I''m sure it is draining, I know my friends both found it so difficult because of how far along they were and the way they found out (with the u/s). Take care and know that you are not alone! So many women have this experience, it is the great common tragedy that too often accompanies the common miracle of pregnancy. It doesn''t take away the heartache, but maybe there is some comfort in knowing that so many of our ancestors, relatives, and friends went through the same thing.
Thanks so much for the info, Dreamer! I haven''t been charting yet, so I''m definitely going to start. I need to check out the website ... BTW,I totally cracked up at your description of monitoring CF - you are a hoot!Date: 12/30/2008 10:50:02 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Vesper those stats Lovely posted are pretty accurate even based on more mainstream medical evidence. So six months is ''average'' with most women gettin KTFU (''knocked the F*** up'') within 12 months.
I think that since your cycles are a little irregular you *may* want to consider adding some non-medical methods to your TTC arsenal to help you time your intercourse so that you hit your fertile days, which are typically only about the 2-5 days before ovulation occurrs. The most difficult thing about irregular cycles is trying to predict when you ovulate. The number of days between ovulation and your period is constant (within one or two days), so if your cycles vary from 28 to 40 days, it means that your day of ovulation varies by as much as 12 days from month to month--so one month is may be on CD (cycle day) 14, for example, and the next month it could be on CD 26! So how do you know when it will happen? If you just have sex as usual (assuming 1-2 times a week) then the odds of actually having sex during your fertile phase. So things can take a lot longer if you just go with the flow, so to speak. But there are a couple really simple things you can do to increase your odds that don''t involve doctors, medications, testng or any type of interventions!
First, you can start charting, which is what many of the women here do. This involves taking your temperature each morning using a special basal body temperature thermometer, monitoring your cervical fluid, and (optionally) monitoring your cervical position... This is very simple once you get the hang of it and most women who start find it interesting to learn about their bodies. You can get information about it at www.fertilityfriend.com or in the book Taking charge of Your Fertility, or by reading this whole thread
If you don''t want to use full-on charting, you can also time your intercourse by monitoring your cervical fluid. Basically your vaginal secretions (cervical fluid-- CF) change throughout your cycle and will alert you when you are fertile. In the days before you ovulate, your cervical fluid become watery or it becomes very copious and slippery, like raw egg whites. So basically, you can ''sample'' your cervical fluid by inserting two fingers into your vajayjay and then looking at the goo you pull out! haha... it is not for the faint of heart, but it will tell you in no uncertain terms when the best time to have sex is! But some women fin dthat their CF is a little hard to interpret, so it isn''t always the clearest sign.
The final thing you can do is try to figure out a broad ''fertile window'' estimate, and then have sex every second day during this time period. Subtract 10 days from your longest cycle in the past 6 months OFF birth control (in your case 40) and then subtract 16 days from your shortest cycle (in your case 2... this will give you the latest possible day you could ovulate (because the shortest amount of time from ovulation until your period is about 10 days) and also the earliest you could ovulate (because the longest amount of time from ovulation until your period is about 16 days). So the most likely time for you to ovulate is between CD-12 and CD-30. So you can just try to have sex every two days within that time, counting the first day of your period as CD 1. But that is a lot of sex for most of us, and you have a child so that may not be reasonable! Plus, it isn''t very ''laid back'' if that''s what your DH wants.
In my opinion, the simplest method is to monitor your CF and make sure you have sex at least 1 or 2 times when your CF is fertile. It may take a couple months to determine when you have fertile CF, but once you figure it out then you can sort of be more spontaneous about having sex.
Anyways, hope this helps!
Festy, thanks so much for your reply. My thyroid is under control - my dr. just rechecked it when I told her we were TTC. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto''s Thyroiditis when I was 12, so I''ve been on meds for 20 years now, and under control. So hopefully that won''t be an issue in TTC ...Date: 12/30/2008 3:59:43 PM
Author: Festy
Hi Vesper, welcome! I mostly lurk in the diamond forums now, and have been reading your thread about a new setting with interest. (Thumbs up, btw!) I''m 35, have been actively TTC for 5 months, and been off BC for 6 months. I just made an appointment for an infertility consult because this is our first child and if something is wrong we''d rather know now. I''m grateful to Lulu for posting those stats again as a reminder that I shouldn''t panic. But TTC is so all-consuming that it feels like it''s been longer than it has. I assume you are on medication to regulate your thyroid? Did you have it checked before starting to TTC? I ask because I have hypothyroidism and my dr. checked to make sure my levels were normal before we started trying.
Sha, I *hate* that roundabout way of asking! ''So-and-so is wondering...'' Really? Tell so and so I said she''s a you-know-what! I kid. There simply is no right way to bring it up no matter how sensitive one tries to be. Best to not mention it at all.Sorry you have to deal with this.
Steph, I''m new to this board, and I just read your news. I''m so sorry for your miscarraige. I hope that you and your husband are OK ...Date: 12/30/2008 9:38:03 AM
Author: steph72276
Hi, Ladies. I''m back in this thread again. We went for our first doctors appointment and the bloodwork came back fine. She sent me for our 9 week ultrasound and we saw the baby on the screen and thought everything was fine. Got a call the next day and the nurse told us there was no heartbeat. I did a repeat ultrasound to make 100% sure since I was not having any symptoms, but still no heartbeatI had a D&C last Tues. The doc said wait 3 months before trying again, so I guess we will start trying again in late March or early April. Just wanted to say hi and hope everyone had a great holiday.
Date: 12/31/2008 8:19:52 AM
Author: vespergirl
Date: 12/30/2008 9:38:03 AM
Author: steph72276
Hi, Ladies. I''m back in this thread again. We went for our first doctors appointment and the bloodwork came back fine. She sent me for our 9 week ultrasound and we saw the baby on the screen and thought everything was fine. Got a call the next day and the nurse told us there was no heartbeat. I did a repeat ultrasound to make 100% sure since I was not having any symptoms, but still no heartbeatI had a D&C last Tues. The doc said wait 3 months before trying again, so I guess we will start trying again in late March or early April. Just wanted to say hi and hope everyone had a great holiday.
Steph, I''m new to this board, and I just read your news. I''m so sorry for your miscarraige. I hope that you and your husband are OK ...
Well honey, it is normal when you are pregnant
Thanks for the info. I am curious but it feels a little silly doing it before I will really need to know. Based on what I''ve read here (and I''ve read through MANY of the pages of this thread) I think I can tell when I am ovulating. I get the slight cramps and the change in CM consistency. Maybe I''ll do it for a month or two just to see if my hunches are correct.
LuLu, well, we all know it takes a while sometimes for the tests to be accurate, so no AFF means it''s still possible! Are you still spotting? Also, *if* that temp dip coincided with implantation (which it can) it takes about 3-5 days for rnough hcg to build up, so even it you are preggo it may be a few more days. Fingers crossed!
I still need to post to a bunch more people, but Sha I realized that I never wrote back to you about Clomid. Simply put, my decision has been made for me because unless I order off an online pharmacy (ha!) I don''t have a doctor who''s going to prescribe it to me. Since I showed a strong ovulation last cycle (progesterone at 10+ a week after ovulation), my ob/gyn was concerned that I might have a higher chance of twins. I haven''t ruled it out in the future, but for now I''ll just be sticking to whatever my body can come up with hormonally. I''m very interested to hear how it works for you though!
Thanks girl. I will look into those. Thanks for the compliment about AndrewDate: 1/3/2009 11:49:26 AM
Author: fisherofmengirly
Hey Steph,
I have been taking the Nature''s Own (or Nature Valley, I always get them confused) brand for a year today (went off the pill a year ago today. What an anniversary!!). They haven''t made me sick, have all the needed amounts of nutrition and supplements, and aren''t hard to get down. I''ve been happy with them, although I''ve heard they sometimes don''t make you sick until you''re actually pregnant.
The picture of your son is adorable!! What a cutie pie!!!
So sorry to hear that news. I hope next month is your month!Date: 1/3/2009 12:59:57 PM
Author: lovelylulu
Hello ladies,
AFF finally came a knocking todayDespite the fact that I have consistently had 14-day luteal phases for all the cycles I''ve kept track of, this time around it was 16 days. and obviously I got my hopes up. I mean it''s enough to expect the disappointment that comes when AFF shows up month after month, but it''s pretty cruel to be kept in the suspense of ''could it be, could it finally be'' only to be met with some fierce cramps and followed by my own half-hearted reassurances that maybe next month will be the month. I suppose it''s good that I''ve got a Dr. visit scheduled for this Thursday. I''m feeling a bit spent by this process right now.
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