TTC after MC - new thread for newbies / lurkers on other threads!

[Lowkeyloopy]

Hi all!

I know there are several threads dedicated to this topic, which I've lurked on for several weeks without saying anything, but some threads (sadly) have so many people on them that it can be a bit hard to follow, or it feels awkward to jump into the middle of a conversation between people who have been chatting for a while. Does anyone fancy joining me on a new thread?

My story: 33, TTC baby #1, conceived first cycle in Feb, but had a MC at 6 weeks in early March. Absolutely awful, as everyone knows, and I was in a rubbish place mentally for a few weeks, but I've also counted my blessings - it was early, I needed no medical intervention and at least I know I can conceive. Also AF has returned today - 29 days after first day of my MC. I usually have a 28-29 day cycle so am so grateful that my body seems to be getting with the programme again.

So CD1 for me, and I'll be TTC this month and back to tracking - BBT from tomorrow, OPKs from CD 11, still taking my Pregnacare and trying to keep exercising and eating healthily!

Would anyone like to join me if they're going through something similar? How have you been coping since your MC? What's on your TTC to-do list?! (Other than the obvious..!)

Baby dust to all xx

Thank you ladies! I wrapped up the frer in some tissue paper and put it in an envelope propped up on the side. He came in and after a while asked what it was and I said “oh yeh, that came today - I got one too - early wedding present I think.” Nice and vague and misleading to throw him off the scent! He was confused opening it but then saw it and gasped and his first reaction was to say “BAD GIRL!” 😂 because I was meant to wait until today to test. But he was very happy. Like me, he’s just taking it as a nice confirmation that our eggs and sperm like each other and my body wants implantation to happen.. so fingers crossed this one sticks, but either way we can feel positive.

Woke up at 6am with a prickling sensation behind the pelvic bone. And just now had a very light throbbing sensation. Hopefully it’s burrowing in deep. Will do another FRER tomorrow and hope I get line progression 🤞

So sorry to hear you’re out @bea19. Hope you’re feeling positive going into the next month though. All it takes is that one time - it’ll happen!

@Flopsy88 - do you temp lovely? I’ve forgotten. Any sign of ovulation following your peak?

Happy Sunday all - hope it’s a relaxed and happy one.

@ItsMeantToBe Just read your update properly - I think that would be such a great way to tell him! And I understand the superstitious feeling but one way or another you’ll want that top for your DS one day so I’d definitely allow yourself that one purchase! I told DP yesterday after the envelopes thing yesterday that I knew the next few weeks would likely be full of anxious moments (as the last few months have been), so I just wanted to allow ourselves that one moment of joy and celebration without fear!

Easy to say but try not to read into how you’re feeling in the first week of the TWW. I think all of that is just normal progesterone related. I had a stark white BFN on a FRER at 9 DPO so realistically none of the bloatedness or feeling emotional before that could have been due to being pregnant at that stage. Hope you can distract yourself over the next few days - I definitely struggled with the wait to get to double figures DPO!

Hey,

Sorry to jump on the threat I'm just abit confused. My ovulation tests have been coming back like this for the past week. Is this positive or negative? I thought I ovulated around last Sunday/Monday as I've been having thick CM (gross but like snot) and then it was like egg whites so assumed I'd already ovulated as it stopped around Tuesday and then yesterday I had thick creamy CM and today it's been very watery this morning, like so bad it's dribbling down my leg and now it's back to being snot like! We had sex on Monday but that's it. Just wondering if anyone can give any insights! Thank you!

Line progression after 48 hours! 😀 11DPO - 13DPO. Today’s is way darker than one I did at 15DPO last time, which makes me hopeful. Come on sticky bean!! How is everyone else?

Welcome @flowermil - this is a thread for TTC after MC.. you may have more luck asking on general TTC threads about symptoms as well..! For me CM has never been particularly helpful to track - it just varies so much. I think it’s more about what’s normal for you and how it compares with previous months. When was your last AF and are your cycles regular so does it make sense for you to have ovulated last weekend rather than this weekend? For me that OPK looks like a “low” so perhaps it’s on its way down after peaking a few days ago. Was the second line much darker last week? Do you use the Premom app? I find that quite helpful as it avoids me having to work out the darkness of lines myself.

@Lowkeyloopy woo! I bet that's so reassuring. How are you feeling? How long are you going to leave it before referring yourself to the midwifes?

I think I am going with the big brother T-shirt idea. I've still got a week before I'm planning on testing 😩. I had a bit of a meltdown to DH yesterday and I think he realises now how stressful I've found it all and how I feel like it's all on me. I get if though, what can the men really do to help?! They can't POAS for us.

Hope everyone is enjoying the sun. Shame I can't have a nice gin on the garden.

@Lowkeyloopy i know that this thread is for that, just didn't wanna give to many details!

My last AF was the 9th and my cycles seems to always be 33 days long so it makes sense that I may have ovulated then. I did another test this morning and it came back the same if not abit darker so I'm not sure what's going on! Just gonna wait it out I think. I don't use any apps! 😊

@flowermil definitely keep testing. I thought I had ovulated on CD14 but kept testing and for a really strong line all of a sudden on CD21 and ovulated on CD23. I've been having 33 day cycles too since my MC. Good luck!

@Lowkeyloopy Those lines look great! How are you feeling? Did you do anything differently this cycle?

I'm 1dpo and feeling so positive about this month (although I think I said that last month). We've followed the 'sperm meets egg' plan and haven't got bored of dtd so it's been lots of fun! I've had loads more ewcm which I think is either the grapefruit juice the higher dose of EPO. I've had green smoothies every day and lots of regular exercise. I'm gonna be so disappointed if it hasn't worked!!

@flowermil Could you be pregnant? OPKs detect HCG too. I think I heard that PCOS also caused high LH throughout your cycle

@ItsMeantToBe I will do. I have a really strong positive last Saturday like really dark like so that's why I thought I ovulated then but maybe not?

@Lowkeyloopy I'm really not sure, I don't think so. I did have a really really faint positive a week or so ago but just assumed it was nothing as all my other tests were negative and I only had sex at the end of my period last month.

These are the ovulation tests from today. Top on is just not and the bottom one is from around 12. I know they're negative but the line is still abit darker than the control line. It's really odd, I don't know what's going on!

This was my pregnancy and ovulation test from the 20th May. You can kinda see a faint line but hardly and I might just have line eyes!

@flowermil Ooh I reckon I can see something on those tests.. and I know lines don’t show up well in photos! Worth taking another just in case?

@Lowkeyloopy I did another test the next day and it was negative. I've not got any tests left now and I don't have any symptoms so I just assumed it was a false positive. Feel like I'm going abit crazy 🤣 I dunno what to do!

@Flopsy88 @ItsMeantToBe Feeling good thanks! Getting slight twinges every now and again, and occasionally feeling a little sleepy and really hungry, but otherwise pretty normal.

@Flopsy88 I think the main thing was DTD more tbh! Also I was perhaps a little more active. I put a list of thoughts in this post if you’re interested! - 29/05/2021 12:57. Sounds like you’ve put yourself in the best possible position! And had a nice healthy and fun few weeks in the process - ideal. Hope you can have as chilled a 2ww as possible!

@ItsMeantToBe So I’ve actually already self-referred.. I filled in the form before I even told DP! I’m running the risk of having to cancel it if doesn’t go well, but if all goes well I want to get a booking appointment asap and last time the appointment was scheduled at 11 weeks! Plus I kinda want it on the record as a pregnancy so I’m a step closer to getting tests if the worst happens. Though trying to think positively!

@Lowkeyloopy congratulations my love. Crossing everything for you ❤️

I'm baffled! This is today's will test again after 12 though!

@flowermil I would probably get another pregnancy test if I were you! Not sure what it could mean otherwise

@Lowkeyloopy Thanks! I have read through your list. I did lie with my legs up against the wall for 15 mins after dtd this time so hopefully that helped

I'm feeling a lot less positive today 😔 The tww suddenly feels like a lifetime and I've worked out that my next ovulation will be whilst I'm away without my DP (at an event that I don't even want to go to), so if we haven't managed it this month then we won't get another shot until the end of July 😭

@Flopsy88 I've got some coming tomorrow. I just don't wanna get my hopes up 😔 I've got next to no CM so I don't think I'm ovulating but who knows at this point!

@flowermil I’m getting confused about which is the control line and which is the test line in that photo! Either way looks like a peak or possible PG!

@Flopsy88 Aw that’s so normal to be feeling a bit low at this point. I think it’s because for two weeks we’ve felt in control, then suddenly post ovulation it feels out of our hands again. If you think that might be it, maybe try to do things to make yourself feel more in control again? Like the healthy eating, staying active etc. Maybe some breathing exercises, yoga? And distractions - bury yourself in work or find a really uplifting easy book to read. I’m quite enjoying The Thursday Murder Club at the moment, but I always return to the Sophie Kinsella books when I need a laugh and some escapism! And definitely get out in the sunshine as much as possible! There’s no reason why this shouldn’t be your month, so try to take it one step at a time rather than thinking ahead. Hugs!

@Lowkeyloopy so was I! It's much darker in person. I don't know what to think at this point, I don't wanna get my hopes up and if it's another peak I don't have my partner around today 🤣 I have watery/creamy CM though so I don't think I am ovulating and it was super super dark last Saturday. Who knows, I have some tests coming tomorrow though hopefully.

Hello all, I've been super quiet on here, only posted a couple of times a few weeks ago... @Lowkeyloopy so very happy to hear you have your BFP. Do you mind reminding me how many cycles since your mc this is? I'm on my first proper cycle since my cp. Started trying as soon as bleeding stopped without waiting for a period but no joy last month. This month I've been doing everything, temping, using OPKs, preseed, dtd literally every day in fertile week. Now I'm 7dpo and I am feeling super super miserable. The month of my CP I knew by 3dpo that I was pregnant. This would be baby #2 and I can't really believe I wouldn't know if I was... and right now I don't think I am... I ov super early (like day 10) and then have a 16 luteal phase normally so I'm over a week away from AF. The waiting is so miserable when I am so sure it has all been for nothing. Again. Bleh. Sorry girls. Having a down day. Yep.

@Lowkeyloopy Thank you ❤ You always say such helpful things! I really appreciate it

@SparrowMaiden So sorry you're feeling low today. This is such a difficult process! Every month is a rollercoaster. What made you feel like you'd conceived last time? At 3dpo the embryo wouldn't even have implanted so you'd have no symptoms. And even if you implantated early last time it doesn't mean you will this time, every pregnancy is different. You can implant as late as 12dpo. It sounds like you've done everything you can this month so don't lose hope yet! Are you planning on testing early?

@Flopsy88 I know it was ridiculous really, I definitely didn't expect symptoms that early, I just suddenly started feeling incredibly tired and achey and basically under the weather - but in a way I really recognised from previously. And then yeah, I tested at 13dpo and got a very faint bfp. AF was due 16dpo and didn't arrive but lines got even fainter and then disappeared. Started bleeding 2 days later. So yeah this month not feeling anything until 7dpo feels like it's all over! I know it's silly. I know you don't actually know until AF appears but yeah. I hate the waiting. And no, never testing early again. I'm due on roughly Wednesday/Thursday next week and won't be testing until at least the Sunday after. I don't want to know if I have another CP. I think there was another lady on this thread who said the same. Even if I'm late, if AF shows and I haven't tested, I was never pregnant. Just in terms of you worrying about being away next month - some reassurance - my dd was conceived somewhere around cd8, and I know this because on cd9 I went away for a 5 day trip. As an early ovulator I was convinced that meant we would miss the opportunity that month - but lo and behold!! So yeah. Sometimes I think I should try and recreate that scenario this time around but I'm not sure I could leave dp or dd for that long now!!

Welcome back @SparrowMaiden and so sorry to hear you’re going through a bit of a low patch. As @Flopsy88 says, 3DPO would be too early for symptoms - I found it hard to believe too when I read people say that, but I really do think anything we feel before maybe 6DPO at the earliest is just the initial progesterone surge, plus immune system lowering to increase chances of implantation. Mayyybe cramps could be the Fallopian tube pushing the egg along, but otherwise I can’t see what would be causing symptoms that early. I had a whiter than white BFN at 9DPO then a clear line at 11 DPO. I read somewhere the vast majority of implantations are at 9DPO so do try not to read into symptoms until at least then! I had far more “symptoms” in the middle of the two week wait last cycle when I wasn’t pregnant, than this cycle when I was (or nearly was). I know that doesn’t help when you’re at the beginning of the 2WW and wishing your time away of course.

You asked about my cycles - this was my third after MC. MC started 8 March. I may have ovulated later that month but I didn’t track or TTC that cycle. April we DTD a few times around the right time but I was waiting for my peak before “going for it” properly, haha, so think I missed the best day before ovulation because I’ve now realised I get a rapid peak and ovulate on the same day. Then in May we caught!

Totally understand your thinking around not testing early - that’s where I was last month - I knew I didn’t have the emotional strength for a chemical then. I’ll still be bloody crushed if I have one now, but having a bit of distance from the MC in March makes me feel a bit more resilient, and right now I’d rather have the comfort of knowing I can get pregnant, if only for a short while. I think it totally depends from person to person and cycle to cycle though.

Hang in there - things can change from one DPO to the next!

@Flopsy88 you’re so welcome and I’m glad I could help a little - I hope you’re feeling a bit more positive. Any fun plans in the sunshine?

Oh and P.S. @SparrowMaiden, let’s say we pretend that symptoms do happen in single figure DPOs... could how you’re feeling now be a symptom?! I was feeling pretty low a week or so ago. Don’t think I mentioned it here at the time but I was properly sobbing to my mum at 5 DPO. :/ So maybe try to take some comfort from feeling low..!

Haha @Lowkeyloopy I do like that thinking!! And yeah I guess you're right, I'm normally such a science person but when it comes to ttc it's all 'I just have a feeling...' 😜 Anyway, new day, going to try to be more positive. We are going on a staycation next week so at least if AF does show I can have a glass of wine on my holiday!