@Missgemini Yes absolutely, it is almost impossible not to be aware of all the symptoms. I also had some stabbing/sharp pain on the lower abdomen during the first cycle and convinced myself that I am pregnant. However now looking back, the reason probably was bloating/gas caused by hormonal changes.
I agree, 5DPO might still be a little bit early for reading into the symptoms I think, so yes, I would at least wait until Wed/Thursday to do so šAs I kept reading everywhere that all the pregnancy symptoms are the same as our menstrual cycle. Timing also overlaps, so it's almost impossible to differentiate unless there is a little white strip in your hand lol.
If I had to take one theory that I can test this month is I would see If the symptoms are actually still there after 10DPO. Because in my experience I noticed all the cramps, bloating, mood swings, fatigue, nausea had disappeared on 10-11DPO then on the 14DPO I got my period spotting. I wondered why that is and looked it up and found this: " In a menstrual cycle when pregnancy doesn't occur, the corpus luteum stops working, which causes progesterone levels to drop sharply. Usually around four days before a period begins, the level of progesterone is back down to the level it was at for the first phase of the cycle."
I know it might not work for some people, it would probably work better if cycle start date is pretty solid. I will see and share my updates if that works this time as well.
@NatGee Thank you, hopefully that's the right month for us! Until last month, I didn't know it will require that much effort & time tbh, I always used protection etc and scared that if not, I would get pregnant straight away lol. I had been so naive about it. After hearing and reading everyone's story(maybe finally paying enough attention) now I know š
@Purple29 Sorry to hear that you are feeling let down by your body. I am familiar with that feeling(from experiencing a health issue last year) and it is a difficult one. How long have you been trying?