Cycle Day 1 - SMEP method?

[MummyStevensToBe]

Hi Mummies-to-be! Is anyone at a similar stage in their cycle and going to try the SMEP method this time? Would love to share the highs and lows of the journey together!

This is our second cycle, TTC baby #1, but first cycle I’m pretty sure we DTD around the wrong time / missed my ovulation day. Thought SMEP could give us a better chance!

@UmmSA at least he's keen and getting into it 😂 I have heard that but don't know if it's more of an old wives tale? You have to do it every day at peak fertility anyway, so can't imagine it does any harm - just might be a bit exhausting! 😅

@mrsS21 I've already realised that I've gone wrong in my planning - I got the starting OPK testing and DTD the wrong way round - I think I should be DTD today and then starting OPK Thursday... But maybe I'll just do both?! 🤷‍♀️

ROFL why not ey @MummyStevensToBe😆 are you on cd8?
We started on day 8 but now had a few days gap. I’m still 4 days before FW so hoping if we start today, then every other day up to peak 🤞🏻 Whoop!! DH is going to be fed up of me soon 😆

@mrsS21 😂 I'm on CD8 now and did my first ovulation test yesterday, which was negative, but then did my second today and it was a flashing smiley?! I thought it was way too soon in my cycle for that - glad I started testing early now! Just texted DH saying it's on tonight 😂🤞

I'm not sure with the SMEP whether I should DTD everyday once a flashing smiley (high fertility) comes up or whether that's when the static smiley (peak fertility) comes up? Does anyone know?!

@MummyStevensToBe Similar over here! I’m on cycle day 10 and started testing yesterday and today I got a flashing smiley too! Yet I don’t usually ovulate until cycle day 16 which has confused me a bit. Although I have had some EWCM today so I’m wondering if I’m going to ovulate early?! Bit of a mystery. On the cheap OPKs there’s hardly a line there though.

@Moonshine160 eeek exciting! Will you DTD everyday from now then? Or wait for a static smiley?

I'm absolutely baffled now, as I just had a bit of spotting - could it be ovulation bleeding? Is that a thing?!

@MummyStevensToBe I was going to DTD ever other day but might try every day, just in case!
Oh it could be! I’ve never had that before but I’ve read on here that it can be a thing. What cycle day do you usually ovulate?

Ooh quite possibly @MummyStevensToBe sounds like it could be ovulation bleed… have you done just one opk today?
We’ve DTD tonight cd15, not due to peak until next Friday - but I’m determined to cover all our bases 😆 so just talked to Mr about now dtd every other day until day before peak, then every day for 3 days. Going to need a rest after that!! November is gonna be the month! We totally got this!!🙌

What is it?! CD6 here… (just!)

@MummyStevensToBe I’m super perplexed this morning - tested with cb advanced the last 3 days, got the empty circle as low fertility…tried an easy@home this morning and it’s saying high @ 0.88! Which one do I go with?! And now, do we dtd every night or every other night? Having a bit of a flap this morning!

Cd16 today :)

Hi @GoldenElephant :) do you mean what is SMEP? It's the Sperm Meets Egg Plan - a schedule to try a time conception: spermmeetseggplan.com/smep-step-by-step/

@mrsS21 that's so confusing! Maybe it's the time of day? I know some say they're more sensitive later in the day? Maybe test again this afternoon? I think we've decided to DTD every other day while it's flashing and then once we have a static smiley we'll start the 3 days in a row thing - I have no idea if that's right but scared that I could be on flashing for quite a while given it's started so early in my cycle, and that would just be exhausting 😂

@Moonshine160 so sorry I missed your message too! Yes agree about DTD every other day - hard to keep up otherwise! I've only been tracking ovulation for a couple of months and it's usually mid cycle - around CD 14/15, so the flashing circles seem very premature! CD 10 for me so will see what my OPK says today! I normally test around 1pm - do you guys test more than once a day?

That’s a great shout @MummyStevensToBe at least you’ll definitely cover all your bases whilst your flashing smiley is there!

My tests are low again today, so not sure if I’m maybe too early. Going to keep tracking, see how it goes. Planning on dtd every other day too!

@MummyStevensToBe we’ve been trying to DTD every day but it’s getting quite tiresome and like you say the flashing smilies seem to be quite premature for me too… I get the impression that they measure the first test you do against the others and if there is an increase in hormone then it’ll give you the flashing smiley, even though the cheap OPKs are negative. But I never ovulate until cycle day 16 and on the clearblue ones the flashing smiley has started at CD9!! X

Hi all, been MIA as life has got really hectic for us. We’re selling our flat and hoping to find the dream forever home, so the last week we’ve been getting the flat ready for the open day tomorrow.

As life has been so busy, I’ve decided not to track ovulation with OPKs this month, we’re just going to DTD as much as possible over my predicted fertile week!

I guess we’ll see how we get on 🤞🏽

Whoop! First flashing smiley this morning!! Hope everyone is having a great FW so far!🙌

Hope everyone’s getting on ok.
The confusion continues for me. Got another flashing smile on the Clearblue test this morning. Did a cheap OPK with it which to me looks positive, both the test and control line are equally dark. After I did the Clearblue test I had a look at the two lines and the test line is darker than the control line, so I don’t know why I’ve got a flashing smiley and not my peak?
I’ve also been tracking my BBT and the chart is all over the place. It reckons i ovulated the day my period ended 🙈 which I know isn’t right.

@Firsttimetrier ah congratulations - lots of exciting things happening! Don’t blame you for taking it a little easier - you don’t more stress! Ultimately just DTD is what it’s all about. Keeping everything crossed for you - on the house and baby!!

@mrsS21 yayyy!! So now onto the every other day plan? Good luck! 🤞🤞

@Moonshine160 oh no so confusing! I would maybe DTD for the next couple of days back to back just in case and then keep on testing in the meantime? These clearblue tests are not filling me with heaps of confidence! Yes that can’t be right RE ovulation?! What app do you use to track BBT? I use natural cycles but also find my temp is a bit all over the place too - I’m sure it doesn’t help that I wake up to an alarm every day and EVERY day I get the fright of my life, so by the time I’ve come too, my temp might have gone up 😂

I’m now CD11 and had 3 flashing smiley days - will test again around 1pm and see what today is saying. Both apps I use are saying different predicted ovulation dates - Ovia is saying CD Monday (CD13) and natural cycles is saying CD18! Not hugely helpful 😂

Thanks @MummyStevensToBe that’s my plan :) every other day, up to peak, then 2/3 days in a row.

Sorry wrong button! That’s great you’ve had 3 in a row, hopefully you’re close to peak! How can the apps be so different?!

How is everyone doing? I had been testing with the Clearblue advanced tests every morning and they had been showing a flashing smiley for 3 or 4 days. Decided to do another yesterday afternoon and glad I did because it had changed to a static smiley. I don’t think I’m going to buy them again though tbh, they’re expensive and they don’t tell me anything that the cheap OPK strips can’t tell me! I’ve done another cheap ovulation test this morning and it’s still a bold positive so not sure how long I should keep DTD for?! Getting a bit exhausted with it now! Sometimes my positive OPKs last up to 3 days, not sure if this is normal?!

Hi @Moonshine160 I agree with you on the cb ov kit, really expensive, just to see a smiley face!
I’ve been using the easy @ home strips alongside and they’re just as good if not better (I got a high the first day when cb was low!

I’m on day 2 of highs, hoping that I’m ovulating by Friday, we’ll dtd every other day until I get peak, then 3 days in a row. Told him he can have a rest after that 😆

@mrsS21 haha never before have men wanted to have a rest so much 🙈😂 woohoo fingers crossed for your peak soon!

@Moonshine160 oh that’s great that you have your static! Lucky you caught it! Yes sounds like the cheap ones are probably the way to go. Not sure how long is normal to have a positive for - this is my first month properly tracking using OPKs so no idea. I guess as long as you’re DTD regularly around this time it should be good, even if it’s not EVERY day!

I’m on my 5th day of flashing smileys - I feel like that’s a bit strange?! I’m wondering if the CB reader went too soon and actually my first couple weren’t accurate? Although given what you’ve said about doing another one later in the day giving a different result maybe I’ll start doing a couple of tests a day just to make sure. I also have a couple of cheap ones at home so will maybe do one when I get back (we're at parents this weekend so perhaps it's best we're not at peak 😂🙈)

@moonshine60 I think my peak is coming soon too, my lines were the same shade this morning so I'm probably going to get peak tonight.

Hmm 5 days in a row OP? This would really irritate me! However, I've read on quite a few threads of people getting 7 or 8 days of flashing before their static so hopefully it's just around the corner.

Also doing the SMEP for the second cycle, but my third ttc! Baby no 1! Have had my positive opk (I think) so at the 3 consecutive days, but I’m not 100 % sure I’ve ovulated, so going to go back to DTD every other day for a few more days after this 3 days, just incase! Ive had positive on clear blue, but much earlier than normally, and no pvulation pain or EWCM (all of which I usually get) and IC wasn’t positive! I’m going to treat it as positive, and do the 3 days, but I’ll also continue testing and every other day for maybe another week!

@MummyStevensToBe I had 11 flasy before my static the first month using them, but only 2 flashy the second month around! I used the same holder as well, just incase they kept track of your readings!