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The Official TTC Thread!

Peony -- WOW!! Congrats on 2 little ones!!! How exciting!!

Fisher -- I''m sorry you''re having issues with the whole Clomid thing. You do not sound ungrateful for the gift of children, you sound perfectly normal so don''t sweat that. Only you and Paul know if you should continue to take it, but the fact that it has made you O so much sooner is such a great thing!

Festy -- So glad to hear the testing went well. Good luck to Mr. Festy and his SA!

****************************

CD10
 
Date: 4/1/2009 6:28:21 PM
Author: ChinaCat
Lulu- Aw, you''re killing me! Gracie is gorgeous- so regal. It''s funny, I am not really a little dog person, but I just fall in love everytime I see a King Charles. So spunky and cuddly! I try to bring up puppies occasionally, but DH is having none of it. He''s probably right- new house, new baby is probably enough for one year. But it''s on my list!!! Let me know how easy it is to train him.

Tiffany- Is your 85 lb-er your avatar? That sweet face kills me, that''s just the look that our lab gives us. He''s the sweetest dog, I can''t get enough of him. What is his name? Sorry about your negative test. Give your cute pup a hug- can''t help but make you feel a little better.
Hey China! That is my 85lber in my avatar. His name is Max. He''s 4. He''s a lab/mastiff mix. He really is the sweetest dog.
 
Peony!!! Congratulations! Thank you for popping in here with an update. I was thinking of you a ton last night. Many wishes for TWO stickies!

Fisher - While I am not a person of faith, I think I do get what you''re going through and you''re articulating it very well. I have never thought you would be anything less than grateful for whatever you and Paul end up with! Try to take some deep breaths and give yourselves time to process. And don''t test again for a few days! So glad your temps are still rising...

Keep the goggie pictures coming, I loves ''em!

************

CD 13 here and still waiting for a positive OPK. DH and I have been waiting to BD so I really hope we haven''t missed it with all the waiting. We''re getting on the floor for sure tonight, positive OPK or no!
 
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Congratulations Peony. Double the trouble
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but surely double the love. How exciting!!!

Festy - Thanks for the report back on the HSG - so glad to hear that it went well and that everything is checking out. Hoping this is your cycle.

Fisher - I don''t think that you sound ungrateful and while I may have a slightly different viewpoint on these things, I completely understand what you are struggling with. Hoping that you get KTFU this cycle, so all these decisions would be moot.

*******************************

Not too much to say other than we got in on BD session and now it''s time to wait it out. my favorite part
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Hi Peony - I just recently joined the board but that''s fantastic! I''m secretly hoping for twins while at the same time not, it''s a lot to take on and very exciting too isn''t it?

Fisher oh boo ... negative means nothing now. And thank you, any thought I might have had of testing early is out the window. Completely depressing isn''t it?

Can someone please correct my counting? In determining DPO, do you start with the day the ovulation test turns positive as "1", or is the next day 1? Meeting with the nurse practitioner later today to discuss next steps if no luck this cycle, so I can ask her then too ...
 
Thanks so very much everyone! I was glad to be able to share my shocking news, and I hope that no one minded that I posted prego stuff on this thread. Since ya''ll are my girls I will post the big stuff, but hopefully there is no more big stuff to come!!

Fisher, I agree completely. We knew several people who had taken Clomid and I am definitely the only one who ended up with twins. I thought my chances wouldn''t be too high since we were on the lowest dose. And I definitely do feel guilt!!!!!!!!!! Not so much about messing with a higher plan, but I am very worried about being able to carry two babies to term (or near term) and then being able to take care of them. I mean geez, one baby is a ton of work!! In fact, if you remember the first dr I saw refused to give me Clomid because of the higher risk of twins! Her philosophy was that if you ovulate at all (like even 2-3 times a year, which is what was happening with me after the initial normal cycles off the pill), you don''t need Clomid, you just need to be patient. So you could say that I ignored medical advice.
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Also, with this huge stigma developing about fertility treatments these days due to extreme higher-order multiples (ahem, Octomom), I''m not going to be telling any more people IRL that I was on Clomid since I don''t want or need any more judgement about my babies or how they came to be. If it just affected me I wouldn''t care, but I feel protective of them already! I think it someone asked me straight-out I would tell, but so far people are just asking if twins run in my family.
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Good luck with whatever decision you make!! I don''t think either would be wrong, but know that twins are still pretty rare on Clomid! And sorry about the BFN, but I do think that it''s way too early!!
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Date: 4/2/2009 9:49:14 AM
Author: melanie987123
Can someone please correct my counting? In determining DPO, do you start with the day the ovulation test turns positive as ''1'', or is the next day 1? Meeting with the nurse practitioner later today to discuss next steps if no luck this cycle, so I can ask her then too ...
Hi Melanie,

My doctor tells me that *generally* you ovulate 24-36 hours after the first positive OPK. So by that logic, the day after the positive would be ovulation day and 1 DPO would be the day after that. This stuff is surely not exact, however. Heck I couldn''t even agree with the nurse practitioner on what CD 1 is!
 
Thank you Festy that''s helpful. So the bleeding I think is 5dpo and maybe even implantation bleeding is actually 4dpo and probably just from ovulation. I did iui and clomid this month, between that and his super-high sperm count you''d think it would be impossible for me not to get pregnant! I don''t know how people ever do it the "natural" way if this doesn''t work!
 
Question to the ladies who have used OPKs...

What time of day is best? It kinda hard for me to sneak off to the ladies room with a cup in hand but if I have to, I have to. Is there an issue with waiting until I get home though? And is it possible to get a negative OPK around lunch time but a positive one later that evening? Should I test more than once per day? Thanks so much for any help!
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Date: 4/2/2009 2:00:57 PM
Author: melanie987123
I don''t know how people ever do it the ''natural'' way if this doesn''t work!
Amen!
 
Date: 4/2/2009 2:08:14 PM
Author: InLuv101
Question to the ladies who have used OPKs...

What time of day is best? It kinda hard for me to sneak off to the ladies room with a cup in hand but if I have to, I have to. Is there an issue with waiting until I get home though? And is it possible to get a negative OPK around lunch time but a positive one later that evening? Should I test more than once per day? Thanks so much for any help!
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InLuv, I think it is possible to miss the surge if you only test once a day. Last cycle my surge seemed to last *around* twelve hours. If I had tested right before and right after I would have missed it. Testing at work is a b*tch, for sure. I''m about to go do it myself. I just grab a plastic cup from the water cooler, put a little water in it so I look like I''m carrying it in there because I''m still drinking, and then just hope no one else walks in! This cylce I''m using Clear Blue Easy which are also mid-stream tests. But they are super expensive so next cycle I''ll go back to the lovely dippy strippies. Good luck!
 
Date: 4/2/2009 2:08:14 PM
Author: InLuv101
Question to the ladies who have used OPKs...

What time of day is best? It kinda hard for me to sneak off to the ladies room with a cup in hand but if I have to, I have to. Is there an issue with waiting until I get home though? And is it possible to get a negative OPK around lunch time but a positive one later that evening? Should I test more than once per day? Thanks so much for any help!
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In Luv - This link might be helpful:

http://www.peeonastick.com/opkfaq.html

I use the clearblueeasy digital monitor, which I think is unusual in that it tells you to test first thing. However, I also used a less fancy test that day (didn''t want to miss it and didn''t know how the digital was going to react with the clomid) and that came up positive in the morning too.
 
Date: 4/2/2009 2:21:32 PM
Author: Festy


Date: 4/2/2009 2:08:14 PM
Author: InLuv101
Question to the ladies who have used OPKs...

What time of day is best? It kinda hard for me to sneak off to the ladies room with a cup in hand but if I have to, I have to. Is there an issue with waiting until I get home though? And is it possible to get a negative OPK around lunch time but a positive one later that evening? Should I test more than once per day? Thanks so much for any help!
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InLuv, I think it is possible to miss the surge if you only test once a day. Last cycle my surge seemed to last *around* twelve hours. If I had tested right before and right after I would have missed it. Testing at work is a b*tch, for sure. I'm about to go do it myself. I just grab a plastic cup from the water cooler, put a little water in it so I look like I'm carrying it in there because I'm still drinking, and then just hope no one else walks in! This cylce I'm using Clear Blue Easy which are also mid-stream tests. But they are super expensive so next cycle I'll go back to the lovely dippy strippies. Good luck!
I tested twice daily this cycle too.

Edit: well okay three times the days around ovulation if you count my two in the AM and one in the PM ... yes i've gotten a anal about it. Only get so many iui's under my insurance and I don't want to mess them up.
 
Grrrr...PS ate my post.

Basically all it said is thank you Festy and Melanie
 
The best time to use the OPKs is in the late morning/early afternoon. I found that you don''t have the wait the full 10 mins if not much is coming up though. When it''s positive, you''ll know in 3-4 minutes! That might make it easier for you to use them during work.
 
Peony,

Your honesty is so nice. I have a friend who''s pregnant with a single baby, and she at times feels "guilty" for bringing a child into the world, given the economy. Totally different situation, but I think all parents go through these phases at times. But since the clomid talk hits home with me, I really, really wanted to thank you for sharing your most immediate thoughts and feelings about it once you found out yesterday. Has it sunk in yet?
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I''ve still not talked to Paul, but the way it has been weighing on me today, I know I will tonight when he''s home. The thing is, though, as I was thinking about things today (and getting all emotional, crying... hormones must be nuts right now for me), when it really dawned on me that (again, not crossing any forum rules here) I believe *all* children are gifts from God, and *all* children conceived are equal, no matter the circumstances under which they were conceived. This is a basic value I''ve lived by all my life, so why would I suddenly think that God would place a lower value on a child who was conceived with the assistance of medication than on a child who was the product of a one night stand or a lucky couple who didn''t have to sit in the TTC phase for a year? They''re all miracles. If it''s not the medication creating the child (and it''s not... it''s just helping the process, which in itself is a blessing from above!), then what''s my problem? Basically, we aren''t going to conceive a child we aren''t supposed to have. That sums it up. It''s silly that I was even thinking that way. Duh. I don''t know what I was thinking.

I think maybe it''s more about me being scared of twins. What a weenie I am!! (This all stems from sweet Indy''s significant loss, that I still think about and pray for her and her husband over. Totally broke my heart. It wasn''t fair, and never will be fair. And yes, frats and identicals are totally different, but I just ache for her and feel foolish putting myself in a situation that could potentially have similar results. Not fair to my kids, it seems. However, I''m fully aware that one could conceive twins, as happens often enough, without any form of medication/intervention.)

And still, part of it is being sad that I wasn''t ovulating in a timely manner on my own. Oh big whoop. There''s *much* worse things in the world than needing to take 5 pills a month to ovulate!! I really need to get the flip over that!!

Peony, I''d forgotten about a Dr. telling you that clomid shouldn''t be prescribed to anyone who ovulates on their own!
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I think there is a great variation in what constitutes receiving clomid by Drs., though. I''ve seen some cases (online, only) where people had been trying only two months, were young, didn''t do any testing, and were given clomid. I think that''s ridiculous. If there wasn''t any issue, we certainly wouldn''t have taken it. We''ve already decided that if 50mg doesn''t work, we won''t be going above that. The side effects increase as well as the chances of multiples, and I''ve read some longer term side effects (mostly involving vision) can occur on the larger doses given over long time spans. People seek second opinions all the time, so don''t make yourself nuts over seeking another Dr. who was willing to help you in building a family. It is odd though how my Dr. had so much information about how clomid at 50mg would be just the right thing to kick in an earlier ovulation, when yours was so opposed to it, especially since my Dr. was saying how an "old" egg isn''t attractive to sperm, and is less likely to even be receptive to sperm.

Your little babies and you will be in my prayers throughout this pregnancy, Peony. For sure, for sure. Keep your focus on keeping them safe, and it will be okay. Dreamer''s right (it was dreamer wasn''t it?) when she said that frats fair much better through gestation. The fact that you''re already protective of them speaks volumes to the mother you''re growing into!! And taking clomid is far from being an OCTOMOM!!
 
Tiffany, sorry you think AF might be on her way...
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Festy - glad to hear the HSG went okay!

InLuv - I've read that OPK testing can be done anytime between 11:00 am - 8:00 pm. But the best time is considered early afternoon, as Peony mentioned. I agree with testing twice a day, esp. if you feel you may be approaching O. Once I see the line getting a bit darker I usually start testing twice a day. Usually early afternoon - like 2:00 and then later at 6:00 pm. I've had negatives early in the afternoon and positives by the evening - so if you only test once you could definitely miss your surge. I hope this is your cycle!

Fisher - you're still early!! You might not even have implanted yet. Don't lose hope.... I would give it a few days and then test again. You had great BD timing this cycle, and with the Clomid - your chances of pg are really excellent!

I'm not feeling anything pg-related yet..... just a bit of dizziness sometimes. My breasts feel about the same - they're not heavy and sore like I thought they would be. And I'm not tired or headachey either. I feel completely fine! But I'm just 4 weeks today anyway, so it's still early.

Think I'll take a wander over into the Pregnancy thread in a bit... Hope to see you guys over there soon!

ETA: Peony - how are you feeling, girlie? Are you over the shock yet? I would love to have twins, actually - a boy and girl combo would be excellent! I know it would be pretty hectic though...
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Fisher, I met with the NP today. I am currently doing 50 mg clomid. She said after another cycle to consider injectables with iui. However, she said they don''t like to do injectables with iui b/c they have no control over things (as they would with ivf) and there is a risk of multiples (even triplets!). She wasn''t concerned about the risk of multiples with just the 50mg pills. So hopefully that might help, obviously there is a risk of twins with clomid but realistically i think it''s pretty small. And if it happens, then perhaps it really was meant to be. I''m not very religious, but I don''t suppose he (or she!) would let something happen if it wasn''t meant to. I don''t imagine our silly little human pills can circumvent the will of the big guy.

Just my (very uninformed) 2 cents.
 
Date: 4/2/2009 6:16:33 PM
Author: melanie987123
Fisher, I met with the NP today. I am currently doing 50 mg clomid. She said after another cycle to consider injectables with iui. However, she said they don''t like to do injectables with iui b/c they have no control over things (as they would with ivf) and there is a risk of multiples (even triplets!). She wasn''t concerned about the risk of multiples with just the 50mg pills. So hopefully that might help, obviously there is a risk of twins with clomid but realistically i think it''s pretty small. And if it happens, then perhaps it really was meant to be. I''m not very religious, but I don''t suppose he (or she!) would let something happen if it wasn''t meant to. I don''t imagine our silly little human pills can circumvent the will of the big guy.

Just my (very uninformed) 2 cents.
Thanks, Melanie! I agree, pills indeed cannot overrule "The Big Guy."

Did you do the 7 DPO test? How are you feeling? You''ve not tested yet, right? So there may be no need for "another cycle."
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Yeah, Paul and I researched the crud outta clomid 50mg (as much as you can in a three day time span!!, although we''d both looked casually at it beforehand) and felt confident that it wasn''t like taking a pill and saying, "give me multiples." Side note: there are some people who don''t need clomid for any medical reason, but get it off the net, for the hopes of having twins! I never knew that before I was poking around looking for info. on clomid. I think I probably over-reacted to Peony''s wonderful news because I logged in from my phone at like 1 am when I woke up to go potty, and then freaked out. Like I said, hormonal!!
 
Date: 4/2/2009 6:22:28 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly

Date: 4/2/2009 6:16:33 PM
Author: melanie987123
Fisher, I met with the NP today. I am currently doing 50 mg clomid. She said after another cycle to consider injectables with iui. However, she said they don''t like to do injectables with iui b/c they have no control over things (as they would with ivf) and there is a risk of multiples (even triplets!). She wasn''t concerned about the risk of multiples with just the 50mg pills. So hopefully that might help, obviously there is a risk of twins with clomid but realistically i think it''s pretty small. And if it happens, then perhaps it really was meant to be. I''m not very religious, but I don''t suppose he (or she!) would let something happen if it wasn''t meant to. I don''t imagine our silly little human pills can circumvent the will of the big guy.

Just my (very uninformed) 2 cents.
Thanks, Melanie! I agree, pills indeed cannot overrule ''The Big Guy.''

Did you do the 7 DPO test? How are you feeling? You''ve not tested yet, right? So there may be no need for ''another cycle.''
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Yeah, Paul and I researched the crud outta clomid 50mg (as much as you can in a three day time span!!, although we''d both looked casually at it beforehand) and felt confident that it wasn''t like taking a pill and saying, ''give me multiples.'' Side note: there are some people who don''t need clomid for any medical reason, but get it off the net, for the hopes of having twins! I never knew that before I was poking around looking for info. on clomid. I think I probably over-reacted to Peony''s wonderful news because I logged in from my phone at like 1 am when I woke up to go potty, and then freaked out. Like I said, hormonal!!
No, that''s totally valid I understand your freak out I really do. Octo-mom certainly hasn''t helped things. Hmm... not sure what the 7dpo test is ... think I am currently at 8 dpo. I''m feeling perfectly normal. Nothing exciting to report, you?

I''m doing the blood test next Wednesday, which the NP said is the soonest they''d let me but that I should get an accurate result then. So by my count that''s 14 dpo.
 
Melanie,

I''ve never had the 7 DPO test, but my understanding is that it''s a blood test used to measure your progesterone after ovulation, to verify if you in fact ovulated. However, a poster named November recently had a 7 DPO test and it came back pretty low and she was upset she didn''t ovulate sufficiently or at all, but she is now pregnant. I''m sure there is more to the test, but that''s all I know about it. A lot of women on clomid or some other intervention get this tested. I always thought that charting would show if you ovulate, but maybe this is a means of better understanding how likely it is that a pregnancy could occur with any given cycle.

I thought we were cycle buddies, that''s why I was wondering if you went to the Dr. today for the test.
 
Got it. So you must have gone in and had that test - did you ovulate? Sorry if I missed that earlier. And yes, I am totally excited to have someone to count the days with! Let me know when you test!
 
No, I didn''t have it because my Dr. didn''t think whether or not I ovulated was the problem, based on my temp rises, but rather the issue was when I ovulated.

I kind of wanted to do the test, you know, just to see (and to get the chance to faint again haha) but I didn''t since he didn''t think it was necessary at this point. Maybe I will need it eventually, but not yet.
 
It''s Friday!
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So, I did talk to Paul last night. Totally made me feel better. He said that we knew that having more than one baby was a possibility when we started Clomid, so why would it be something we shy away from now? He said that we''d be blessed beyond either of our imaginations to have one child or two... and not to worry about it. Then he reminded me of something important: if we''ve already talked about it and prayed about it and felt a peace about it, we need to stick to that peace. Too true. Plus, clomid has made me ovulate on CD14, which is such a huge blessing! So, he''s not scared of the "Twin Pill" anymore. Yay!!

In other news, today''s temp shot WAY up. Kinda freaky.... just a hair from being 99 degrees!

To keep with the love of puppies we have going on here, I''m posting a picture of TaDah!! with his jogging suit he got for Christmas. He didn''t like it when we first put it on him, but he appreciates it when we go on walks in the colder weather! His face is so to die for though... like, "Please, why do you do this to me??"

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And then there''s their Halloween outfits....
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And Flip as the Hot Doggie.
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What cute puppies! Yes, the little guy is definitely giving the "what has she done to me" look! I'm glad you were able to have that conversation with Paul and that he reassured you.

So I just heard about someone who tested 10 dpo and got a positive result! Arrggh. I'm definitely waiting until this weekend though. 9 dpo and counting .... Another thing the NP mentioned yesterday is not sticking with iui and clomid for too long. She said one more cycle and then consider injectibles with iui or ivf. Doesn't want to waste time considering what an elderly 37 year-old woman I am who greedily wants more than one ...

ps ... I think a temp spike is very good!
 
Fisher- your dogs are adorable!!! My son loves the outfits
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And yay for temp rise again!!
 
Date: 4/3/2009 8:00:26 AM
Author: melanie987123
What cute puppies! Yes, the little guy is definitely giving the ''what has she done to me'' look! I''m glad you were able to have that conversation with Paul and that he reassured you.

So I just heard about someone who tested 10 dpo and got a positive result! Arrggh. I''m definitely waiting until this weekend though. 9 dpo and counting .... Another thing the NP mentioned yesterday is not sticking with iui and clomid for too long. She said one more cycle and then consider injectibles with iui or ivf. Doesn''t want to waste time considering what an elderly 37 year-old woman I am who greedily wants more than one ...

ps ... I think a temp spike is very good!
LOL Melanie! That''s the spirit!
 
Oh my gosh, Fisher....your doggies are sooo super cute!
 
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