First time TTC help

[Pippymcphee]

Hello all!

Bare with me, as this may be a little all over the place.

I'm currently ttc. This is my first month, although, we have been using no contraception since January. Just using the PO method around the time of ovulation.

Can someone please help me with the basics?

I currently average a 27 day cycle, sometimes it is 26 days, sometimes its 27/28 days.
Is this too short a cycle to conceive? I've read somewhere that 26 day cycles make things very difficult, and it's really scaring me.

I've bought the clearblue ovulation tests....so expensive! No solid smiley yet, and I'm on day 13. I didn't start testing until day 11 as that's when I bought them, have I missed the surge? My app predicts ovulation on day 14, so should I be worried? I can't help but stress about this, which I know is silly as it is only month one.

If anyone could just help me with understanding the basics of it all, and perhaps give me some reassurance, I'd be super grateful.

Thank you :-)

I have 26 day cycles, 5 pregnancies and 2 children, caught quickly with each one. I used the CB OPK and tested twice a day when I got the flashing smiley because you can miss it. We then DTD for the next three days. I know it’s easier said than done, but stressing really won’t help. Remember it’s quite normal for it to take up to 12 months to get pregnant. Good luck!

I think with the Clear Blue ovulation tests, you may have started a little late in your cycle as I think it relies on taking a baseline hormone reading earlier in the cycle. I would continue testing for this cycle if you want to but if you were testing in a future cycle would probably start testing a few days earlier (maybe Day 8). In short - don't panic!

Also ttc baby #1 and on cycle 3. Have used the easy at home ovulation strips this cycle you can get cheap on amazon and use twice a day to track peak. Download the pre mom app of you havent already and it reads the results for you. I tend to have long cycles so unsure when I ovulate each month so these have been really helpful x

@Pippymcphee hello OP:)
firstly, don’t worry about this- no one’s body is the same and lots of people get pregnant who don’t have text book cycles. I worried pretty much straight away like you but you want to save yourself from as much heartache as possible with this journey, so try not to spiral (easier said than done, I know!)- everyone is different!

The ‘average’ cycle is 28 days. And you’re expected to ovulate about half way through your cycle so CD14. (CD= cycle day). However, this certainly isn’t the case for everyone and your ovulation day can change from cycle to cycle. I would first start by looking at for the natural signs- cervical mucus (CM), ovulation pains and perhaps an increase in libido. If you haven’t already get yourself an app to log these down to keep a track. You might not see a pattern for a while as you’ve not been off contraception for long (that is if you was on hormonal contraception- if it was non hormonal then it won’t make a difference)- it can take up to 2 years for your cycle to regulate after being on hormonal contraception according to my GP (which is shocking and horrid to hear when you want it to happen straight away🙈).

Keep a look out for egg white cervical mucus (like raw egg whites and often abbreviated to EWCM). This usually is a sign that ovulation is on the way- however not always. I don’t get a lot of EWCM personally but I have been able to pin point ovulation through tests and basal body temping (very stressful in my opinion though).
If you do want to start testing straight away, be prepared to spend a bit of money (if using Clear Blue) I never could get on board with the strips and found Clear Blue much better for me personally. I got to the point where I could test just one day judging from pains and receive a positive static smiley face by the evening (first test will always be negative so I did that in the morning). But I’d say listen to your body and try and get in tune with it.

Your cycle is split into two phases- the follicular phase (body is getting ready for ovulation- uterus lining thickening and egg preparing to be relaxed) and luteal phase (after the egg has been released and depending on if sperm has met egg will depend on what happens here). Sperm can last up to 5 days and the egg will only have a 24 hour life span I believe. So BD (BD= baby dancing) before ovulation is good practice. If you aim for every other day (or every 2 days depending on what’s best for you and your partner) throughout your cycle then you’re covered. The luteal phase should be 14 days, it’s not always the case, I tend to be more 12 days. But as long as it’s 10 days at least (from when you ovulate to when you get your period) then you’re okay.

Also, incase you’re not aware, from getting a positive ovulation test you can expect to ovulate in the next 12-36hours. So bear that in mind when BD.

Stress, illness etc can affect you and you want to keep yourself as sane as possible as it could be a while (a year is considered normal- hopefully it’s not for you).

I speak from my personal experience, I’m nearing the year mark of TTC of baby number 1 (TTC= trying to conceive) and never did I think we would get to this point (all my family and my husbands families have conceived very quickly!), it has been one of the most heartbreaking and stressful times of mine and my husbands lives but you can’t control these things but try not to become too consumed, which again is very hard when it’s something you want so desperately but be kind to yourself and your partner. Take things as easy as possible is what I would have told myself at the start :) take supplements and eat a more mediterranean diet (as recommended by my fertility doctor)
Good luck with everything and baby dust to you.✨

I prefer the easy@home ovulation sticks to the clear blue ones and they're so much cheaper. You can download the premom app to use with the sticks and they'll show you how it's rising and identify your peak. I'd definitely recommend them!

Thank you everyone, for all of your replies and reassurance.

I should probably have added, that I'm 33, and have the panic that I've started too late.

Health wise, I eat really well, I have a healthy BMI of 21.5 and I don't drink or smoke. I've also never taken hormonal contraception (maybe for a few months, over ten years ago). So that shouldn't be an issue.

I'm going to buy some of the cheaper test strips that a few of you recommended. I've actually used the CB this evening, and although no solid smiley, the line on the strip is darker than this morning, which I hope is good?

This could be a silly question, but is the day you get that darkest line, or solid smiley, the day you ovulate?

One more question, which I guess is personal but there may be a common theme in the answer. No family or friends know that I'm TTC. I keep feeling like bringing it up, but I don't want the added pressure of people waiting for it. Is it best to just keep it to myself?

@Pippymcphee , you will ovulate around 12-36 hours after the first positive ovulation test you get in your cycle (so either the test line darker than the control or the solid smiley on CB).
No need to continue to test in that cycle but I would definitely try to have sex on the day of your positive if possible as it is one of the most fertile days in the cycle.

I know personally I ovulate a quite close to my peak and I've read some research saying that it happens closer to the peak than we used to think. But if you log your strips into the premom app, it takes the day after the peak as ovulation. It's hard to know so just make sure you're having sex as the LH is rising, on the day of your peak and for a couple of days after (doesn't have to be every single day during this period).

In terms of telling people it's a really personal choice! When I was TTC my first I told four best friends before we started trying. We got pregnant the first month and I shared the news instantly, as well as with a few more very close friends and family. This time (TTC baby 2) I am talking about it very openly. It just doesn't feel like anywhere near as big of a deal second time and I think it's nice to have the support. It feels like a big thing to hide really! And there's no need to be secretive really but you've got to do what you're comfortable with

I have 26 day cycles, ovulation could vary from day 11 to 18 and I’m currently 12 weeks pregnant so it hasn’t effected me

Honestly at 33, with your regular cycles and assuming no known issues I’d say have sex regularly and don’t get into the tracking or obsession yet. If you do want something, I’d get the easy@home strips and easy mom app, and have sex regularly once the tests start to get darker. 33 is definitely not too late. Remember a year is common and that being pregnant does mean having a baby. I did tell a few friends we were trying, and I also had a miscarriage (and had told quite a few friends and family about the pregnancy), so after that it was obvious we were trying!

I would say try not to get too obsessed with tracking and ovulation sticks (I did do that and it was stressful and took the fun out of trying … however did turn out in infertile)

Give it a good year or so of trying before you worry.

Although one old wives tale that I did use during IVF … I don’t know if it works or not but made me feel like I was doing something proactive…..drink milk for the first 10-14 days of your cycle to improve the eggs then pineapple juice for the next 10-14 days to help the womb lining.

So, my update, and because I can't tell any friends yet and I'm freaking out.
I had unprotected sex 5 days before I got my 'peak' on the clearblue test. Booked myself in for some fertility assessments on Friday, and then this happened tonight.
I'm speechless. I feel sweaty and have been manically laughing. My partner is on nights, and I won't see him until Friday...on my birthday!!

Congratulations @Pippymcphee!
You're pregnant! 😄 It all worked!

I still feel like my period is coming! I keep getting period cramps, is that normal?

Congratulations!

@Pippymcphee congratulations! Period cramps is completely normal in early pregnancy btw

Yeah I had period like cramps throughout first trimester. And weirdly no cramps when I did have a miscarriage.