TTC tips and how long did it take you?

[HS99]

Hi all,

I’m TTC on cycle #4 for my first. Have regular ish periods between 26-31 days. No other medical problems. Health weight as is DH and we’re just under 30. Getting a bit disheartened that it’s taking this long (even though I know it can be normal).
I did track ovulation last month and didn’t get a peak..😢

Just wondering how many cycles did it take you guys to conceive your first and was there anything specific you remember you did that you think may have helped in the cycle that worked?

Thanks in advance, and baby dust to you all x

We were lucky and managed to conceive the second month of trying however I put that down to the clear blue ovulation tests which were excellent and I don’t think it would have happened so quickly without them. On the first month of using them I didn’t get a peak either but I think I started testing too late into my cycle even though I followed the instructions. The second month I think I tested from the start to make sure I didn’t miss my window!

Best of luck, keep trying and I hope it happens for you soon!

Hi @HS99

The Conception board/chat is all about TTC! Lots of tips and advice over there. Here's the link:
Conception

My biggest tip is to make sure your tracking BBT, cervical mucus and ovulation using OPKs. Fertility Friend is a great app if you’re not using it already. The more data it collects the better it becomes at predicting your fertile window. I use a tempdrop to take my temperature and it’s amazing. Yes it’s a bit expensive and takes a couple of weeks to arrive from America and a month or so to regulate the algorithm, but after that it’s so easy to use and took a lot of my anxiety away about getting an accurate temperature every morning with a normal oral BBT thermometer

It took us I
1 cycle I was 34 , DH 31 and our DD is now 10 weeks old 🥰.
I too have a regular periods c.25-26 days so was hopeful it wouldn't take long.

To help it along I used pregnacare preconception vitamins for 3 months prior to starting (our wedding was postponed due to lockdown), CB OPK and did the deed everyday when I got my flashing and static face. Then one for luck the day I was due to come out of my ovulation window. Good luck

It took us 18 months - at 12 months in we started the process of fertility investigations. I tracked ovulation with OPKs (ICs - 1.5 years of clear blue was too expensive!!) and our successful cycle was where we did the SMEP. 20 weeks this week! We are also under 30 and normal weight/otherwise healthy, initial investigations didn't find anything wrong fertility wise, it just took us a bit longer

First pregnancy took around 8-9 months resulting in our DD, second pregnancy took 11 months sadly ended in MMC. Currently still trying for our second baby, on cycle 5 since the miscarriage. We use the Clearblue advanced opk's and have conceived twice using them - unfortunately we are just a couple that takes a little longer. I would recommend opk's, be aware of your cervical mucus and take your vitamins - luck does seem to play a factor too.

Good luck - hopefully it happens quickly for you!

First baby took 3 years to conceive. We had fertility tests but all came back clear. We were mid 30s when started trying for our first. Second baby took 2 months! I was 41 this time around. I've always used ovulation tests and through time realised that I had ovulation pain each month too which gave us an indication of when I was ovulating.

@HS99 such an exciting time! My recommendation would be to enjoy these early months. Enjoy the spontaneity and lack of planning, and just learn your way around TTC slowly. It took us a longgg 17 months to fall pregnant. The hardest time was months 9-12. We had lots of testing done and it came back as unexplained infertility (I am 29 and DH is almost 32) so we were planning the IVF route. I'd say manage your expectations - it's quite normal for things to take a year, and for those who go over that, that's when you should start progressing with tests. It doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong, and you may well fall naturally. I found months 12-17 I missed those early months of excitement and hope, so I guess enjoy that and try not to panic too much 😊

1st cycle for DC1
currently trying for DC2, in the two week wait of the first cycle!
last time (and this one) we took the pregnacare his’n’hers tablets
and I did opks (but didn’t tell DH - I didn’t want to put extra pressure on him!)

8 years for us, with phases of actively trying (opk, bbt, smep etc). Fertility tests showed nothing on my end, partner didn't want to get tested but had agreed to do it this summer, we are both young or he would've been tested sooner. I finally got my first positive and am now 8 weeks, could be coincidence but that cycle I don't do anything like opk and DTD twice both times I feel asleep after instead of waiting 30 mins or so to clean up!

Pregnancy 1 (aged 29) took 8 months to conceive. This ended in a mmc.

Pregnancy 2 (aged 30) took 8 months to conceive. DD is 21 months

Pregnancy 3 (aged 32) took 7 months to conceive. I'm 14+4.

Hope it happens for you soon and it is frustrating that it takes time but 4 months is completely normal, as is anything up to 12.

DS1 - (age 29) took 4 months
DS2 - (age 32) first month of trying
DS3 - (age 35) took 9 months
DC4 - (age 40) took 12 months. I’d honestly given up thinking it wouldn’t happen. Still early days tho as I’m only 6 weeks along

We DTD every other day during my fertile window. Two of my conceptions were when we were on holiday, so perhaps I was more relaxed!

Good luck!

Track ovulation, preseed and know your cervical mucous. You'll get there :)

Thank you for all your responses!
no matter how much I realise it’s normal for some to take up to a year, I still get anxious and think there’s something wrong 😅

@HazyDays81 that’s good to hear, my next fertile period is whilst I’m on holiday too so hope this helps 😀

@BritInNZ thank you! You’re right I definitely need to start enjoying it more, glad it happened for you eventually!

I’m going to go against the grain here 😄 We conceived four weeks after my coil was removed and I tracked nothing, no ovulation, body temp, mucous, nothing. Tracking sounded stressful and stressed bodies don’t conceive well. I’d been taking Pregnacare vitamins for a couple of months and lay on my back for 10-15 mins after DTD, which we did every day regardless (but that’s been normal for us since we met).

Took 7 months to conceive then miscarried. Now on cycle 3 of trying again. Have just been diagnosed with a large endometrioma on my left ovary so no idea what lays ahead for us.

Be patient and try to have fun! Definitely don't put your life on hold for this.

First took six months with a bit of charting etc. I was 30.

Second I was 34 & couldn't be bothered with the charting so just got a fertility monitor (won't name the brand) and it worked first time. Expensive but did get the job done.

We fell pregnant on our 4th month of trying. The things I did differently that month was I tracked my ovulation using Easy@Home ovulation sticks every day from the day my period finished until after my peak and I was getting “low” readings just so I knew I had had my peak and then made sure we were DTD all across the high peak readings. I think we did it about 4 times across the high readings, maybe like 6 times in total for that cycle so you don’t have to go crazy! And I lay with a cushion under my bum and my legs raised against the headboard for 10 minutes after. I can’t say if any of that actually helped but I’m 35 weeks now so worth a try! Good luck! 💕

It took us two cycles. I had very irregular periods due to post-pill amenorrhea and my body struggling to find its way back to anything resembling a normal menstrual cycle after 7 years on the pill. It happened a lot quicker than we expected it to, I'm now 8 weeks pregnant.

Here are the things we did:

• Folic acid and vitamin D every day
• Using home OPKs to predict ovulation (I never actually got a strong positive result, so we just had a lot of sx around the stronger results)
• Conceive+ Lube (or just any lube that isn't harmful to sperm)
• Focusing on healthy diets - both hubby and I stopped drinking alcohol and consuming caffeine completely, and cut down on junk food
• Had sx every other day in the middle of the cycle

I'm young-ish (25) so feel like age might have been a factor as to why it was so quick but I'm not sure on the exact science of it?

Other than doing your best to be healthy and predict your ovulation, I think it really is down to chance. You will get there <3

7 or 8 months

Got pregnant the first month we did OPKs so wish I had done them sooner

I'd recommend some vitamins such as Iron & Folic Acid, Vitamin D, Q10 (90 days for good egg health), Vitamin C (for progesterone), Omega 3 / DHA and for your partner Vitamin D, Maca, Zinc..