The Official TTC Thread!

[HOUMedGal]

Hello, ladies! I''m coming out of lurkdom to first say congrats to all the recent BFP''s (Vesper, can''t wait to hear your news when you retest!! I''ve always heard that even a faint line counts...I''m hoping for you!!) and to say that I plan to be joining you guys pretty soon!! I''ve decided that the ideal month for me to conceive would be this upcoming January (would be best with my work schedule since I would be in the 2nd trimester for my most difficult upcoming rotations), so I''m just trying to decide when to come off my NuvaRing, and when we should actually start TTC. I have an appt with my doc on Thursday for my yearly checkup, so I''ll be discussing it with her then. Anyone with advice on how much in advance I should come off the ring and let my cycles regulate themselves? I''ve been on some form of hormonal BC for the past 9.5 yrs....I can''t even remember what my cycles were like before.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 8/10/2009 6:38:23 PM
Author: puppmom
coming out of lurkdom to join TTC. i''ve found the members on here so helpful and supportive and have done research on this board about more than just diamonds i can''t wait to spend hours reading all of your stories.

i''ve been married for about a year and dh and i have decided that we''re going to try for a baby. we have no clue what we''re doing (besides the obvious

). that''s why i''m here! hopefully, somewhere along the way, i can help someone else too.

we only really tried in july and i''m not so sure i have my cycle down so besides the fun we had trying, it was a bust. here''s my current issue. dh wants to use protection this month so we don''t have a baby on his birthday. ugh...i think if we''re lucky enough to conceive, we shouldn''t be so picky! i asked him the other day if he would reconsider and he said no and i didn''t push it. i''m not sure what to do. it''s not something we have to talk today because there''s not much we can do when i have af anyway.

i have a gyn appt in october and i want to be able to go in (assuming we''re not pregnant) with a solid ''chart'' (for lack of a better term) so we can seek advice and guidance. not only does ''skipping'' august interfere with that obviously, i think it''s downright silly!

any ideas?

Hi Puppmom! Maybe because you guys have just recently started trying you are trying to time your conception to a certain month (DH and I did this last year when we started trying - we wanted a baby around the time our first child turned 3). However, after one month of trying & having a period, I totally stopped ovulating and no period for 5 months. I had always been irregular, and was finally diagnosed with PCOS, but it was so discouraging to totally stop ovulating only a month after we started trying. The point of this story is that maybe it''s better to just keep trying, because you never know how long it will take, or if the baby is even born on time. My friend was supposed to have her baby in Jan., but she was born 2 months premature in Nov. (and is healthy now) so even if you try to time the pregnancy right, you never know what will happen.

I also wanted to recommend the website fertilityfriend.com to start charting your cycle with your basal body temperature. It only took us charting 2 cycles on there to realize that I was ovulating around day 19, not day 14, like most women. So, all of those months we had been trying at the wrong time of the month. Once we knew when I was ovulating, it became much easier.

Good luck!

 

[vespergirl]

I just wanted to update and say that it looks like I''m definitely pregnant! I took an EPT test last night, and another this morning at 5 am, and both came out positive (the lines are getting darker each time). I am going to the dr. tomorrow morning for a blood test.

I know that I haven''t posted that much - just mostly checked in about once a month - but I just wanted to thank everyone for sharing your stories, and your supportive words and advice. I''ve lurked on here more than posted for the last 10 months, but it has been really helpful to read all of your posts. I want to send my warmest wishes to you all.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Congratulations, Vesper. There''s no way, just no way that three tests can be wrong!!

How exciting!! What did your DH have to say about it? I believe you said this is your second pregnancy... when do you plan to tell your child he/she is about to be a big brother or sister? I love stories about that kind of thing.

Let it sink in... how very exciting!!

****
HOU,

Welcome to the thread. I''m not sure that there''s any set time that you should be off BC before trying to conceive. Some people start the month after they come off and get pregnant right away, and others have more of an adjustment time. I''m sure your Dr. will have some good advice, but even they can''t predict when you''ll get pregnant. It''s an exciting time when you decide to jump into TTC, so enjoy!

****
Pupp,

Your husband sounds like mine. We first started trying last summer, and then my husband wanted to take the month of August "off," so that we wouldn''t have a baby on his birthday. Needless to say, after a year of trying, he''s over that and is hoping for a May baby like him! (And I am, too.) It''s just so hard to know when it will happen, and after a point, *timing* birthdates goes out the window and you just wait for the blessing of the child--no matter when he/she arrives. It''s hard, though... I remember being so disappointed that Paul would be that way. I talked to him about a lot, because it seemed so silly, and for whatever reason, he just was really not wanting to share his time to shine, I guess. I think part of it (for him) was that the baby idea was still fairly new and a child seemed so distant and thinking of having one by the time his birthday rolled around again was a little shocking for him. Again, time changes those things. Good luck talking with your husband and reaching a decision/agreement that works for both of you.

****
Melly,

Thanks for the explanation on the grapefruit juice and complications with medications. I appreciate the information because it was something I was curious over. Just glad it mixes well with Clomid.

Love the puppy picture, by the way! Adorable!

****
Starting OPKing today. Yippeee! Hoping for a normal (read: short) cycle this time. And a baby (of course)! Started back on the elliptical recently, too, which has been helping my mood/outlook. It''s so easy to stop in the summer when it''s so overwhelmingly HOT and when you have vacations and weekend trips and things like that. I''m hoping that my recent activities will become a habit, though. I love the elliptical, but it''s so hard to get back into the routine. Argh!!

****
Festy,

Hoping you get your new cycle soon!!! So, it will be IUI this go-round? I''m calling my Dr. office today to ask for a faxed copy of the SA results... I''m just too curious to let "within normal limits" be enough for me. Ah... something else to analyze.

****
Question for the masses: Femera; what does it do that''s different from Clomid? One of my friends who went through TTC troubles was put on it after Clomid and had a baby 9 months later. I wonder... I''m going to do some researching on it, but was curious to see what people here knew about it, thought about it, etc. For whatever reason, I thought it was for PCOS, which I don''t have, but maybe I''m confusing it with Metformin...

 

[phoenixgirl]

Vesper, yay!!!!! Congratulations!!!

Pupp, your husband sounds very naive about the fertility process. Only half of *healthy* couples will get pregnant within 4-5 months. Yes, you have a 25% chance of conceiving each cycle (if there are no other issues stopping you), but there are also many chemical pregnancies and early losses. If it were my DH, I would explain all of this and then say that if it turns out that we have fertility issues, I will probably resent that one month extra when we didn''t try for a silly reason, and, like you said, if we are lucky enough to conceive right away, then we should just thank the universe for our blessing. But, if he just can''t be convinced, you can use this month to read up on fertility and start temping or using an ovulation predictor (if you choose) to get a better sense of your cycles and increase your chances for September on. Then this moratorium might not seem like such a waste.

That said, I totally tried to "time" when I got pregnant too . . . if only I knew! I didn''t want to get pregnant until after the school year finished (thinking I would work through the end of the year and then quit to stay home). Then the recession hit and DH''s commission-based salary got cut in half, and of course we didn''t get pregnant right away. Now I am going back to work but having a baby just a couple of months into the school year. You can''t time these things. Incidentally, our daughter is due 12 days after DH''s birthday so there''s definitely a small chance she could come on his birthday. He hasn''t seemed concerned at all by this prospect. Wouldn''t it be fun to share a birthday?

 

[melz]

Pupp, I can empathize that your DH''s attitude would be totally frustrating for many reasons. We actually took one more month off than I wanted to recently between iui and ivf, because my DF wanted us to "enjoy the summer." I was bummed, but didn''t put up a fight. I didn''t want to put us in a situation where we were pregnant b/c I insisted, rather than him totally being on board.

If it helps, I am 37 and had two iui cycles. When we then decided to take some time off before moving to ivf, I asked the doctor how long was too long. He said you can take 3 months off, but not 6. Meaning that at my age that was the amount of time he estimated I couldn''t afford to lose. So I think we took 3 months off. His comments gave me the comfort level I needed. With you at the beginning of the process, and I think you are younger than me, one month is probably not going to hurt your long-term chances of conceiving.

 

[cara]

Vesper, most wonderful update! That''s great news! May you have an easy and healthy 9 months.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Vesper!!! Yay!!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful news with us!!! What a nice surprise! I love how this played out, that you thought you were, then you thought you weren''t, and now you are!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

CD34 for me today. No AF and a few more negative tests. Grrrr. Temp has been 97.8 this past few days and was 97.7 this morning, so hopefully AF is just around the corner.

ETA: Welcome, Puppmom!!! Do you think your DH might be a bit nervous about the prospect of having a baby, so he's trying to delay the process a bit?

 

[Sha]

Yayyyy vesper!! Congrats!!

Hope you have a happy and healthy 9 months!

Puppmom - I agree with everyone else that you guys should continue trying. There''s absolutely no guarantee that you''ll conceive in the first month, or that you''ll be due exactly on your DH''s birthday. And how does he know how due dates are calculated anyway? Docs have a formula for doing that - even if your baby is born in his birth month there''s a very slim chance your due date will fall on his special day.

Fisher - did you get back your DH''s s/a? I don''t remember if you had mentioned it before or not. Were the results okay?

 

[swimmer]

Congratulations Vesper! Late April will be very exciting.

Melanie, How did your u/s go this am? What day are you on now if they are measuring you? I hope you had some 12+mm follies. I just read that gonal-f results in 15% chance of multiples. 225? yikes, i just went in for the bloodtest, wondering if they are going to tell me to up from current dose of 75 for cd4-6. Thank you for the info on working out, yeah that is what I am seeing. I am not a nervous nellie or anything, but you know the soul searching after a failed cycle... When I do get knocked up I will swim till the day I give birth, flipturns will be hard, but pregnancy is natural and what we are doing now to get highly stimulated ovaries is not. I might just follow the same plan as you and work out till the trigger then be more gentle for a while. I can not imagine not working out during the 2ww. ETA: just got called, 2 more nights of 75 and th am for an u/s on cd9.

LV, good luck. Funny to switch gears to just HOPING for AF to chose to show.

Puppmom, welcome. Well, your DH will come around in time. But you don't need to be "trying" in order to temp and learn about your own bod.

NewShiny, excellent to get a license to try again.

HOU, I would get off the ring asap. It can take some time to get the hormones out of your system. Yeah, my "perfect time" for getting preggo was January. That didn't work out so well as it is 8 months and a lot of negative hpts later. Many of us here have been on this adventure well over a year. You are in med school so your googling skills are way better than ours in this dept. Good luck.

Fisher, I am so glad your MIL is doing well. So good to have good information on a loved one's health. What a relief.

Melly, thank you for the good info!

Regarding HPTs, there are occasionally false negatives, but really no false positives, so when you get a faint line, try again later to see a darker line

Hi Phoenix, Laila, Mandarine, Sha, DrK, and all!

 

[drk]

Fisher - I think the basic explanation is that clomid blocks the estrogen receptors in the body, including in the hypothalamus/pituitary, which leads to an increase in FSH. But it also partly blocks the action of estrogen elsewhere in the body, which is why you can have less CM and a thinner endometrium when on it. Its half-life is also longer than femara''s, so it takes longer to be totally eliminated from the body. Fermara blocks one of the enzymes in the pathway that produces estrogen, so the body notices the lower circulating estrogen levels, and the hypothalamus/pituitary produce more FSH, which stimulates more follicles to grow. It has a much shorter half-life than clomid, so it should be washed out of your body by the time ovulation and implantation come around, meaning that your cervical mucus and endometrium have time to perk up from the extra estrogen now being produced by the extra FSH that is circulating. Makes sense? Some women who don''t ovulate on clomid do on femara. I think I tried about 5 cycles of clomid before switching to femara, and got pregnant the first time on femara (just miscarried at 10.5 weeks). Oh yeah, thanks for the update on your MIL. Sounds like great news!

HOUMedGal - how far along in training are you? I spent 4 of my 5 years of residency trying to TTC with help. I knew ahead of time I had PCOS, so I suspected there might be issues, but I sure didn''t expect it would take that long. I''d think that the sooner you come off the Ring, the more of a chance your body will have to recover. Plus chances of getting pg on the ideal cycle in Jan are 25% at best. If you come off the ring before then, you can practice charting to avoid while your body gets back to normal, and then you''ll know when to best time things when your ready to get pg. What are you studying again?

Vesper - I''m still craving photos here!

NewShiny - I''m glad everything was looking good at your follow-up. Your M/C most likely was a fluke, so chances are the next time around will be better. I can''t remember - how old are you and DH and how long did you try before you got pregnant last time? After 2 losses in a row over the last couple years, I''m still feeling anxious and a little doomed, though I know seeing the HB at 9.5 weeks should mean that I''ve got a less than 5% chance of anything going wrong now. I hope we see a thriving baby on the NT scan next week!

 

[Festy]

Welcome, Puppmom! Your DH''s request is so funny and in some ways very typical of a husband who has yet to be "educated." We have had many a laugh at some of our DHs misconceptions (pun intended) about the TTC process. I don''t mean to imply that they''re all mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals. As Fisher pointed out, her DH had the same request but has also been incredibly supportive and sensitive. (Hope you don''t mind me calling you and Paul out, Fishie!) You could try to talk him out of it, but you know him best, and it may be worth it to throw him this bone and just humor him. You can still make productive use of your time by charting, etc.

Swimmer - I am ALSO having an U/S on Thursday! It''s my baseline to begin IUI, as AF arrived today. (Thanks for the dust, everyone). I think swimming sounds like the most natural exercise to do while PG, if that makes any sense. My fingers are super crossed for you this cycle.

HOU - Wishing you the best of luck! I agree, I''d just go off the ring and start charting if that''s what you plan to do. I second Fertility Friend as a good tutorial. They will email you a new lesson plan everyday. I thought that was tons of fun.

DrK - I have to say that I am not a religious person but to the extent that what I''m doing could be called praying, I am doing it so hard for you. More like talking to myself, probably.

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

I have such a strong feeling that IUI is going to do the trick for us, and yet I hate to get my hopes up. I think I''m expecting it to work the first time around. I have this ridiculous over-confidence in my own fertility for some reason. I really need to manage my expectations but it''s hard!

 

[melz]

Date: 8/11/2009 12:12:03 PM
Author: swimmer
Congratulations Vesper! Late April will be very exciting.

Melanie, How did your u/s go this am? What day are you on now if they are measuring you? I hope you had some 12+mm follies. I just read that gonal-f results in 15% chance of multiples. 225? yikes, i just went in for the bloodtest, wondering if they are going to tell me to up from current dose of 75 for cd4-6. Thank you for the info on working out, yeah that is what I am seeing. I am not a nervous nellie or anything, but you know the soul searching after a failed cycle... When I do get knocked up I will swim till the day I give birth, flipturns will be hard, but pregnancy is natural and what we are doing now to get highly stimulated ovaries is not. I might just follow the same plan as you and work out till the trigger then be more gentle for a while. I can not imagine not working out during the 2ww. ETA: just got called, 2 more nights of 75 and th am for an u/s on cd9.

Hi swimmer! It went great, I think. Last time I had two follicles in the 12 range, today I had one 13.8 on the left, then a 14.6, 14.4, and 13.6 on the right. My estrodial shot up from 289 to 703. Not sure what that last means, but it must all be normal because I am to continue on 225 and have another u/s Thursday. That is strange that our dosages are so different. You are using Gonal F as well? hm. So did they tell you what they found for follicles today? I think it''s kind of strange to watch, the follicles look like moon craters and I find them sort of off-putting for some reason ...

I don''t really know where I am in my cycle, I have the impression it''s all controlled by the drugs at this point. I think cd 16 maybe ... we stretched the process out a bit so that I could be away for the day Sunday night and Monday. DF and I went to Lime Rock for him to drive his car on a race track for his birthday. It was very cool, alot of beautiful cars and I even met a woman driver. Now I want to drive! Just need my hot rod ... lots of people drove MINIs and VW golfs/gti''s, which were modified somehow.

Anyway, I might have said this but my nurse "guesstimated" that the retrieval would be Monday. I''m kind of hoping for the weekend instead so I don''t have to take a day away from work. Already hoping folks don''t notice the needle marks from repeated blood tests!

Great idea on the swimming. So good for you. And to tell the truth, I think I may backpeddle from my statement that I will do what I want - I think I will not run. Just got a new treadmill, but I haven''t been on a regular program and my body always takes a beating when I start. I''m prone to migraine vertigo and whenever I start running I am dizzy for a few days. Just mildly so, as it''s controlled with a drug at this point, but seems like it''s something my body does not like so why push things.

 

[melz]

Festy, another Thursday ultrasound! Might all be lucky (knocking on wood) ... in any case glad AF arrived.

 

[swimmer]

Ha Festy! They can be sort of mouthbreatherish. My DH wanted me to take an hpt the morning after we started trying.

Melanie, yeah, weird that our dosage is so different, you are using the pen, right?

Woot woot for thursday am u/s! We will each do iui about a week apart. Yay science!

Pulling for you still DrK! Thanks for the clomid/femara clarification. Just to add, when I was on clomid my estradil was super low and the endometrium was "more like a bit of cardboard and what you really want is a tempurpedic so there is something to burrow into." Hence I was switched to gonal-f.

 

[Loves Vintage]

How does the process for fertility issues diagnosis and treatment typically work? I am 35. We've been technically trying for only 4 months. I am not very patient, unfortunately. I am going to be seeing a new ob/gyn in September, so will have had 5 cycles in prior to that visit. Is there any type of testing that can be done by an ob/gyn? I'm also thinking of a friend of mine, who was ttc for a while, but then they gave up and never pursued any type of fertility treatment. She later switched doctors (completely unrelated to the ttc). New doctor discovered a cyst during her regular exam and later removed it. Next month - she was pregnant. They were very surprised. Her dr told her that the cyst was likely preventing her from conceiving. My point -- what if I have an issue like this? If I do, I want to know now. It seems so simple to resolve.

Also, is there a good website that someone would like to recommend regarding fertility treatment process,. I would like to have a better general understanding. I don't completely follow many of your posts.

 

[cakeny]

Date: 8/5/2009 7:42:54 PM
Author: cara
LV and cake, definitely not over til the fat lady sings.

Well, she sang and I am on CD5 now. But totally fine about it now. I took a red eye flight last night and the screaming kids (2 of em!) did not bother me one bit. Wow, I *am* ready

AND CONGRATS TO YOU VESPER!!!!! What fantastic news. here's to a happy healthy pregnancy.

GOOD luck luck luck to all!

 

[melz]

Date: 8/11/2009 3:10:46 PM
Author: Loves Vintage
How does the process for fertility issues diagnosis and treatment typically work? I am 35. We''ve been technically trying for only 4 months. I am not very patient, unfortunately. I am going to be seeing a new ob/gyn in September, so will have had 5 cycles in prior to that visit. Is there any type of testing that can be done by an ob/gyn? I''m also thinking of a friend of mine, who was ttc for a while, but then they gave up and never pursued any type of fertility treatment. She later switched doctors (completely unrelated to the ttc). New doctor discovered a cyst during her regular exam and later removed it. Next month - she was pregnant. They were very surprised. Her dr told her that the cyst was likely preventing her from conceiving. My point -- what if I have an issue like this? If I do, I want to know now. It seems so simple to resolve.

Also, is there a good website that someone would like to recommend regarding fertility treatment process,. I would like to have a better general understanding. I don''t completely follow many of your posts.

LV, there is a process in which infertility docs will first assess whether there is any reason they can find for the infertility. Perhaps your regular ob/gyn, otherwise she''ll refer you. There are a few different tests, they''ll look inside your uterus, they''ll inject a dye to be sure the tubes are clear, they''ll do bloodwork as well. Most people do these tests when they have been TTC with no luck for a certain period of time. When exactly depends on insurance and their particular state. I think in Mass. it''s six months if you''re over 35, one year if not. (I''m actually not sure which you would fall under being exactly 35, but again, it probably depends on your specific insurance/state anyway).

I''m sorry I''m probably one of the confusing posters. Honestly, it''s a process I''m learning as I go. I''m not sure of any websites but I''m sure there are a ton and probably someone else will have a recommendation. Has someone suggested you chart on fertilityfriend or do you already? I know a lot of people use it and it''s a great way to learn your cycle and when you should be "trying"

.

 

[melz]

Date: 8/11/2009 3:25:55 PM
Author: cakeny

Date: 8/5/2009 7:42:54 PM
Author: cara
LV and cake, definitely not over til the fat lady sings.

Well, she sang and I am on CD5 now. But totally fine about it now. I took a red eye flight last night and the screaming kids (2 of em!) did not bother me one bit. Wow, I *am* ready

AND CONGRATS TO YOU VESPER!!!!! What fantastic news. here''s to a happy healthy pregnancy.

GOOD luck luck luck to all!

Oh bummer. Well, another cycle another chance!

 

[swimmer]

Date: 8/11/2009 3:55:36 PM
Author: melanie987123

Date: 8/11/2009 3:10:46 PM

Author: Loves Vintage

How does the process for fertility issues diagnosis and treatment typically work? I am 35. We''ve been technically trying for only 4 months. I am not very patient, unfortunately. I am going to be seeing a new ob/gyn in September, so will have had 5 cycles in prior to that visit. Is there any type of testing that can be done by an ob/gyn? I''m also thinking of a friend of mine, who was ttc for a while, but then they gave up and never pursued any type of fertility treatment. She later switched doctors (completely unrelated to the ttc). New doctor discovered a cyst during her regular exam and later removed it. Next month - she was pregnant. They were very surprised. Her dr told her that the cyst was likely preventing her from conceiving. My point -- what if I have an issue like this? If I do, I want to know now. It seems so simple to resolve.


Also, is there a good website that someone would like to recommend regarding fertility treatment process,. I would like to have a better general understanding. I don''t completely follow many of your posts.

LV, there is a process in which infertility docs will first assess whether there is any reason they can find for the infertility. Perhaps your regular ob/gyn, otherwise she''ll refer you. There are a few different tests, they''ll look inside your uterus, they''ll inject a dye to be sure the tubes are clear, they''ll do bloodwork as well. Most people do these tests when they have been TTC with no luck for a certain period of time. When exactly depends on insurance and their particular state. I think in Mass. it''s six months if you''re over 35, one year if not. (I''m actually not sure which you would fall under being exactly 35, but again, it probably depends on your specific insurance/state anyway).


I''m sorry I''m probably one of the confusing posters. Honestly, it''s a process I''m learning as I go. I''m not sure of any websites but I''m sure there are a ton and probably someone else will have a recommendation. Has someone suggested you chart on fertilityfriend or do you already? I know a lot of people use it and it''s a great way to learn your cycle and when you should be ''trying''

.

I''m prob also confusing you! Sorry ''bout that. It is a new language. Check out this book link Navigating the Land of IF, or her blog stirrup queens and sperm palace jesters is very informative. There will also be blood tests, lots and lots of blood tests in your future. Hormone levels, ovarian reserve, etc. The more information you get/have the better!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Thanks, Melanie and Swimmer. I''m in CT. I know some coverage is mandated. I looked at our health insurance plan''s website, for our specific plan of coverage, and it does not offer much information, so I am having DH track down the benefit booklet and/or summary plan description. I just want to know what is covered. I *assume* diagnostics are covered under regular office visits, whether routine care or specialist''s office visits. I would hope that simple diagnostics are not entirely dependent upon age or period of time trying and that the physician can order some tests at her discretion, based on her judgment.

I have been doing a comination of charting when I feel like it, guessing, OPK''g and am fairly confident that we are timing BD well. Will beging charting again this next month.

Yes, it is a different language, isn''t it? I will check out the blog and book you referenced, Swimmer. Sounds like a very clever author.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Sha,

We did get the results and they were normal. I just got the faxed copy of the test results today, but they told me last week it was all "within normal range."

It''s just a matter of time for us. That''s all.

****
Festy,

I hear you on the hopeful this cycle thing. Switching it up a little always makes it more interesting! Thinking good thoughts for you and hoping that we have a big ol'' streak of new babies here in a little bit!!

Funny thing is, I feel a little more hopeful each cycle. I mean, it really has to just be a matter of time, so the more time that passes, the closer we all are, right? Right!!

 

[cara]

Cake sorry about the singing, but onward with the next cycle! Hmm, by your standard maybe I am *not* ready. Today I was at a college dining hall completely overrun with loud, boisterous, dancing, line-cutting and food-hogging summer-camp teens and I was just overwhelmed. Who are these alien creatures? I was one of these once? And now I am signing up to potentially make one of them? Oh, and please lord, how do I make them be quiet? OK, I was sick and hungry and exhausted just holding up my tray but I was questioning it all

Puppmom it is kind of a silly reason to skip a month of TTC but what can I say. Me personally I don't think that adults birthdays are all that important but if he doesn't want to share you shouldn't force the issue. You need to get your DH on board in more ways than one! We can all assure you that it will take 3 mo on average and you'll be one of those pregnant in the blink of an eye people. They do exist (my parents decided what month to try based on desired astrological sign of child - and got what they intended). Maybe a little discussion about how long it *might* take is in order. On that note...

HouMedGal- I went off the ring in March and was regular right away. Other people take a few months - usually 3ish but with some long outliers as well. As others have said, you can't guarantee a pregancy in the first month (or in my case, you can get pregnant the first month of real trying but then find yourself unpregnant rather quickly, which throws a wrinkle in any timing plans you may have.) I'd look at it in terms of consequences of being off: If you are confindent that you and hubby will be diligent with condoms and don't mind using them then there's no reason not to go off the ring now, in case you take longer than average to regularize. Added bonus of being able to chart on your regular cycle in advance so you know how to time things best in January. But also consider how ill-timed it would be to get pregnant early (barrier being less effective than the ring, especially with average use) versus how inconvenient it would be to *not* get pregnant right away in January. If you aren't pregnant in May, for example would this make you wish you had been trying earlier? But either way, remember some people get pregnant two weeks after taking out the ring and some take a long while more... so just make your best guess!

 

[Puppmom]

Thank you all for your advice. I''ve already become quite emotional about TTC and my first BFN. I know. I know. There could be many more of those to come. I think in the emotion of it all, I was unable to vocalize to DH WHY it''s important that we not "skip" months. Your words have helped a lot. DH is generally very open so I''ll give it a shot.

Fertility issues run in my family (both my sisters needed IVF) so I don''t want to be resenting him a year from now if we haven''t conceived wondering if August was THE month and we missed it.

I''ll keep y''all posted.

In the meantime, I''m really enjoying going back over this thread reading everyone''s stories and advice. DH is very private and doesn''t really feel comfortable if I share our beeswax with friends so it''s nice to chat here

 

[cakeny]

HA! Well teens scare me, so I should stay clear of em for now cuz that would make me think twice as well

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 8/11/2009 5:37:11 PM
Author: Loves Vintage
Thanks, Melanie and Swimmer. I''m in CT. I know some coverage is mandated. I looked at our health insurance plan''s website, for our specific plan of coverage, and it does not offer much information, so I am having DH track down the benefit booklet and/or summary plan description. I just want to know what is covered. I *assume* diagnostics are covered under regular office visits, whether routine care or specialist''s office visits. I would hope that simple diagnostics are not entirely dependent upon age or period of time trying and that the physician can order some tests at her discretion, based on her judgment.

I have been doing a comination of charting when I feel like it, guessing, OPK''g and am fairly confident that we are timing BD well. Will beging charting again this next month.

Yes, it is a different language, isn''t it? I will check out the blog and book you referenced, Swimmer. Sounds like a very clever author.

Being that I am not generally patient (as I''ve already mentioned several times), I called customer service. Our plan is a fully insured plan. DH''s company is based in NY, so NY law applies first, and CT law would also apply, to the extent that the benefits mandated are "richer". NY seems to mandate very good coverage. I was just happy to hear that diagnostics are covered at this point.

Also, I just wanted to mention that these state mandates apply to fully insured plans. Employers are not required to offer these benefits if a plan is self-funded or self-insured, so individuals should, of course, always consult their own health insurance plan documents. ** End disclaimer. **

 

[icekid]

Date: 8/10/2009 11:15:57 PM
Author: HOUMedGal
Hello, ladies! I'm coming out of lurkdom

HMG......

It sounds silly, but I am so excited that you're going to be trying soon. Baby fever is continually escalating over here. I am trying to figure out how to plan around fellowship interviews already

(as if we can control the exact time when we get knocked up.) But regardless, we may start trying around the same time as you (but probably closer to a year from now). Err, maybe. If only the rest of my life were as ready for a kid as I am

Vesper- Wonderful news!! Congratulations

 

[HOUMedGal]

Thanks for the warm welcome, ladies!

Puppmom -- Congrats on diving into the TTC world! Hopefully you and hubs can work out a plan that works for both of you re: not having a baby close to his birthday. I tend to agree that I might feel resentful if it ends up taking a long time and you missed a cycle of trying, but if you''re OK with missing that month and he''s happier that way, then maybe it would be best to wait till next month? You can always temp and chart and still gain more knowledge about when is the "right time" for your cycles!

Vesper -- CONGRATULATIONS!!! How exciting it must be to see those lines getting darker!! Best wishes for a sticky bean and a healthy 9 mos!!

Fisher -- Thank you! I am definitely excited about the prospect of TTC. We are both so excited and mentally ready for this...we talk about it very often and daydream with goofy smiles on our faces. Too much fun.

Swimmer -- yeah, you make a good point. That''s the thing...I''ve never TTC''ed before, and I''m not even familiar with my natural cycles since I''ve been on BC since I was 18, so I have nooooo clue how long it will take us to conceive. I''m getting more tempted to just stop my ring asap....I''m due to take it out this Friday, may not put the next one in....

drk -- I am a second year resident in Pediatrics. Really enjoying not being an intern anymore. I''m not planning on doing a fellowship, so I''ve got just under 2 years left of residency. It''s really hard to avoid getting baby fever when you''re surrounded by adorable little ones all day long! I''m in the normal newborn nursery at our county hospital in October (aka the baby factory!) so I know I will have the fever BAAAD then!! I was kinda thinking the same thing, that if I come off within the next cycle or two, I can get 3 or 4 cycles of charting under my belt before we''re actually TTC and then maybe we''ll have at least a little better shot at being in the 25% of successful couples!

Festy -- thank you!! I will definitely get hooked up with fertility friend...can''t wait to have some cool charts to share with you guys! hehe!

Icekid -- awwwwww.

You''re so sweet!! Perhaps I can be an enabler for you...I''ll forge the road and prove that you CAN be a resident and a mom at the same time! LOL. Fellowship interviews come toward the middle of this year, right?? What are you planning to do your fellowship in? I won''t be doing a fellowship...planning to stop after residency and do general peds. It would be fun for you to be TTCing at the same time as us!!

 

[Laila619]

Loves Vintage, my DH and I have only been trying for 5 months, and I'm only 28, but because I brought up some very vaild concerns at my last OBGYN appt, my doctor wrote me a prescription for an ultrasound so he can make sure I don't have any cysts on my ovaries, and he wrote a prescription for my DH to get a semen analysis. I was very persistant! That was all he was willing to do at this point however.

My point is, if you're persistant you can probably ask for and get a whole slew of tests.

Good luck!