitely makes things easier!

@Lovebug06 I have the same thing some days I’m really positive and then other days I feel like its never going to happen. I even said to my friend I can’t imagine it happening like I can’t imagine seeing those two lines 😕

I’ve got a physio session in an hour, surprised it hasn’t been cancelled, doggo is being a cling on, he had to have his anal glands emptied yesterday 💩 and I think he’s still feeling tender down there 😂

@Nellieee AF is due on Sun (CD29) so I'd probably test Fri/Sat? We'll see how much discipline I've got but I'm 8DPO today and luckily have had zero urge to POAS so far :)

@mol234 yup upwards triangle is a late temp and downward is too early temp. Does that mean you temp at different times? That will give you quite different readings to be honest! A rule of thumb is that temp changes a whole 0.1C per hour. E.g. 36.5 at 7am and 36.6 at 8am.

@Mol234 ahh that explains why your chart looks so perfect, but with triangles!! I bet you are taking temps around same time most mornings. You can override the time (it automatically puts it as the time you open the app), but it doesn't really matter if you know that you have taken the temps within half an hour.

@Lovebug06 I'm so sorry AF showed. It must feel harder each cycle. Have you had any appointments lined up now that you are at a year? Maybe talk to your partner about it tonight. Hate the idea of women (or anyone really) suffering in silence. It can be quite lonely too, when you don't openly tell people you are trying, to avoid all of the unprompted questions. Have a rant in this group whenever you want!! Sending PMA your way.

@ChinChilly bless your pup. Anal glands are real! Mine has been clingy today too. Not complaining! 🥰

@Nellieee his sister was 2 weeks late before she got a BFP with her first so he knows that it can be a waiting game.

5 days late and still loads of creamy CM, I’m absolutely starving. Like to the point I’m about to eat the entire contents of the fridge! I’m also so tired even after going to bed early last night.

I’ve spent the whole morning looking at lots of feeds where women didn’t get BFP until after a week of missing AF. I may leave it until Sunday before retesting if nothing happens in the meantime!

@Juno231 eeks! Not too long to wait. Hurry up weekend!! Good that you don't have any urges to POAS. I feel like it's my new favourite thing to do.

Another thing my OH doesn't understand... sometimes it works out though! This cycle FF predicted I had O'd on CD9 due to temp shifts (but ignoring lack of other signs). I was depressed all Sunday after getting crosshairs, thinking I had follicular phase hormonal issues and early onset menopause. Turns out my temps were trolling (fingers crossed) as had a peak OPK on Sunday night and EWCM yesterday. 🍆 for the last four nights so think we're good.

@Sperr those sound like all good signs tbh! Hunger and fatigue. Didn't you say you needed the loo more too? Frequent urination is another sign. Two weeks is ages for a BFP! Hope it's not that long, and this weekend will be your time 🤞

Ahhh I’ve so not caught up with everyone so I hope everything’s ok and fingers crossed we get a BFP on this bus from someone looking at all you ladies still in for January!

I’m CD3 and WOW AF is punishing me biiiiig for not appearing for the last 4 months+ this is my first proper natural period for at least 12 years after going on the pill as a teenager. Thank god for WFH 😓

@Juno231good luck!!

@Nellieee at this point I just want to know either way! I might have to take early lunch with the way I feel right now though. I shouldn’t feel tired at all, my sleep was so good I was drooling (very weird I know 😂)

@Mol234 I can definitely see a line, def do a FRER!

@Lovebug06 Sorry AF arrived. It's such an emotional rollercoaster some days I'm full of positivity and others I feel really fed up. Sending you lots of positive vibes for your next cycle.

@ChinChilly Hope your physio appointment goes ok! I know what you mean about a clingy dog, mine won't leave me alone at the moment. Which made for a very interesting 30min online workout yesterday where she just kept trying to attack my trainers!

@Sperr Sorry your test was BFN. Hopefully you ovulated later than you thought 🤞

@Robyn101 Grab a hot water bottle, some paracetamol and plenty of choc!!

@Nellieee Anal glands are a nightmare! @MissC07 physio went well thanks, it was just an assessment, glad I’m not the only one with a clinger today.

Well I ordered on box of the FRERs on Amazon while there on special offer...the picture is what turned up 😂😂 so I know have 12 tests 😂

@ChinChilly Omg lucky girl! and anal glands is why I never wanted a pug for instance, the thought of having to manually empty them when they get blocked.... EURGH

@Juno231 I was so confused/amused about the FRERs I burnt my lunch 😂 This is the first dog I’ve had with anal gland problems, I normally just pay for the vet to do it because the smell is like nothint I’ve ever experienced.

@ChinChilly I hadn't even considered that there would be smell....

So my friend who's been TTC on and off for over a year was referred to a fertility appointment in Nov. She's fairly clueless about TTC and for whatever reason we spoke about her referral letter today and I realised it said her progesterone level for her day 21 test was 27. Bear anything under 30 is confirmed as non ovulatory. But her GP told her everything was fine and she had no clue! It's insane that we keep having to police the GPs fertility knowledge like this and you can't be sure they know what they're doing!

@Juno231 the smell is horrific 😂😂

Wow that’s terrible about your friend, I feel like GPs are pretty clueless about fertility which is worrying!

Bear in mind* that should have said.

@ChinChilly ahh you lucky duck. Look at all those tests! That's basically £60worth there!! I try to avoid Amazon when possible, but tempted to order some on there just in case I get a windfall of tests too 🤣 oh don't even get me started on the smell. WOW.

@Juno231 scary really about your friend's GP. Hope she gets some answers soon. I think that fertility is such a niche area that you really need a specialist. Anything else I feel you get fobbed off, and told you're basically 'normal'. I called my GP for a tel appt last week about dosage of vitamins and supplements (taking pregnacare but also floradix for two months and suddenly realised I was doubling up on some). Have to say my GP was pretty clueless, but I didn't expect much. They are just that, general practitioners, and unfortunately can't know everything. I realised this when I went in for a pill check up (blood pressure, weight etc), but this time with a nurse due to COVID. Mentioned bad headaches, and she said she wasn't surprised as I was on a high dose of progesterone pill. Had been telling my GP about it for well over a year, and they had no suggestions! Grr.

@Nellieee not bad for £5.88 was it 😂 your right about GPs..what pill were you on?

Anybody watched pieces of a woman on netflix...I’m about half way through bloody hell it’s a hard watch

Definitely GPs dont know a lit about fertility! Mine thought prolactin was normal when it was not and was probably what caused the mega 141 day cycle.

@chinchilly what a windfall!

Ps - given my recent experiences with TTC there is NO WAY I'm watching that film

Yep you’re right @Nellieee I always do it at 6.30am (or adjust) and then put them in later! That’s good news that you caught your peak, looks like you’re well covered in terms of BD!

@Juno231 that’s good that you don’t have the urge to POAS! Much better to wait I think and then have a better chance of getting a clear BFP

@ChinChilly I’m jealous of your FRERs 😂 - haven’t seen that, any good? I need a new series!

@Robyn101 oh no that sounds horrible - fingers crossed it’s over really soon and you can take things easy in the meantime!!

I’ve decided I’ll do another IC in the morning and see if I get a line at all. Then if I do, do a FRER on Thursday. Don’t want to waste another one tomorrow until I’m sure the IC wasn’t an evap!

@TheDaydreamBelievers it is a hard watch 😞

@Mol234 I know I couldn’t believe it when I opened the box, the must sent 1 box instead of 1 packet 😂 it’s a difficult one, It’s 2 hours long about a woman to who’s baby dies just after birth and they prosecute the midwife..I’ve seen alot about it on social media and it was in the top 10 on netflix so I thought I’d give it a go! It’s a good film but it’s not an easy watch

@Cams50 I have had a look through a few of my older cycles and it looks as though I get a big temp drop a day or two before my LH peak and then Ov a day after that, so you might get yours later today or tomorrow?

I had a big temp drop today but I am still getting negative OPKs, i'm hoping i'll get a peak in the next day or so as that would fit my previous cycles.

I don't know much about the effect of Anus Castus, what is it supposed to do?

OOOhh exciting for so many of you with excellent looking charts! Fingers crossed @Mol234 @Flowers222 @Juno231 hopefully we get a BFP in this group soon!

And @Sperr your symptoms sound SO typical of early pregnancy - fingers crossed it's just a late BFP brewing!

My temp shot up today so suspect that OPK was correct and not faulty and I'm now in the 2ww - eek!

Has all taken me a bit by surprise however. Had no warning on the OPK going positive- literally nothing to positive in 1 day - and was far earlier in the cycle than I was suspecting it would be so I have completely mistimed DTD this month as it looks like I ovulated on CD11!! I was expecting another long cycle after coming off pill.

Anyway, not holding out much hope for this cycle now since didn't really DTD at right time, but I have, at least, learned a lot for CD3 and can schedule better next month!

Also now panicking about short FP and immature eggs leading to infertility.... must. stop. googling!

@Nellieee yeah I’m the same! I tend to have my peaks later in the day.

@Kay00 thanks! I think/ hope that’s exactly what’s happening. I got a temp drop yesterday but only 44% OPK but then a temp rise today with an 88% OPK so I’m praying I’m actually ovulating. I was sick of wasting tests and getting negatives so only tested this afternoon at like 4pm so it’s possible I missed the peak earlier today or it hasn’t come yet so I’ll test again tonight and tomorrow and hopefully I’ll actually ovulate. I guess I’ll know by my temps over the next few days. I’m hoping it’s the same for you too and you’ll get your peak tomorrow.

So agnus castus is meant to regulate your hormones. I’ve just googled it and it says this:
‘ By potentially decreasing prolactin hormone levels and stabilizing menstrual periods, it may also enhance fertility.’

‘ Agnus-castus may improve cycle regularity in some people. In studies comparing agnus-castus extract to a placebo, agnus-castus led to improved cycle regularity in people with irregular periods or hyperprolactinemia (5). In these subgroups, the length of the luteal phase was increased by agnus-castus (5). This is important because a shortened luteal phase is associated with decreased fertility and period irregularity via progesterone insufficiency.’

‘is beneficial for anovulatory cycles, hyperprolactinemia, hypothalamic dysfunction, hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian (HPO) axis modulation, and promoting a regular and normal menstrual cycle.’

@ChinChilly thats an impressive pregnancy test haul 😂 amazing. I haven’t watched that film but I think I will but it does sound like a very hard watch 😞

@Juno231 yes GPs really don’t seem to know about fertility stuff. I had one blood test and was told everything was fine but I don’t know the numbers. I should have pushed for them I know but they just kept saying about the 1 year mark so I decided I’ll hold out until then as nothing can really be done until then anyway.

@abi555 thank you! I know what you mean about googling. I can’t stop reading stuff about late BFP! I’ll be back in the office tomorrow for the day so that will help me to stop that 😂

Nothing to report from me again today- another day no AF. RHR gone up again today so my melt down yesterday was not required 😂. So incredibly tired and hungry. I had to lay down on my lunch today and could have taken a nap (thank god for working from home). January diet is about to get ruined with a take away 🐖. I don’t have the energy to cook 😂. I’m actually currently already in bed waiting for OH to finish his 100 burpees (I hate him and his fitness right now) so we can order