Preparing and TTC in 2023 - Thread 2

[DanisEndo]

Thread no 2 as thread 1 was so close to getting full!

As a reminder this is a positive support thread for anyone preparing and planning to start TTC in 2023 💖

If you join start by introducing yourself with your age. what no. you're trying for and when you plan on starting plus any goals you might have before then! for example:

@DanisEndo
Age 27
TTC No.1
Starting Sep 23
I want to:

• loose some weight (would like to get down to a healthy BMI by exercising and doing all home cooking, nothing to major or restrictive)
• do some decorating around the house
• get married (1st September woooo!)
• change job / company

I have endometriosis and PCOS, 2 surgeries down and hoping I'll still be all clear by the time we get to trying.

Theres a long list of us now so bare with me updating it as we go 😅

Good luck everyone!!!

@CinderRosie Haha I know what you mean, generally the most active posters are already trying! I can't wait to reach 3 months of folic at the end of the month, even if we don't start trying for a few months.

Although I'm still thinking about switching jobs which could delay things, my main reason is trying to lose a few lbs and work on my fitness! I'm about 4lbs off my pre-pregnancy weight and just want to tighten things up a bit 🤣

Has anyone ovulated late or not ovulated at all after a cp? Starting to worry I won't o at all this month... Feels like literally forever since I realised I was having a chemical... It's only actually been 19 days since the start of my cp but this waiting for ovulation sucks... Just want to try again! :(
Thanks all x

@HannahLouD I havent had a CP myself but I do know lots of others on these boards often report delayed ovulation following one. I guess there’s been a disruption in hormones and they need to get back to normal before your normal cycle kicks in again. I can understand the desperate desire to get back on the ttc wagon again. It will come my lovely. Also, it’s normal not to ovulate every cycle

Hope everyone is doing ok? DH and I had our appointment letters through from the clinic today. I have a blood test and DH has semen analysis on the 23rd March and then I have an ultrasound and we both have the results appointment with the consultant on the 25th April. Not sure if the 25th is when we are given the plan or just the results.

@HannahLouD How are you doing? Any sign of ovulation?

@Hopingforno2in2023 How exciting! Hopefully the 25th will be the plan and results :) Are you feeling like things are really starting to move along now?

Hope everyone else is doing well!

@Hopingforno2in2023 that great news - hopefully a move in the right direction for you.

Im feeling a bit down today, cycle 2 of TTC and AF is definitely imminent after a BFN. I’ve had loads of spotting again and feel like my body has just gone weird the minute we’ve actually started TTC. All was fine pre Xmas! It’s so frustrating.

@LeopardLover Hi! Thanks for checking in and sorry I haven't updated in a while... YES! I have finally ovulated! I'm currently 2dpo... Got my peak on opks on Friday and then had all the signs of ovulation on Saturday and have had two temp rises since... phew!!
Hope you and everyone else are doing good!

Hi all. I’ve not been on here much. I’m embarrassed to be finding this all so hard when it’s such early days (currently somewhere in cycle 3).

After two long cycles coming off the coil and getting on all my supplements etc. I’ve had 6 pretty regular cycles. In fact the last one I ovulated day 15 and genuinely, naively thought I was “cured” (of PCOS 😂). Im now on day 31 of the next cycle with not even a hint of ovulation and it has knocked me for six.

It wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t had the “perfect” cycle last month but as it is I’ve been LH testing since day 9- it feels like the longest time in history and I’m spiralling wondering how on Earth I’ll get pregnant if I have cycles like this! Im sick of sex already 😂 we’ve been having it every other day as suggested by sperm meets egg plan but we can’t go on like this if I’m going to have these long cycles. It’s ruining sex for us. There’s no spontaneity. It’s grim. I expected TTC sex would get to me eventually but not cycle 3. I don’t know what to do.

As I already “do” all the supplements I don’t know what I can change. I feel helpless which is new. Before there was always something to try.

sorry for the essay but needed to vent! I’ve told a couple of people in real life and they just say “you have to relax” “stop testing” - which might be reasonable (if annoying and impossible) advice for someone with regular cycles but we need to know when I ovulate so we can have a break from sex! I know they just don’t understand but it’s infuriating.

@CRbear Hi! Sorry to hear your struggles :( Sounds like it's been a long, hard time for you.
I can't relate to the very long cycles (although mine was longer this month due to a chemical last month) but I'm also on my third cycle trying and I totally get it. This month, since when I thought I would be starting my fertile period, me and my partner had been going to bed and he'd be like "do we have to have sex tonight then?" and I'd be like "well, it's probably a good idea" (or something along those lines) and then he'd just be like "come on then, let's get this over and done with" - in a jokey way, but still... it isn't very sexy and doesn't make you feel great when it feels like a chore or like you have to rather than that you really want to. He was so tired the other night and he said if we didn't "have to" he would have loved to just go to sleep... I've felt really bad as I feel like I'm forcing him to do it. I know he wants to as he wants a baby just as much as me, but it is a rubbish feeling.
Sounds like you're doing all the right things though and there's nothing much more you can do... I really hope that you get your positive opk soon and obviously your bfp soon too!! 🤞 x

@CRbear i could have written this.

I also have PCOS but naively thought because I’d become regularish it would be ‘easy’. I know I’m only on cycle 2, well, now 3 I guess, but I’m already struggling.

Also sick of sex 😂 we normally only DTD about once a week and so it feels really forced, there’s no ‘relax and enjoy’ happening at all! Similarly to you, because I can ovulate anywhere between day 15 and day 23 with no rhyme or reason, we have to DTD every other day for what feels like ages. It’s not just 3 days a month and done.

Just a note to say you are absolutely not alone in this and I feel the exact same, just like it’s never going to happen now and I’m already sick of trying.

@Mushroo and @HannahLouD ❤️❤️❤️

thank you so much for your kindness and empathy! Much appreciated. I do actually feel less alone with it! I’m glad I posted.

This also accurately describes me and DH!

@CRbear Glad you feel less alone! 😊💕
@Mushroo ahaha I'm glad it's not just us then! 😅🙈 Luckily I'm now 2dpo so the pressure is off for now... at least until we inevitably have to start again next month 😂

Also struggle with DTD at specific times of the month. We are a once a week aswell, OH would have it more, it’s me, I’m tired, have two kids and would prefer to sleep. 18months in and it’s HAARD.

I’m expecting to ovulate 28/29th March and OH is working away 27-29th 😏 bloody typical

A month later, and after telling myself I was never using the Easy @ Home pregnancy tests again because of a couple of really dark false positives last month, here I am with another possible line?
I feel like this one actually has more potential because it’s as faint as I would expect it to be at 9DPO instead of the darker ones I was getting last month… my DH isn’t convinced but I definitely think I can see a line?

@TTCTeacher I can defo see something! I poas on the easy at home ones when I was like, 1dpo just so I knew what a true stark white test would look like so I had something to compare to... And in absolutely every light and angle there is no line at all! So I'd be cautiously optimistic that yours is a real positive! 🤞 Do you have a frer or similar to test with? How many dpo are you?

I also have a question for you ladies... I'm only 7dpo but I'm 99% sure I'm already out this month and I'm feeling so deflated already. Last month when I got my bfp I had cm constantly after ovulation (went between lotiony and watery) and this month I have been completely bone dry. I've not really read a single thing saying that this is a good sign... I just know I'm out already :(
Has anyone experienced this? Been completely dry down there and still got a bfp? I think I just need to accept it's not going to be my month!

@HannahLouD I’ve actually just done a FRER and I’m fairly sure it’s 100% a bfp! In total shock as I really didn’t want to get my hopes up after last month’s disappointment!

@HannahLouD and I think I’m 9DPO today, both of my tracking apps have me as ovulating a couple of days apart, but getting a bfp at 9DPO makes more sense than if I was only 7DPO?

@TTCTeacher that's defo a line! Tentative congrats! That's what my line looked like at 10dpo last month (ended in cp) I would be really shocked if you had that line at 7dpo... I'd say you are defo more likely to be 9dpo!!

@HannahLouD thank you! Going to wait another few days and do a digital I think!

Without wanting to sound insensitive, how did you know you were having a cp?

@TTCTeacher good idea! :) I did a weeks indicator digital at 11dpo and got a positive then.

So these were my tests... (9-14dpo) knew I was having a chemical by 13dpo to be honest as the lines stalled and weren't getting any darker. I stopped testing after that because I knew what was happening. A week after AF was due I started bleeding (tested again then and had a vvfl still but basically gone). So for me it was that I stopped having line progression.
I had high hopes for this month as I've read so many success stories of bfp the month after a chemical, but judging by my cm (or lack of in fact!) I just know I'm out already :/ x

@HannahLouD ah that makes sense! I’m going to try not to test every day because I know how obsessive I can get about things like that, but I’ll maybe do every other day for a week or so just to keep an eye on things!
My fingers are crossed for you! If it makes you feel any better I’ve had basically no cm for the last week! If it wasn’t for the fact my boobs have been killing me I probably wouldn’t even have tested this month at all, because this is probably the least pregnant I’ve felt in the tww since we started trying!

@TTCTeacher Eeeek! Congratulations! That's a very clear line 😁 and a decent one for only 9DPO!

@HannahLouD you definitely aren't out yet - I don't recall having any CM before getting my BFP. Are you still doing BBT?

We still won't begin trying until... Probably May now but I remember DH being exhausted with DTD laat time Hahaha. It definitely became a chore because it was such organised fun! We won't get as much chance during my FW as our toddler is sleep averse and my DH has a really manual job 😅 it only takes one time though!

@LeopardLover ah thank you... I hope so! I think weirdly I'm trying to tell myself it's going to be a bfn and then it'll soften the blow a bit if it is... Although let's be honest, I'd probably still be just as gutted 🙄😅🤦🏻‍♀️

It is really exhausting! I feel really bad as well now because for the past week we've only dtd once as I've been feeling really tired and my poor partner is feeling a bit bummed 🙈😂

Yes, still doing BBT! Changed to temping vaginally this month though and my chart is so much less messy... I really do (for me anyway) think it's more accurate. Only thing is is that your temperature starts out higher to begin with than orally... Not that that's a problem but I can't really compare to last month. x

@TTCTeacher That is definitely a positive.

I’m scared of having a chemical so when we start TTC (hopefully in a month, eeek!) I’m going to try to wait til the day my period is due if my nerves can take it!