The Official TTC Thread!

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Aviastar, sorry to hear this wasn't your month. Don't feel bad. Everyone reads into things and imagines pregnancy symptoms when they first start trying. I think it is probably because you never pay that close attention to your body until you start TTC. Hang in there. If I were you, I would start using OPKs around CD10 or so. Based on your prior cycles, you are probably ovulating around CD15 give or take a few days either direction. Hope you have better luck this month!

AFM, it's possible I ovulated last Thursday or Friday, but I'm not really sure if I did or not. We didn't BD after Tuesday, because we stayed in a hotel room with Ev one night and at my sister's house the other nights this weekend. Oh well. I just really want this cycle to end!

 

[coda72]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

amc-I wish the chances of getting pregnant were higher than 20%, but I guess we just have to keep TTC.

Avia-sorry AF arrived for you too. I guess our intuition is broken. I am pretty depressed that I may not get pregnant that easily like I did the last time, but all I can do is keep trying.

MP-hope you see the beginning (or end) of this cycle soon!

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Just to update- my friend took another test and there was a line but it was an obvious evap/indent and lighter than the previous. She's confident it's negative. The original test is still questionable to me...

 

[aviastar]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Thanks, MP and Coda. Fancy lent me her copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility and I started reading through it this weekend (thanks, Fancy! ). I thought I wanted to stay 'relaxed' as possible, but really, I'd like to not go back on BC even after getting pregnant, so why not read up and start now? So I did go ahead and put the FF app on my phone and starting temping in the a.m. CM is confusing me a bit, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. And I am going to buy just one round of the digi OPK's for this month, too. I think if I can get the hang of charting I might not need the OPK's every month.

I have discovered that I just really like patterns, even if those patterns are not exactly the same every month, I would like to be able to interpret some real data and I'm just not doing so well with that all on my own, so I am going to try this instead. I don't like feeling like I am in the dark.

It crossed my mind, as my imaginary due date progressively gets pushed further and further back into 2014, that maybe someone (I'm looking at you, Big Guy) is holding off for due dates until after my husband's spring season is over And I have to admit, I'll have a lot more help from him if he doesn't have practice and games 6 days a week!

Have you decided to chart or OPK this month, Coda? I know you had thought about it, too.

 

[gem_anemone]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Aviastar and Coda - Sorry to hear AF reared her ugly face. Hopefully your luck will change soon!

MP- I'm hoping you can figure out your cycle soon!

amc80 that pregnancy test surely did look positive! Yikes!

Avia - I am also in the boat of not wanting to go back on birth control. I feel so much better not being on it and being in tune with my body, except my AF is a little heavier. My cycles seem to be naturally longer than 28 days, so I will have less AF's in the long run.

PPM - I didn't do a great job checking my ovulation signs for this month and I have a hard time analyzing the CM. I am not sure if I am capable of EWCM after being on BC? Plus with all the BDing we did during that week I have trouble um....telling the difference... If I am not pregnant this go around I am going to be diligent next month. I had all these personal things going on, then vacation, so my sleeping schedule was out of wack. Next month should be more calm. I plan to focus on the temps and OPK's more.

AFM - DH and I are back from vacation. We had a great time! I believe I am 10-12 DPO today, but I did not finishing temping, so I don't know when/if I actually O'd. Yesterday I took a cheapo pregnancy test and it was negative. We weren't going to test until this Sunday when I am expecting AF, but I think we changed our minds and are going to test daily...haha. It's SO hard not to. We have some things going on this weekend and we would not like to have to try to keep it a secret, so we thought it was easier to do so if we didn't know for sure...but that is at the cost of NOT knowing as soon as possible and frankly I would like to know asap....Ugh!!! I guess no matter what if I keep getting negative tests I won't know anything until AF shows up anyway.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Gem, good luck to you! It's hard knowing when to test when you aren't definite on your ovulation date, but hopefully, you will have an answer one way or another in the next few days.

Aviastar, TCOYF has a lot of good information whether or not you decide to hardcore TTC or just stay with the relaxed approach. And you might just be right about the timing thing. Even though it is hard to be patient when things don't happen on our timeline, I agree that it will happen when it is meant to happen. I need to keep telling myself this as well. I would have loved to have gotten pregnant immediately last time around, but if I had, I wouldn't have my son, and I just know he was meant to be! Hopefully you don't have too much longer to wait.

Coda, I think that 20% chance increases significantly with well-timed BDing. And I don't think you should assume you are going to have trouble just because it didn't happen your first cycle of trying. However, if it doesn't happen after a few months of well-timed BD, you might consider talking to your doctor sooner rather than later, since I think you said you are a little older, right? I apologize if I'm misremembering that. Anyway, best wishes for you this cycle!

AFM, I believe I'm on CD39, and I strongly suspect this is an annovulatory cycle. I cannot remember ever having a cycle more than about 28 days.. I have an appointment with my OB/GYN in a couple weeks, and if I don't either have AF or a BFP (doubtful) by then, I think I will ask her to prescribe something to bring on AF, so I can hopefully reset my cycle and start TTC again. For someone who is used to relatively short and regular cycles, this is ANNOYING! I was reading about inducing AF with progesterone cream, and I'm sort of tempted to try that, but I need to learn more about it.

ETA: amc that is interesting about your friend. That test did look positive, so if she is getting BFNs now, maybe she had a chemical?

 

[aviastar]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Aviastar and Coda - Sorry to hear AF reared her ugly face. Hopefully your luck will change soon!

Avia - I am also in the boat of not wanting to go back on birth control. I feel so much better not being on it and being in tune with my body, except my AF is a little heavier. My cycles seem to be naturally longer than 28 days, so I will have less AF's in the long run.

PPM - I didn't do a great job checking my ovulation signs for this month and I have a hard time analyzing the CM. I am not sure if I am capable of EWCM after being on BC? Plus with all the BDing we did during that week I have trouble um....telling the difference... If I am not pregnant this go around I am going to be diligent next month. I had all these personal things going on, then vacation, so my sleeping schedule was out of wack. Next month should be more calm. I plan to focus on the temps and OPK's more.

Thanks, Gem. There are some pros and cons, of course, to staying off the BC; my skin is a little bit more irritable, my periods longer and a little bit more painful, but I'm also not as moody, I'm 10 lbs lighter, and my libido is stronger. So charting wins!

And I could have written the bolded! But I figure that I mainly just want confirmation that I am in fact ovulating, so if I get the temp shift I can rest a little easier and DH is more than happy to be called upon for his husbandly duties as much as we need to 'cover our bases' , so it's ok f I don't always identify peak day ahead of time I do plan on adding the OPK's this month, too- just picked some up today!

Is there a reason you don't think you are capable of the EWCM after the pill? Do you think you many not be ovulating yet, or is there another reason?

Aviastar, TCOYF has a lot of good information whether or not you decide to hardcore TTC or just stay with the relaxed approach. And you might just be right about the timing thing. Even though it is hard to be patient when things don't happen on our timeline, I agree that it will happen when it is meant to happen. I need to keep telling myself this as well. I would have loved to have gotten pregnant immediately last time around, but if I had, I wouldn't have my son, and I just know he was meant to be! Hopefully you don't have too much longer to wait.


AFM, I believe I'm on CD39, and I strongly suspect this is an annovulatory cycle. I cannot remember ever having a cycle more than about 28 days.. I have an appointment with my OB/GYN in a couple weeks, and if I don't either have AF or a BFP (doubtful) by then, I think I will ask her to prescribe something to bring on AF, so I can hopefully reset my cycle and start TTC again. For someone who is used to relatively short and regular cycles, this is ANNOYING! I was reading about inducing AF with progesterone cream, and I'm sort of tempted to try that, but I need to learn more about it.

My thoughts exactly, MP! And , what is AF thinking making you wait this long? It is true that you could technically still ovulate at any time if you haven't already, but it's nice that you already have a Dr app set up so you can at least have a firm end date in sight. I think I read that you need a prescription for real progesterone cream; just double check the labels of anything you see over the counter to verify if the levels present are going to be effective at all.

I'll be starting the OPK's tomorrow I think, CD 10. I've had three different cycle lengths, so I figure if I need more sticks than the 7 in the box I'll just go get some more on CD17 and if I need them again next month I'll order wondfos.

 

[lliang_chi]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

FYI: you can distinguish EWCM from seminal fluid because one floats and the other doesn't. I think it's semen that floats. Can one of the other smarty pants ladies confirm?

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

FYI: you can distinguish EWCM from seminal fluid because one floats and the other doesn't. I think it's semen that floats. Can one of the other smarty pants ladies confirm?

If I remember quickly EWCM will ball up and sink in water and other fluids will not. Also EWCM should stretch repeatedly without breaking and other fluids would not. That said, I still find it hard to distinguish at times.

Aviastar, yes, you are right about the progesterone. I bought some last time around when I was thinking of using it during the 2ww (before I started seeing a fertility NP), but I decided not to, and it does not expire until next year. Anyway, it is called Pro-Gest, and it is supposed to be a high quality progesterone cream. I thought it was possible I ovulated this past weekend, so I might just start using the cream twice a day until next Friday, and if don't have a BFP, I will just stop the cream and hope AF arrives and resets my cycle. It's not normal for me to ovulate late, so I really do think this is annovulatory cycle, and I just want it to end.

Good luck with the OPKs this month! I also opted not to go back on birth control. I know there are supposedly some benefits to being on birth control, but I definitely feel like my body functions better physically and emotionally without it.

 

[coda72]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Avia-not sure about the charting thing. It seems like a lot of trouble to me. I keep track of my cycles on an app on my phone and that's about all I feel motivated to do. Hopefully the OPKs work for you and you get a BFP after using them for a short time.

Gem and Avia-I have been off BC for a few years, and I really am happy with it. I still have relatively consistent cycles, and AF is actually a little shorter and lighter after getting off the pill. My hubby and I were very diligent about using protection up until recently, so it is possible not to conceive if you're not on BC.

Gem-good luck getting a BFP; the TWW is the worst!

MP-you remembered correctly, I am 40 and will be 41 soon. I'm not sure I'm going to check in with my doctor if I have trouble conceiving. I think I'll just accept that I waited too long and deal with the fact that I may not be able to have a child. I kept track on my app when we BD, and it did match up with my supposed time of ovulation last month, but as I am seeing, it's not as easy to get pregnant as I thought. Hopefully AF shows up for you soon, and you can start tracking your cycle again.

I'm on CD10, and it's time to TTC again. The DH is always happy this time of the month, that's for sure!

 

[gem_anemone]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

OMG ladies.... I have been testing daily, but being quiet because I did not really believe my results. After my negative test on Monday I took tests on Tue and Wed night. Both took a long time, but ended up showing positive after like 20 minutes or more. I thought maybe the test was wrong or was picking up something else after taking so long to show positive. However, this morning I used the first urine of the day and took the test and..... within 3 minutes I got a real BFP! I believe I am 14 DPO today.

I can't even believe it. I am in shock that it happened for us during our first month of trying and after being on the pill for 14ish years. I was hoping for a little one by next summer, but it seems that we are having a spring baby (as long as the little seed sticks)! I guess I should make the jump over to the "Just Barely" thread. Thank you ladies for all of your support through this! I will be lurking around here waiting for many more BFP's!! I wish you all the best of luck!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Congratulations Gem! Best wishes to you for a healthy and happy pregnancy!

 

[tammy77]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Woohoo Gem! Trust me, you don't want to be in your third trimester during the summer!! Spring is perfect timing in a lot of ways. You'll completely miss cold and flu season with a newborn too, that's awesome! Congrats!!

 

[gem_anemone]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Congratulations Gem! Best wishes to you for a healthy and happy pregnancy!

Thank you!

Woohoo Gem! Trust me, you don't want to be in your third trimester during the summer!! Spring is perfect timing in a lot of ways. You'll completely miss cold and flu season with a newborn too, that's awesome! Congrats!!

Hahaha those are some really good points! Things I of course would never think of as being so new at this. Thanks!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Oh my gosh, congrats, Gem!! I saw your post on the JBP thread before I saw this! Congrats on being a jerkstore (not name calling, just a TTC thread term for ladies who get pregnant in the first month of trying).

 

[gem_anemone]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Oh my gosh, congrats, Gem!! I saw your post on the JBP thread before I saw this! Congrats on being a jerkstore (not name calling, just a TTC thread term for ladies who get pregnant in the first month of trying).

Hahaha I hadn't heard that before! I say I do kind of feel weird about it. Like it's not real or like something is going to happen....

 

[aviastar]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

oh, Gem!!!!!! Congratulations! What absolutely wonderful news!

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Nice job, GEM! Congrat!

Congrats on being a jerkstore

Ha I have never heard that!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Nice job, GEM! Congrat!

Congrats on being a jerkstore

Ha I have never heard that!

It comes from a Seinfeld episode. Somebody made fun of George for eating too much shrimp and said something like, "The ocean called. It's running out of shrimp." And George's lame comeback was "The Jerk Store called, and they're running out of you." We used to use variations of this all the time in our family. Not sure when or why they started using it on here, but consider it a compliment!

 

[lliang_chi]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hooray Gem! There's a few "jerkstore" success stories here, so don't feel nervous, just feel lucky Now we need some pics! have you told your DH yet?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

The "jerkstore" term is from WAY back (like back in 200. I lurked for a LONG time before started TTC #1. But I've always thought it was a funny term and I like to use it for happy news like this!

 

[gem_anemone]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hooray Gem! There's a few "jerkstore" success stories here, so don't feel nervous, just feel lucky Now we need some pics! have you told your DH yet?

Haha actually DH is the one who noticed that Tuesday's test was positive way after the fact, so he knows! These are my results.....

 

[tammy77]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Awesome progression!!!

 

[Missy0483]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Wow they got dark pretty fast!! Looks great!

 

[gem_anemone]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

I'm somewhat wondering if that first one was a dud?? Even the comparison line is so light....

 

[coda72]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Congrats, Gem!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

How's everyone doing?

I just wanted to update that it is FINALLY CD1 for me! I've never been so happy to get AF. That cycle was almost 20 days longer than any other cycle I've ever had, and it was starting to feel like it would never end. Hoping for a normal cycle this time around.

 

[coda72]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Mp-so glad AF finally showed up for you! I know what you mean about being happy to see AF. Hopefully, your cycle is normal this time.

AFM-CD16 and just chugging along. I doubt I conceived this month because DH and I only got to BD twice during my fertile period. So, I've already pretty much thrown in the towel for this month. Not going to get too stressed about it though. We're visiting my parents this weekend, so I won't have a lot of time to think about babies and TTC! Luckily, we aren't visiting during my fertile time!

Avia-how's everything going for you? Did the OPKs work for you so that you were able to tell when you were ovulating?

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Coda, don't throw in the towel. You're definitely still in the game if you BD'd at all in that timeframe. Actually, for some couples it is better to only BD every other day, so you never know. Oh, and I was looking at my calendar, and there's a pretty good chance, I'll be ovulating this cycle right around the time we will be out of town for my sister's wedding, which means DH and I will be in a hotel room with the baby. So yeah, that wouldn't work without potentially permanently scarring our son emotionally Hopefully, I will ovulate before we leave or we may have to skip this month or get really creative....

 

[aviastar]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Yay, MP! Finally!

Um, I don't know yet, Coda. It's CD15 for me and I haven't gotten a positive OPK yet. I am also temping and tracking CM and I haven't had a temp shift yet either, so I am assuming that I haven't O'd yet; although CM suggests that I am approaching it (TMI alert- several days of creamy and now switched over to watery. I don't think I have ever been this aware of my vagina before ). I guess, since I have only been OPK-ing once a day I could have missed the surge, but no temp shift to confirm yet, either way. I picked up some more test strips at walmart today- they have the 20 for $20, too- so I can keep testing once I run out of the fancy ones tomorrow. So, we're just covering our bases and trying to be patient

And I want to join the Charting Is Fun Club- it's so cool to have real actual DATA and it's no inconvenience at all! I am a total convert.

Hopefully, I will join you in the TWW soon!