TTC Feb 2025

[sjwx]

Hi everyone, I'm on CD 7 (I think.. last month was a very weird cycle for me) and going to start ovulation testing with the easy @ home strips and use the app they have.

I've used the clear blue smiley face tests the past 3 cycles but wanted to try something different this month.. but I'm worried I'm going to read them wrong as the clear blue ones were very straightforward!

If anyone has used these strips, what time of day did you test? I've read not to use the FMU so plan to test at 6pm (due to work) until I get a line and then try and test at 12pm too..

And did you not drink/wee for 2 hours before doing the test? With clear blue I left it 4 hours but struggled!

Would be great to chat to anyone who's also hoping this will be the month🤞🏼

@xTinkerbell definitely no squinting to see that!! Congratulations, so pleased for you ✨💕
@Mama09876 @Taysonic i say I’m protecting myself now, give me 3-5 days and I’ll be symptom spotting like no-one’s business!😅

Holy moly! No mistaking that!! Congratulations @xTinkerbell - you must be delighted. Keeping all my fingers crossed for you. How are you feeling?

@LuckyDuck93 Ha ha ha... I think having the clarity over ovulation date is definitely helping me at this stage because I'm all 'ah, it's definitely too early' whereas in previous months I may have thought I was a few days ahead. Hopefully this chilled out way continues... I definitely feel less anxious this month. Having the charts must be helping to reduce some of the unknowns.

@Taysonic thank you! Bloody exhausted. Happy but anxious, find the first trimester hard with anxiety but trying to be hopeful

I tested negative last week at about 13DPO. Went on a Hen-Do at the weekend and drank a lot. AF still hasn't turned up though. My cycles seem to be have been really upset by having the copper coil removed, used to be 26 days reliably. My cycle was 28 days last month and on day 29 today so if no sign over the weekend I think I'll have to test again. I know as soon as I buy more tests AF will come 😂

@NotMeekNotObedient fingers crossed for you!

How are you other ladies doing?

Ooh yes, keeping fingers crossed for you. When I wasn't TTCing and AF was late, I always used to say the sure fire way of getting it to arrive was to take a test.

All good here thanks @LuckyDuck93 - seem to be keeping symptom spotting at bay and just living life. BBT has risen the last couple of nights both times so don't know what's going on there but I was wearing a lot of pyjamas...! So that might be why!

We'll see what next week brings....!

@Taysonic mine has the last few nights too, i've got some weird stomach pains today, not cramps but like pricking/shooting pains, really quick but they keep coming and going. Trying not to read too much into it though, got a busy weekend so hopefully will be nice and distracting, then onto the final stretch whilst trying to keep sane!

I've convinced myself I was pregnant last month because of weird tracking on my 'body battery' on my Garmin watch so... trying not to read into it and reminding myself that I basically went to bed fully clothed so what would I expect?

I have surprised myself with how well I've been doing sticking to the temping though.

You are genuinely my inspiration for not getting caught up too much this month - taking a leaf out of your book and determined not to do any early testing!

@Taysonic i discussed this with a few girls at work, how you're so aware of your body that everything becomes a symptom, years ago id not even bat an eyelid at the odd cramp😂
I wouldn't say an inspiration- just too tight to spend the money & also want to avoid the disappointment

Tested this morning and got a BFP! Woohoo! Great news!

I was thinking I'd have to wean my 3.5yo DD as perhaps the (very little) breastfeeding was hindering our efforts.
DH was really disappointed last month.

Sending lots of baby dust to everyone else on this page.

Hopefully the boozy hen-do hasn't done any damage 🙈. I did test prior to going so it must have been very very early. Also went to a spa and did hot/cold therapy. My cycles have been much longer than usual.

@NotMeekNotObedient Congratulations 💓

@Taysonic @LuckyDuck93 i was thinking of you both this morning wondering how you’re getting on!
im still waiting for my period to arrive! So thought you guys must be close ish to testing?
the one month I want period to just hurry up so we can start again it’s a 29 day cycle!

Congratulations! Xx

@Mama09876 11 DPO today, one app says due Thursday, one says due Friday, i think Thursday is more accurate- I never usually have 14 day luteal phase.
I'm doing ok, temp still very high, but last month it didn't drop until the day af arrived, so that could mean nothing, been having on and off cramps for about 3 days and keep getting hot flushes..not symptom spotting went swimmingly for me didn't it 😆
i know what you mean- when we weren't trying for a few months last year I felt like I was always just waiting for the next cycle.

Hope you're doing ok @Taysonic and keeping busy x

@LuckyDuck93 these are really good signs! Temp wise I suppose like you said that could drop but hot flushes means that temp is really high!
As always as soon as I write on here that I’m waiting for period to arrive she shows up! 😂 but it does mean that ovulation weekend isn’t to far away now!
Cycle 6 of trying (over 9 months) and honestly I know I should be positive but it does feel like it’s probably going to be another month of negative! BUT I need to listen to my own words & go in with a positive mind set and it just takes one go & thankfully I’m much much less stressed and back walking etc so be very interesting to see if it does happen this month! 🤞🏻

keep us posted ladies! I can’t wait to hear something end of of the week, hopefully good news! 🤍

Hello ladies - I’m happy to find an active thread, does anyone mind if I join in? I’m (I think) 8dpo TTC #2 (DD1 is 3 1/2 now). Took two years to conceive my daughter with no other pregnancies, chemical or otherwise, in that whole time (my hormones are broken). I had a miscarriage almost exactly a year ago and no luck since then. Hoping this is my time, but who knows. Feeling like I’m on the merry-go-round again!
If no luck this month we have to take a break for the rest of the year due to some job stuff so I’m really hoping for a miracle. Anyone also at 8dpo or thereabouts?

Hi @0rangem0nster - welcome to the thread!

I'm not too far off your dates - I'm 10 dpo today. And willing time to go faster so I know either way this month. I fluctuate on a minute by minute basis which way I've convinced myself it's going to go. AF is due on Wednesday, but have slightly irregular periods so could be any day now really. We'll see...!

So sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Can empathise with the long TTC period without any pregnancies. I have one DS (currently 8yo) with my ex-H. We had also tried for #2 for about three years and had no luck. Looking back, it was obviously for the best as we're no longer together. Trying now with my new wonderful partner - will be his first, my second. Definitely trying harder this time round. I tried OPKing and temping this cycle for the first time ever. Have found it really interesting and feel reassured knowing more about what's going on with my cycle, but think it might be a tougher one to take if it hasn't worked this time. Trying to keep expectations low but it's so hard isn't it?

Will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

@LuckyDuck93 is a day ahead of me I think. COME ON baby gods.

As for me, I'm SUPER emotional and feeling all my normal PMS symptoms so I have a feeling it won't be long until I know where I stand.

@Taysonic ah, I have my fingers crossed for you. I did all the temping/tracking stuff the first time around and it drove me beserk, so this time we’ve just been doing the old every other day thing and hoping for the best. My cycles vary from 22 days to 108 days (usually between 34 and 42 though because of my NCCAH (weird rare endocrine thing).
Thats so weird, I’m in the exact same boat as you - this is with my partner, my daughter was with my ex-husband. It will be my partner’s first child too!
@LuckyDuck93 hello, I hope you get a bfp in the next few days!

Welcome to the mad house @0rangem0nster so sorry to hear about your loss, keeping my fingers crossed for you this cycle!

@Mama09876 this is our 6th cycle too, I know it's only a drop in the ocean compared to some people, but 6 months somehow feels like some sort of milestone, my positivity from yesterday has gone out the window as my temp has dropped and i've got that familiar stomach ache. Thinking if we're out this cycle we might take a break for a month, we were considering going abroad for xmas so should really avoid trying next cycle.
@Taysonic I think you're right about it being tougher to take, knowing everything is going like clockwork but still no positive is frustrating. Everything crossed for you over the next few days x

My temp has also dropped today - not down to baseline but a fairly noticeable dip so I'm pretty convinced I'm also out this month. I could try and stay positive but to be honest, would rather face the most likely scenario and prepare for the inevitable! Feeling pretty disappointed but we will still try next month. I know most people will probably try to avoid a Christmas baby but definitely feel like I haven't got time to waste.

@Taysonic it's so hard to try and stay positive though isn't it, I think preparing for the inevitable is how I try and protect myself,
I know what you mean, im torn between trying to avoid xmas but also thinking we should just give it a go and see, its not like it's worked any other cycle!!

Sorry - double post with weird internet!

@LuckyDuck93 @Taysonic sorry to hear you’re both losing positivity with the temperature things. If it’s any consolation, I did the tracking stuff with my first pregnancy and the month I finally conceived, things were up and down and all over the place just like a normal month ending in AF, and I had zero unusual symptoms. I’m pretty sure I’m out too, I caved - unlike me actually - and did a CB ultra early. I think I’m 9dpo. It was negative, and I know that implantation may not have even happened at this stage, but somehow I think it’s a sign it’s not going to work for me.
I really want to complete my family with my partner, it would be gutting to have to leave it at this - but if we don’t make it this month I have to leave it for at least a year, if not longer, as I’ll be moving on to a new career stage (we were waiting to see if I was pregnant this month before I made a final decision) and by that time, I think I’ll feel too old to go through another pregnancy. I’m not really all that old, but the last one did such a number on me that I only just think I could hang together for one these days!
The miscarriage was a kick in the teeth - it’s so hard to actually conceive that to have it end in disaster is really upsetting, because like and behold it’s been another 12 months with nothing to show for it. The thing is, I know I am ovulating, and I know we have hit the nail on the head every time with day before, two days before or day of ovulation. God it’s so frustrating, I don’t understand why it can’t just work for once!!

I totally get you @0rangem0nster - can totally understand why you'd want to take some time off trying with over life changes happening but you never know how you might feel in a year's time. A year ago, I'd have probably thought I wouldn't want to try for another at this age, but I feel more secure than ever that this is what I want.

I just feel really sad. Which I'm annoyed with myself for because, it's still early days really in the grand scheme of things - we've not actively been trying for very long, but still, it just confirms to me my long-standing theory that conceiving a second may be really, really difficult, and may be impossible. And I was holding on to some glimmer of hope that maybe I'd just mistimed things before, and then having some more certainty over ovulation dates this time would have magically done the trick.

Rationally, I know it doesn't always work like that but... I don't know. I'm just sad. I can give myself until AF arrives to mope and be sad, and then, put my big girl pants on and go again.

@0rangem0nster its strange isn't it, how you can just feel/convince yourself you're out before even fully knowing. Its so frustrating, especially when you're doing everything right.
@Taysonic I totally get that feeling, I feel really sad about it but also feel that being sad after 6 months is not valid? Which I also know is silly.
I think I've always gut feeling that ttc might not be easy for me, I have no idea why and I feel worried that now that feeling was maybe right? Again, silly to think that way after only 6 months.
Even more annoying when we know we've done everything possible to get the timing right!
I'll be moping for another few days too, then we can all put our big girl pants on!