SMEP - anyone giving this a try this month and want to join me?

[Mum2DD89]

New to mumsnet 🙋‍♀️ and I've seen loads of threads where everyone is so lovely and supportive so thought I'd post. This is our 4th cycle ttc #2, 1st cycle giving SMEP a try as I've seen so many success stories. With our first, we got so lucky and ended up pregnant on our first month trying so this waiting is a bit of a shock, although I know out 1st was the exception not the norm! Would love to hear any success stories, or any other ladies that want to compare notes this month x

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 to be honest it seems like things have kind of went back to normal, my period comes more or less the same time as before, I’ve had 2 proper periods now since then.
where do you go for acupuncture ? I’ve read a lot of people doing this

@NatGee tbh 55 to me is a bit old but u don’t know everyone’s story or journey so power to her, im hoping I can get pregnant sooner rather than later but if not it will be 12 months before my GP would even entertain me 🥲

@NSx that's good if yours seems back to normal. I went to a Zita West trained one, who focused on fertility. It was nice and relaxing anyway, and I continued it through the 1st trimester also

Sorry to hear of what you went through @NSx, that must have been really tough. I'm pleased the doctor was reassuring this week. Fingers crossed for this month but at least if it's not your month, you feel positive going in to the next cycle with a more relaxed attitude

@NatGee oh I do feel something, just like pre AF feeling.

@NSx i hope that’s the case for me. I will speak to GP in 3 more cycles if no luck

@allgoodthings84 I hope it is a little one and not AF 🙏🏽🙏🏽 will you be testing soon or only when AF is due ? Xx

@NatGee only after AF due. I’m fairly certain I’m out and not just being pessimistic. It’s rubbish as these days I always feel like I’m wishing time away.

@allgoodthings84 I know what you mean. Try to schedule some fun things for you to do and look forward to and keep your mind off ttc. We booked ourselves three trips from now til xmas to do precisely that xx

@NatGee that’s a great idea. Unfortunately trips away are difficult (apart from summer holiday) for us because of my daughter and contact with her dad but I’ve got my birthday to look forward to then Xmas. I love the whole of December and always busy so won’t think about things then. Be lovely to pregnant by then though but who knows. I just know I need to stop worrying about the “what if it doesn’t happen” and enjoy life while ttc

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 I’m going to have a look online and see about an acupuncturist - anything is worth a shot. How long can you continue with it in pregnancy ? Just til 2nd trimester?
@fsr111 it’s ok, it’s been a horrendous time but I’m dealing to cope with it day by day … I would love to fall pregnant this cycle but atleast if I don’t Im not as stressed as I was before our chat. I need to calm down and trust the process 🤞💜
@allgoodthings84 what did your GP day have you spoken to one already or have they given you a timeframe that you have to have tried for? 12 months seems long but I guess it’s not really considering it seems to be a number I’m hearing a lot atm

@NSx you can continue with it the whole way through a pregnancy, it's just expensive, so I used it through first 14 or so weeks because I was worried about another MC. Then went back for the induction package before I had to be induced in third trimester.

She was great because she sat down and consulted with me for a while about my cycle and hormones, diet etc. Looked through my bbt charts. And pointed out what looked out of balance in my cycle. And it was things that I had thought were not quite right myself, but the GP dismissed because my cycles were a regular 31 days after the first couple months. So her focus was promoting blood flow to the uterus and rebalancing hormones, particularly progesterone for me

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 that sounds really interesting, I will look into it defo 💕

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 that sounds really interesting that she could talk to you about it all and focus on the right things.

@NatGee some trips away sounds great. We are going to Greece for 10 days next month and will be tww which will be handy so think next month should be way more relaxed. @allgoodthings84 yes birthdays and Christmas is something to look forward to. I know what you mean about wishing the time away sometimes especially during tww. You just want it to be ovulation time of testing time but I know we need to all enjoy life too

Finally got the static smiley today on CD17! 😅so far we have dtd on day 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16. Think I saw DH grit his teeth this morning at the thought of three days in a row now! Haha!

@fsr111 lol. We actually didn't end up doing that last one but like you had dtd the day before peak so did 3 days in a row but was 2 days before ovulation up to ovulation day. Good luck and baby dust to you ✨

@NSx and @EdinburghGirl1 it was, I needed someone to look at my bbt charts, luteal phase etc. For example I didn't realise that a lower post ovulation temp pointed to low progesterone. Or one that dropped off too soon. I was cobbling it together from online tutorials. And my Dr couldn't have been less interested 🤣

@fsr111i I totally sympathise there! We did our every other day, three in a row, then got more EWCM so now looking at six in a row. With a baby that's decided he doesn't want to sleep atm....🤣

@fsr111 haha I'm beginning to think my DH feels like this poor lion

9gag.com/gag/an4zrWo

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 that's really informative. When I was ttc #1 I had reflexology as she was really good at looking at stuff too and helping with suggestions. So rubbish your Dr didn't really care.

@NatGee 😂

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 so do you mean lower than the cover line means low progesterone?

my temp rose after ovulation this month but rose only by like 0.40 yet my skin is a mess which suggests high progesterone does it not? 😒 (from like 36.27 to like 36.66 )

@NSx nah I’ve not spoken to anyone yet. I know our doctors follow nhs advice very closely so they won’t talk to me until after 6 months. I’ve not got a lot of confidence of getting much help to be honest as I don’t think they are generally very helpful and I have a child already

I’m pretty sure I’m out as I’m due AF Tuesday morning (maybe tomorrow night) and my resting heart rate dropped by 1bpm today which is what it always does just before AF. If tomorrow is even lower then I’ll be coming on ☹️

@allgoodthings84 im sorry that they aren’t helpful, they tend to follow the guidelines even if they don’t make sense sometimes. I hope you get your BFP before even needing their intervention 🤞

i don’t know about resting heart rate - but until AF comes - you are in! aF isn’t due for a while for me I have a 14 day LP and I’m only on 6dpo so still feel like I have ages to wait 🥲 I’m not hopeful either tho

@NatGee hahahahaha!!! That lion's face is definitely familiar! 😂

Fingers crossed for you @allgoodthings84.
I actually went to my dr a couple of months ago as my periods are heavy and painful. I brought up TTC at the same time and she said they would investigate further after 12 months but in the meantime did a blood test and referred me for an ultrasound (neither found anything) but at least it felt like it got the ball rolling a little. She was actually very thorough - which surprised me a little as I always feel like I got fobbed off when trying to discuss these issues in the past. Going to push for an appointment to discuss next steps if it's a bfn this month.

@NatGee 🤣 yes exactly this!

@NSx I'm not sure. This article might explain it better www.conceive.org.uk/post/bbt-and-fertility

I can say for my own charts the issues she identified were a slower rise in temperature, and the temperature starting to fluctuate and decline too early (coinciding with spotting a couple of days before my period, which I'd never had before) and my luteal phase was too shortish which can stop an egg implanting. So for me my hormones were apparently out of sync. And my flow had changed (tmi sorry) but she was very interested in the colour, duration, heaviness etc. Should be bright red, at least 3 days of good flow, no clots, and limited pain apparently. From memory I think she wanted my post ov temp to be 36

This is what my chart did look like

This is what it looked like after acupuncture. I'd had four sessions and this is how it looked for getting pregnant