The Official TTC Thread!

[wellinsm]

Imperfect- THe OPK I used in the past to ensure I was ovulating even though i wasn''t trying said to use FMU, so I always used the small plastic cup that came with the strips right when I got up. If I had test at work, I''d bring a small Dixie Cup and palm it or even flatten it and then open it up again when I got to the bathroom. The small cup that came with the OPK usually kit in my pocket and I just had a longer shirton to cover it or walked fast. You may think people are looking, but they probably aren''t paying attention in all likelyhood.

As for BD I would start the day you got your + OPK. Some have fade-in lines that get darker each day you get closer to a positive, so you could even start as you see your line getting closer to the control line. I would def start BDing the day of the + and at least every other day to everyday until it goes back to a -. I''ve had + OPK for up to 3 days in a row sometimes, and I''m not sure what was up with that, which is why last month I started temping so when I saw the sustained temp shift I knew for certain I had ovulated. When I got pregnant last month we DTD on CD14 w/o protection (oppsie) I ovulated on CD19, and I had a BFP about 13DPO. So, 1 time is all it can take, who knows if it will be that easy this time around, but I''m hoping it is!

Good luck!

If you want to start temping I suggest using fertilityfriend. Many of the ladies around here use it and recommended it to me. I did buy the membership and I have fiound it to be very helpful in getting to understand my body.

 

[ImperfectGirl]

Sorry for the BFN Bella...

Thanks Wellinsm for your advice. My OPKs didn''t come with a cup and we don''t use any disposable cups at work so I guess I''ll just pick up some dixie cups for myself. Or I could just use FMU...didn''t think of that. I do temp & use fertility friend and you''re right, it is very helpful!

I''ve never used an OPK before, so I''ll take your advice and BD the day I get a positive. I just hope O days is within 3 days of the +

Thanks!

 

[lilyfoot]

Sorry I haven't checked in ladies, I was out of town this weekend.

Mother Nature is a funny creature - the one and only month of my entire life that I have been TTC is the one and only period of my entire life that comes 3+ days late. AF finally came today

Bella: Good luck!

 

[KimberlyH]

well, just thought i''d share my ob''s recommendation for ttc after miscarriage. it''s antecdotal, but based on 25+ yrs experience. she suggested we wait for 1 normal period before trying again. in her experience those patients who don''t wait have ~10% higher rate of a second miscarriage.

many women don''t wait and go on to have successful pregnancies immediately following a miscarriage. we waited per her suggestion, and i''m glad we did, i needed the time to heal -- missed miscarriage d&c at 12 weeks, excessive bleeding due to clotting issue, along with the mental anguish of coping with what had happened. i believe waiting was good for my husband as well.

hang in there, and do what you need to mourn and move forward.

 

[charbie]

wellin- i sympathize with you, dear. hang in there. i''m not going to say it gets easier, but eventually you will move forward. my husband and i have decided to put TTC on hold for other reasons besides my m/c, but you''ll know when it is the right time for you. my heart hurts when i see babies and pregnant people everywhere (but i''m always cheering on my girls here!!!).

anyways- my doctor''s suggestion after my d&c was wait for a normal cycle, then go for it. he said actually, after your first cycle is a great time to get pregnant, since the lining is very "fresh" and you want to make sure there isn''t any missed tissue.

big big hugs!!!!!

 

[wellinsm]

Kimberly and Charbie- Thanks! I have decided to wait for 1 cycle before we try again. I know that perhaps physcially I might ready to try again in 2 weeks (hopefully when I ovulate) but I don''t think that mentally I will be ready yet. While, I don''t plan on waiting the 3 cycles the med assistant told me to, I think 1 cycle to gear up and get emotionally ready and completly physically ready is best for myself and for my husband. It will be nice to see him again on Thursday after 14 days. I cannot believe he was gone for the whole ordeal!

I''m going to keep temping this cycle and using OPK to watch my ovulation, but in July..it''s on like Donkey Kong.

Thanks for all of the support from allthe ladies. I know that I haven''t been posting on here long, but the warm wishes and open arms you have given me have really helped this past weekend!

 

[lili]

wellinsm--
*hugs* i''m so sorry to hear about your m/c and that your hubby was out of town through the whole thing. glad to hear that you are feeling better and will be back on the ttc wagon in july. i think waiting one cycle is great.

Miscka--
thanks. that''s my 2 yr fun loving monster

sorry about the bfn last month. i think june will be another big bfp producer,
so hoping that it''s our month. like i told dcgator, maybe our little one wants to be born in the year of the hare
hey, i''m just one day behind you.
i hear you about being around pregnant women and babies.


LAJennifer--
true, true. it will happen when it supposed to.
dh kept telling me that if we didn''t take this long to conceive, we might not have ended up w/ our little girl now ^.^
it is annoying though that they weren''t as accomodating about squeezing you in for appts and tests. i think it really has to do with who you end up talking on the phone w/. i know there are a couple of receptionist and nurses that are stickler on rules and would just not hear your plea and cry.
glad to hear that at least you got the rubella out of the way.
and i''m sure that the kitties were happy that your treatment was delayed
are you going to adopt them?

CDNinNYC--
good luck with the 2ww.
fingers crossed for you.
love your avatar. it''s so relaxing and serene.
i need to be in that mental state during this ttc journey.

KTF21--

for CD1.

DCGator--
aren''t you glad you have short cycles now that you are ttcing?
i remember when i used to wish that my cycles were longer before we start ttcing.

ImperfectGirl--
Welcome and hope your stay here is short ^.^

lilyfoot--

on to next month.

Bella--
fingers crossed for you.
it''s only 10DPO.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Wells-Hope your day is going better and I'm sorry that your Dr.'s office was so difficult!!!!

Lili, lily, imperfectgirl,Ryan, Dc, etal-thanks for thinking of me!!!!

I think I am catching DH's sinus infection so this day is getting better and better

But, I found this on fertilityfriend, and since a lot of PSers seem to get really early positives (ahem-the amazing teflon fallopian tubes of Bliss and non-PSers are like wait until the day after your period is due to test, it was kind of nice to read and get some perspective.

linky

 

[HOUMedGal]

Just dropping in to check in with my TTC friends and wish you all loads of baby dust!!

Wellinsm, I''m glad you''re feeling better about things. My doc told me to wait 3 mos, but I had a D&C, so that''s a little different. I think after a natural MC, 1 month is plenty to wait if you''re emotionally ready! Best of luck to you when you do start trying again!

Bella!!!! 10dpo is still so early....you''re still in the game!! I am soooo hopeful for you, and keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Lilyfoot - sorry AF was playing mind games with you!! She''s a real jerk sometimes!! Good luck with this new cycle!

DC and Imperfect girl - good luck with your upcoming BD marathons!!!!

KTF - congrats on CD1!! Having regular AF''s is definitely a step in the right direction...I hope things continue to head that way for you!!

CDNinNYC - gooood luck this month!!

Miscka - sorry it wasn''t your month. Boooo.

But keep your PreSeed and Instead and pineapple handy, because it''s a fresh new cycle and new chance to make a baby!!!

I know your time will come soon, and you''ll have a precious lil bundle of your own to take home!!

Lili - sorry this wasn''t your month either, but I''m sending lots of dust your way for this month!!!

Po - I''m glad to hear you''re getting your head in the right place...sometimes this process can become all-consuming, and a break is exactly what you need. Hope all is well with you!

RyanClaire - soooo happy for you that you got to start a new cycle!! WOOHOOO!!! I so hope that Provera and Clomid do the trick for you...I am so excited! Keep us posted!!

CatLuver - I''m sorry you had so much trouble with the instead cup!!! Your story WAS pretty funny, though.

At least you got a laugh out of the whole thing!

 

[brooks]

Wellinsm - I''m new here but I just wanted to say I''m sorry to hear about your m/c. I think it''s amazing what great support this board seems to be. Sending lots of good thoughts your way!

Bella - Thanks for that link. I''m on FF quite a but but hadn''t stumbled across that yet. Really interesting to see, especially because I hear a lot of stories of early positives. This helps me find a little more willpower to hold onto during the 2WW.

Good luck to you!

------------------------------------------------

I''m now 6 dpo. I don''t really have any strong feelings regarding this month. I''d like to be a little excited because at least our timing was great, but I''m still concerned about my late ovulation. I should know one way or the other by next Wednesday. I went ahead today and made an appt with my doctor on that day, so that I can get her opinion and discuss any possible options that might help ovulation come a little earlier.

 

[KimberlyH]

well, so glad your husband is coming home.

time/distance from what happened helped me move on. but the fear of "what ifs" and the sadness were more difficult to contend with than i imagined they night be.

i wish you peace during this difficult time.

 

[Amandine]

Just a quick pop in...I *finally* purchased a pregnancy test tonight. Don''t know how I managed to hold off so long...AF is due this weekend! Of course, now that it is sitting upstairs in the bedroom, its all I can do to not go use it. I will be strong, and wait till tomorrow morning! I think the key to not overdoing it is not having it in the house to tempt you...

So, maybe good news for me tomorrow! Cross your fingers for me...

 

[Bella_mezzo]

fingers crossed for you Amandine, so exciting!!!!

On my end, I woke up with DH''s sinus infection

So, before I took a bunch of advil cold and sinus I POAS and another BFN. Today was CD11, and it was my last amazon strip, so if AF doesn''t show up on Sat I''ll use one of the expensive tests I still have in the closet from before I learned about amazon

Tons of dust for Amandine and everyone else in the 2ww, and hope everyone who is in the BD marathon is having a great time

 

[wellinsm]

Amadine- So exciting! Let us know how it turns out!

Bella- Sorry about the BFN..it''s still WAY early though.......

I apologize in advance if I have a lot of typos or missing spaces in between words. It appears the space bar on my keyboard is not working properly, and I type fairly quickly and don''t always go back and proofread posts.

Question for you smart ladies-

I heard from my doctor today and he wants to see me in a few weeks to make sure that everything is going "OK" I think meaning cleared out blah blah blah

I expressed to him my concerns about what I could possibly do in the future to prevent this from happening again (I know it''s common, but whatever I can do, I will). I also mentioned that I think that I ovulate late, around CD19. Now, I have only temped 1 month, but used OPK 1 month prior and it was positive around CD19 then as well. My cycles average around 31 days, 1 was at 28, one at 34 and 1 at 30 (I think). He did say that CD19 was a bit late and wants me to rbing in my charts when I see him. I''m not going to make the appointment until after I *hopefully* ovulate for this month so I have another month with temps to show a thermal shift to show him. I have heard that often doctors will have you use progesterone or something else to try and get you to have a longer luteal phase, therefore ovulate earlier. While I know CD19 isn''t super late, he did say that it was a possibility that itcould affect getting pregnant (which wasn''t the case with me) or staying pregnant (maybe??). Does anyone have experience with this? Do doctors prescribe progesterone or something else prior to getting pregnant, or is this something that is monitored after you get a BFP?

Any ideas??

Thanks

 

[brightlight]

Date: 6/2/2010 9:54:49 PM
Author: wellinsm
Amadine- So exciting! Let us know how it turns out!

Bella- Sorry about the BFN..it's still WAY early though.......

I apologize in advance if I have a lot of typos or missing spaces in between words. It appears the space bar on my keyboard is not working properly, and I type fairly quickly and don't always go back and proofread posts.

Question for you smart ladies-

I heard from my doctor today and he wants to see me in a few weeks to make sure that everything is going 'OK' I think meaning cleared out blah blah blah

I expressed to him my concerns about what I could possibly do in the future to prevent this from happening again (I know it's common, but whatever I can do, I will). I also mentioned that I think that I ovulate late, around CD19. Now, I have only temped 1 month, but used OPK 1 month prior and it was positive around CD19 then as well. My cycles average around 31 days, 1 was at 28, one at 34 and 1 at 30 (I think). He did say that CD19 was a bit late and wants me to rbing in my charts when I see him. I'm not going to make the appointment until after I *hopefully* ovulate for this month so I have another month with temps to show a thermal shift to show him. I have heard that often doctors will have you use progesterone or something else to try and get you to have a longer luteal phase, therefore ovulate earlier. While I know CD19 isn't super late, he did say that it was a possibility that itcould affect getting pregnant (which wasn't the case with me) or staying pregnant (maybe??). Does anyone have experience with this? Do doctors prescribe progesterone or something else prior to getting pregnant, or is this something that is monitored after you get a BFP?

Any ideas??

Thanks

Wellinsm, I'm so sorry to hear about your m/c and that you had to go through that with your husband out of town. I've found that I've been a late ovulator in the last couple months as well. I think the technical definition is past 21 days, but I've been ovulating around CD18 so I'm cutting it close. How long is your luteal phase? If progesterone lengthens your luteal phase, I'm not sure it does anything for actually making you ovulate earlier. Wouldn't it just add on extra days to the end of your cycle? That's just a guess. I'm sure some of the other ladies here can give you a more educated answer, but that's just my guess. Now, I'm going to have to go google progesterone and ovulation.

I've been reading up on BBT, and I've read that it is accurate to within 3 days. So, your ovulation date based on BBT could be off by 3 days. However, your OPK also suggests that you ovulate on CD19. I'm only bringing this up b/c of this article I read that said that urinary LH tests correlate 100% with pelvic ultrasounds of the ovaries. BBT correlates 30% (which seems to support the whole accuracy within 3 days I mentioned above), salivary ferning correlates 37%, and CM correlates 48%.

Also Bella, the article I read says that 84% of pregnancies implanted on 8-10 dpo. So, you've still got a really good shot this month!

 

[wellinsm]

Thanks Brightlight- You are right! I guess what I meant to say was that I ovulate of CD19, but have usually regular cycles of 28-31 days, so I''m afraid I might have a shorter luteal phase, so I was wondering if progesterone or Vitamin B6 would help with increasing the length of the luteal phase, rather than assist with late ovulation. Thanks for clarfying my question- i guess I wasn''t thinking very clearly when I wrote that last post.

 

[LadyBlue]

Hi ladies,

I''m CD2 today

, I guess I''m going to have to work harder next month

Good luck to everybody that is testing

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

 

[dcgator]

Hello ladies,

Sorry I have been MIA the past couple days, but I had to run up to Boston for a meeting. Anywho, it looks like we have been quite active on here the past couple days, so yeah for lots of TTC friends

KTF: Sorry to hear about AF. She really can be such a drama queen sometimes! But it sounds like you are looking at the bright side of her, so good for you. I wish you lots of luck in your new cycle and I hope June is your month!

ImperfectGirl: I had a lovely time in NYC, thanks for asking. My DH and I are huge foodies, so we did the walking/tasting tour of the Chelsea Market and went to Morimoto''s. It was awesome

. As to your question on OPK''s and BD''ing. I try to start bedding on CD10 or so, even though I O around CD13-CD14. I start early b/c I know its hard to do it everyday, and I at least hope I will catch some prime days in there. We stop after I get my sustained temp shift. As far as timing with the OPK''s, I use the OPK''s a confirmation for O, b/c even though you get a positve OPK, you could still have delayed O. Additionally, some girls only have one day of positive OPK, which means a really narrow window, so I would caution you to DTD only when you have a positve OPK, b/c you could miss your prime time. I would instead suggest you start BD''ing a couple days before your suspected O, and just do it when you can, and definitley on your postive OPK day. Oh, and I use FMU for my OPK''s.

Wellism: It sounds like you have a really good game plan going forward in the baby making department. I hope this cycle passes by quickly for you and you can get back to TTC soon. I''m sure you will be glad to have your DH back and I hope you can both heal together. (((Big hug))) Also, as far as OPK''s, I just use the ones from First Response (the 7-pack). And I don''t really have any knowledge on progestrone, but hopefully the other ladies can provide some info.

Bella: I am sorry about the BFN, but like others have said, it really is kinda early. And I really like the stats, thanks for sharing. I need to try to remember that in a couple weeks! What a bummer about getting DH''s cold, how rude of him to share that one,

I hope you get better soon and I really hope that you get a BFP too! Lots of happy thoughts for you!

Lilyfoot: I am really sorry to hear about AF, what a PITA she is. Punk

. But, I guess now you can started on your next cycle and join all us who are aiming for a June BFP

Lili: That is kinda funny about cylce length. I remember when I was younger (before BC) I would have really eratic cycles, but it seems like barring any major stress, they are much more normal now, whew... Btw, how are you doing? Are you getting closer to the end or your cycle? Fingers crossed for you lady

Houie: How good to see you back in here my friend

. I have been checking up on you all in the BP thread. I can''t beleive you are 6 weeks already! How did the U/S go this morning? Fingers crossed that you got to hear the HB and for a super sticky bean! Thanks for the well wishes. I am really hopeful for this cycle. I hope its the one!

Brooks: Congrats on getting to the 2WW. I know it can be so stressful, but hang in there lady! As for making the Dr. appt, it sounds like a good plan. I really hope that the appt will be to confirm a BFP though

Amandine: Wow, you are seriously a patient girl. If I have an HPT in the house and am past 10DPO, I am all over it, lol

How many DPO are you? Did you test this morning? I am on pins and needles! Good luck...

Gaby: Sorry about the no go this month, what a bummer

. But, great attitude for next month, everyone likes to practice, right?

*****
As for me, I am at CD13 today. I have a fade-in OPK pattern, and I got a quasi positve this morning, so I expect a truely positve OPK tomorrow. We haven''t been so great on the BD''ing b/c of my crazy schedule, but I plan on pushing it into high gear tonight. Watch out, DH, here I come!

I guess my somewhat delayed O could be a good thing, since I will have more time to "practice" in the coming days. Wish me luck on getting that "high" rating on FF.

For all the other ladies in the BD''ing and 2WW, good luck!

 

[dcgator]

And here is where the team is at:

CD2 - Gaby06
CD3 - Lilyfoot, KeepingtheFaith21
CD7- Ryan Claire, Miscka
CD9 - ImperfectGirl
CD10 - LAJennifer
CD13 - dcgator
CD16 - Smurfy, PO10472
CD20 - Catluver
CD21 - inhisarms17, CDNinNYC
CD25 - Sweetlime
CD26 - Brightlight
CD27 - Steal
CD28 - Bella_mezzo
CD29- Amandine

On the TTC roster: Lili, Brooks

 

[LadyBlue]

Date: 6/2/2010 8:51:49 PM
Author: Bella_mezzo
fingers crossed for you Amandine, so exciting!!!!

On my end, I woke up with DH''s sinus infection

So, before I took a bunch of advil cold and sinus I POAS and another BFN. Today was CD11, and it was my last amazon strip, so if AF doesn''t show up on Sat I''ll use one of the expensive tests I still have in the closet from before I learned about amazon

Tons of dust for Amandine and everyone else in the 2ww, and hope everyone who is in the BD marathon is having a great time

Where can I find the cheap strips and what brand is the best?

My DH does not want to buy the expensive ones anymore b/c i want to test all the time lol.

 

[wellinsm]

Even though I''m not going to TTC until at least July you can add me on if you would like at CD6.

Thanks!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Gaby - I believe these are the best deal out there. I purchased these after Bliss posted about them here! They sell them in lesser quantities too, but the 50 is a great deal!

I do not like the cheapie tests for OPKs though. For OPKs, I love these for the certainty provided by the smiley face!

 

[dcgator]

My bad Wellism, of course we are happy to have you on the team

:

CD2 - Gaby06
CD3 - Lilyfoot, KeepingtheFaith21
CD6 - Wellism
CD7- Ryan Claire, Miscka
CD9 - ImperfectGirl
CD10 - LAJennifer
CD13 - dcgator
CD16 - Smurfy, PO10472
CD20 - Catluver
CD21 - inhisarms17, CDNinNYC
CD25 - Sweetlime
CD26 - Brightlight
CD27 - Steal
CD28 - Bella_mezzo
CD29- Amandine
On the TTC roster: Lili, Brooks

Also, Gaby, I just bought the Wondfo HPT''s too. They are super cheap, and suprisingly tiny. I can''t comment on the accuracy, but I''m sure the 3 or 4 ladies who just graduated to the BP thread can tell you how wonderful they are

. I also have not heard great things about the cheapie OKP''s so I stick with the First Response OPK''s. I have heard the 20 pack are all in one pack, and they expire in 30 days, so I would recommend getting the 7-pack, which are each individually wrapped and can be used over a couple months.

 

[brightlight]

Geri,

How have you been? I''m going to see if there''s any way Admin can send you a private message.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I''m around, just haven''t had too much to update on lately

Just taking it easy and trying not to focus too hard on baby making

 

[lili]

Bella--
Sorry about the sinus infection.
Hope you feel better.
Fingers crossed for you this weekend!

Catluver--
Hehe...funny story about the Instead cup.
I think you''ve shied me away from it, especially since I''m not a tampon user.
Stress never did affect my cycle, but funny enough chocolate does.
Ingesting lots of chocolate at the beginning of my cycle can push my period back 2-3 days.

HOU--
Thanks for the dust!
I really need it.
Again, I''m so happy for you for seeing the flicker today.
Sending you lots of sticky dust!

Brooks--
Welcome and hope the 2WW isn''t too grueling for you.

Amandine--
Oo....how exciting.
Fingers crossed for you this weekend as well.

Gaby06--
Good luck this month!

KTF21--
Sorry to hear that AF is such a b*tch.
I did not know that an anovulatory cycle would make AF fiercer.

dcgator--
Enjoy the weekend

I''m doing good.
I''m actually at the beginning of my cycle (cd6 to be precise).
Hoping that this month would be it for me...else it would be a visit to the RE to discuss about IUI and clomid.

Geri--
Hope you are doing well.

------------
Fingers crossed to those ready to POAS!!

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 6/1/2010 10:45:37 AM
Author: dcgator
CDNinNYC: It's nice to see you back again. Sorry for any health/family issues going on, but hoepfully they have worked themselves out. I wish you lots of sticky dust if this is indeed the start of your 2WW! Cheers to a prolific June indeed!

DCgator, unfortunately, the health issues are ongoing. MIL was diagnosed with breast cancer in December and for reasons we still don't understand, she decided to keep it a secret and ignore all communication from her physician regarding follow-up appointments and treatment.

SIL found out by accident and it's been a battle to get her to even acknowledge there's an issue with her health. She finally had surgery (it was scheduled super fast) to remove the lump and now the issue we're dealing with has to do with her not agreeing with the oncologist's recommended treatment. She wants a second opinion, which she's entitled to, but surprise, surprise, hasn't been on the ball with asking for a referral. Anyways, enough about that.

I hope your BDing marathon is going well and I'll keep my fingers crossed for a positive outcome!

Wellinsm, I don't have any info on progesterone to increase the LP as mine is a good length, but this cycle I took soy isoflavone for the first time to see if it can help me ovulate earlier. I tend to ovulate around CD20-22 and this cycle, it happened at CD17. Still not great and it might be a fluke but it's better than what I've been averaging. Also, I took the SI on CD5-9 which is the latest recommended. If this cycle doesn't result in a positive, I'll start taking them earlier on the next one, hopefully with an even earlier O-date. One thing I did notice this cycle that I've never noticed before were obvious O-pains on my left side. Taking SI later on (CD5-9 as opposed to CD2-6) supposedly makes your egg stronger, but I can't say for sure as this is anecdotal information I'm reading online.

Anyone else try SI?

Amandine and Bella, sending you both positive thoughts!

Lili, thanks! I love looking at that avatar pic too. I have to say, I love yours even more. Adorable! Best of luck to you on this cycle. Hopefully this is it!

****
As for me, I'm on DPO 4 with no 'real' symptoms to report. I've been feeling a bit out of sorts but I think it has to do with having just returned from Mexico.

 

[geri]

Hi Brightlight and Lili - thanks for thinking of me. I''m doing fine, thankyou. Work has been really busy which is good and otherwise we are just taking it day by day.

I''ll hopefully pop in on the weekend to post more and catch up on how everyone else is going. Thansk again for your thoughts.

Hi to everyone else.

 

[Miscka]

CDN! Good to see you here. Sorry to hear about your MIL

Re:SI, I have not but have read a bunch about it and am considering it for next month. Did you get yours locally or Amazon? How much did you take?