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

@NatGee yea it’s going to be long but I can’t deal with the 500 BFN’s 😂😂😂

good for you, good luck I hope this is your lucky month 🤞🎉

@allgoodthings84 sorry your spotting and think AF is coming soon. Definitely stick around. Be nice to keep this going for those still trying next month.

@NSx this week is going to drag I think. I'm hoping to hold out until Saturday. Funny how quite a few of us just don't feel hopeful this month.

@EdinburghGirl1 I’m going out for dinner with my in-laws on sat night , so don’t want to be depressed 😂😂😂 that’s why I’m not testing til Sunday 🥹

@NSx good plan. Fingers crossed for good news this weekend

@EdinburghGirl1 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

Thanks ladies

@NatGee my cycles are usually 26/27 days but occasionally 24 or 25 depending when I ovulate. My LP is always the same. This cycle will be 24 days which isn’t common for me. When I’m poorly or feeling run down they can be a few days longer but that’s rare. I’ve been tracking my cycles for years but not ovulation that’s only been since ttc

@NSx I'm not temping right now but I used to orally temp.

@allgoodthings84 hopefully it's not AF but if it is I think I'll be around next month also. Looks like maybe I'm not ovulating as had a week of ewcm now

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 ive also been doing it orally but unsure of how accurate it is 😂😅

what makes you think u haven’t ovulated ?

@allgoodthings84 I see. At least they come round fairly quickly. I look forward to hearing how this cycle goes for you, so much baby dust to you xx

@NSx I'm assuming I haven't ovulated because usually after ovulation, cervical mucus dries right up. But mine is continuously egg white like, so looks like my body keeps gearing up and then it's not happening 🤷‍♀️

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 I had ewcm up to 2dpo with confirmed ovulation using bbt. I had been taking evening primrose oil up to ovulation, so I was wondering if it was from that.

I have just booked an appointment to speak to a doctor. I think I got lucky with the receptionist who took my call as she answered the phone so abruptly (like they usually do) but as soon as I said I wanted to book an appointment to speak to a doctor about a few concerns I have ttc her tone changed and she was super helpful and booked me a telephone consultation to start with the doctor who she personally thought would be the most helpful and understanding (a female one who she said is lovely). It’s on 8th September so I’ll try as normal this next cycle as you never know and all. Might as well get the ball rolling.

@allgoodthings84 that's great you've got an appointment all booked in

@Aurora81 thank you for that, hopefully that's the case for me also! Just read some things on breastfeeding and it said might not be actually ovulating if continually getting ewcm 😔

@allgoodthings84 oh good, hopefully speaking to a professional will allay any worries

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 ah right ok, honestly I don’t know about all that CM stuff it confuses the life out of me 😂😅
@allgoodthings84 thats good, hopefully after the tel con the dr will book u in for bloods and take it from there ✨🤞

@EdinburghGirl1 @NatGee yep and at least then I’ll be doing what I possibly can. Hopefully Sod’s law will kick in and I’ll get pregnant next cycle before any tests etc 😂. I know I won’t get tests this cycle as I think the first thing they check are those tests that are cd3 and 7dpo? CD3 is due to be this Thursday so obviously won’t be done this cycle. To be fair they may still tell me to wait another 3 cycles but I might get some advice in the interim

@NSx fingers crossed. Then hopefully I can stop worrying. I don’t think they will do much more than the bloods as I have a child but that will be better than nothing

@allgoodthings84 any chance you can get tests done privately? when our first attempt didnt work out (impatient, I know, but I'm old) we went and did a seminogram and amh testing. Came out at £500 or so, and this is in London so may be cheaper if you're elsewhere? Something you can get done very cheaply is test for chlamydia, it presents no symptoms but is v easily treatable. Just throwing ideas out there because I couldn't take the not knowing

@NatGee it’s unlikely we will go private as it could be nothing or it could take lots of consultations and tests etc which we can’t afford at the moment. Once you start you need to keep going until they find the issue really. I don’t want to risk spending hundreds and still not know what’s wrong as we will run out of money and we are saving for a new house at the moment as won’t fit here with another child 😂 so haven’t got the spare money to go private at this time

@allgoodthings84, sorry that AF has arrived. Hope you aren't feeling too disheartened today. When I went to the Drs, I got the STI tests and a blood test to check on thyroid function straight away. Got referred to the hospital for an ultra sound too. She said she couldn't officially start investigation until 12 months but could start to tick things off that it wasn't. Hopefully you will have the same luck. I definitely felt better for just raising the point and having it recorded too.

@NSx yeah, I think it might make the 🏊 stronger by doing a 3 day hold. Just hoping that my body will return to cd 14 ovulation ✨🤞🏻✨

@NatGee my temp usually drops at 12/13 dpo, so I guess time will tell as it always does.

@allgoodthings84 thats great that you got an appointment! Ask the doc to check your bit D levels too if you can.

@allgoodthings84 i work in a drs surgery so that’s what I would imagine to happen, to either check ur bloods there or refer u to Hosp for the same to check thyroids etc

@allgoodthings84 * pressed send too fast.
please keep me posted - I would be surprised if they find anything wrong tho.

@fsr111 AF isn’t officially here yet. It’s due tomorrow (or over night tonight) but my heart rate has dropped and I’m spotting so it means it’s on its way. I’m hoping they will do something sooner than 12 months as I’m 37 so think the advice is 6 months. I’ve only been going 3 cycles ttc but it’s the spotting before AF that concerns me the most. I get all of the proper rising progesterone symptoms and resting HR doesn’t start to drop until right before AF (a tiny bit 2 days before then a bit more day before but from looking at bbt charts it’s normal) but it’s the spotting that concerns me as that could be low progesterone? I don’t think they do anything for that on nhs but if I know it is definitely that then I’ll go privately to hopefully get it prescribed

@Aurora81 I take vitamin d vitamins but never know how my body absorbs it so hopefully they will do full vitamin bloods. I used to have to have vit b12 injections for years before I had my daughter so could even be something like that although I do take vit b complex maybe it’s not enough for me. I think the fact I used to be so deficient in B12 (to the point my doctor thought I must be vegan and a fussy one at that 😂) will help to get them to agree to those blood tests.

@NSx I’ve had my thyroid checked it the past when I was gaining weight but turns out I was just being a piggy and seriously misjudging calories in full sugar pop! There wasn’t anything wrong with my thyroid then but it was over 10 years ago. My weight is all in healthy range now though I don’t gain or lose unless I eat too much or too little or does that not always happen with thyroid issues?

It’s the spotting I worry about. My LP is only 12 days which is fine and normal and I would worry if I didn’t spot before AF as surely that can’t be good if the lining is already starting to come away pre AF? If that’s even what it is. I did ask the nurse at my last smear last September if it was normal as she commented I must be about to come on in next couple days as there was a tiny bit of blood (I hadn’t ever noticed until then that I spotted as it is so light) not enough to effect the test results. I asked if normal and ok and she said yes. I wasn’t worried then as wasn’t thinking of ttc at that point so thought nothing more of it until now

If they find out the issue on nhs but won’t treat it because of me having a child already then I’ll look into private. If there is something wrong I imagine it’s linked to the spotting though as I am fairly certain I ovulate as my resting HR goes up and stays up right after opk predict ovulation and I feel ovulation cramps. Maybe it is just progesterone but if that’s the case why do I get all of the progesterone symptoms and resting HR stays up until right before AF which a Google says is progesterone linked

who bloody knows 😂