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The Official TTC Thread!

FWIW re: pinpointing ovulation Well temping just isn''t as accurate as we all wanted to believe back when I was TTC 18 months ago
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I personally think the best thing is to get a handle on your cervical fluid. For many women it is a clear signal of when to GOTF! Next time I am TTC that is all I plan to go by. But if that is not a clear signal for you, then I would just cover the bases. Try every-other-day for a period of time starting sixteen days before your shortest historical cycle and then going up until ten days before your longest cycle. So if your longest cycle was 31 days and your shortes twas 24 then you would BD every other day from CD 8 until CD 21. Its a long window but you would hit the fertile days most likely! Other than that, unless you have reason to believe there is a problem, sit back and relax and give it 6 months before you worry. That is the average amount of time it takes women to get pg.
 
Date: 12/2/2009 9:57:21 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
FWIW re: pinpointing ovulation Well temping just isn''t as accurate as we all wanted to believe back when I was TTC 18 months ago
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I personally think the best thing is to get a handle on your cervical fluid. For many women it is a clear signal of when to GOTF! Next time I am TTC that is all I plan to go by. But if that is not a clear signal for you, then I would just cover the bases. Try every-other-day for a period of time starting sixteen days before your shortest historical cycle and then going up until ten days before your longest cycle. So if your longest cycle was 31 days and your shortes twas 24 then you would BD every other day from CD 8 until CD 21. Its a long window but you would hit the fertile days most likely! Other than that, unless you have reason to believe there is a problem, sit back and relax and give it 6 months before you worry. That is the average amount of time it takes women to get pg.
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I am a natural born worrier so I worry. I don''t really have a reason to besides my neurotic nature telling me that I will have problems. My shortest cycle was 28 days and my longest 31. So CD 12 to CD 21? We will start in February so I will be reporting back after our first go around!
 
I have NO cervical fluid to track.
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That is why I'm not getting KTFU.
 
I guess I will modify slightly from dreamer's recommendation - I think that temping and/or some LH monitor can be useful to cut down the marathon and clue you in to month-to-month variations as well as your general o-day if you get clear, interpretable results from them (especially if you don't get clear, interpretable CF every month). Start every other day at the beginning of the fertile window - maybe CD8 for allie *? Continue until EWCM or a peak LH reading, and then try for every day for a few days (but don't stress if its every other in practice.) Once its been three days since a temp shift, or three days from the LH peak reading, chances are you have ovulated and you can lay off a bit. This way you don't have to do the full marathon every month unless you are interested. That's if you are interested in using the technology. The marathon should work just fine as well!

*I think CD12 is a touch late to start. Say you have a 16 day LP, that puts ovulation on CD 12 on an early month for you, and you really want to BD a bit earlier in the fertile window if possible.
 
Date: 12/2/2009 10:45:55 PM
Author: cara
I guess I will modify slightly from dreamer''s recommendation - I think that temping and/or some LH monitor can be useful to cut down the marathon and clue you in to month-to-month variations as well as your general o-day if you get clear, interpretable results from them (especially if you don''t get clear, interpretable CF every month). Start every other day at the beginning of the fertile window - maybe CD8 for allie *? Continue until EWCM or a peak LH reading, and then try for every day for a few days (but don''t stress if its every other in practice.) Once its been three days since a temp shift, or three days from the LH peak reading, chances are you have ovulated and you can lay off a bit. This way you don''t have to do the full marathon every month unless you are interested. That''s if you are interested in using the technology. The marathon should work just fine as well!

*I think CD12 is a touch late to start. Say you have a 16 day LP, that puts ovulation on CD 12 on an early month for you, and you really want to BD a bit earlier in the fertile window if possible.
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Yes, good point, and add a couple days at the end in case it is a 10 day LP too perhaps. And tee hee hee. Not many around here would say "Hey, I''d really like to GOTF every frickin'' day for like 10 days!" We did the every day marathon and it was more hysterically funny than anything else. DH liked it
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But it worked *shrug* A good number of TTCers from my day used the good ol'' marathon to much success.

Laila I''m sorry honey
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That stinks!
 
LV - I''ve got a blood test in week 9. I''ve now moved onto tea made from real fruit. but I still have green tea every now and then. I mean I used to drink at least 10 cups a day. it is hard to give up. I hope you enjoy your vacation.
injectables does sound agressive, but if you are comfortable with that decision, then go for it.

not to be the bearer of bad news, ladies, but on average it actually takes a woman between 30-35 yrs old nine months to get pregnant. six months average is for younger women. I think you should keep this in the back of your head while TTC.
 
TMI warning...

Dreamer, when you say monitor CF, do you mean internally or externally? I'm pretty sure I have none, despite me drinking TONS of water, because I don't get the wet sensation as O nears that they talk about. However, if I'm supposed to be tracking it internally, that sort of squicks me out so I've never done that.
 
Laila - I also did not have CM to monitor. I looked and looked on the toilet paper but really none. and there''s no way in hell I''d stick my fingers inside and stretch the stuff between them... ew. so I know where you''re coming from.
 
Hey ladies - I''ve been following this thread for months now and I am very impressed with the level of candor and care that you all have for each other and this TTC process. I''ve noticed a few other newer ladies state they are starting in Feb. and that is our timeframe as well so I figured I would say hello and GOOD LUCK.

In getting ready for TTC, I went off BC in August and have had no sign of AF (going on 100 days) so my Obgyn prescribed Provera. I am on day 9 of a 10 day prescription. Five days after stopping I should get my period and the hope would be that it will remind my body to get back into a rhyme. Sounds a little far fetched to me but I am willing to give it a shot. I aimed for going off BC 6 months before wanting to start trying and I guess my only regret would be not going off sooner... I would have liked to have been able to chart or get at least some sense of my body''s cycle before we started.

The anal planner in me already has read "Taking Charge of your Fertility" and bought a Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor... I may have jumped the gun with that ebay purchase
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The only other factor is that my older sister is currently trying and has been struggling with fertility issues for about a year. I think I would put off our start time if she is not pregnant by February, but I struggle with that decision a lot. Now, I know people don''t just get pregnant when they decide they are ready, but let''s just say we lucked out and did get pregnant within a few months of trying I would be faced with something that is super exciting for me but really emotionally difficult and sad for her. We are very close and I can''t imagine not being able to share our pregnancies with one another. As much as she loves me and wants me to be happy and a mom, I know it would be heartbreaking for her to watch from the sidelines not knowing if being pregnant is in the cards for her. Any thoughts on how you would proceed? I''d just love to hear some outside perspectives. Thanks.
 
Just jumping right in... it''s easier for me to get a real sense of things monitoring from within... but I was using Nuvaring so I had to get use to that kinda of thing.
 
Ryan Claire - wow, that''s a tough situation with your sister!
my husband has 2 sisters, and the older one had fertility issues and got really mad at the younger one when she got pregnant first. she actually didn''t speak to her for several years until she finally had her own kid (now she''s got 4 so I think she''s quite satisifed in the motherhood department). I REALLY hope your sister won''t be like that because that would be such a shame. not to scare you off of course as someone else shouldn''t interfere with your family planning. as she has already been trying a year, I would say to start in February is fine. for all you know it might also take you a while (though of course I hope that''s not the case). maybe you want to tell her that you''re starting so that when you do fall pregnant it doesn''t come as such a surprise?
 
Hey ladies,

My DH and I are thinking we want to TTC in the summer and I would like to be as ready as possible for that. So, in addition to stoping the pill and taking prenatal vitamins (per Dr.''s orders), what other courses of action would you ladies recommend.

Also, I would love some recommendations for good books, etc.

Thanks!
 
ryan claire - I can't speak for your sister, only myself, but I don't think that you should delay your TTC if you and your husband are ready. It took me over a year to finally get knocked-up. However, before starting, my SIL talked about when we'd like to start families and we were both thinking right around the same time. We thought that it would be so great to share the goods/bads of pregnancy and to have little cousin buddies. Well, she got pregnant very quickly and I did not. In fact, their little man arrived and we were still trying (at that point unsuccessfully). It definitely hurt my heart at times that they were expecting, but in the way that I was thrilled for them to become parents and just sad that my DH and I weren't as lucky. But, I would have never have wanted them to delay their family. ever. I just hope that both of you get positives soon!
 
noelwr - thanks for your thoughts. I am pretty sure it would not come to that - but I recognize that it can really drive a wedge between people, which is what I want to avoid. She generally knows when we are planning to start but we haven''t really sat down to talk about it. I guess I am afraid of feeling compelled to say we won''t start and then begrudge that decision. But at the same time I am willing to do it... so who knows.

lovelylulu - thanks for sharing your experience. You definitely were entitled to some heartache but I am very happy to hear it did not do any damage to your relationship. You''ve got a big heart to be truely happy for someone else in that situation! Especially sisters and sisters-in-law... we seem naturally placed in the position of rivals sometimes.

dcgator - good idea to start thinking early. I''d include your DH in the vitamin regiment if he is willing - makes it seem like a team effort. Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a good book to read. Also, read through the pages on this thread and you''ll get some good ideas as what to be doing. Most of it is common sense, but it''s just good to be reminded.
 
Date: 12/3/2009 10:48:10 AM
Author: Laila619
TMI warning...

Dreamer, when you say monitor CF, do you mean internally or externally? I''m pretty sure I have none, despite me drinking TONS of water, because I don''t get the wet sensation as O nears that they talk about. However, if I''m supposed to be tracking it internally, that sort of squicks me out so I''ve never done that.
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No such thing as TMI... I always monitored internally, and if you are squeemish about it then, well, its your body and its good to just get used to it
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I posted a big and perhaps overly descriptive post about how to best assess your CF internally and also what the different types look like etc a long time ago... must be a year or so ago if you wanted to search back (if you had time, haha). But basically I always found it was best to use two fingers, pointer and middle, insert until you feel your cervix and then sort of spread the tips and circle them around either side of the bulb of your cervix a few times ending with a pinch near the opening, then pull them out without separating your fingers. This sort of "pinches" the CF and allows you to really see what is hanging around up near the cervix. It can help when doing this to sort of bear down, like you are going to the bathroom because if pushes your cervix closer to the opening. If you have EWCF it is sort of hard to miss, the others are a little harder to identify. It is possible there is lots of CF hanging around up there and it doesn''t make it externally. But apparently it is better when there are copious amounts... I know in the first two months off the pill I had NO cf to speak of, then it appeared the third month and we got KTFU. Coincidence? I think not. Never had any on the pill. Now that I am off the pill and no longer pg I also find that I have easily observable CF. It related very strongly to estrogen, which obviously is related to conception. It is I suppose possible that poor CF relates to trouble getting pg, but I think you should at least try assessing internally for a cycle before you give up hope that it is in there! As an aside, I recall some of our TTC friends in the past who saw REs for help sayign that IUI was recommended to bypass the cervix and the hotile CF that lurked there.
 
RyanClaire, wanting to wait for your sister is very kind of you but not a choice you need to make. As you both know, pregnancy doesn''t happen because you want it to, it can take a long time. It would be unreasonable for anyone to expect another person to put their own family on hold. If you''re really concerned talk to her about it, let her know that you are concerned that one of you may become pregnant before the other (because who really knows, right?) and that you want for both of you to be able to talk about how you''re feeling, to celebrate one another''s joy when the time comes, and to support one another if it takes some time.
 
dcgator - exercise, eat healthy, cut down on caffeine, stop smoking and don''t overdo the alcohol. basically make sure your body is a "temple of health" in which you think a baby could develop really well. there are things you can''t control about your baby''s development, but your health is definitely in your hands. and it also helps if your husband is healthy.

I believe it is also very important to know how long your cycle is (but you won''t know until you stop taking the pill). other than that, it is up to you how far you want to take it. I would personally recommend you start off trying to let it come naturally which is least stressful on both you and your DH. but if you want to start charting and all that stuff, you have to ask the other ladies because I know very little about that. I am sure you can google a lot of it.
 
Ryan Claire: My husband takes Centrum daily and I take Woman''s One a Day. Is there some other kind of vitamin he should be taking? And before starting prenatal vitamins, is there something else you would recommend instead of Woman''s OAD?
Thanks for the book recommendation. I will pick it up this weekend or online.
As for thumbing through these pages, I was trying to pick up a few things, but it seems kinda difficult to decode some of the acronyms. I will keep at it though...

Noelwr: Thanks for the advice. I am currently running 2-3 times a week (DH and I are getting ready for another half marathon) and don''t smoke and only have the occasional glass of wine/drink. I think the caffinee thing may be a struggle though, b/c I can''t live without coffee in the morning! I will try to tone it down though. I think figuring out my cycle should would be a good next step.

Thanks ladies for the words of wisdom
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I don''t post too often, because a lot of my questions have already been asked & answered, but I haven''t seen anything recently on treatment for headaches/migraines. Even though I''m still TTC, I figured it''s best to treat my body as though I''m already pregnant. I''ve read that Tylenol is okay, but to avoid aspirin and ibuprofen. However, Tylenol can''t put a dent in even my mildest headaches. If I get to my headache early on with Excedrin (contains aspirin), I''m fine, if not, I''m stuck with a massive headache accompanied by nausea and slightly numb hands for at least 2-3 days. Luckily the days of my bad migraines are over, but the headaches I get are nasty enough. Is there anything I can (safely) do besides wait it out in a dark, quiet room?

Thanks for all the lovely advice givers on this board! And I get so excited every time someone posts good (or potentially good) news!
 
Hi ladies! Some of you probably remember me and my struggle to conceive. Well, I was wondering if you all could help me out today! I *think* I ovulated this cycle (gave up on temping but definitely had the CM) so this morning I took a pregnancy test. The test said it is 53% accurate if used 4 days before missed period and I''m currently 4-5 days away. There is a positive line but it is faint so I''m worried that it might just be an evaporation line. It showed up only a couple of minutes after taking it. Can someone tell me what they think? It was VERY hard to photograph because my camera isn''t very good. The line is a little darker in real life.

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oobiecoo,

That looks pretty darn positive to me (!), but the blue dye tests are more likely to show evap lines. I''d pick up a box of First Response Early Response- they''re more reliable and pretty sensitive.
 
Looks pretty darn positive to me!!!
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Thanks Ebree.... it looks pretty darn positive to me too but I hate to get my hopes up and it would just be so hard to believe anyway. I think I''d be in denial even if I took a digital one that came up positive because it would just be too good to be true! I''ll probably go and stock up on a few more tests to take in the morning
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I see a line!!! When do you think you ovulated?

Forget next morning! Can you take a digi tonight?!?

ETA: Oh yeah, I remember that morning urine has something to do with testing. Heck, I'd do it anyway!
 
oobiecoo, I hope that's what I think it is!!!!


Ryan Claire, I understand your concern for your sister, but I don't think the solution is to put your own plans on hold. You have no idea what her or your journey will be as far as how long it takes to get pregnant, what issues you'll have, etc. Not taking the journey yourself just because hers is taking longer than she'd like doesn't make sense to me. You wouldn't want your sister to do that for you if the roles were reversed, would you?

My sister got pregnant with an "oops" baby (#3 -- doesn't it seem really common for couples to plan on having two children and have the third with an "oops"? I was one too) 3.5 weeks before I got pregnant with our first after trying for several months. She was worried enough that I would be upset that she emailed me rather than telling me in person. I didn't take it personally or feel like she was stealing my thunder or anything like that. She had had a hard road with not getting pregnant right away and having three miscarriages in the past, but even if she had had an easy time getting pregnant, I still wouldn't have let my own feelings take away from her joy. She's my sister and her daughter is a blessing to all of us! Plus, as fate would have it, I got pregnant about a week after she told me she was pregnant, and now we have cousins who are 4 weeks apart! Plus we both had baby girls so you can imagine the fun we're having dressing them alike!

The only thing that annoyed me at all was that she had promised me her maternity clothes and baby clothes, and I couldn't have either because we wound up with the same gender babies. That would have saved me some money, but in the end, would I trade my beautiful niece or my sister's joy for a couple of hundred dollars? Of course not!
 
oobiecoo!!!!!

LOOKS PRETTY DARN POSITIVE TO ME!!!!!!!!!

FRER has been good for many PSers... try one of those!
The digital ones aren''t quite as sensitive as FRER, I believe. Higher threshold.

SO happy for you!
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Congrats oobiecoo! I think you are KTFU! But take another test just to ease your mind
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parrot tulips - you should speak with your dr, but ibuprofin is contraindicated in the third trimester (interferes with final lung development) but not so bad in the first two. Aspirin is a no-no. The other thing in excedrin is caffiene. Which you are supposed to cut down on, but maybe you could use it for headache emergencies?
 
Why is aspirin bad? My doctor says when TTC, sometimes taking a baby aspirin a day can help get you KTFU fast! It helps increase blood flow to the uterus.
 
oobie my fingers are crossed for you...that looks like a BFP to me!

So ladies, I figured I''d start posting over here to get more familiar with the layout of the land so to speak. DH and I plan to start TTC in January/February of next year. I''m already taking my prenatals and have met with my Dr. about how to go about TTC without going crazy and what to expect. Because of familial history of miscarriages, infertility and some other health issues, I''ve been told to give it six months and if we''re not KTFU to go back to look at things more closely. So far from what I can tell I have a clockwork cycle and I''m pretty familiar with my external CM patterns. I''m not quite there with the internal checking and I think I''ll hold off on that until it''s been a few months into trying. I''d really not like to get worked up about conceiving because I strongly believe there''s a connection between stress and conception (or lack there of).

So that''s us in a nutshell...
 
Laila, Safefetus.com says aspirin is a C/D category drug, so that is not recommended unless you have a serious condition. But it seems just from googling that baby aspirin is recommended for women with certain medical conditions, and some people take it for fuzzy reasons like "more blood to the placenta" (during the first trimester) or "thicker lining" (while TTC). I'm not sure I'd take it just for general TTC or first trimester purposes without stronger data to support it (or me having a specific medical condition/problem) but if you discuss it with your doc and stick to the low baby dose, well, that's why we all get to make our own choices! But for parrot tulip's headache relief, I don't know if the baby aspirin dosage would be effective or not.
 
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