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Pregnancy

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

super long-lived sperm got me up the duff, but what about quality

19 replies

coyandblushing · 28/03/2010 12:14

Not telling any of you who I am because of TMI factor!

Have been TTC. My cycle is very irregular but even when not actively monitoring, I can tell when ovulation is happening because of EWCM and sometimes feeling the ovary ping.

After frantically TTC for the past few months by DTD like rabbits around the fertility window with no luck, I decided to stop monitoring and stressing out, and just relax and just accept it might take a few months longer.

But we were so tired and unwell and busy that we relaxed a bit too much by not relaxing enough with each other and only managed to DTD once in the whole month (see, told you TMI!)

Had signs of ovulation that led me to suspect I'd ovulated 6 days later and thought 'oh well, missed opportunity that month, must try harder next month'

But it turns out that my man's super sperm managed to fertilise my ovum a whole 5 1/2 days after DTD.

I did wonder whether I'd got it wrong and ovulated a week earlier than I'd thought. But because of a thankfully unfounded scare and some medical history, I managed to blag an early scan and age of embryo means it must be super sperm.

I was a bit surprised as until then I'd read that sperm only survived a couple of days max inside a woman, but have since read that it can be much longer if optimal cervical conditons.

But I'm a little jittery because I have heard anecdotes that people who accidentally conceive using natural family planning have more 'stale' and poorer quality gametes coming into play, so are more likely to have chromosomal problems or miscarry. (Obv. we'll just wait and see, and I'm of the won't judge someone for having a termination but hope I wouldn't do it myself, though would like knowledge so as to be prepared, school of thought)

Does anyone know anything about this?

And the other reason for this post is, just sharing my shock at getting preggers with a single DTD + long-lived super sperm after no luck with bunny-like activity!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
chocolatespiders · 28/03/2010 12:17

I really dont know the answer.... but many congratulations and wishing you al the best for your pregnancy

coyandblushing · 28/03/2010 12:24

Thanks! (heading out for the day now)

OP posts:
DarrellRivers · 28/03/2010 12:26

That's how I seemed to conceive all mine
Months of TTCing and exhausting ourselves and stressing etc etcx
Then one month of doing it once at a time when it surely would be impossible to conceive, yet it seems to happen
Anecdotally my 2 have turned out ok

TulipsInTheRain · 28/03/2010 12:31

conception is a funny thing, took us two years to produce dd yet we barely had sex at all and i wound up pregnant with ds1 when she was 9 months.

no idea about your lingering sperm/quality of sperm question i'm afraid but congratulations and good luck with the pregnancy

morningpaper · 28/03/2010 12:32

sperm can survive in the female body for up to 7 days, apparently - that's the guideline given for natural family planning, anyway

juneybean · 28/03/2010 12:32

It might be a girl! They say the girl sperm lasts longest lol

brennannbooth · 28/03/2010 12:37

Congratulations! I think it's a girl, too - that's how our DD came about anyway.

TopanTail · 28/03/2010 12:50

You could also be mistaken about the exact time of your ovulation, if your cycle is erratic...I wouldn't worry about it tbh, but congrats on your pregnancy.

MumNWLondon · 28/03/2010 13:16

don't worry about it, if not of good quality wouldn't have fertilised egg..... my sister in law said the same - 5 days between the deed and conception - confirmed by both earlu scan and ovulation pains AND she had a (healthy) boy.

pamplem0usse · 28/03/2010 14:53

Unless you know when you ovulated because of tests then I'd assumed that the measurements are slightly out. I know when I ovulated by the fetus has been 3/4 days ahead of this from 6 weeks, which is quite normal.

coyandblushing · 28/03/2010 18:27

Thanks, everyone, for the good wishes, reassurances, information, suggestions, anecdotes and sex predictions !

Can't speak for DP, but I have absolutely no preference as to what we have. We already have a DD who will be 2.5 when this one is due - and we hope for two nippers, so hope this is our last TTC (everything crossed).

And thankyou for confirming what I have been telling DP - that is is perfectly plausible that he is the father and there is no need for him to look askance at the milkman

OP posts:
fatsatsuma · 28/03/2010 18:32

Both my DDs were conceived several days before I reckon I ovulated. They were both lovely surprises .

And yes, I've heard too that female sperm are able to linger longer, which is borne out in our experience.

Congratulations!

thelittlebluepills · 28/03/2010 18:34

we had a panic cos DH had had chemotherapy and we weren't supposed to get PG at all. we were told by the fertility folk that sperm either work, or don't work and there is no more reason to suspect abnormality in such circumstances

Our DS was absolutely fine and healthy (and now has a very healthy toddler temper!)

Pootles2010 · 29/03/2010 11:32

Congratulations I'm pretty certain we must have had similar situation - because of work trip, we didn't manage to 'dtd' around time of ovulation, i think his sperm must have survived 5/6 days - impressive! But I'm now 24 weeks preg, everything seems hunky dory (touch wood!), scan is fine, and the old wives tale isn't true for us - we're having a little boy

legallyblond · 29/03/2010 11:47

I suspect it will be a girl - the anecdotal rule is that x spem swim slower but live for longer, while y spem swim faster but die sooner.

And I really shoudn't worry about the sperm being "stale"... I was a complete surprise for my parents who, at the time, were using the natural family planning method. I was the product of a sperm that apparently lived inside my mother's body for 7 days... and I am, I think, perfectly healthy!

CONGRATULATIONS!

firsttimemama · 29/03/2010 11:54

This happen with our DC2 who is a boy and our DC1 was conceived at ovulation is a girl!

sweetkitty · 29/03/2010 11:57

We DTD on CD11 here and I ovulate CD15, only once that month as well and I know have a healthy 5yo DD.

SummerLightning · 29/03/2010 12:01

Same for me, I am 22 weeks, 20 week scan was fine....didn't have sex around the apparent time of ovulation as I was ill, must have been up to a week earlier (can't remember now)
I never worried about stale sperm, just went "blimey" didn't expect that!
I am hoping it's a girl as we can't agree on a boys name.

Congratulations!!

AllieW · 29/03/2010 12:33

We had a similar experience with DD (tried for 11 months and then just relaxed and fell pregnant when it "couldn't possibly have happened".)

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