SMEP-ing our way to a BFP 🍁🍂🐿️🍂🍁

[Aurora81]

Our SMEP plans continue.... The old thread is almost full, so I started a new thread so we can continue on SMEP-ing to a BFP ✨☺️✨

No idea what the point of the sperm analysis was, the only information my partner has been given is "low volume, but sperm at normal density and normal mobility".

So what the hell does that mean?! 🤷‍♀️ I'm so done today. Period hormones are absolutely killing me, can't stop crying, feel like I'm worthless and my partner doesn't really love me, no matter how much he reassures me. Why is it all so hard sometimes 😥

@LucyFraser1981 so that means that for you the best approach is to have sex every other day as it gives his swimmers the change to replenish, since he doesn’t have high volumes.
good morality and shape means it’s all normal.
it only takes 1 swimmer - don’t be too hard on yourself - I’ve had an awful day myself so sending u lots of hugs ✨

Motility *

@LucyFraser1981 exactly what nsx said. The sperm is good just not as much of it so go for every other day so each time you do it there’s a bit more.

I’ll join you in the confused feeling rubbish club. Today I have had a tiny bit of spotting! I’m CD10 and my opk’s show I’m not about to ovulate so I have no idea what’s going on! I’ve never ever spotted until before AF

@allgoodthings84 what a day it’s been. I’ve cried 3 times about this - honestly surely it’s not meant to be this hard 😭 … I need a time out.

@NSx I’m so tempted to not actively ttc for the rest of the year. Not prevent but not track or time anything. I know I won’t though as I want it so badly. Even more since testing positive as it made me realise just how much I want it by how devastated I felt. I know you will be able to relate to that too. We dtd tonight and will do every other night until positive opk. I’m hoping so much that the CP won’t delay ovulation this cycle. I’m not a fan of the pressure of the sex to conceive

@allgoodthings84 i was tempted to ditch the bbt and OPK’s this month and just DTD every other day after period for a bit, but I will probably still worry if we’ve done enough.
honestly I’ve had it!
I read on loads of threads about people getting pregnant quickly after a chemical , it may just mess up your cycle a bit but shouldn’t stop you conceiving for sure xx

@NSx i just don’t want to dtd every other day for 2 weeks 😂 that’s why I don’t want ovulation delayed. I think it might be a little later than it has been recently as my opk’s are mega light but I do surge quickly so it’s hard to say so I don’t want to risk not dtd yet. So yea could be a lot of dtd this cycle but I don’t want to waste a cycle either as not getting any younger unfortunately 😂. My looming birthday keeps reminding me of that. I usually love my birthday and get excited but this year I’m not. At least I’ve booked the day off work though but can’t do much as got to do the school runs still but my partner has it off too so we will go out for lunch or something. My daughter doesn’t know we are off or she would refuse to go to school

@allgoodthings84 i get what you mean. To be honest I’ve had enough of sex for conception it’s not as fun, 😅 …
when is ur bday? I hope u will have a lovely time 💗

Can I join this thread? Feel I have nowhere to turn as all my friends are either pregnant or going through non-pregnancy related awful life events. I have one beautiful DD who is almost 18 months. I feel so lucky to have her but would love to give her a sibling. We have been TTC since May. 1st cycle had a chemical pregnancy. 2nd cycle ended in miscarriage at 6.5 weeks. Since then we have been trying fairly regularly but not following SMEP per se. AF started today so I’m now cycle 3 post miscarriage so early doors I know but I am struggling with the emotional strain.

@NSx the first dtd of the cycle is great second still good then gets forced as not doing it for the fun it’s because we “must”. It’s next Thursday. My present from my partner is to go to a concert towards the end of November. I’ve got to act surprised when I “find out” on my birthday which one it is. I know as he told me the date we are going (so I can sort childcare) and where it is so I knew then as I get ticketmaster emails 🤦‍♀️ 😂

Hi @SpringDream. you are in good company here. We all started SMEP but mostly do what we feels now loosely following it but we keep on chatting here as we all know what each other are going through. I’ve been ttc since June and had a CP at 5 weeks a week ago. It’s so rubbish. There’s a few of us here struggling and it helps being able to talk about it to each other. I have a 7 year old but with a different partner now and we want a sibling for her so bad.

@allgoodthings84 I’m planning to try SMEP this month and see how we get on but it seems quite intense!! Well, maybe before we had our daughter it wouldn’t have seemed so intense but now it seems A LOT!!! 🤣

Has anyone had experience of their cycles changing? After my miscarriage, my cycles have gone from a very regular 28 days to 30-33 days so now each cycle feels so long

@SpringDream definitely harder with a child 😂 we go every other day when we can then peak day and ovulation day if possible. We don’t do day after anymore. We used to but never got pregnant then last cycle we didn’t bother and I did get pregnant so don’t think that day makes a difference to us. I think I ovulate pretty soon after my positive opk so it’s too late by then anyway.

My cycles vary from 24-27 days but I’m not sure what this one is going to do yet. This is the first cycle since my early miscarriage/CP. I’m CD10 and no CM yet where I usually do so think it’s going to be delayed which I’m a bit 😬 about as means more dtd every other day 😂. I love sex when not ttc but it gets tiresome when you feel you “have” to do it

do you know if you’re ovulating later or is your LP now longer?

I know it’s definitely not going to be a 24 day cycle anyway by my opk today and lack of CM.

Thanks all, I seem to be suffering a lot with the drop in hormones with this period, it started quite full on yesterday early evening and was awful through the night, so guessing it was quite an abrupt drop and has sent my dopamine and serotonin levels plummeting 😔 I don't usually get depressed and weepy, usually just grumpy the week before.

I'm wondering if it might be worth using my nixit menstrual disc after dtd, as I've seen people using a similar product specifically to keep the sperm up near the cervix, which the nixit disc would certainly do as it's flat rather than a cup. Guessing if the volume is low then we need to keep as much of it up there as possible 🤷‍♀️

@allgoodthings84 I know you said you don't temp due to your daughter waking up, had you thought about something like the ava bracelet? As then you don't have to do anything as it monitors it all for you, just like your apple watch? I'm hoping the one I bought off ebay arrives in a few days, so I could let you know how I get on? It would allow you to pinpoint when you're ovulating more accurately, maybe? I've heard it's still better to plug the data manually into fertility friend, but I'm thinking it will stop be focusing on taking my temp at the right time, so I might sleep better too 🤞

Well I'm keeping my fingers crossed you get an extra, slightly delayed birthday surprise in a few weeks time 🤞🍀

Welcome @SpringDream 🍀

@NSx sorry you're not feeling great either 💗

@LucyFraser1981 I’m sorry you’re feeling so low 😞. I did think about the Ava bracelet but it’s so expensive and now I know I definitely ovulate and opk’s are accurate for me it seems like an expense near Christmas I could do without. Maybe if I’m not pregnant again by early next year I’ll invest. Definitely let us know how you get on with it though.

Getting a bfp this cycle would be amazing but in my head I keep thinking it’s going to be another 5 cycles again which I know is silly as could be quicker or longer same chance every cycle. It all seems like a dream that will never happen now but I bet we all feel like that at times. If ovulation is delayed and I don’t get a bfp I’ll be gutted with all the extra dtd 😂. Earlier I was getting annoyed that it looks like it’s going to be delayed but then I gave my head a wobble and reminded myself there’s nothing to be done about it so just take it as it comes. Can’t control it so no point in getting annoyed or worrying

Hi all, sorry to see that you are all feeling low from the TTC journey at the moment. There must be something in the air or a full moon or something because I've also been completely miserable these past two days, really hormonal and weepy and a bit despairing about the whole thing. Been for day 3 bloods today, so will see what they say. @LucyFraser1981, love the idea of the Ava watch, really interested to know how it goes for you and what the results, etc. say. Weird about the spotting now @allgoodthings84, has it stopped now? Welcome @SpringDream, this is a great group of supportive people. Hope you're ok @pomdownunder1 and @NSx too

Hello, I'm just catching up on all the chat. Sorry to everyone whose feeling low and hormonal. I def empathise with that.

I haven't been able to try the last two months just with timings and circumstances etc but trying to remind myself there's only ever a 20% chance and it's luck of the draw whether that's month one or a lot later

@fsr111 i hope your day 3 bloods are all good. I’m going to ask if I can repeat my day 21 bloods unless I ovulate Sunday (as would have to be 5dpo or 8dpo and I want it to be 6/7dpo to be more accurate or it will just make me worry more. 6dpo be ideal so I can compare to last cycles but it’s looking unlikely be possible this cycle. To be fair they might say no anyway as I definitely ovulate. The odd spotting yesterday has stopped. It was just yesterday morning/early afternoon and only on first wipe going to the toilet. It was so odd but must be a throwback from the CP. I’m glad it stopped in time for us to dtd last night though 😂. I haven’t told my partner as didn’t want to worry him unless there’s reason to.

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 exactly that. It’s like a roll of the dice every cycle. At some point it will land on us but every cycle you get the same chance so could happen at any time

Good afternoon ladies 💖

AF has arrived for me, bang on time.

hope you are all ok 🤍🤍🤍

@NSx I’m sorry to hear AF is here again 😞 this ttc is so hard.

I had a lot of CM when I went to the toilet an hour ago, more than ever so hoping it means ovulation won’t be delayed

@allgoodthings84 fingers crossed for you 🤞✨💗
I have the most horrendous cramping 🥹

@NSx you have my sympathy, my AF was awful the first night, even woke me during the night due to the pain. Eased off now I'm on day 3, and the hormonal sadness/anxiety has eased a little too, but still feeling very down, which isn't like me. Sending you virtual empathetic hugs 💗

@fsr111 yes, definitely interested in how I get on with the ava. Will be selling it on if I'm successful as I think they're extortionate when new!