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🤞🏼

@Mama09876 That’ll be a lovely wee age gap, a little helper. Nursery fees are shocking! I worked in one years ago and i couldn’t get over it. I’m pushing it a bit with my age i just turned 38 but i didn’t meet him till late 🤷🏼‍♀️. Both of us have no children, never been married and tbh it’s my first relationship (i’m insanely shy & picky and tbh was convinced i’d be alone just because my fairytale man didn’t exist then boom bumped randomly into him one day and literally did that movie thing where i loved him the min i seen him 😂). We’ve been together 3yrs getting married 2026. I tested last month from day 9/10’ish. I think it was the excitement of being the first month & omg we’re really doing this. I’m not doing it at all this month i’ve told myself 💪🏼 but i may cave closer to the time. Due Valentine’s Day sod’s law, i’m regular 27 like clockwork so dunno if that’s a help or hindrance because i’ll get sad feeling it start to arrive bang on time. Last month i’d pink spotting & got dead run down but nope it arrive as scheduled. Dunno what the pink was, mystery. What day do you test?

@sjwx How are you getting on?

@PoppyGirl222 Yeah I think she’ll be great, it’s slightly longer age gap than I intended but life took over and it really does go so quick those early years! Sometimes I can’t believe I’m going to do it all over again 😂 but look forward to those newborn snuggles.

What a romantic meeting! When you know you know!

We’re pretty much similar timings I’m due 13th according to my app. In the past I’ve tested about 10-11DPO but it just gets me down trying to ‘find’ a line. So I’m going to hold out till 14th I’m off work so least whatever the outcome I can treat myself that day! 😂 to be honest by the 14th that’ll be 30 day cycle and I haven’t had one of them since before my 1st (I’m normally 26/27/28 days somewhere between that) so if it hasn’t arrived by the Friday I’ll be feeling hopeful!

Have you been tracking your BBT? I use natural cycles, have been for years! Used it to prevent before my 1st and I kinda knew I was pregnant because my temperature didn’t drop before I was due on (like it should) and I’ve started doing it again this month so I’ll probably know if I get that dip in temp the week of my period there’s no point in me testing.

@cltw oh as if, good job you continued to test! The peace of mind that it happened would be reassuring, which thermometer did you get? I had a google and there’s quite a few but the reviews vary 😅

@PoppyGirl222 so far I’ve tested with the strips twice (once a day at 6pm Monday and yesterday) and the line is getting darker, the number on the Premom app has increased a bit too so feeling a bit better about using the strips already! When it gets much darker I’ll try testing mid morning too but it’s going to be hard with work.. Thanks for sharing the photos of your strips, it’s interesting to see how quickly the number on the app goes up! Best of luck to you🤞🏼 keep us updated with everything!

@Mama09876 I’m gonna try so hard not to test because i was literally seeing lines that weren’t even there. It made me so anxious and then i think it made me more sad when my period did come. I have zero idea about bbt that’s another minefield. I wouldn’t even know where to start. I will attempt next month if this month isn’t successful because i wanted to learn the opk strips this month. I wouldn’t know what to buy, when to do it and what it should be. Sometimes i wake up roasting so would it always be accurate. Gosh there’s so much to learn.

@sjwx My line has gotten lighter now. We’re dtd tonight and tomorrow and then just back to doing it for fun until next month unless this month works out in my favour. I’m due the 14th so who knows. That’s great your line is increasing. This is only my second month ttc and the first using the app. It’s such a learning curve

@sjwx

Great that you caught your peak and can see it going back down! And good idea to DTD as much as you can as you should be in with the best chance.

It really is.. this is our 4th month TTC our first baby and the amount of info you need to know feels overwhelming. Then the stress of worrying doesn't help either!

I could do with learning about BBT too! Has always sounded like this would be a really accurate and reliable way to track a cycle but my concerns are that I'm usually super groggy in the morning - would take a LOT of mental effort to get into the habit of doing it first thing.

@sjwx Our first baby too. I find the first two weeks i’m fine because im planning it all out but then the tww is hard and last month i was sad when period came. But we only pulled the goalie in December so i feel like i’ve no right to be down about it because we’ve only just started the journey but you can’t help your feelings i guess. I hope it works out for us all. It’s great we’re in it together here.

@Mama09876 I’d remember to take the temperature no problem i’m annoyingly organised lol obviously considering our wee dtd schedule i laid out 😂 but i sometimes wake up freezing or boiling if i’ve the electric blanket on. I assume you have to do it at the same time every day. I’ll have to google & look on here. Also how do you know what it should be ughhhhh so much to learn! When to do it, how to do it, what to buy, what temperature should it be, when does it rise, when does it fall and what does that mean. I think i’ve just talked myself out of it hahaha.

Getting your period in general is rubbish so getting it when you're TTC feels even worse, no matter how long you've been trying! As mentioned above fingers crossed this is a lucky group🤞🏼

Yes I'm so glad! I'll be honest, I know they're pricey but I got an oura ring. Purely for the reasons @Taysonic and @PoppyGirl222 have pointed out. I'm so not a morning person and absolutely do not trust myself to do be doing it right or remembering at the right time. I just connected the ring to Natural Cycles (and fertility friend just out of curiosity to see if they say the same thing. Spoiler: they do.) and let them all figure it out for me!

Ooo thank you I'll have a look into it! Tracking BBT is something I need to try if I go into cycle 5 TTC just so I know I'm actually ovulating

I tested again with the easy @ home ovulation strips (same time as the last 2 days) and got the same level on the Premom app as yesterday - 0.14

Is this normal to have the same number two days in a row?! Mondays number was 0.12

@PoppyGirl222 its good not to get to overwhelmed with it all so soon in TTC to be honest, so you’re right getting sorted with OPK tests then maybe look at BBT. Hopefully though you won’t need to!! 😬

@cltw i looked at the Oura rings they were just a bit pricey but I think they give the most accurate temp!

@Taysonic @sjwx

I only know a bit about it, I’m sure there’s loads more info on here but I’ve been tracking mine since 2018 with Natural Cycles to prevent pregnancy then used it to get pregnant in 2021. Works with an algorithm so mine now gets my ovulation & period pretty much exactly right each month (it’s scary how accurate 😂)

So I believe everyone has a different baseline temp. You measure first thing in the morning before you get out of bed normally same time but it does say give or take 2hrs either side is ok. I think the main thing is doing it before you get out of bed cause that affects the temp. I don’t think it matters if you’re cold/warm cause your baseline temp will adapt to it (I think)

before ovulation your temperature is normally lower then once you ovulate the temperature has a rise (between 0.22-0.5) and if you have 3 consecutive days of temp rises the app confirms ovulation happens.
it all related to hormones and the reason for temp rising. It tends to stay high and above the base line after ovulation.
Then before your period is due you tend to see a dip in temperature normally below baseline. I tend to see it the day or so before period arrives.
if you’re pregnant temperature stays high cause of the progesterone.

I think all that’s right, hope it helps ladies!

Hi all can I join? We’re TTC #2, January was our first month of trying and AF has arrived today. I (naively) completely convinced myself we had conceived from all the symptom spotting so it’s come as a bit of a shock.

We didn’t use ovulation tests this month just went off my predicted fertile window and BBT, it dropped sharply on CD12 and then elevated for 3 days after that so fairly certain I ovulated. Anyway we go again, wishing everyone the best of luck 🍀

Goodness, had never heard of an Oura ring but it does sound good... Not affordable for me at the moment really but I am absolutely amazed at how much money you could 'invest' when it comes to improving your pregnancy chances. There's an app, a testing strip, cream, supplement, technology for everything isn't there?

I have a tendency to go 'all in' with whatever my latest focus is and buy ALL THE GEAR so really having to rein myself in and not get caught up in it. Need to be financially responsible!

In other news... I'm fairly sure it won't be a successful month for me this cycle. Had a very busy 🐰weekend but nothing at all on CD12 and CD13.

CD14 today so will see what tonight brings but I don't know... just feel a bit like we've not given it our all. Does feel a bit blind without having that certainty of when ovulation is. Maybe OPKs or BBT will help with that...

And THAT my friends, is how I end up talking myself into buying ALL THE STUFF.

@EllieWales welcome Ellie! I'm CD3 so hopefully we will be on similar schedules for the dreaded TWW.

@Taysonic this is SO me. Month one, I was straight online looking at ALL THE STUFF. This month I've invested in personalised vitamins. Never taken a vitamin in my life hahah

If you're not certain when ovulation is I'd say CD11 and CD14 are definitely good enough. I try and stay naively hopeful until I have irrefutable evidence that I'm out

@cltw Ahh, if nothing else, your wisdom gives me a bit of hope and helps me not berate myself too much. To be fair... if I remember rightly, we DTD so late in the night on CD12 that it may have been early hours CD13! 😂

Either way, at least it means my TWW won't be so anxiety fuelled as not holding out much hope.

That’s me finished up for this attempt lol my dtd schedule finished at lunchtime today. I’m 1dpo today. I probably didn’t need to dtd today but he was pencilled in for it so could t hurt lol. I’m forcing myself to ignore anything and everything for as long as i can in this tww.

@Taysonic Awk don’t count yourself out, it only takes one swimmer. I did it loads and chances are i could be doing it all again next month you just never know. We’re not out until we’re out.

@Mama09876 Flip i’d be over the moon ❤️.

@sjwx My opk numbers did that at the beginning. They weren’t staying the same but literally only one point in it & then boom it just shot up in a few hours.

Hi @EllieWales

@Taysonic that end of post made me laugh 😂 I am a sucker for buying in to marketing etc with literally anything! I’ve been a bit like that for the past 5 cycles we tried but I wasn’t really monitoring anything and like you said ‘wasn’t giving my all’ whereas this month I’ve gone fully in! Vitamins, back to BBT, test strips the lot! And I bet it still won’t happen 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️

I think if you’ve done it in the fertile window you’ve got every chance! 🤞🏻

@PoppyGirl222 were pretty much on the same DPO! My app hasn’t confirmed it yet but I’ve defo notice today I’m much more tired and so hungry! Feeling that post ovulation dip

Hi girls 👋

I would love to join the convo - we are TTC baby no 2. I am also using ovulation strips… I see some of you have started using them and had questions about it not rising/going up each day. I’ve attached a pic of my strips when I conceived my daughter 4 years ago… you will see that it changes so quickly. So do keep testing throughout the day !

I’ve had a ‘high’ reading today, on CD16. We BD last night… so not sure if we should go again today, or wait until peak. I sometimes worry about quality over quantity if you do it too much 😆 but also don’t want to miss my chance … what do you think?

@Mama09876 omg i am STARVING lol i’ve ate the biggest pile of crap this day, stuff that doesn’t even go together or in the right order 😂. I’d a belter of a headache this morning, i’d get one too when i’ve my period must be hormones or the rise and fall. I’m on cycle day 12 & 1dpo as it said ovulated yesterday according to the strips & peak so i dunno. I hope i’ve dtd in & around the right time, we can all only do our best. How are you?

Hey 👋🏼. Love the quality over quantity statement lol 😂😂😂. My peak came on very quick (pics are scattered throughout this feed) so in hindsight next month ( if i’m unlucky this month) I’ll test 3 times a day once I see it rising to decent numbers. I was testing once a day as soon as my period left and then twice a day when the numbers moved. We did it 3 days before ovulation, the of ovulation and today which is the day after (cd8-cd12) I can’t fault his dedication, it’s become a wee joke me & my organisational skills. It’s only our second month, i’m sure him enthusiasm will level out.

Can I just check what BD stands for? All I can think is 'ba-doinked' 😂Which is a great phrase, to be fair.

Right, next month I'm OPKing! I'm curious. I work from home so should in theory be able to test during the day.