The Official TTC Thread!

[noelwr]

HH - between 6-12 DPO and only happens for a 3rd of women. keeping my fingers crossed for you this month!

 

[lovelylulu]

noel - sorry for your news! hope that you take the time that you are your DH need and wishing you all the best!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Kit - Sounds like you are very well-timed this month! I hope this is your month. Much luck and baby dust to you!!! Having the double confirmation on when you ovulated must make you feel very good about the timing!

ETA: Regarding your question about LT phase temps, I am not sure that there is anything specific to look for. For a while, I thought temps had to stay above coverline, but I think there are plenty of success stories even when temps dipped slightly below. In general though, as long as your temps stay up, you're good! The two week wait is so hard, I know, we are always looking for signs. I am learning that it is just best to distract myself as much as possible during this time. I hope your wait passes with effortlessly, and you find yourself with a BFP!! End ETA.

Thank you for asking about me. I am feeling much better, physically. Fortunately, I was able to spend a lot of time at home, just resting. It was the flu, not sure if I knew that when I posted on here before. I had blood work yesterday (CD24), and my estrogen and progesterone levels had skyrocketed from where they've ever been in the past (which is because I'm taking both in pill form this cycle, but still, I was glad to hear the high levels.) The nurse told me that I could take a test on Thursday, which is two days earlier than they had told me previously, so I was elated! I do not feel pregnant, no early pregnancy signs, but since I've felt pregnant nearly every cycle before, and I never have been, maybe that's a good thing!

Puppmom - Hi! How are you? I'm doing ok, aside from another major meltdown a few days ago. The clomid plus the hormones are really taking their toll on me emotionally! I made an appointment with a social worker for next week, to help me talk through some of this. I have no one in my life who has been through this before or who would lend a good ear for me, aside from you know, just trying to understand. I've had underlying issues with anxiety and depression, and I think these hormones have been bringing that out a bit more. Such is life!

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

Noel- I am so sorry *hugs*

 

[Kit]

Noel, I am so sorry for your loss. I applaud your keeping it all in perspective, which is much more than I can say for myself on any given day.

You are right, chances are high that you are going to conceive and carry again soon and that is the important thing. Still, I know what you are going through and it''s sometimes hard to stay positive, so feel free to reach out and just vent if you need to.

LV - glad you are feeling better. Fingers crossed for a BFP for you on Thursday!! I know what you mean about feeling confused regarding the pregnancy symptoms or lack thereof...our bodies can really play some tricks on us. I am having to constantly talk myself down from thoughts of being KU based on random symptoms and feelings

. Right now, I am trying to focus on monitoring my temps to make sure that my crosshairs don''t go away, and that my temps stay high for the majority of my luteal phase. Its good to have something specific to focus on during this agonizing waiting period.

 

[Lanie]

Noel-so sorry to hear of your loss. You have a healthy attitude though so it sounds like you and your DH will be just fine. Everything happens for a reason and hopefully this next time will result in a happy healthy baby! I'll be thinking about you. Houmedgal and Bliss, if you guys are out there I'm thinking of you as well! Life and making life are such a delicate blessing.

Update on me-I'm using the clear blue easy monitor and I'm on cycle day 18. I tested on days 6 and 7 with "low" and have tested "high" on every day since. There are only 3 levels: low, high, and peak fertility. I read some user reviews that said that the first cycle will give you a lot of high readings and sometimes won't even register a peak reading bc it's trying to callibrate you and find your levels. I'm not super excited about our first cycle trying bc we were staying with company this whole week and bc we both got sick with nasty colds. So it made BDing unromantic and just plain hard to do! I had a little EWCM one day which I don't get too often which was exciting but not getting my hopes up. The monitor has a 6 hour window to test which made it hard when we were up at 3am to fly to his parents' and I had to test in the airport. You also have to test when you first wake up which I forgot to do many times so I just did it later. Oh well. I'll be at home all next month so it will be much easier to do all of this then. I have An appt with my OB late Jan in case it looks like I'm not ovulating, which I suspect. We shall see.

So many girls starting up TTC this new year! How exciting! But I have to admit that I don't want to be that girl who gets the negatives while everyone gets the positives....I need to start thinking more positive! It's amazing how some people never have a hard time with this stuff so naturally I hope it is easy for us too! Whew...long post for an Iphone!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I''m sorry Noel.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 12/29/2009 10:17:57 AM
Author: Kit
Noel, I am so sorry for your loss. I applaud your keeping it all in perspective, which is much more than I can say for myself on any given day.

You are right, chances are high that you are going to conceive and carry again soon and that is the important thing. Still, I know what you are going through and it''s sometimes hard to stay positive, so feel free to reach out and just vent if you need to.

LV - glad you are feeling better. Fingers crossed for a BFP for you on Thursday!! I know what you mean about feeling confused regarding the pregnancy symptoms or lack thereof...our bodies can really play some tricks on us. I am having to constantly talk myself down from thoughts of being KU based on random symptoms and feelings

. Right now, I am trying to focus on monitoring my temps to make sure that my crosshairs don''t go away, and that my temps stay high for the majority of my luteal phase. Its good to have something specific to focus on during this agonizing waiting period.

Hi Kit, I was adding a paragraph to my response to you [above] while you were posting this!! I didn''t want you to miss it! Oh, and I actually just signed up for netflix, to help occupy my mind. I spend way too much time thinking about this -- whether the IUI worked or not, and if not, how hard will it be to go through it all again next month. DH watches a lot of movies, but many of them do not interest me, war movies or other history movies and documentaries, so I spend a lot of my down time on the internet. It really hit me over the holiday weekend, because I spent so much time, just resting and THINKING. So, I''m hoping some good foreign films will help distract me.

I think it''s smart to try to just occupy my mind with something else for a while.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Lanie - Keep testing with that CBEFM. I hope you get a peak reading soon! If not, at least you have some very good evidence to bring to your OB appointment. Hopefully, your doctor will be willing to work on diagnostics right away. Is that what the plan was from your last appointment? Or, are you going to a different doctor in late January?

 

[Lanie]

Thanks LovesVintage! Your wait must be agonizing! I have a good feeling about this round for you based on what you have posted! Yup, the plan from my OB (the one I''m seeing later) was to put me on Clomid if I''m not showing signs of ovulation. She did preliminary blood work and everything came back normal so I guess it''s the next logical step. I have a friend who keeps telling me to go to this infertility doc to get more comprehensive blood work done but I''m not sure I want to do that just yet. I haven''t decided yet.

 

[dcgator]

Noel, I am so sorry to hear about your news.

You are dealing with it so very gracefully though and I am sure with such a great attitude, it won''t be long before you will have another bean to look forward to

Hugs...

 

[Laila619]

Hi LV! Sounds like things are going pretty well this month with your bloodwork and the IUI! Thanks for asking about me. Unfortunately, I didn't fare as well. No IUI this month for me because when I went in for my monitoring ultrasound I had what they think was a cyst from the Clomid. I have never had cysts before so that's why they believe it's from the Clomid. Also, I only had 1 follie from the Clomid which, while it's still perfectly fine, is less than ideal (do you know how many you had?). The RE told us to still TTC like normal, but decided to hold off on the IUI this month. So we'll see if Clomid works on its own or not!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Fingers crossed for you Laila!

 

[Po10472]

Hiya

Well, it''s here at last, DH and I will officially start TTC baba1 once the witch has fled and OV is circa 14th Jan. I have spent the last 6 months getting myself fitter, I''ve lost 30lbs and still losing, stopped drinking alcohol and eating chocolate/sweeties and now doing at least 30 mins exercise 5 times a week. I''ve also been taking folic acid for the last 8 weeks daily and intend continuing for the forseable future.

I bought a CBFM and will use that for the next 3-6 months to check I''m ov''ing properly, so fingers, toes and eyes crossed.

Good luck everyone and hope to share the journey once it starts, here''s to a good 2010.

Po
x

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Good luck!

 

[Laila619]

Thank you dreamer!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 12/29/2009 12:00:50 PM
Author: Laila619
Hi LV! Sounds like things are going pretty well this month with your bloodwork and the IUI! Thanks for asking about me. Unfortunately, I didn't fare as well. No IUI this month for me because when I went in for my monitoring ultrasound I had what they think was a cyst from the Clomid. I have never had cysts before so that's why they believe it's from the Clomid. Also, I only had 1 follie from the Clomid which, while it's still perfectly fine, is less than ideal (do you know how many you had?). The RE told us to still TTC like normal, but decided to hold off on the IUI this month. So we'll see if Clomid works on its own or not!

Thanks, Laila! It only sounds that way, though. I've been seriously struggling.

I'm sorry to hear about the cysts. I've read about this possibly happening. I had three mature follices, and a fourth that might have grown enough by the time ovulation occurred. I hope you see a nice big BFP this month so you don't have to worry about this any longer. Here's hoping the clomid did its trick!

Can I tell a story about what happened to me while just getting my blood work done yesterday? It was so crazy. The woman at the lab (it is really small, so there is only one person working there) started yelling at me from the moment I walked in the door -- "what are you doing here?!?" "You've never been here before, sit down and I'LL GET TO YOU WHEN I GET TO YOU." There was no one else in the office, and I seriously said nothing at all to get her started - all I said the entire time was "I have an order on hold." I am also a very unassuming girl, with a very kind face. I am not used to reactions like this. When she called me up to the desk, she said, in a rather mean voice, "I'M WAITIN ON YOU." I thought I must have misheard her, so I said, "I'm sorry, what?" She yelled the same thing back at me. When I started to hand her my insurance card, I realized, this is the same person who is going to draw my blood -- uggh! So, I asked her, and she said "YES I AM!", and I said, "no you're not, I'm leaving." She said "GOOD!! GOOD-BYE!!" What? It was so crazy. My RE's office is across the street, so I just went there and asked them to do it. I usually prefer the lab because there is no copay, where as I have to pay a copay each time I go to the RE's office.

I didn't mention it on here, but when I was in Florida and had blood work done, I had such a hard time. The woman who tried to take my blood was seriously not good at getting a vein. After spending only a short time fishing around in my arms, looking for a vein, and giving me huge bruises on each arm, she gave up and told me to go to some out-of-network (grrr!) clinic to have a doctor do it. (This is in the Keys, so aside from the clinic, the only other place to go would have been the hospital.) The doctor at the clinic had no kind words for this woman. She said she sends her about 5 patients a week for blood draws because she can't get a vein!! That was strange, and the whole experience took almost 4 hours.

So, after that experience, I guess I decided pretty quickly yesterday, that if this woman could not speak to me even somewhat calmly or professionally, there was no way I was giving her my precious veins. (I seriously have no qualms about needles, I can watch when they stick it in, have donated blood many times, but enough is enough.) Isn't that so crazy? I came home and told my husband the story. He can't understand why things like this always seem to happen to me. At least I am handling it better than I used to. Years and years ago, I probably would have engaged in some "discussion" with her, but it is so much better to just walk away!

Wow, it appears I am very chatty today, huh?

 

[Jena17]

Noel, I am sooo sorry to hear your news, my thoughts are with you! Take care!

Update on me, AF came Sunday, so I won''t be getting that BFP this month! But we will keep trying, husband is very relaxed about the whole situation, he doesn''t care about all the "we have to have sex this week" like I am, he just thinks that it will happen when the time is right! Let''s just continue on as normal and have sex like normal and it will happen! He wants a baby just as much as I do, but I don''t think he understands how hard it is and there are only a few days each month that it can happen, even though I have told him.

Good luck to everyone and hope you have a Happy New Year!

 

[Kit]

Thanks for the response, LV! I feel like I am trying to make meaning out of a few temperatures, which is probably very true. I am also trying to just stay relaxed in general and not let things get to me and make me anxious, which I think might impact ovulation/implanation in some women. It is helping that I am on vacation, that is for sure! Also, I cannot believe that psycho b*tch acted like that in your dr''s office!

WTF?!?! What is wrong with people? I am always amazed when I meet, in particular, people in health care like nurses who are supposed to give a crap about other people--you would like to think that is why they entered into such a profession?? How upsetting for you. You did the right thing by leaving. A good friend had a similar experience when she went in for an IUI, with not her regular dr. since it was a weekend and her dude was out of town or something? Anyhow the nurses there were also rude and rough with her and her DH, and then the dr. who did the procedure basically treated her like a cow being inseminated and was just so incredibly insensitive bordering on misogynistic. It was so terrible, especially since she had multiple losses and was diagnosed with a clotting disorder. Thankfully, that unpleasant procedure resulted in her DS, so it all worked out, but honestly....it''s just a shame people don''t have a smidge more compassion sometimes.

Lanie, sounds like this month has presented you with some challenges, but keep your chin up.

If it doesn''t work out this cycle, at least next go around you''ll have your routine down pat with testing and the CBEM. You are doing the best you can, what with bringing the monitor into the airport bathroom and all. And, IMO, BDing is always better when you can breath through your nose easily,

and you aren''t sneezing and coughing into each others faces the whole time, hee hee!

Laila, so sorry to hear about the cyst, I know that news must be a bummer and tough to hear, but I will keep my fingers crossed for you becuase you never know with this TTC stuff, and you only need one egg to make a little bean after all, right? Hang in there

Jena, sorry about AF, that stinks! I can relate to your description of your DH and his relaxed attitude. My DH is very supportive and sensitive and in general wonderful, but when it comes to this TTC stuff he''s driving me nuts with his "it''ll happen when it happens" attitude! I mean, I know he is absolutley right and you can''t rush these things, but at the same time I just think he doesn''t get it. He was very sad about the mc and definitely wants to knock me up asap, he''s on board with when we need to GOTF and even sent me a screen shot of his iPhone scrabble game one day when the phone played the word "ovulate"--cute. BUT... then last night he called me downstairs to show me a picture of this couple on FB that he knows, who had been TTC for 3 years and just had a baby, and I guess was trying to show me this to get me to have hope or something...

I was like, yeah I don''t want to have to wait three years to have our first child, for god''s sake I''ll be 36 then and honestly that sounds like a really tough journey. What I want is to conceive soon, and carry to full term--I mean that is what everyone wants! He is just on a different page than me sometimes and we sit and scratch our heads and think the other person is crazy.

He just doesn''t understand it from my perspective. I will say though, that after the mc he was super laid back about it b/c I think he thought I would get KU immediately since that is what happened when we first TTC, but now he sees there is no rhyme or reason to any of this and there are no guarantees, now he sees the purpose and importance of timing BD and making sure we do our best to give ourselves the best chances of getting KU each month. Maybe your DH will shift his perspective over time. Anyway, sorry for the rambling response, but I get you sistah!

 

[split_shank]

Charting....

What constitutes CD1? First light show of period on TP in the middle of the day? Or the next day where a tampon/pad is actually needed? Sorry, new to this!!

Thanks!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I think the first sign of any AF-like material.

 

[Lanie]

Actually I''ve heard different things. Most say when it is red since you can spot before your period or have dark clumping which is old blood and doesn''t count. My OB said what Hudson said...basically anything coming out that was colored. I always started counting when I need something other than a panty liner bc mine is usually very light at the first sight then gets heavier.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Split-shank, Are you tracking temps on a web-based site, like Fertility Friend? I know Fertility Friend has an option for spotting. When I was temping, I believe that clicking "spotting" does create a new cycle as of that day, so I would go with the day that spotting starts.

Po, Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! It sounds like you are ready to get started! Are you in Scotland? For some reason, I associate your avatar with Scotland! Let us know if you have any questions! Good Luck!

Jena, Sorry to hear about AF. I think your husband's reaction is fairly standard! My DH was the same way. As time passed, he became more involved.

Kit, Thank you for your understanding about my odd situation yesterday! I am sorry to hear that your friend went through such a rough ordeal with that doctor. Sounds awful, and yet, a miracle was in the making at the same time!!

Lanie, It's really up to you how you want to proceed. It's funny that your friend is pushing you to see an RE. She means well, right? Did she go to this RE? I would probably lean toward going straight to the RE because, in my experience anyway, you get more monitoring that way. I wouldn't really want to be prescribed 50 mg of clomid and then be sent on my way to see how things go. Plenty of doctors do this, and they keep prescribing it, or raising the dose, without looking to see what is really going on. (Plenty of women get pregnant this way too.) I can certainly understand your hesitation, in not wanting to go right away, since you've really just started, but you have enough history/documentation, that I do not think you would be out-of-line for making an appointment with an RE. Also, keep in mind, they could have quite a wait for a first-time appointment. You could look into that and maybe it will help you decide what to do. I mean, if you would have to wait 3 months, then you could follow-up with your OB/GYN before then, and hopefully get pregnant right away!! Hmmm, do I sound like your RE-pushing friend?

 

[Lanie]

Jena -- I think we are married to the same guy! It''s nice to have a calm and relaxing partner but at the same time I don''t think they understand the timing of it all. They spend their dating and some of their married lives trying NOT to get their girlfriends pregnant and so they think that it''s easy to do once you are ready.

Laila--sorry to hear about the cyst. My good friend had the same issues and had to resort to step 2 but now she is pregnant. Are you seeing an RE? sorry can''t remember...

LV--that''s crazy! I''m glad you had the guts to walk out of there!

Po-- welcome! I''m interested to know how you like the monitor!

Kit--thanks for the response. Hang in there!!! My fingers are crossed for you!

 

[Jena17]

Well I am actually glad to hear that my DH isn''t the only one that is acting like this! I sometimes feel that I am the only one concerned about getting PG! I am 30 almost 31 and he will be 30 in a couple months. But I do know that he is ready and can''t wait to be a dad! So in the meantime I will just try a little harder the days that I know I am fertile. I don''t want him to think that is the only reason I want to be intimate with him though!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Noel, I just saw your post and am so sorry. Best wishes for your recovery, that this time will bring you and your DH closer, that you take time to grieve, and that a little one will come into your lives when the time is right. Everyone one of my friends who now has children has experienced at least one loss, and they all processed it differently. It sounds like you have a really healthy attitude, but I''m sure it is still difficult.

Ice kid,I hear you on the timing thing. We are TTC now. MY brother is getting married in mid October about 6 hours away from where we live, also in late July I''m going on a two week trip with my family and my DH to CA (we live in NYC) to celebrate my grandmother''s 80th birthday. If all goes as planned I''ll be very pregnant for both and will possibly have a very very tiny infant at my brother''s wedding. We figure we''ll TTC, see what happens, and make decisions based on that. As much of a control freak as I am, there are no guarantees and so many variables that we figure we can''t possibly make decisions based on "if" we get pregnant. I don''t think we''ll start changing plans etc until we are actually pregnant and well past the first trimester.

 

[icekid]

Date: 12/28/2009 10:22:37 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 12/28/2009 8:24:08 PM

Author: icekid

Date: 12/28/2009 1:36:54 PM

Author: dreamer_dachsie

haha, love this dreamer! You are so right, though. I am such a control freak / planner that it is difficult to let go. But over-thinking TTC is kind of silly, because it''s so impossible to control. I keep telling myself we''ll just make it work (which is true) and then I resort to thinking about it some more

The irony of a professional thinker not thinking too much is not lost of me

I think you need to go ahead and start TTCing and get out of this deliberative mindset. It is torture for real!

well, you''ll be glad to know we went for it with reckless abandon tonight

(TMI-ish, but EWCM has made its appearance). we''ll see what happens! I am so nervous; what a weird feeling to actually try to get pregnant.

noel- so sorry to hear the news! I hope you are able to recover quickly. My best wishes to you and your DH.

Laila- Good luck! We are routing for you

Bella_mezzo- Glad to hear I am not the only one trying to plan my baby around the rest of my life. No doubt it won''t work out

and we''ll just have to roll with it!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Way to go Ice Kid--Here''s hoping you get a sticky bean out of this so it can really mess with your control issues

I am super flexible, but I LOVE to plan. I can change my plan on a dime, but I have to have a plan so this TTC thing, where I can control nothing, is going to be an interesting ride

 

[HOUMedGal]

Date: 12/29/2009 7:38:22 PM
Author: icekid

Date: 12/28/2009 10:22:37 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 12/28/2009 8:24:08 PM

Author: icekid

Date: 12/28/2009 1:36:54 PM

Author: dreamer_dachsie


<BEST border="0" not think about things too much is my adage

haha, love this dreamer! You are so right, though. I am such a control freak / planner that it is difficult to let go. But over-thinking TTC is kind of silly, because it''s so impossible to control. I keep telling myself we''ll just make it work (which is true) and then I resort to thinking about it some more

The irony of a professional thinker not thinking too much is not lost of me

I think you need to go ahead and start TTCing and get out of this deliberative mindset. It is torture for real!

well, you''ll be glad to know we went for it with reckless abandon tonight

(TMI-ish, but EWCM has made its appearance). we''ll see what happens! I am so nervous; what a weird feeling to actually try to get pregnant.

noel- so sorry to hear the news! I hope you are able to recover quickly. My best wishes to you and your DH.

Laila- Good luck! We are routing for you

Bella_mezzo- Glad to hear I am not the only one trying to plan my baby around the rest of my life. No doubt it won''t work out

and we''ll just have to roll with it!

Eeeee! Reckless abandon!!

Is it weird that I''m really excited?!?! HAHA! So are you officially trying now, or just not not trying?? So exciting!! And yes, it was a very strange feeling the first time we, yanno, tried to get pregnant. It just goes against everything you know...you spend your whole life trying NOT to get pregnant, and then all of a sudden, it''s the opposite!!

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

Wow a lot to catch up on! Good luck everyone!!

Ice Kid- congrats on starting TTC!

Laila- sorry to hear about your cyst- at least you had 1 mature fol. and with good bed timing can still get KU. Wish u luck!

LV- the same thing happened to me when I went on Depo (the birth control shot) all those hormones at once + I have battled depression in the past really did a number on me- I start clomid next month and will probably experience the same mood issues. hoping this cycle is a success for you! BTW- I would have kicked that nurse upside the head! LOLjk! Seriously though how rude!

*********

Currently 8DPO and not feeling so good- moderate cramping and sorry for TMI but threw up this evening

DH suggested maybe I was KU but definetly dont think so b/c my temps are steady and I had an HSG this cycle (OB said it can thin out the lining too much-bad for implantation)- hoping I wake up tomorrow and feel a lot better!!