Newbie looking for some support

[Peachycream]

Hi ladies,

I’ve been lurking for a few days, just seeing what the deal is, trying to work out some of the terminology used, mostly going to post but then getting scared and carry on lurking haha.

I don’t really have anyone I can talk about the TTC journey with in my real life as we aren’t telling anyone as it stands so I’m hoping maybe I can make a few friends here that I can obsess and stress out with 🤣

I’m currently CD 7 in my first cycle so tracking with OPKs every day right now so that I can get a clearer picture of my cycle each month.

I’m 30 and this will be our 1st,

If anyone has any advice/is in a similar position to me or just wants a natter I’d love to hear from you 😊

Xx

I think I’m going to go to Tesco for some bacon.. and a cheese board whilst I’m there 😂
Thanks @Peachycream 🥰 wouldn’t it be nice if we both got BFP and could tell our partners on Fathers Day 😭 definitely haven’t thought about it. Lol

I don't know what more disappointing either HRP.. I think I just like the control of being like .. right testing now... if it's negative then I'll go to the shop for some wine and cheese. Where as the disappointment of AF unexpectedly.... I don't like that 😂

And yes like peachy said .. fingers crossed for the good news... and cheese party if AF shows!

😂😂 bacon and DTD ... lucky man. What more could anyone want!!!

Also... I'm not sure if anyone is interested in this but thought I'd share anyway! I've been doing temp monitoring this month to see how it lines up and I had a big drop last 2 days so wondered if that was start of ovulation.... and it was ... very interesting (for me at least)! So I think if I watch for temp drop I could get daily DTD in at the most important time! Clear blue has been high since last Sunday (and I'm sorry but I do have a job and a life... 😂)

Morning Ladies☺️ I’m CD17 and was hoping for a positive OPK this morning, but it’s still low. I had a peak OPK on CD17 last month and it was starting to rise on CD16, so either I’ll have a longer cycle this month or and even shorter LP 😭

Oops posted too soon 🤣

@KayL1988 - interesting with the temp drop before ovulation. I haven’t had one yet, but I’ll watch out for that ☺️ Bacon sarnie sounds so good right now!

@Peachycream @HRP1990 fingers crossed for you both to have a BFP soon! Telling your partner on fathers day would be so sweet. If my cycle plays ball I’ll be due to test this month around DH’s birthday so if it’s positive he’ll be getting a wrapped up pregnancy test for his present 🤣

Oh no @PurpleCat88 how long does your cycle usually last?

I didn't really expect much from tracking temperature but it's definitely interesting!

@PurpleCat88 😂 a little baby FRER for his birthday 🥲

I might start tempting next month @KayL1988 it’s got to be more reliable than OPK’s but gold when used together! I guess then we can see how quickly we ovulate after an LH surge (assuming ovulation is when the temp dips!)

To be fair that is a good point, I think I’d be quiet disappointed in AF just turning up. At least with a BFN I’m prepared for AF after that.

I might test tomorrow.. what do we think. FMU or second? 🙃

@HRP1990 ah yes the euros begins doesn't it, I don't mind a bit of football but not consistently lol think we will be fighting over the TV! Agreed though basking in the sun will be nice as it's meant to be lovely tomorrow!! Fingers crossed for your testing next week as well lovely :-)

@PurpleCat88 hopefully you get your peak soon, I got static smiley cd20 for me but didn't track last month so not sure how it compares. My cycles vary between 29 and 32 days so we will see how long my LP is if AF shows. But like we said yesterday what is normal anyway lol, I've read a few stories about women conceiving with short LPs so I wouldn't worry about it too much lovely and sending baby dust!

I think if it’a consistently short you can get treatment to lengthen it @PurpleCat88 i think there’s natural remedies too, I’m sure I’ve seen a thread on here where it’s been a topic of conversation, I don’t remember the name of it though 🙈 that’s cute though about wrapping up the test (make sure you put the cap back on it though 😂)

@KayL1988 that’s interesting! How are you finding temping so far? Will you carry on with it do you think?

@HRP1990 Awh yes that would be nice 🥰 do you think you could wait a whole nother week to tell him though? Haha

Do you all know how you would tell your partner/announce?

If I’ve missed a reply I’m really sorry, the heat is killing off brain cells 🤣

Thanks ladies, I’m sure it’ll be fine, I just need to chill out a bit I think!

@KayL1988 - my cycle has been bang on 28 days the last 2 cycles but I ovulate around CD18 so luteal phase is around 10 days - if it wasn’t for OPKs I wouldn't have known that though and would have been timing everything wrong! So glad these things exist!

@Aries491 - yep no such thing as normal for sure! Sounds like a few of us on here have LPs ranging from 10-13 days so we’re all in it together!

@Peachycream - yep there’s a couple of threads on here that I’ve skim read. I think for those of us coming off the pill your body can get used to a steady supply of progesterone and stops producing as much on its own (should even itself out after a few cycles though 🤞) Progesterone is needed to sustain a pregnancy after implantation. You can take vitex to help balance the hormones and then an high dose B vitamin to improve the progesterone after ovulation. I don’t think I want to start messing around with loads of supplements just yet though. I’m just taking folic acid and vitamin D as per NHS guidelines. It’s a minefield, eh?

@PurpleCat88 I didn’t see that you had been on the pill, I’m sorry I must have missed that bit, I really must make time to sit and read through this thread properly rather than quickly skimming when I get 5 minutes 🙈
At least you know you have options of supplements and medications to lengthen it though if you ever need to, so it won’t feel like a huge panic if the time ever comes (which hopefully it won’t)

@Peachycream I reckon I could wait a week however it would be nice to do a test together and see his reaction!

How would you all tell your partners?
@SareBear87 @Aries491 @PurpleCat88 @KayL1988

@Peachycream - yep I was on the combined pill and came off it in November, so it’s been a little while ☺️

@HRP1990 - if the birthday thing doesn’t work out, the reality will probably be me just waiving a test at him, or us doing one together. I did have an idea though to put a literal ‘bun in the oven’, eg buy an iced bun and pop it in the oven. So when he comes home from work, I’ll say there’s something in the oven for him. Likelihood is he won’t put two and two together 😂 He’ll just be like ‘mmm iced bun!’ nom nom nom 🤣

Thank god for ovulation tests @PurpleCat88 .. it's amazing how unique our bodies are!

@Peachycream to be honest temping is an absolute pain.. get up first thing and whack a thermometer in your mouth. I understand now why people buy those expensive fertility watches... but it is interesting to do for one month at least because I had no idea!

@HRP1990 I have no idea how I'd tell him, I think about it occasionally but don't want to get my hopes up on one particular month so try to brush it off. I think I'd try to tie it in to something going on in our lives at the time :)
are you testing together everytime?? That really sweet, I talked about that with OH but decided that I'd test and only tell him (probably with a nice digital test) when it actually is positive!

@KayL1988 @PurpleCat88 @HRP1990 I just bought myself a basal thermometer to try temping next month. No AF here yet so I’m not technically out, but I’m getting cramps that indicate she is on the way and have tested BFN so I kind of want AF to just start now so that I can get to the next bit already haha.

Are there any resources any of you who are already temping would suggest reading to understand what I’m supposed to be looking for? I’ve got some Ovulation test strips too (one step cheapies, considered clear blue but the price makes me reluctant!)

@PurpleCat88 I love stuff like that! An actual bun in the oven haha

@KayL1988 I’m the same, I don’t want to get my hopes up but it is an exciting thought! We haven’t done a test together yet but it could be cute to find out at the same time. (I’m sure that’ll go out the window when I turn into a POAS addict 😂)

What day are you on @glasspaw? You’re not out just yet! I don’t temp at the moment but I’d like to look into all the readings as I’ve seen people post their graphs but not sure what they mean!

@KayL1988 have you seen the patches? You hoof them on your side for a week and they monitor your temperature constantly, all you need to do is scan the patch with your phone once a day and it uploads it all for you. I think it’s like £34 for a box of 3/4 of them.

@HRP1990 I like the idea of doing a test together as well, like in the movies when they both get all excited. But I think I’d need to know first just to get my own emotions in check, so I’d have to do one, see the result and then do one together if it was positive 😂

Sorry you got a BFN @glasspaw I second what HRP says with your not out until AF shows

POAS addiction ... is this our support group @HRP1990 😂

@PurpleCat88 awww a bun in an oven is such a cute idea!!! 😘🥰

@glasspaw keep us updated on AF! So I've only just started this month... you can put it into the app you use (like premom and it graphs it for you). They make it so you can clearly see the usual up and down vs. a spike. So your temp can dip for a day or two before ovulation then when you ovulate your temp goes up for your luteal phase until your hormone levels change just before your period (when you should spot a dip). I had quite can obvious dip but I think it can vary between people.. there are loads of articles explaining the detail but i found it looks straight forward (not mine but an example from premom below)

That should be our next group name 😂 @KayL1988 POAS anonymous.

That sounds straight forward enough. So an LH surge/ovulation is confirmed with an OPK and with a dip in temperature? I wonder how it can tell if you’re pregnant, does it just continue to rise? I think I saw someone mention a dip in temperature when implantation occurs?

I’m sure the more you use it the easier it is to read from month to month.

Ohhhhh @Peachycream I have not heard about them ... They sound exiting though!!! I'm hoping once I've tracked a few months I think I'll stop temperature tracking, the clearblue tracker seems accurate so may just stick with that. I've been become a master at peeing in a cup as soon as I've woke up 😂

😂 I like it! Yeah so the clear blue tracker was saying high on the couple of days I had a dip, and then today I got a peak OTK.

So I looked at why your temp stays up if you get pregnant and apparently it's the progesterone. Normally just before AF your progesterone dips again which triggers AF but if your pregnant it stays high. High progesterone ...meaning my body temp is higher... explains why the husband is always opening a window whilst I'm freezing under a blanket!

@KayL1988 they look pretty good, I came across them by chance on Amazon and the reviews seem pretty good so it might be worth a go if you’re finding it a pain.
How are you finding the monitor? Is it worth the 9 million pound they want for it? 😂
I am also a master cup pee’er 😂 which is something I never thought I would say!

Yeah I wonder if I should that down as a special talent?? I can pee in a small cup without peeing on my hand... and test whilst still staying sleepy enough I can get back in bed.

If I think I need to keep temping then I'll definitely look into them! I'm hoping I can just stick with the monitor. So I don't think there is much difference than the connected sticks.... but I got it cheap with a full box of sticks from someone who bought it but never had to use it because they got pregnant before their next cycle started! So it worked out at like £60 for the monitor and a full box of ovulation and pregnancy tests. I probably would just stick with the clear blue sticks and save the upfront investment cost IMO. That being said I do like it and I like the fact my OH can open it and see where I'm at too as opposed to keep asking me!

Definitely something to add to your CV girls 😂 @Peachycream @KayL1988

Those patches sound so high tech! Like how mad is it that you can scan a code on your arm and it can monitor your temperature lol

The staying sleepy enough bit is 100% a special talent! Once I’m up I’m up, there’s no going back to sleep here!

Yeah I think the only difference is that you can test pregnancy right? Does everything come up on the little screen or do you have to use the CB app as well? I’m guessing if OH can look too then you can go through it on the monitor? That’s a really good deal though! Although, I bet she was miffed that she spent all that money and didn’t even get to use it haha. It doesn’t let you test though until it thinks it’s time to though is that right? With the connected one my app tells me it’s not a test day but I can still use the stick if I want to.

Was the temping more of a just did it out of interest thing rather than actually using it properly for you then? It must be interesting to see how things go up and down depending on where you are? Has the heat affected it at all?

I know right @HRP1990? I wonder how long it will be before we can just swallow something and scan it.

Totally not on topic at all, but have you seen those gastric balloon pills for weight loss? It’s just a little pill you swallow and it activates in your stomach and sits like a little balloon. I mean, granted, I have no idea how safe it is or how you get it out or even how long it lasts. But it’s mad that you can do stuff like that now