The Official TTC Thread!

[Sha]

Date: 1/8/2009 6:23:41 PM
Author: ChinaCat
Sha- I was just thinking about IndyGal today too. Haven''t seen her around. I am sure she''ll be back, she''s a fighter. Oh, and I wouldn''t worry so much about being 32. Even though I don''t know exactly when I O''d, there''s a pretty good chance it wasn''t on my O day since we didn''t really do it enough around that time and I am 34, almost 35. You never know!

Thanks, ChinaCAt!

Yes, I think I remember when you got pg with BD some time before O. That does give me some more hope...

Natalina, I don''t have a problem with cm, but there are things you can take to increase it. Drinking lots of water helps (since water is used to create cm). Some women also take Robitussin or Mucinex, the cough syrups, which help to thin out cm and make it more ''swimmable'' for the spermies (Make sure you get the one that has in Guanefesin, and NOT the one that says ''DM'', as that helps dry up mucus). I''ve also read of women taking grapefruit juice, baby carrots, and Evening Primose Oil to help create more ewcm.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Natalia,

One thing I remember that''s been helpful is to drink LOTS of water.


****
Okay, guys. I have such sad news. Last night I got word from my friend Sarah (a while back, several of my college friends went through a pregnancy burst, and she was one of them) stating that she and her husband went for their 20 week ultrasound, where they were hoping to find out the gender of their baby, and without any warnings at all, they''ve lost their baby. No heartbeat. Amniotic fluid has all but dried up. The Drs. said the baby had likely been dead 2 weeks, at least. Sarah swears she''s felt movement in the past two weeks, though. So incredibly sad. They have a 4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old. The 2 1/2 year old isn''t really "getting it" yet, but the 4 year old is devastated. My heart absolutely breaks for them. I wish there was something I could do.

I really just wish this process didn''t have to have heartache along the way. TTC is hard enough, but becoming pregnant, carrying a baby for that long, feeling movements, then out of no where, losing the baby? Aye! I don''t know that I have the heart for this endeavor some days....

Argh. It just tears me up. She thinks she did something wrong, that if she just tried harder with this or did that, the baby would have been fine. The Drs. have told her repeatedly that there was nothing she did to make this happen, and nothing she could have done to prevent it. But her mommy instinct just wants to take the blame, I guess.

I''m sorry to post such a sad story here, but it''s all that''s been on my mind since I heard. And I know how supportive you all are, so I was hoping you could send some strength and prayers to them.

 

[robbie3982]

OMG, Fisher, that''s horrible!

 

[Festy]

Fisher, I am so terribly sorry to hear of your friend''s loss. And to have to explain it to two little children, I can''t imagine. My heart goes out to her.

Natalina, that CM can be really tricky. While I also struggle with it and am by no means an expert, I *think* that you can still have fertile CM even if you''re not seeing any external evidence of it. I''m sure the tutorial DD pointed you to explains the whole "retrieval" method.

 

[Festy]

Apparently this break I''m taking from temping has affected my ability to count to 12, because I am one CD behind where I thought I was. TODAY is CD 12. But I have a feeling I''m going to ovulate early. I''ve had O pain on CDs 10 and 11...it was borderline severe last night, like I had to refrain from clutching my side. This doesn''t surprise me since last cycle was my first 29 day cycle, and I think my body thinks CD 1 was really CD 2. Could this be any more confusing or uninteresting?

 

[Sha]

Date: 1/9/2009 7:10:02 AM
Author: fisherofmengirly
Natalia,

One thing I remember that''s been helpful is to drink LOTS of water.


****
Okay, guys. I have such sad news. Last night I got word from my friend Sarah (a while back, several of my college friends went through a pregnancy burst, and she was one of them) stating that she and her husband went for their 20 week ultrasound, where they were hoping to find out the gender of their baby, and without any warnings at all, they''ve lost their baby. No heartbeat. Amniotic fluid has all but dried up. The Drs. said the baby had likely been dead 2 weeks, at least. Sarah swears she''s felt movement in the past two weeks, though. So incredibly sad. They have a 4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old. The 2 1/2 year old isn''t really ''getting it'' yet, but the 4 year old is devastated. My heart absolutely breaks for them. I wish there was something I could do.

I really just wish this process didn''t have to have heartache along the way. TTC is hard enough, but becoming pregnant, carrying a baby for that long, feeling movements, then out of no where, losing the baby? Aye! I don''t know that I have the heart for this endeavor some days....

Argh. It just tears me up. She thinks she did something wrong, that if she just tried harder with this or did that, the baby would have been fine. The Drs. have told her repeatedly that there was nothing she did to make this happen, and nothing she could have done to prevent it. But her mommy instinct just wants to take the blame, I guess.

I''m sorry to post such a sad story here, but it''s all that''s been on my mind since I heard. And I know how supportive you all are, so I was hoping you could send some strength and prayers to them.

Wow, sooo sad!!!

at 20 weeks?? I''m sure they thought they were out of the safe zone, and were just excited to find out about their baby''s gender. To have to hear that horrible news must''ve been heartbreakiing....

 

[natalina]

Fisher-
I feel so sad for your friend and her family. How terrible for that to happen, and then for her to feel as though she could have done something differently to change the outcome....ugh, heartbreaking...

...

Dreamer, Sha, and Festy-
Thanks for the feedback. Where is the other thread? I''m embarassed to say I can''t find it

.

Sha & ChinaCat-
I''m 32, so I''m glad to hear I''m not the only "older lady" here (gosh that seems weird- 32, how can that be OLD?!?!?) Fingers crossed that we all still have lots of fertile time left!

 

[Festy]

I''ll be 36 in 2 weeks.

 

[Dreamer_D]

FAM thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fam-thread.103702/

 

[natalina]

Festy-
Well, at least I feel in good company!

Dreamer-
Thanks! Off to investigate...

 

[sunkist]

Fisher, I''m so sorry for your friend! That is very sad.

Natalina, this is my second cycle since stopping the BCP and I don''t see watery or EWCM yet either. I''m hoping next month it kicks in. They do say that hormonal BC messes it up somehow. I''d try the drinking lots of water and checking internally. I figure then I can check cervical position at the same time which is another clue of fertility.

I still haven''t figured out cervical position yet either, but the last few days I think it''s felt a little higher and more open. I read online that when it''s open you can actually stick your figertip inside the opening. Is that true, any experienced TCCers??

I have a question. If I''m not having any sort of fertile CM yet, can the spermies still survive inside of me? Is there any hope for them until I get that fertile CM that they can swim through to meet my little egg?? hmmm.

Good news also! At least I hope it''s good. I had a big temp drop today on CD17. Last cycle I had a big temp drop on CD18 and then O''d on CD19. So it may not be a reliable clue, but I''m hoping my O day is tomorrow! I hope tonight isn''t too late to try to catch the egg.

 

[sunkist]

DD, as always, thank you so much for your wonderful explanations! Your post in the FAM thread is great!

Festy, I didn''t know ovulations pains could be so painful! Sometimes I feel a twinge, but I don''t know if they were O pains or not. Do yours actually feel like period cramps?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Sunkist glad you liked it! I hope it helps. I have some suggestions about your other Qs:

Natalina, this is my second cycle since stopping the BCP and I don't see watery or EWCM yet either. I'm hoping next month it kicks in. They do say that hormonal BC messes it up somehow.

Hormonal BC affects the cervical crypts, which are not places where ghosts hids out but are actually the little fissures in the cervix where CF is made! As I said, it took 3 full cycles off the pill (i.e., the fourth time bleeding after I stopped taking bcp) to actually start having proper CF. I think it is probably the same for many women.

I still haven't figured out cervical position yet either, but the last few days I think it's felt a little higher and more open. I read online that when it's open you can actually stick your figertip inside the opening. Is that true, any experienced TCCers??

I think that may be more common if you have had a baby already. I never noticed that it felt more of less open, just higher. What I did notice is that I would get a small cyst--like a bump the size of a very small apple seed--near the opening of my cervix when I was fertile and it would last until a couple days before my period. These type of cysts are apparently very normal and are related to your cycle.

I have a question. If I'm not having any sort of fertile CM yet, can the spermies still survive inside of me? Is there any hope for them until I get that fertile CM that they can swim through to meet my little egg?? hmmm.

You are probably having fertile CF, it is just all sticking around inside your cervix. Lots of women do get preggo right off the pill and without ever noticing fertile CF, so I think it is totally possible. But it does probably mean that you will want to try to have sex as close to ovulation as possible, since with less fertile CF they swimmers may not live as long? Trying to get the day before ovulation and the day of ovulation may increase your odds a lot.

Good news also! At least I hope it's good. I had a big temp drop today on CD17. Last cycle I had a big temp drop on CD18 and then O'd on CD19. So it may not be a reliable clue, but I'm hoping my O day is tomorrow! I hope tonight isn't too late to try to catch the egg.

Well, this may be a pattern for you! I hope so! If that is the case, today is the BEST day to have sex. There is a 40% chance of conception if you can BD the day before ovulation, and a 20% chance the day of ovulation, so if you can muster the strength

try to get busy over the next few days!

 

[sunkist]

DD you crack me up! You''re so funny. And I think you need to have a side job of being a fertility councelor

Maybe FF is hiring? But thanks so much for the encouragement. It means a lot.

Goodnight everyone!

 

[Sha]

Date: 1/9/2009 11:35:30 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Sunkist glad you liked it! I hope it helps. I have some suggestions about your other Qs:

Natalina, this is my second cycle since stopping the BCP and I don''t see watery or EWCM yet either. I''m hoping next month it kicks in. They do say that hormonal BC messes it up somehow.

Hormonal BC affects the cervical crypts, which are not places where ghosts hids out but are actually the little fissures in the cervix where CF is made! As I said, it took 3 full cycles off the pill (i.e., the fourth time bleeding after I stopped taking bcp) to actually start having proper CF. I think it is probably the same for many women.

I still haven''t figured out cervical position yet either, but the last few days I think it''s felt a little higher and more open. I read online that when it''s open you can actually stick your figertip inside the opening. Is that true, any experienced TCCers??

I think that may be more common if you have had a baby already. I never noticed that it felt more of less open, just higher. What I did notice is that I would get a small cyst--like a bump the size of a very small apple seed--near the opening of my cervix when I was fertile and it would last until a couple days before my period. These type of cysts are apparently very normal and are related to your cycle.

I have a question. If I''m not having any sort of fertile CM yet, can the spermies still survive inside of me? Is there any hope for them until I get that fertile CM that they can swim through to meet my little egg?? hmmm.

You are probably having fertile CF, it is just all sticking around inside your cervix. Lots of women do get preggo right off the pill and without ever noticing fertile CF, so I think it is totally possible. But it does probably mean that you will want to try to have sex as close to ovulation as possible, since with less fertile CF they swimmers may not live as long? Trying to get the day before ovulation and the day of ovulation may increase your odds a lot.

Good news also! At least I hope it''s good. I had a big temp drop today on CD17. Last cycle I had a big temp drop on CD18 and then O''d on CD19. So it may not be a reliable clue, but I''m hoping my O day is tomorrow! I hope tonight isn''t too late to try to catch the egg.

Well, this may be a pattern for you! I hope so! If that is the case, today is the BEST day to have sex. There is a 40% chance of conception if you can BD the day before ovulation, and a 20% chance the day of ovulation, so if you can muster the strength

try to get busy over the next few days!

Hi DD,
I''m curious about that statistic. I know that the day before O is supposed to be the best day to result in conception, but one site I researched online had the following conception rates per day before ovulation: 20% for 2 days before O, 26% for the day before O, and 15% for the day of O. I''ll have to find the source but I had saved it on my computer somewhere. Just wondering which is more correct...

 

[Dreamer_D]

Sha I honestly can''t recall where we got that from, I think it was from a PubMed article that Indy found when we were both TTC back in May... depending on how one calculates the odds (within person, between person, all conceptions, conceptions that make it to viability ets) you can get a different numbers. So in the end I think it doesn''t matter what the exact values are, either way you slice it the odds are highest the day before ovulation followed by the day before that and the day of ovulation.

 

[sunkist]

Sha and DD, I also thought that 40% could be taken as if conception does occur, it''s 40% likely because sex was had on the day before O. Don''t know if that makes sense either.

 

[sunkist]

Ummmm, FF is confusing me!!

Ok, first I''ll say that we DTD last night so I was excited about maybe a baby was being made inside of me, and then combine that with my 3 hour nap earlier in the day, and the result - I didn''t sleep well last night. But I must have slept some, cause I had crazy dreams. But I still took my temp this morning and as I predicted it went up, but a lot higher than I expected. And now FF is saying I O''d almost a week ago on CD12. So it looks like yesterday''s dip was an "implantation dip" like I saw last month also. I don''t know if I like these cross hairs though. Take a look if you wish.

I don''t understand why my coverline so far below half of my pre-O temps. Do you guys notice that your coverline stays pretty much the same position every month, or does it change?

 

[sunkist]

And if anyone is interested here''s the overlay of last month and this month.

Last month''s coverline was like 97.29. This month''s is 96.72.

 

[sunkist]

Thanks for allowing me to rant this morning

Fisher, Peony, DD, Sha, November, Festy, Natalina, Lulu, Amber and anyone else I missed, wishing you a wonderful weekend!!

 

[Festy]

Hi Sunkist, your chart may become clearer as time goes on. For example, if your temps stay in the range that you had today, your crosshairs may change. It is not unusual for the coverline to be different month-to-month. Hopefully DD can add to this.

O pain for me is way different from menstrual cramps. For one, the feeling is localized on one side or the other. Sometimes its a very localized cramp, or a feeling of searing or burning. Nice, huh? It''s not as yucky as it sounds. I also seem to be one of those people who feels everything. Some people feel nothing. Or...it could all be in my head!

 

[Sha]

sunkist, could that spike be your O temp rise instead? CD12 doesn''t look like O to me, because of the lack of a significant temp rise after that.

DD, thanks for clarifying. So what are the numbers, as per your source, for BD two days before O only? Does BD two days before O generally carry a greater conception chance than BD on the day of O itself? Seems like most people make sure to have sex on O day.....I''m just wondering if it you only have two chances to BD...whether it''s better to have sex two days before O than the day of O. Or does it depend on the presence of ewcm?

Sorry for all the questions... I''m obsessing a lot today...

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/10/2009 12:22:37 PM
Author: Sha
sunkist, could that spike be your O temp rise instead? CD12 doesn''t look like O to me, because of the lack of a significant temp rise after that.

DD, thanks for clarifying. So what are the numbers, as per your source, for BD two days before O only? Does BD two days before O generally carry a greater conception chance than BD on the day of O itself? Seems like most people make sure to have sex on O day.....I''m just wondering if it you only have two chances to BD...whether it''s better to have sex two days before O than the day of O. Or does it depend on the presence of ewcm?

Sorry for all the questions... I''m obsessing a lot today...

So what those number mean is that if 100 women have sex two days before ovulation, 20 will get a BFP. If 100 women have sex the day before ovulation 40 will get a BFP. And if 100 have sex the day of ovulation 20 will get preggo. That doesn''t mean that out of 100 women 80 will get preggo if they all have sex on one of those days

you have to think of it as each day being a new sample of women who only had sex that day! So you can''t really calculate your own personal odds based on those numbers because they are population stats, and also you have to factor in that roughly 50% of those conceptions will implant and not stick past 5 weeks

, and then another 15% or so will not last past 8-10 weeks

... this is why even though the rates of conception seem so high the day before ovulation (40% sounds high to me!) the rates of a pregnancy that lasts past 5 weeks (i.e., not "chemical") in a sample of 100 women in a given month is more like 20% (then of course some of those women will m/c later on). So all the numbers really mean is that the highest liklihood of getting KTFU is if you try to hit those three days (O - 2, O - 1, and O).

I guess the point is that you can time things just right and try to increase your adds, but the odds are still not very high in any given month which is why average time to conceive is 6 months.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/10/2009 11:40:07 AM
Author: sunkist
Ummmm, FF is confusing me!!

Ok, first I''ll say that we DTD last night so I was excited about maybe a baby was being made inside of me, and then combine that with my 3 hour nap earlier in the day, and the result - I didn''t sleep well last night. But I must have slept some, cause I had crazy dreams. But I still took my temp this morning and as I predicted it went up, but a lot higher than I expected. And now FF is saying I O''d almost a week ago on CD12. So it looks like yesterday''s dip was an ''implantation dip'' like I saw last month also. I don''t know if I like these cross hairs though. Take a look if you wish.

I don''t understand why my coverline so far below half of my pre-O temps. Do you guys notice that your coverline stays pretty much the same position every month, or does it change?

I think FF is messing with you and you will see a better patter in a few days. so keep DTD until you see a CLEAR buphasic pattern. If I had to put money on it, I''d say you O''d yesterday... this would be the case if tomorrows temp is higher like todays.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Sunkist,

FF is notorious for messing with (at least my) crosshairs. I''d just try to play it safe and keep working toward baby making until you have temps that are up and stay up. I never feel like it''s "real" and is going to stick until I go at least a week or more with the crosshairs staying put. So keep temping and FF will figure out where the actual ovulation was at.

CD 15 here and I''m hoping for ovulation sometime in the not so far off future.

***
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers for Sarah. I''ve not talked to her again since the news. I just wish there was a way to make it better for her. Thoughts and prayers seem to be the only thing right now, and it seems like so little to offer. She lives in Ohio, so I can''t even visit her, although I don''t know if that would help, either. I think I''d just want to be left alone in her situation.

Anyway, I''m sorry for bringing down the positivity of this thread. I just knew all of you would be willing to offer prayers for her and her family right now. I feel so numby over the whole thing. Sad and numb.

 

[sunkist]

Hi Sha! Ya, I do think/ hope that the spike this morning is my O temp rise, if only because then I think I''m starting to see a pattern in my 2 cycles so far.

Fisher, that''s right, I remember you saying before how FF was changing your O day on you. Ok, well I won''t fret. I guess they just make more analyses as more data is presented. Thanks! Good luck on the BD marathon this month!

DD, I started playing around with adding higher or slighly lower temps for the next couple days and FF does change my O date to yesterday. So if that holds true, then I at least got 2 days of BD in my window this month. Yay! I feel like I''m getting better at this, kinda.

A report on my BBT. Ever since I thought my BBT was giving me wacky readings I''ve been double temping every morning. I take one temp right after the other and I''ve been getting a .3 degF or less difference. And the second temp is usually the slightly higher number. So even though I''m getting a .3 deg difference in a row, it''s consistent everyday. And for some reason that makes me feel better

(I always record the first temp in my chart and just make a note of my second temp.)

 

[waxing lyrical]

I''m sorry to hear about your friend, Fisher.

My heart goes out to them and my thoughts are with them.

May I join this thread? I''ll be O''ing soon according to the OPKs, CM and CP. I''m not sure what cycle day I''m on since I''m unable to really chart without having received postpartum menses. I usually O between cd 18-21. I''ve been tracking my cervical fluid and all that jazz for the past few weeks. I can''t find my BBT so I''ll likely have to pick one up or order one.

I have zero patience so even though I *should* wait until 14 dpo to test I don''t think I''ll wait ''til then. I tested positive at 10 dpo with DD1, 12 dpo with DD2 and 8 dpo with DS. We lost DS 8 weeks ago yesterday at 35 weeks (just shy of). We''re ready to try again. My womb wants to be filled again and I want the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I yearn to have my arms filled.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Waxing I''m so sorry about your loss!

One of our cousins lost her daughter at a similar point in her pregnancy and I think like you, she wanted to have another child as soon after as she could, and it wasn''t long before she was pregnant again. I wish you much luck!

 

[sunkist]

Hi Lyrical

welcome! I''m so sorry about your recent loss. I know you''ll be able to see him and meet him one day. How old are your daughters? I wish you best of luck in conceiving soon! You are too funny about being impatient to test

good luck!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Waxing,

I''m so very sorry about what you''re going through. They say time heals, while memories remain. I hope that is true for you. Good luck on getting pregnant soon. And of course you''re welcome here!! How old are your kiddos?

****
This morning, my temp. was *nuts.* I took it at the normal time, got 96.98 (never got something that low!!), so I re-took it right after, got 97.09 (dang close to the first temp.). I was still confused, but went back to bed, then woke up about 2.5 hours later (yay for Saturday and Sundays!!) and it was 97.78. What in the world? I''m at a loss as to what to log into FF, so I''m leaving it blank for now, til I know what tomorrow''s is. As you all know, I want like crazy for this cycle to be more normal....

We''re off to hunt a new cell phone for me. Yay! I want one that has some fun stuff on it. Here''s hoping I can use my upgrade value and not have to pay out of pocket. I''m very frugal, so getting a new phone is like a Christmas present to me! Very exciting!!!