TTC with a donor

[Waiting2BAMummy]

So it appears I posted the 1,000 message on our previous thread and now it's closed so I've opened us a new home!

@TimeIhadaNameChange
@LanieM87
@Freezerbump

Great news @CleverQuacks good luck for this cycle.

Congratulations @LanieM87!!! I've never spotted whilst pregnant so it would terrify me! How are things today?

@Waiting2BAMummy your method with the moon cup- definitely don't expose semen to the air for 5 whole minutes, that just sounds all wrong to me. It could be because I'm used to the cup and syringe method and it's always got a lid BUT I have 2 DC by AI so maybe just try the traditional AI method? I wouldn't leave it in the bathroom for 5 mins either although that probably doesn't matter. It's just it needs to be kept warm.

Thing about a syringe is you also get the squirting action on your cervix, am I right that you sometimes squat and push up? I lie on my back with a pillow under my bum before inserting. Masturbation also helps to pull up semen with your own body and lying for at least 10 mins afterwards all helps.

Sorry to be so specific but it would be such a shame if a small issue prevented pregnancy for you. I don't know if I'm right either and never used a moon cup-just trying to help with what worked for me.

@CleverQuacks good luck this month!

I ovulated last Thursday so timing all perfect. I feel like it's not going to work again, I don't know why. Just feel gloomy about the whole thing and being 40! With 3 DC already I wish I just felt ok with that but for some reason I want another baby :/ ugh full of self doubt!

No need to apologise @Elvesdontdomagic you be as specific as you want I need all the help I can get! It probably isn’t 5 minutes that the sample is in the bathroom but it’s definitely too long so am going with the pot and syringe tonight. I am worried that I ovulated last week though as I had a couple of days of EWCM.
I have run out of sticks for my clearblue opk and they’re due to be delivered today but I forgot to leave a note for the postie to leave them behind my plant pot so probably going to have to go and buy some tonight arrrggggghhhhh.

Plenty of women have babies at 40 and older so if your cycles are still regular there is no reason you shouldn’t be successful. Fingers crossed for you.

How you feeling @LanieM87?

Donor has visited tonight and will be again on Wednesday. Haven’t had a chance to get anymore clearblue OPK’s and Royal Mail won’t redeliver until Wednesday. Even if I get another box tomorrow it will still be 48 hours since my last test so the reader will have reset. I have got some wondfo strips that I could use I guess but I’ve never really got on well with them.

I’ve never gotten a positive before CD13 (tomorrow) and the last couple of months it’s been 13 & 15 so don’t know if I should just have donor visit Wednesday and Friday and be done for this month without the OPK’s. The only problem with that is that I won’t know when I’m likely to have ovulated and therefore when I should start using the progesterone cream. I’m guessing I will have by CD 19 though so may just start using it then regardless.

Question guys... When you get your strongest line on an ovulation strip what happens as I'm reading two different things online.
Is this a signal that your egg has now released and ovulation is a process that lasts 24-36 hours or is it 24-36 hours until the egg is released?
I think I inseminated way too early (2.5 days before my positive ovulation) but it was my only option as our donor was understandably very busy.

Hi @Busybee143 When you say strongest line, do you mean a positive opk? The line needs to as dark or darker than the control line to be positive and that point you stop testing. When you have a positive it means the LH surge has risen high enough for ovulation to begin and generally women ovulate 24-48 hours after the positive HOWEVER it's also possible to ovulate that very day or night (I have) and it's so important to test regularly before the positive as you may get a positive as the LH surge goes down too AFTER ovulation so you need to make sure you catch the first positive! eg. with the cycle I got my middle DD I ovulated then had 5 days of positives! Luckily I knew from ovary pains and was just really testing out of curiosity afterwards!

Thanks @Waiting2BAMummy, I order the cheap OPK's from amazon and get a whole bunch so always have loads! Amazon often can do same or next day delivery as you probably already know but I'm always trying to help so just ignore anything you like lol.

I would see your donor anyway as arranged and if you can't pin point ovulation exactly maybe take your average day and count DPO's from that! It's possible you ovulated last week but if that's unusual for you then it was probably just your body preparing!

Do you ever get ovary twinges or anything useful to help you know? I get twinges and sharpish pains for a minute or 2 in whatever side the egg is released and a sort of funny pain in my bum! However it can vary and I don't always know!

I'm 5dpo now, I really have no idea if anything worked this month but feeling more positive generally about conceiving eventually! I think I'm just hideously impatient!

We’re all hideously impatient when it comes to TTC @Elvesdontdomagic! You have as much chance this month as any other and I have my fingers crossed for you.

I don’t have any signs of ovulation that I recognise so really do rely on OPK’s. I did know amazon did next day delivery but thank you I do appreciate you trying to help. Royal Mail are due to redeliver my order tomorrow but tomorrow is CD14 and I usually get my positive opk CD 14 or 15 so too late to start again with them now. I have got a couple of wondfo stick so used one of those this afternoon but it was negative.

Ovulating on CD8 would definitely be unusual for me as I’ve never had a positive opk before CD 13 before. I have started taking a whole lot of vitamins this month though so didn’t know if I’d brought ovulation on early. I’m going to keep using my wondfo a this week and will have donor visit tomorrow and Friday.

I think I’ll start the progesterone cream from CD18/19 as I should definitely have ovulated by then.

At least I won’t be SS in the TWW this month as I have no idea if I completely missed ovulation. Oh well better luck next month!

@Elvesdontdomagic yeah I mean a positive, when I put all the sticks together its like a pinknrainbow! I've been testing morning and evening so just twice a day, do you think that's enough?

So last week, as I have mentioned, I had the same CM as I usually get, when wiping, around the time of my positive OPK. Yesterday I was checking my CM and it looked exactly like egg whites but didn’t stretch very far. Today it’s sticky so does that mean I likely ovulated yesterday?

I’m wondering if I should message my donor and tell him he doesn’t need to visit tonight or whether to have him visit just in case.

It’s funny because I did actually think I was going to try this month without OPK’s but not having that indicator is seriously stressful.

@Waiting2BAMummy do you check your cervical position also? That might give a good indication also of impending ovulation.
Such a shame about your OPKs. I'd say you've probably got a better chance of ovulating later rather than later but who ever really knows with ever changing bloody cycles. I'd be tempted to st get a donation and then your bases are covered.

My cm has gone slippery again @LanieM87 I think I was probably just dehydrated first thing this morning. I’m going to get my donor to visit tonight and Friday and hope for the best.

How are you feeling?

Ah that's good news then @Waiting2BAMummy sounds like you've got as good a shot as any this month! Are you planning on taking your cream as well?

I'm good thanks! Spotting seems to have ended for now so that's really positive - fingers crossed it stays away! I'm 5+1 today, starting to get sore breasts and I can't stop weeing! Got an appointment with the early bird midwife on Monday morning.

Yes, @LanieM87 going to start the cream CD19 as I should definitely have ovulated by then. My donor has just bought a business up north so will probably only be able to help in January and then I have to make plans if I’m not successful by then.

Before I got speaking with my current donor I was chatting to another guy who was only willing to help through a clinic. I’ve looked at a clinic in Aarhus and I can get IUI for about £400 and there is an air bnb right near the clinic. So if I’m not successful by January I’m think I’m going to suppress ovulation for two months with the cream and then try IUI in April.

I’m glad that things are going well for you. Does it feel anymore real yet?

I think it's good idea to try a clinic @Waiting2BAMummy I suppose at least they can monitor you a little bit more and I guess make sure everything is working as it should.

No it still doesn't feel real at all. I have moments when i get carried away, but then I bring myself back down, I'll maybe feel better if I have blood tests. I dunno. I'm still POAS 🙈

lol @LanieM87 shall I buy you some shares in first response??

Haha @Waiting2BAMummy I've got one more cheap one to use tomorrow and then a final CB digital that tells you the weeks, so I'm gunna use that at the weekend and I'll be very satisfied if it's moved up to 2-3 weeks. 🙈

So weird that just a few days ago you were wondering what you were going to do after next month if that didn’t work @LanieM87 and now here you are using more pregnancy tests that you did OPK’s! So happy for you.

My CM is sticky again so definitely think I’ve already ovulated so going to start my cream on Saturday (CD 17) though after reading some posts what I thought was EWCM on Tuesday could have been left over ‘goods’ (though it was more than 12 hours after) so think I may have completely missed ovulation this month.

@Waiting2BAMummy can you link to the clinic you have found? I am going to try a few cycles with my donor first but want to consider all my options for if it doesn’t work.

I know! It's madness! I do feel so incredibly lucky to be pregnant, even though it feels strange to say it, I really hope it sticks @Waiting2BAMummy I've just swapped OPK for pregnancy tests 😂 it's a true addiction haha.

Oh bummer. Do you think you've have donations around ovulation or do you think you've missed it completely? This is where BBT is useful, but I know it doesn't work for everyone.

Thought I'd check back in I'm in my TWW again!

@CleverQuacks www.vivaneo.dk/en/clinics-and-practical-information/our-clinics-our-team/vivaneo-ciconia-fertility-clinic/

I really don’t know @LanieM87 if I did ovulate yesterday then I had a donation on Monday so that would have been perfect timing but if I ovulated on day 8/9 then I missed it completely. The problem I have with tracking BBT is that I’m often up in the night so my sleep cycle is all over the place and as a result my temps are always going to be skewed. To be honest that wouldn’t help me this month anyway as I usually always get my positive between CD13-15 so if I did ovulate on day 8/9 I would have missed it anyway as this is completely out of the norm for me.

Good luck @GreatestShowUnicorn

Fingers crossed that you didn't miss it, @Waiting2BAMummy.

Talking of Aarhus, someone I know on FB used to live there and used the clinic, and highly recommends it. She used sperm from Cryos. It does sound like a good idea though, as I presume, going through the clinic, you'd get all the legal protection. Would they test the sperm too?

I can't believe I'm now in week 28 - third trimester. The time has flown by! Not sure the best way to start it is with a PhD viva, but there we go. At least I'm really not that bothered about it, I have bigger things to think about now.

Yes, @TimeIhadaNameChange it would take care of all the legal stuff hence why he will only donate through a clinic. I don’t know that they would test the sperm but he has already had his own tests done and has sent me the results.

Can’t believe your 28 weeks either that has gone so fast. My bosses daughter is 31 weeks so you’re both due around the same time. Can’t wait to be in that position too! You must be so excited now.

Wow I can't believe you're in the final run @TimeIhadaNameChange that does seem to have whizzed by! How are you feeling?

I'm sure this is TMI - but I've learnt that's just what this thread is! Did you have lots of CM in early pregnancy?!