First Timers TTC. Safe space for brain dumps, questions, whinges and celebrations. Part 2!

[TinyDancer91]

Hi All.

This is a continuation from my past thread, but no need to go read that one if you're new here!

Quick TD;LR from the old post (but with up to date info) - I'm 31, OH is 35. We are TTC baby #1. Been TTC since Jan 2022, now on cycle 14. Haven't told anyone to avoid pressure.

Feel free to post any questions, thoughts, whinges, celebrations, basically anything here!

Going to try to be a bit more positive than I was toward the end of the last thread 😂

Love & baby dust to all. Wishing for BFPs for everyone this year 💖

Hey @Kofifi! I think you’ve got a good idea there! Maybe testing too much puts pressure on and like you say, you know yourself the best. I’ve heard more generally that it’s often when people chill out about trying that they get their BFP! I might take the same approach.

I’ve tested for ovulation everyday since day 8 but drew a blank (now on day 16 of my cycle and I’m never that late to ovulate). So I’m not sure if the accuracy either. I’m hoping for a BFP this month but am trying not to get my hopes up!

@Kofifi and @Feliciacat - I’m in a similar position.
I did 2 months of OPKs and they were always negative, even when testing twice a day. My GP told me to bin them as they just cause stress and if DTD every other or every couple of days you will hit your ovulation so what’s the point.

I measure my BBT too but this month haven’t had a clear temp increase so bit unknown when or if I actually ovulated. I’m considering stopping this as well as having to do it first thing when I wake up just means fertility is the first thing I think about every day.. bit miserable.

I’m currently on CD 37 (my cycles are usually 32/33 days) and AF nowhere in site and BFNs. The only thing I changed this cycle was to take Pregnacare preconception vitimins so maybe they have changed something with my hormones?? Who knows..

Ive got a GP appointment on Wednesday and she’s booking me in for a day 21 blood test once i eventually get AF to check everything is ok with my hormones. I’m so tearful and fed up at the moment thinking there is something wrong with me and I just want this cycle to be over so I can try again.
It is so so hard to ‘just relax’!

How's everyone doing?

Sorry I haven't been very active on here lately. Needed some headspace.

Love & baby dust to all 💕

Hope you're doing ok @TinyDancer91 I stepped away for a bit too, mostly to try and distract myself with other things during this TWW, started my cycle feeling generally less stressed this month but TWW is still getting the best of me.

I'm only 9dpo (I think, missed my surge on tests this month but had other usual symptoms) and not testing yet, I have tests in the house but determined to get to 14dpo first. I think after speaking with the doctor at the start of this cycle it chilled me out, hearing that it just might not happen in the "normal way" for us definitely took the pressure off although that was hard to hear so not expecting it makes resisting the urge to test easier. I had my bloods today but know they were taken on the "wrong" day for my cycle as not avg so test results might not look good even if things fine, if anything that might make the doc refer me quicker who knows? OH has SA on Thurs so will await those results too.

Despite my determination to be zen this month I had some very mild cramping yesterday and the day before, no bleeding though. And an odd sensation I can only describe as like a pulling in my pelvic bone. Never felt anything like it and it was right around the time implantation would most likely occur but I think I'm just the usual hyper aware noticing every twinge as usual. Really don't want to get ahead of myself especially since I've only really just got my head around the it might not happen etc etc from the doc.

Why do our bodies do this to us??

Hi Tinydancer and NervousNoo! Headspace and zen are definitely good things; ttc is an anxiety minefield!

Sorry to hear it might not happen without intervention, NervousNoo. As you say, at least it takes the pressure off you.

I came close to actually fainting on my way to work this morning. I feel sick and tired and am 10dpo. I don’t want to get my hopes up cos it could just be bad pmt. It’s impossible not to though!

Good luck to everyone in the tww. I’m testing on Thursday xxx

@NervousNoo I think I'm about 5dpo. I didn't do any OPKs this cycle but based off previous cycles, I am somewhere between 3 and 6 dpo. It sucks to hear that it may not happen for you 'in the normal way' but guess it's kind of comforting to get some sort of answers.

We are waiting for the results of OH's SA, which he had on 3rd Feb. Trying to get him to call the Dr to see if the results are in, but he won't until Friday as it said it could be up to 14 business days 🙄I think it's also him wanting to delay the potential of being told there is a problem.

I've had day 21 bloods done through NHS and also did a Hertility test this cycle. Day 21s came back as 'within normal range'. Results on Hertility were;
AMH - borderline high (high is 35, mine was 34.64)
FSH, LH, OEST, PROL, DHEAS, SHBG, testosterone, FT4 & TSH - normal

So doesn't appear to be anything 'off' hormone wise for me. Not sure whether that makes me feel any better or worse to be honest.

Fingers crossed for you and @Feliciacat !

Got my AF. So cycle 2 was not successful and I’m into cycle 3. If cycle 3 doesn’t work, we won’t try on cycle four as they’d be born between Xmas and new year!

Does anyone else have a similar view? Like, you will avoid the odd month because of when the due date would be?

ttc for my first baby right now since november, due on in 2 days, getting either awful pms or early pregnancy symptoms, was very poorly wih suspected ruptured ovarian cysts october to december, hospitalised, had to have emergency scans t check ovaries and womb hadnt died, came off birth control immediately (my mum said birth control prescription getting delayed is what made me poorly and gynecologist agreed) hoping for a valentines baby in my arms in 9 months, but i wont get my hopes up xx ive always wanted to be a mum and i look up to my mum a lot (she was ttc for 6 years and told she was infertile) xx

Has anyone's OH had a SA done by the NHS? If so, how long did it take to get the results? We've been waiting for 3 weeks now and it feels like torture! Worried it's a sign there's something not right or they have lost his sample/results... nhs website says within a week, local nhs crm site says within 10 working days...

Dr surgery also now saying they have no record of having requested it!! 😩😭 help!! What do we do?!

Hi everyone. I finally got my period on day 40 something. Its pretty common for me to have irregular cycles so no biggie.

@Tinydancer91 - you said your TSH was "normal" but did you get a number? They will say its normal up to around 5 but if your trying to conceive then it is optimally around 2.5. I have hypothyroidism and it took my years of feeling terrible woth no treatment because of this.

My plan this month is to go with the flow. No ovulation tests, no calculating, just listen to my body and have sex as much as possible. Good luck everyone.

@TinyDancer91 infuriatingly it sounds like they’ve lost. As the GP hasn’t got a record can you request another? Might be worth it in the meantime. The other one might appear but at least you’re not sitting around for weeks with nothing going on in the background.

@Feliciacat i have discussed this with DH. I don’t want a Jan baby. He thinks I’m silly but I hate having a Jan birthday and don’t want my DC to have one. I’d love for them to be any time of year except Jan

@TinyDancer91 Mine had his this week. Was told if he hasn't heard from doc in 2 weeks to call them, they didn't indicate there might be any circumstances where it would be longer. Would suggest to me either a lost sample or a communication breakdown between lab and GP. Like @Ditzydaisychain I'd ask for another referral for another one to be safe.

@TinyDancer91 the health service is, sadly, very disorganised so I think they must have lost it. Sorry but you should request another :(

@Kofifi good luck on your next cycle!

@NervousNoo hope the SA goes well!

@Ditzydaisychain yeah I can understand that about Jan birthdays; a gloomy time of year!

@bbypinkluffie I hope your AF did not arrive and that you got a BFP?

@Feliciacat my AF has not arrived, but my first response early result test had one line last night and one line first thing this morning, so I don’t think it’s happened for me this month xx

@bbypinkluffie hmm you are probably right if you’ve still only got one line. But there’s still hope until AF arrives I suppose. I heard somewhere that it can take until a week after your missed period to test positive.

@Kofifi TSH was 1.51, 'normal' range is considered 0.27-4.2 apparently.

@Ditzydaisychain I wasn't home when he called the dr, so couldn't influence 😂but if we don't hear anything this week then I will insist he requests another referral.

Just all so infuriating, the CRM said we can't get results from them either, they will be sent back to GP, so can't even go down that route... I've still only had day 21 bloods as well, not had day 3s done, no scans, etc. Af due any day from Weds, so as soon as AF arrives (still holding out some glimmer of home that it won't) I'll be calling the GP again to ask for more investigation as I first called in October, so we're now another 4/5 months down the line with hardly anything done.

Hoping you're all having a better weekend than me stressing!! love & baby dust to all 💕

@TinyDancer91 sorry you’re having such a hard time with it all. That’s an awful long time to get no traction. What region of the UK do you live in? I find it baffling how wildly different people’s experiences are.

AF due Thursday for me. I wish I’d been more in tune with my body before we started trying, it’s so hard thinking, ok did this use to happen or is this a new thing.

Happy Monday everyone hope you all have a good week 💐

@Ditzydaisychain we fall under Coventry & Warwickshire NHS. It seemed so positive when we first got in touch with the GP and now feels like nothing is happening

I'm 5dpo on cycle 8. We have booked a holiday for May and planning to start asking the gp for help when we get home if nothings happened by then. How is everyone else doing?

Has anyone got any tips what to say to the gp to convince them to start testing? I often find when I go to my gp they can be quite dismissive anyway...

I got my period and feel down about it, which feels kind of dramatic because it's only been a couple of months, but I think it's probably emotional for everyone in here. I was out with my friends last night and one has a baby and the other is expecting so I think I feel a bit left behind. How ridiculous, right? (And I'm thrilled for them both!)

@Plantymcplant i am currently having fertility treatment through the nhs so happy to try to answer any questions you might have. First of all they need to work out if you fit the criteria for referral and will probably ask you both to have a blood test and maybe a SA for your partner and ultrasound for you but they don’t always do that until after the referral

@Alexis7890 Thank you so much!

I hope your treatment goes well for you.

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