The Official TTC Thread!

[fisherofmengirly]

Ha, no words of wisdom. I wish I could figure out how to make a post from my phone!!

What I was going to say was that I got my fax today with my 7DPO numbers... progesterone was 19.8. YIPPPEEE! Confirmation of ovulation. I now feel confident that my crosshairs are pretty reliable again. So yay!!

My test was on Friday, results came in Monday, but they didn''t get around to faxing them to me until today (but they did call on Monday to say it was definitely an ovulatory cycle).

I''m confident that we''ll stay with the 50mg of Clomid.

I go back to the Dr. Tuesday. Blood, ultrasounds, biopsy. Fun.

 

[Puppmom]

Fisher, congrats on the confirmation of ovulation! Great news!

Allie, any signs of O yet?

12 DPO and my temp just went up (my highest post-o temp had been 97.58 but this morning it''s 97.73) not sure what''s going on here. Maybe it''s a fluke. I''m pretty sure AF is coming because I''m crampy and spotting a little. Anyone else see spikes before their period?

 

[AllieLuv83]

Date: 10/3/2009 10:10:33 AM
Author: puppmom
Fisher, congrats on the confirmation of ovulation! Great news!


Allie, any signs of O yet?


12 DPO and my temp just went up (my highest post-o temp had been 97.58 but this morning it''s 97.73) not sure what''s going on here. Maybe it''s a fluke. I''m pretty sure AF is coming because I''m crampy and spotting a little. Anyone else see spikes before their period?

Last two temps were 97.54 and 97.68 on FF it looks like a nutty jump. My CM doesn''t look EW and it was not EW for the days leading up to the shift. I am CD 14...on a 28 day cycle I would think I would O by now but maybe I O late?

 

[AllieLuv83]

Man these boards are certainly slow I need someone to talk to!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Allie, What was your temp this morning? If you had another high temp, then you should have your cross-hairs on FF, indicating ovulation of the day preceding the temp jump, yes?

I''m on CD25. I took a test this morning, and it was negative. Hopefully, I will have the results of my 7DPO blood work on Monday, and then I believe the next step will be a SA for DH (who refuses to go to the doctor, EVER, so this should be fun.)

 

[AllieLuv83]

Here is my chart including todays temp. Unless I am reading my CM incorrectly I don''t think that I o''d. Today the CM was creamyish again, white, breaks easily, but wet, watery as well. On the day of the Dip it was very wet and I saw a bit of EW when I did the test. What do you guys think?

 

[Lanie]

Hey guys! Just wanted to chime in on temps since that seems to be a big topic these days on here...

I started taking my temps vaginally, and they were a lot more steady. I can''t remember who said it (maybe Dreamer?) about women who ovulate, but don''t show the increase in temps. I''m apparently one of them. I did OPK''s twice a day from CD6 until I got confirmation that I ovulated. My cycles are short, which is why I started testing on CD6. Anyway, I ovulated between CD10 and CD12, and never showed the increase in temps. I even had DH read my stick because those things are so hard to do. I showed it to him and told him to analyze the 2 lines, but I never told him what they were supposed to be/not supposed to be. Those things are hard to read!

So....I''m still going to take my temperature because it''s a habit now, but I''m not reading too much into it. I think someone else said that as well!

Anyway, to my question...my doctor didn''t think I was ovulating bc I told her my temps weren''t showing it. She prescribed Provera for 3 months, and told me to start using OPK''s. If I still wasn''t ovulating after 3 months, she told me she''d put me on Clomid. BUT now that I am in fact ovulating, should I still take the provera??? I''m thinking "no", but I could see her shaking her head at me

if I go running to her in 3 months and tell her I''m not preggers and then she''ll say "told you to take the Provera!". I''m on CD13 and I kind of want to see when I get my period so I can see how long my luteal phase is.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Lanie- I think I would ask her to do the 7 DPO progesterone test to confirm ovulation. OPK''s indicate the LH surge which triggers ovulation, but the 7 DPO test would confirm that you did in fact ovulate. Then you would know for sure if you need the provera/clomid/etc.

 

[Lanie]

Oh good idea! Do most doctors just let you go in that day? I don''t think I would be able to schedule an appointment in advance...do you know what I mean?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 10/4/2009 11:56:22 AM
Author: tiffanytwisted
Lanie- I think I would ask her to do the 7 DPO progesterone test to confirm ovulation. OPK''s indicate the LH surge which triggers ovulation, but the 7 DPO test would confirm that you did in fact ovulate. Then you would know for sure if you need the provera/clomid/etc.

Ditto! Then you would know for sure!

 

[NewShiny]

Hi All,

We''re back from Kauai. It was a wonderful vacation - our friends'' wedding, sightseeing, exploring, swimming, and sunning - we can''t wait to go back.

CD 9 here. AF decided to arrive on the plane on the way back from our vacation, which of course was disappointing but instead of dwelling on it we''re focusing onward and upward to the next try. This month will be difficult though b/c we''re going to see my parents in CA this weekend and of course it falls on CD 14-16, which is my usual O window. We''re supposed to stay with friends but may get a hotel room instead.

I read through what I missed and saw that congratulations are in order for SparklyLibra on your BFP! Stick bebe, stick!!

I hope everyone else is doing well. I wish I better knew who is waiting to O and who is waiting to test. Good luck to all!

 

[HOUMedGal]

Hello all!

Just checking in....it's been awhile. I've been busy, and had one helluva week last week (someone tried to break into my house at 3am and of course, it was while my hubby's out of town, garage door broke and got stuck in the up position with all our garage stuff exposed, cat peed on couch, AND still kinda sick.) But things are better now...I've had a restful day off and hubby comes back into town tomorrow!! Yay! He's been gone since Friday (Sept. 25)...too long!

Fisher, I'm happy to hear your good news!! Yaaay for confirmation of ovulation!! And I'm absolutely in love with your precious new furball...would love to see more pics!!

NewShiny, glad to hear you had a good vacay! Welcome back!

Hey Lanie...I was in East Texas a couple weeks ago! Had 5 days off and went to visit my family. Was driving around near Holly Lake and thought of you.

AllieLuv, I'm no expert, but it looks like you O'ed to me!

I have O'ed twice since coming off birth control now, and I haven't had much good EWCM yet either. My fertile fluid is creamy/watery, and this cycle, I had what I think was a little bit of EWCM. I'm paying more attention to my temps, OPK's, and other symptoms that are forming a pattern....for example, these past 2 cycles, in the 2 days before my temp shift and the O day as well, I have had tender bb's, and the tenderness resolves within a day or 2 after the O day FF gives me based on temps. My chart this month looks kinda similar to yours, with the spike around O and then dropping back close to coverline. It ended up going back higher after that post-O dip...I'll attach it to this post so you can see.

I hope everyone else is doing well...I need to go back and catch up on what's going on with everyone!!

So it looks like I O'ed earlier this cycle...CD12 (as opposed to CD17 last cycle). Currently on CD 21 (9DPO), wondering when AF will come. Last cycle it was CD29, so my LP was 12 days. If my LP is 12 days this month, I can expect her in 3 days....we'll see!! I seriously doubt I'm KTFU because we only got on the floor once (3 days before O) before hubby went out of town. I guess it's possible, but I have zero symptoms. I took a test just for fun yesterday and it was a BFN. We weren't trying this month. However, I don't know if I can wait any longer...I kinda wanna try and catch the egg next time!!

Can't think of any real good reasons not to, and it seems like everyone around me (friends my age) are popping up preggers, and I'm admittedly quite jealous. I'll keep you guys posted on what we decide!

Here's my chart, for anyone who likes looking at charts....I tried to pinpoint O with OPK's again this cycle, but I didn't start till CD11 (ALMOST positive, but not quite) and the lines just got fainter and fainter on CD12 and CD13. I'm thinking I probably caught the end of my LH surge on that CD11 test strip. Oh, and I definitely had tender bb's again this cycle right around O...started CD 10ish and gone by CD14. It'll be kinda nice if they're gonna be tender around O every month...one more sign to use! Ignore the wacky high temps toward the beginning of the cycle...I disturbed them because I was working night shifts and they were all taken in the afternoon instead of my usual 5am temp time.

 

[AllieLuv83]

Okay so I am back with more news to report the high temps are holding steady back up to 97.15 today and second sign of EW...here is my question for you ladies that are in tune with you CM. Can you O w/o having EW CM? Maybe I need to up my water intake because I swear that in other months I would notice more EW CM than this month.

Also, a specific question about EW CM. Is it supposed to be like wetness or more like a gelatenous type CM that is clear and can pull a significant amount when between fingers? Hope that was not TMI

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Date: 10/4/2009 11:58:51 AM
Author: Lanie
Oh good idea! Do most doctors just let you go in that day? I don''t think I would be able to schedule an appointment in advance...do you know what I mean?

Lanie- You won''t need an actual doctor''s appointment for the bloodwork. Some offices have labs in their office, and usually the labs are just walk in. My doctor uses Quest (and someone else on here mentioned Quest) so they order my bloodwork and then I just go to any Quest office. They make appointments or do walk ins.
When she orders the bloodwork find out which lab she wants you to go to.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Date: 10/5/2009 7:27:35 AM
Author: AllieLuv83
Okay so I am back with more news to report the high temps are holding steady back up to 97.15 today and second sign of EW...here is my question for you ladies that are in tune with you CM. Can you O w/o having EW CM? Maybe I need to up my water intake because I swear that in other months I would notice more EW CM than this month.

Also, a specific question about EW CM. Is it supposed to be like wetness or more like a gelatenous type CM that is clear and can pull a significant amount when between fingers? Hope that was not TMI

Allie- Increasing your water intake could help. Fertile CM is more the gelatenous type that you described. Dreamer posted a wonderful educational post about CM but I have no idea what page of this thread it''s on.

 

[AllieLuv83]

Date: 10/5/2009 7:35:28 AM
Author: tiffanytwisted

Date: 10/5/2009 7:27:35 AM

Author: AllieLuv83

Okay so I am back with more news to report the high temps are holding steady back up to 97.15 today and second sign of EW...here is my question for you ladies that are in tune with you CM. Can you O w/o having EW CM? Maybe I need to up my water intake because I swear that in other months I would notice more EW CM than this month.


Also, a specific question about EW CM. Is it supposed to be like wetness or more like a gelatenous type CM that is clear and can pull a significant amount when between fingers? Hope that was not TMI

Allie- Increasing your water intake could help. Fertile CM is more the gelatenous type that you described. Dreamer posted a wonderful educational post about CM but I have no idea what page of this thread it''s on.

This leads me to believe that maybe I did not O? I don''t know since I had a tiny little bit of the gelatenous on day 11 and then some more today. I guess I did not realize that you could have fertile CM after your O''d since your fertility window is over for the month. I hope the water increases the CM since I am not sure if there are other ways to pinpoint your fertile days before the temperature shift.

 

[Loves Vintage]

My 7DPO bloodwork is in. I have not spoken to the doctor, yet, though she will likely call me later today. The receptionist would not fax the results to me, but she told me that the number is 7. So, I think that means that I ovulated, but that my progesterone levels are low.

Like I mentioned, I will likely hear from my dr later today, but if anyone has any feedback for me, I''d love to hear it!

 

[AllieLuv83]

Date: 10/5/2009 11:22:11 AM
Author: Loves Vintage
My 7DPO bloodwork is in. I have not spoken to the doctor, yet, though she will likely call me later today. The receptionist would not fax the results to me, but she told me that the number is 7. So, I think that means that I ovulated, but that my progesterone levels are low.


Like I mentioned, I will likely hear from my dr later today, but if anyone has any feedback for me, I''d love to hear it!

I hope the doctor has good news for you LovedVintage...

 

[Lanie]

LovesVintage: ditto to what Allie said. How long have you been TTC?

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 10/5/2009 9:08:00 AM
Author: AllieLuv83

Date: 10/5/2009 7:35:28 AM
Author: tiffanytwisted

Date: 10/5/2009 7:27:35 AM

Author: AllieLuv83

Okay so I am back with more news to report the high temps are holding steady back up to 97.15 today and second sign of EW...here is my question for you ladies that are in tune with you CM. Can you O w/o having EW CM? Maybe I need to up my water intake because I swear that in other months I would notice more EW CM than this month.


Also, a specific question about EW CM. Is it supposed to be like wetness or more like a gelatenous type CM that is clear and can pull a significant amount when between fingers? Hope that was not TMI

Allie- Increasing your water intake could help. Fertile CM is more the gelatenous type that you described. Dreamer posted a wonderful educational post about CM but I have no idea what page of this thread it's on.

This leads me to believe that maybe I did not O? I don't know since I had a tiny little bit of the gelatenous on day 11 and then some more today. I guess I did not realize that you could have fertile CM after your O'd since your fertility window is over for the month. I hope the water increases the CM since I am not sure if there are other ways to pinpoint your fertile days before the temperature shift.

Hi Allie, You can try OPKs too as a way of predicting ovulation. I purchased mine from here: OPKs. (If this is redundant information, I apologize, but I'm responding to your above quote. It's sometimes very hard for me to keep track of who said what to whom already.) I liked these because they are very inexpensive and serve their purpose. Sometimes, people do not like these because they are more difficult to read. The ones you can get from the pharmacy, apparently, give you a very clear indicator, whereas these give you a red baseline, which you use to compare the second line to. If it is as dark as the baseline, then you will ovulate within the next 2 days. Once you continue charting though, you should develop a clear pattern, so predicting ovulation date will be a lot easier. Hopefully, you will not be around long enough for your charts to develop a pattern though. You will officially start TTC'g next month, right?

Based on your chart, it does look like you've ovulated. I've noticed that my CM is not very consistent, in terms of amount, each month, so I've never used that as a predictor, itself, but more as a confirmation.

Hope that helps!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 10/5/2009 11:59:14 AM
Author: Lanie
LovesVintage: ditto to what Allie said. How long have you been TTC?

Thanks Allie and Lanie!

I *think* my doctor will likely prescribe something (Clomid??) today, which I am actually quite glad about. We''ve been trying for 6 months (October will be cycle 7), and I''m 35, so I''m just happy to be getting some diagnostics accomplished now. Still filled with lots of hope that things will work out exactly as they should!!

 

[AllieLuv83]

@LovesVintage thank you for the recommendation. We were originally thinking about starting in November but I think we will wait a few more months. In the mean time I would love to lose some weight, and for us to save up more money. I also will take this time to get my cycles down

 

[Loves Vintage]

Quick update: my doctor called me back already about the test results, but I was not able to speak with her. She said that she could not interpret the results (7) until she knows what date AF arrives. Sooooo, with my cycle history, that could be 2 days - 10 days from now. Grr.

Here's hoping for a short cycle. Anyone know what relevance AF date has on these test results -- something about length of luteal phase? I dunno. She didn't really "invite" me to call her back with questions. She told me to call the office when AF arrives. I know that she is incredibly busy, so I won't be as pushy as I typically would be. As a result, you guys will get my questions!

ETA: Ha, ha! I didn't last too long. I just called my doctor back and left another message. It's now an hour and twenty minutes later. DH and I exchanged a few e-mails guessing as to why AF date is needed, so I decided to just call!!

 

[Lanie]

Allie: I hear you on the saving money part! My car just died on me today and it''s in the shop. If we need to buy a new one, we''ll have to push back our TTC time. My car isn''t that old (2002) so I''m praying it will make it until Feb/March! It''s a Jeep and has been giving me grief lately. ARGH!

LovesVintage: I am not an expert, but the only thing I could think of is the luteal phase. Which doesn''t really make sense to me because 7DPO comes regardless of when AF arrives. I guess she''s just killing 2 birds with one stone so she can address any LP problems if there are any. Have you shown that you are ovulating with the OPK''s? They ARE hard to read. My last set had a thin line that was darker than the control line, but it faded into a block of color that was lighter. It was like someone drew a dark line, then smeared their finger upwards. But I read that any part of the line being darker constitutes a positive OPK.

HOUMedGal: Good to see you again! I was at Holly Lake a couple of weeks ago and drove past Hawkins schools and thought of you as well! If you don''t see a reason not to start officially TTCing, I say go for it! You look like you are ovulating steadily...you might get preggers really soon!!!

Puppmom: AF yet? Could you be KTFU???

In other news, I just found out about a 5th friend of mine who was "secretly" pregnant at my wedding. She looked a lot bigger when I saw her, but I obviously wouldn''t have told her that. I found out she''s due in March along with my other 4 friends. I can''t believe there were 5 girls at my wedding who were newly knocked up! No wonder we had so much alcohol left over!

It seems like there is baby fever around me EVERYWHERE! Maybe bc it''s on my mind more, but I see pregnant women all the time now.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 10/5/2009 3:04:16 PM
Author: Lanie
Allie: I hear you on the saving money part! My car just died on me today and it's in the shop. If we need to buy a new one, we'll have to push back our TTC time. My car isn't that old (2002) so I'm praying it will make it until Feb/March! It's a Jeep and has been giving me grief lately. ARGH!

LovesVintage: I am not an expert, but the only thing I could think of is the luteal phase. Which doesn't really make sense to me because 7DPO comes regardless of when AF arrives. I guess she's just killing 2 birds with one stone so she can address any LP problems if there are any. Have you shown that you are ovulating with the OPK's? They ARE hard to read. My last set had a thin line that was darker than the control line, but it faded into a block of color that was lighter. It was like someone drew a dark line, then smeared their finger upwards. But I read that any part of the line being darker constitutes a positive OPK.

HOUMedGal: Good to see you again! I was at Holly Lake a couple of weeks ago and drove past Hawkins schools and thought of you as well! If you don't see a reason not to start officially TTCing, I say go for it! You look like you are ovulating steadily...you might get preggers really soon!!!

Puppmom: AF yet? Could you be KTFU???

In other news, I just found out about a 5th friend of mine who was 'secretly' pregnant at my wedding. She looked a lot bigger when I saw her, but I obviously wouldn't have told her that. I found out she's due in March along with my other 4 friends. I can't believe there were 5 girls at my wedding who were newly knocked up! No wonder we had so much alcohol left over!

It seems like there is baby fever around me EVERYWHERE! Maybe bc it's on my mind more, but I see pregnant women all the time now.

Lanie - I have had positive OPKs. During my visit with my doctor a few weeks ago, after reviewing my charts, she noted that I fairly consistenly ovulate on CD14. She suggested that I just use the OPKs and stop temping. I mentioned that I was very worried about my sometimes long cycle lengths (up to 38 days), and she was not very concerned because I was ovulating. As far as I can tell, a short luteal phase can indicate low progesterone, but I haven't found anything specific about a long LP yet. I suspect my doctor wants to see if I have a short LP or not, before deciding how to proceed. In my case, I am now wondering what does it mean if I have a long LP? I have never had a short (less than 14 day) LP for the time that I have been recording my cycles, but who knows, maybe this cycle will be different. Today is CD26. I know you won't know the answers, Lanie, so sorry for addressing this all specifically to you!! Hopefully, I'll hear from my doc soon.

That's so funny that you had so many girls secretly pregnant at your wedding!!! And, they are all due in March?!?!?!

 

[goCubsgo]

Loves Vintage,

Your number is somewhat low. Maybe your doc can give you progesterone supps? I am a reproductive endo at a well-known facility in Chicago.

 

[Puppmom]

Allie, yeah for a temp shift! I''ve learned a ton in my first full month charting. I never even noticed a lot of things before. I used to have EWCM like crazy but ever since TTC, not much...go figure!

Lanie, I wish I was KTFU but I''m resigned to the fact that AF is coming tomorrow. I do have something to celebrate though...I will proudly post my first full chart once my period is officially here.

Fisher, just wanted to say that I really admire you for doing things your way and taking control of this process. It would be very easy for you to do otherwise knowing how badly you want a child. I think you''re awesome!

 

[LAJennifer]

Question - has anyone ever tried taking soy isoflavones (as you would clomid) at the beginning of your cycle? I tried that this month (cycle 6) and am not sure what to think. I took the soy on cycle days 3 - 7. I definitely felt something going on - on both ovaries (usually I feel twinges on only one side during any particular cycle). FF indicates ovulation on cycle day 13 (early for me - o is usually on day 17). I definitely had way more EW than any previous cycle. However, my temps seem low. My post ovulation temps are typically over 97.7 - but not this month. Also, today is 6 DPO and I can still feel little pains in both ovaries (I usually feel nothing during LP). Anyone have any thoughts? Here is my cycle, for your entertainment value.

 

[LAJennifer]

Also, what about flu shots? Anyone getting them while trying to conceive?

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 10/5/2009 6:05:09 PM
Author: goCubsgo
Loves Vintage,


Your number is somewhat low. Maybe your doc can give you progesterone supps? I am a reproductive endo at a well-known facility in Chicago.

Thank you, Dr. goCubsgo, for your input. It sounds so much simpler when you put it that way.

I'm thinking maybe I will see if I can set an appointment with a RE. I get the impression that my OB/GYN is a little too busy for me. Really, all I am asking for is a few minutes, and if I can't get that, I think I should move on. Or maybe a different OB/GYN? The thing is that everyone I talk to absolutely loves my OB/GYN (I've only had one apptmt with her), including my very good friend whose two babies were delivered by this dr . . . .

LAJ - I'll be curious what others have to say about the soy isoflavones and flu shots too. I was not planning to get a flu shot.