Early preg. symptoms & what I did to get my BFP

[4LeafCloverBaby]

I got my BFP yesterday & wanted to share my DPO symptoms & things I did prior to & during trying to conceive as I know personally I was searching this kind of thing. Obviously what has worked for one won’t necessarily work for another but maybe something in here could help someone.

Early Symptoms
5DPO:
Weird tummy muscle spasms I could see my tummy moving below my belly button & to the right, I even videoed it because it was so weird!
Sharp shooting pain in same place woke me up in the night.

6DPO:
11am had lots of stabbing shooting pains in lower abdomen.

9DPO:
Bit constipated. Very vivid dream.

10DPO:
Very bloated. Very vivid dream.

11DPO:
Boobs feel a tiny bit tender if I push them. Got that low down AF ache feeling. Got that same twitch kicking feeling in the same place & had shooting pains on knicker line.

12DPO:
Achey tummy down low. Ovary twinges. Lots of cramps down low. Some muscle spasms in upper abdomen. Tender nipples but not at bad as ovulation time. Lots of gassy bubbles in tummy & wind. Diarrhea.

13DPO:
Boobs hurt in the middle when I push them. Muscle spasms just below ribs & loads of twinges & cramps down low. Bit of diarrhoea.

14DPO:
Temp still high. Tummy muscles feel pulled when I stretch up. Feel like I have stitch.

15DPO:
Tested positive after missed period.

Notes:
*I had a fertile MOT done before we started trying to make sure there were no obvious issues.
*I didn’t notice any difference in my CM to any of the 3 previous months I was tracking it.
*I didn’t get any implantation bleeding.
*I used the fertility cup for my first cycle trying & it didn’t work so I didn’t bother on this cycle & ended up pregnant.
*We used a little bit of pre-seed but I didn’t insert it into me with the syringe…just used like usual lube.

BBT
I took my BBT every morning at 7.30 for the last 4 months, 2 months before we started trying just so I could understand what to expect. My BBT dropped down the day before my period in Oct & then on the day of my period in Nov & Dec. On my BFP cycle in Jan it increased the day before my period was due, up to the top end of my luteal phase temperature. I didn’t get an implantation dip & I didn’t get any implantation bleeding.

Vitamins
I’m 37 so I wanted to start taking vitamins to help in any way I could. I found that a lot of the prenatal vitamins didn’t have the amount of each vitamin I needed from the research I had done so I took all separate vitamins.
3 months prior to trying I took:

•2000IU vitamin D-3 - vitamin D deficiency is linked to fertility issues.
•600mg CoQ10 Ubiquinol - this can increase the quality of your eggs, as I’m older this was important as egg quality decreases with age.
•Super B Complex - this has 400µg of folic acid (B9) & 900µg vitamin B12 for fertility & embryo development. It also has B6 to increase the luteal phase.
•1000mg vitamin C - I took this along side the B6 to lengthen my luteal phase which started out as 10 days & increased to 13 days.
•2000mg Omega 3 Fish oil - linked to higher fertility rates
•3000mg Red Macca - to balance out hormones.

OPK testing
I started tracking my cycle 3 months before off we started trying. I used Wondfo, Ovaview & easy@home strips along side the Clear Blue Digital Advanced (to show 4 fertile days). CB digitals are expensive but after 2 months of tracking I knew I ovulated around CD17 so I would only start using the CB digitals from CD13…so a pack of 20 tests basically lasted me for 4 months! I found them & the E@H strips very reliable. The Wondfo were ok but weren’t as reliable as the E@H & the Ovaview strips did not work for me at all…maybe a faulty batch?! Also if anyone is wondering…after I got my BFP I did an OPK strip test & it came up as a blazing positive so for me, the ovulation strip picked up the pregnancy.

DTD
I was loosely following the “Sperm meets Egg Plan”. I got my peak on CD16 so likely ovulated on CD17. We DTD in the evening on CD12, CD15, CD16 & CD17 & in the morning on CD18.

I’m happy to give more info or answer questions on anything. Please ask here or pm me 😊

Wishing everyone all the baby luck x🤞🏼🍀

Very useful and thoughtful @4LeafCloverBaby

Thankyou so mutch for sharing. And congrats. X

Thank you for posting this. Can I ask if you noticed a change in your CM in the tww?

Thanks for this. I’m struggling atm feeling anxiety and stress with it all. Did you find it stressful? Worrying my stress levels won’t let my body conceive

@SlinkMcSlink @Choc29 Thank you & you’re welcome ☺️

@pleurotus I didn’t find any change at all in my CM. After ovulation it was a little more than usual & then it dried up to just a tiny bit each day & the normal paste consistency.

@Jeragade123 I personally didn’t find it stressful. I kind of saw it as a project but I don’t suffer with anxiety or stress ever really. Everyone is different though of course & I can see why it can be stressful. I don’t really have an advice for that really but I wish you all the luck x

Hello

big congratulations and thanks so much for posting this to help others!

I just wondered what a fertile MOT is and where you got it done? How much etc? Xx

@Sarah268 thank you 😊 so I just Google fertility MOT West Sussex & the cheapest clinic was the Agora in Brighton. I will attach an image of what they offer with this & how much. You can do a couples one for a little bit more money. It’s basically what the NHS will do after 2 years of trying but private. Gave me peace of mind that there wasn’t anything wrong & everything looked good for my age. There are loads of private fertility clinics around so I’m sure there are some near where ever you are based 😊

@4LeafCloverBaby thank you. That may be better way to think of it as a project xx

Thank you for this post, it’s really useful! Please can you advise where you purchased your vitamins from?

@Daffodils21 You’re welcome ☺️I bought them from Amazon, they may be cheaper elsewhere but Amazon is very convenient for me. I will attach screenshots of the ones I took 😊

@Daffodils21

@Daffodils21

@4LeafCloverBaby Amazing! Thanks so much 😀

@4LeafCloverBaby this is really helpful and big congrats!! I have been noting symptoms myself as it is my first month and time TTC and want to remember the experience whenever it happens!

I had similar 1-2 weeks ago in terms of notably bloated and gassy, also had extremely vivid dreams. My nipples were sore last week but not as sore now, I have noticed breasts are more sensitive.

I came off my pill 2nd December and bled 6th January so counting days from then. My pregnancy test was negative yesterday morning.

This afternoon I noticed a creamy, milky discharge and my breasts more tender. I have also had a high temperature every morning for the last week. I am experiencing slight cramping today as well (similar to period) - did you experience this on the run-up to a positive test?

I've just ordered some pregnancy strips so will do another test on Thursday but hard to tell if it could be pregnancy or my period coming!!

@LAPBx do you know how long your cycles are or when you ovulated? I got a lot of cramps between ovulation & my positive test. Some felt like period cramps but I had a lot in my abdomen too.

@4LeafCloverBaby unfortunately not as I came off my pill 2nd Jan and my last bleed was around 6th Jan. Just been waiting got my period since then.

I did a test this afternoon and still negative - I would have thought there'd be a faint line by now if I was, but weirdly still have sore noobs and my temperature is 37.4 in the morning and has been the last week, so no idea what's going on!! Time will tell 😊

@LAPBx 37.4? Was that with a BBT thermometer taken orally?

@4LeafCloverBaby no I've been using an infrared temperature gun (forehead) each morning so perhaps not as accurate?! My temperature is lower throughout the day and in the "green zone", its just the morning it is this high

@LAPBx yeah defo need a proper BBT thermometer & you have to take it first thing in the morning before you sit up. Orally or vaginally

Hi @4LeafCloverBaby you posted on my thread and I just wanted to say I bought all these vitamins/supplements and taking them now. Currently on CD4 so hoping in the next few months we'll get a BFP after our MC. Thanks for your help. I've also shared it with a few others. Very grateful xx

Hi @4LeafCloverBaby I tested positive this morning. I can't believe it. Thank you so much for all of this. Forever grateful.

Could you tell me what you continued to take throughout your pregnancy out of these? (I've been taking it all). Xxx

@shohopeful congratulations!! 😊 I stopped taking it all as soon as I found out I was pregnant & bought a pregnancy vitamin but it gave me bad nausea (apparently it’s the iron in them) so I switched to the boots own folic acid +vitamin D as that’s all they advise you to take up until 12 weeks. So happy for you 🥳🍀

@4LeafCloverBaby thank you. Genuinely so, so grateful

Can you check BBT in vagina after you've conceived? Vaginally - is it safe

Yes you can, just make sure the thermometer is cleaned before hand, antibacterial x