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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

How did you get pregnant?

63 replies

broodynmoody · 22/11/2015 13:28

Hello im a regular lurker to the conception boards. I've been trying for nearly a year, i have irregular periods, tried ovulation for a week or so with no positive, been taking Sevens Seas Trying or a baby vitamins and then I've been using preseed as well but still no luck... Any tips?

OP posts:
Stillwishihadabs · 22/11/2015 18:26

No booze for either of you (no recreational drugs either). Sex every 2-3 days (not every day as the swimmers need time to mature) from the day your period stops. I conceived on days 5 and 9 of my 24 day cycle. It takes the swimmers 2-3 days to make it so they need to be there already when you ovulate IYSWIM. Sperm count is higher in the morning and caffeine 20 minutes before can speed them up. This all comes from my bff whose do had "sperm issues" she wanted to avoid IVF and conceived naturally twice

Bishboshbash · 22/11/2015 18:32

My periods were very irregular after coming off the pill. I read on here about someone taking myo-inositol, it is a type of vitamin b. It is shown to help regulate cycles and increase ovulation. I only took it for a month and got pregnant that month after trying for nearly 9 months. Have a search online there is lots of info on it.

LBOCS2 · 22/11/2015 18:41

This is my 5th pregnancy (2nd baby).

I basically tracked my cycle doing a variety of things - checking CM (looking for EWCM), temping and keeping a chart (Fertility Friend is good for that) and using cheaply OPK sticks - bought en masse from Amazon, best used mid afternoon with relatively concentrated wee - no drinking or peeing after 12 to about 4pm (when you do them). Once you get a good idea of your cycle it's a good idea to time your sex for the day before and on the day. Possibly one day before that as well. The timing in the day really doesn't make any difference.

DowntonDiva · 22/11/2015 19:23

Cervical mucus was my biggest indicator. I stopped taking the pill years before (for unrelated medical condition). By the time started TTC my "natural" indicators sounded the alarm every month.

I have a friend who just threw away her ovulation tests as she felt they were driving her mad and the increased stress wasn't helping.

Wishing you lots of positive vibes Thanks

FreeWorker1 · 22/11/2015 19:29

Go to the GP after a year. Any treatment and investigations will take a while to organise so better to get on with it.

Very lucky for us we did otherwise would never have had children

seven201 · 22/11/2015 19:31

Re the ovulation tests. Some people find they add to stress, some reduce the stress. I was definitely more relaxed when I did use the opk's. That's not strictly true as the cheap ones never worked for me, only the clear blue expensive ones (bought off amazon to be a bit cheaper). I think you need to do whatever you think works best for you.

Cliffdiver · 22/11/2015 20:00

I did a kind of shoulder-stand thing afterwards Grin

princesspineapple · 23/11/2015 07:05

It took exactly a year for us from coming off the pill to BFP... I was tracking my ovulation and being a saint with my diet, but nothing. Until one month OH was working away when I ovulated, so just wrote off that month, had a bottle glass of wine and DTD 4 days later when he came home... now I'm almost 24 weeks!
So... Wine? Wine

Ladyboluna · 23/11/2015 08:43

We tried for 18 months without anything happening before deciding to take a break. We used apps, temping, ov sticks, preseed, everything!

Had some tests which showed OH was infertile. Declined IVF and started the adoption process. Went on a 2 week holiday to Mexico... and now I've got to tell our social worker that I'm pregnant!

I used to absolutely hate people who told me to "just relax" and it'll happen. But there are so many stories on this thread about people who decided to stop trying and it happened.

clarabellski · 23/11/2015 10:24

Same story as Lemon101 but swap the 6 months for 18 months.

I don't think there is anything you can do to become pregnant (other than have sex or sex substitute). If there's an underlying problem (which there may not be), then experts may be able to identify it and as others say, the advice is to go and see someone after a year if nothing has happened on its own.

Flowers OP and I hope things work out for you

Original poster
broodynmoody · 23/11/2015 12:08

Thank you ladies for the replies, I've now booked in with the gp a week this Friday, im thinking about shelling out for them clear blue ovulation tests, expensive but if it works then it's worth it Smilewalked down the baby clothing aisle in Asda today n nearly was in tears Sad

OP posts:
mrsmugoo · 23/11/2015 12:55

Broodynmoody I've got a whole box of the clearblue sticks I no longer need - happy to send them to you if you pm me your address. You'll still need to buy a small box as the testing stick is gone now, but I've got loads of spare refills.

PeasinPod1 · 23/11/2015 14:20

-Use ov sticks.
-DTD starting at 5 days before ovulation, with 1 day off, then defintiely day before, on the day day after and 2 days after.
-Give up alcohol and caffeine, get as healthy as possible.
-I took Zita West conception vitamins and DHA capsules.
-Use Conceive Plus before sex.

PrincessPunzie · 23/11/2015 14:50

I got on well with Clearblue ovulation sticks and fell pregnant in the second month of using them - I was convinced from using cheapie ov sticks and temping that I wasn't ovulating (only one positive after months with the former, and all over the place with the latter) so to actually get positives on an ovulation test was a huge boost to my confidence and also relaxed us as a couple (we weren't constantly thinking "Oh God it'll never happen"). I have a healthy diet, work out a lot and didn't consume much caffeine anyway, alcohol was my one vice and I didn't give it up (I tried, it made me miserable, I gave up giving it up) and in fact I drank rather a lot in the month I conceived! I think that whatever relaxes you is the key - and for me it was knowing that I was actually capable of ovulating. Good luck!

PrincessPunzie · 23/11/2015 14:51

Oh, and I would second the shoulder-stand thing (although obviously I have NO idea if it actually helped...)

mrsmugoo · 23/11/2015 15:01

An egg only lives for 12 hours so all your sex needs to be leading up to and possibly including the day of ovulation (dtd first thing then ovulating later that evening, for example)

Sex after ovulation is basically pointless as by the time the sperm have swum up the Fallopian tubes, the egg is dying/dead

SoozeyHoozey · 23/11/2015 15:23

I was drinking, smoking and eating an unhealthy diet both times and I conceived in one cycle. With ds (unplanned) I was even using recreational drugs the weekend he was likely conceived, as well as taking the morning after pill. This is anecdotal but I'm not sure if factors like that always make much of a difference to fertility.

PeasinPod1 · 23/11/2015 15:27

Mrsmuggo not true at all actually. With ov sticks- they detect LH levels to predict LH surge, indicating when you are most likely to ovulate and most like to conceive within the next 24-48 hours so of course it makes sense to then try for 2 days after your ov sticks shows positive, we only did it these days the month I got my BFP.

notenidskitchen · 23/11/2015 15:31

Prime your body for conception.

Eat well. And I mean, really well. Cook form scratch, loads of veg, lean meat, good protein. Exercise. Cut out alcohol and coffee and processed rubbish.

Not sure if you are overweight but make sure you have a good BMI.

This worked for me.

starkers1 · 23/11/2015 15:34

SoozeyHoozey the OP came on here looking for helpful, productive tips and advice on things she could change/look into- after not getting her PBF in a year. To just dismiss all decent (and in many cases- medically proven) advice is very foolish. Why hell yeah, just because your PFB sounds like an utter fluke- you took the morning after pill, were drinking and on drugs, why don't we all just try the same?! Such excellent, healthy advice.

Also agree with Peas re. Mrsmuggos dodgy advice, "Possibly the day of ovulation"??! Its only the 2nd highest day, to the day before that could actually get you PFB! Shows you do not know what you are talking about. Also definitely heard of many pregnancy plans and from friends that have DTD day after O and got pregnant.

Here are the stats, seems no harm in DTD every day from 4 days before to 2 days after to max your chances OP:

Odds of conceiving:

5 days before O- 0 Percent
4 days before O- 11 percent
3 days before O- 15 percent
2 days before O- 20 percent
1 day before O- 26 percent
Day of O- 15 percent
1 day after O- .09 percent
2 days after O- .05 percent
3 days after O- 0 percent

magpie17 · 23/11/2015 15:41

All I did was track CM and try to have sex when it was fertile-looking. Took two months.

I had previously tried for 18 months with a different partner and tried every trick in the book, no pregnancy and I couldn't face all that again.

I honestly do think it's just luck, I have a history of problems with ovulating and a very short luteal phase but something worked and my DS is now 18 weeks old. I fully expect to have problems in the future but this time we were lucky I guess.

dizzylemon · 23/11/2015 16:31

Took me 15 months.

Discovered I was pregnant the morning of my first appointment with the Fertility Clinic. Unsurprisingly, all my hormone levels were normal.

So that was with regular sex and trying all the tricks. THere's no trick to it - some people get pregnant faster then others, but do get reffered. It's the only way to know for sure.

mrsmugoo · 23/11/2015 17:28

I didn't say don't dtd after your positive opk, I said pretty pointless after ovulation.

I said dtd up to and including day of ovulation.

I used OPKs and temping so I knew when my surge was and when I had actually ovulated.

mrsmugoo · 23/11/2015 17:33

Starkers1 what are you talking about? What I said completely agrees with your post?!

The only reason I said possibly day of ovulation is because is hard to pinpoint the time of day you actually ovulate.

Oysterbabe · 23/11/2015 19:13

We went on honeymoon for two weeks, drank gallons of rum and had sex twice a day. We'd been trying for about 5 months by that point.