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

Oh no sorry AF arrived @SareBear87 but yes March would be a lovely time for a baby.

Our Hormones being all over the place makes it a real emotional rollercoaster which to be fair the whole process already is. I do wonder how our parents and grandparents did this.... my mum said she was taught a rough cycle calendar early on - so maybe they just knew more than us earlier??

@SareBear87 sorry that AF has arrived 😔 it's good that your cycles are regular though as it means you should be able to track more easily! You're right, March is a good time 👍🏻

I'm 6 days late. Did a test on the day I was due on and it was neg but I'm going to take another today 🤞🏼 It's been driving me mad all night waiting for the Amazon order of tests to arrive! Apparently the covid vaccine can mess with your cycles tho and I had my second on 3rd May... we'll see!

@Ksamson555 oh my gosh! Keep us updated - I've no idea how you've waited so long after AF was due. How do you feel in yourself?

@KayL1988 haha I used both the tests the day I was due 🤦🏻‍♀️ I thought the longer I leave it, it gives it a chance for the hormone levels to rise so I wouldn't get a false neg if that makes sense! I'm exhausted but I'm a teacher and it's half term so that's normal I guess 😅 if I'm not pregnant I have no idea how I'll track ovulation this cycle without a period!

@Ksamson555 urgh yeah that would be annoying. Are your cycles normally regular?

I have a little make up bag in the bathroom full of ovulation tests and some pregnancy tests 😂 clearly just so I'm always ready to test. I used one day before AF was due so I'd feel less guilty having a glass of wine.

I have... a bunch of ovulation tests, a clear blue early response test, two FRER, and a digital clear blue ... I don't know why but it makes me feel better knowing they are there!

@KayL1988 normally between 26 and 30 so fairly regular! Ahh that's a good idea! I should stock up so I always have some to hand 😅

@Ksamson555 fingers crossed you’re not out yet!

@KayL1988 I love that it’s all in a makeup bag haha. I have a box of it all too, just encase 😬

I thought I was 5DPO today.. but I thought I’d do a random OPK this morning to satisfy the urge to test.. turns I’m out I’m about to ovulate 😂🤷🏻‍♀️ This is incredibly late for me as I have a 25 day cycle! What do you think? (Just to say I marked CD12 as peak as that was my highest reading)

All that DTD and now I need to gear myself up again. I’m so tired 😂

@HRP1990 are you usually regular with your cycles? Just as I would've presumed ovulating on day 18 would mean your cycle length would be around 32 🤷🏻‍♀️ I have never used those strips before.. I normally use the clear blue digital ones!
Exciting times that you're about to ovulate though 👏🏻 I always worry I won't catch the right day 🤣

@HRP1990

All that DTD and now I need to gear myself up again. I’m so tired 😂

Haha 😂 remember though, they say to DTD 5 days before and during the lead up to ovulating so fingers crossed 🤞🏼

@Ksamson555 my last cycle was 25 and before that 28.. so 32 would be very long for me. Perhaps it’s the vitamins taking it toll already! 😂

I’m actually supposed to go to london for the night tonight for work however I’m considering rearranging so I don’t miss this month haha

@HRP1990 Ahh maybe it is! Good job you were testing though as you might've missed it! Haha I don't blame you 😅

@HRP1990 that definitely looks like a peak. Definitely worth doing the do if you can for the next day or two. Excitingggg!!

I've put them in a makeup bag so they can sit on my side or in my bathroom cupboard unnoticed. The fear of someone using my bathroom and spotting a big box of clear blue ovulation sticks was too much 😂😂

So I ended up nipping to Boots and buying some tests as I was too impatient for Amazon 😅 It's negative though 😔 tried not to get my hopes up but I'm so disappointed! I thought with being nearly a week late I might've been... onto cycle 10 now 😭

@KayL1988 the make up bag is such a good idea!! I think I'll have to steal that!

@HRP1990 I did read (can't remember where) that if your LH levels rise but O doesn't happen your body can try again. My sister (who admittedly has PCOS) was told the 2 (or 3rd in her case) peak is the true O date. Levels can also rise in early pregnancy. I've read a few forums of people saying they had both a BFP and Peak LH. If your cycle is normally 25 days I'd say your O date is around CD12/13.... sounds promising to me!

@Ksamson555 that utterly sucks. Once AF has finished we are onto cycle 7.

I think my mum has sussed we are TTC. I FaceTimed her for our usual chat last night and she kept asking if I was ok. I just said AF was being particularly mean this month and I was feeling a little down. She responded with "well, one day it won't appear and then you'll forget all about feeling down". I was like 😳 "yeah one day 😅"

How do mums do it?! Mine knows everything!!

@SareBear87 oh bless her! A mother's intuition I guess! That's really interesting about LH levels being high when you're pregnant - I didn't realise that!

@Ksamson555 how many days DPO does that make you, could there still be time and you just ovulated late?

@SareBear87 I read the same actually. I just did a test and it was negative but I would only be 5DPO if I was going by my first peak so it would be too early for a BFP.

I think I’ll take this as my actual, but late O date and get cracking just encase 😂

Mums always know, they’re so clever!

@HRP1990 I've no idea as I've not been tracking my ovulation 🤦🏻‍♀️ I might start testing again this cycle. Do you guys find you spend a fortune on OPKs? Tbh that's one of the reasons I'm put off tracking!

@Ksamson555 I think mine were about £7 for a months worth. The price of a decent pregnancy test I guess! If you’re worried maybe buy a thermometer and track your temperature instead, then no need to keep repurchasing!

@HRP1990 that's loads cheaper than what I was paying! The ones I got were £15 for 10 🤦🏻‍♀️

I think you can get the ovulation strips cheap or check your temp - I spend a bit more because I'm saving money on wine and like the smiley face on CB!

LH levels being high in early pregnancy - so I read that actually it's not LH being high that causes the positive LH result. It's just that HcG and LH are similar so the tests sometimes can't distinguish them. Apparently some people who've not had a pregnancy test have used OPKs to test until the pregnancy test arrived!

@Ksamson555 the easy@home tests from Amazon are really well rated. I got 50 for like £10/11 so enough for a couple of months. I think most people tend to recommend them!

@KayL1988 I have those and really rate them, the lines are really easy to read I think.

That’s so interesting! I did a FRER this morning which was negative so maybe I’ll try and test again just before my period to double check 🤷🏻‍♀️ For now I’ll just assume I’m ovulating properly this time as the peak was really high

[quote KayL1988]@Ksamson555 the easy@home tests from Amazon are really well rated. I got 50 for like £10/11 so enough for a couple of months. I think most people tend to recommend them! [/quote]
Oh brilliant! I'll have a look into them ☺️

@Ksamson555 I use the one step OPKs which I can recommend. Again Amazon cheapies. I think they're slimmer than the Easy ones.

I wouldn't recommend the one stop pregnancy tests though. I bought them to fulfil my need to POAS but they have so many indents and shadows. I don't know why I do it to myself!