The Official TTC Thread!

[curlygirl]

Well, I didn't exactly do Shettles. If you girls pay for a FF subscription, you can read on the boards about gender swaying--that's where I gathered most of my info!! I have since let my subscription expire because I don't like the way they run things over there and my May mommy friends that I "met" on there rebelled and started our own board!

But anyway, I worked on changing the pH of my CM with diet and supplements and timing BD appropriately based on things I had read on FF. We dtd every day for 6 days before ovulation, skipped O day (not on purpose, though!) and did it the day after O. And we did do the shallow penetration and no orgasm thing but I don't think that was by design!

I think the idea was to get rid of the faster swimmers (boys) and have some of the slow ones hanging around waiting for the egg. Gosh, I'm so scientific!! Honestly, I was just trying it for fun to see if it would work but the real goal was just to get pregnant! I figured doing some of this other stuff wouldn't hurt my odds of getting pregnant at all and could result in a girl so why not give it a shot?! I wasn't a stress case about it and that's one bit of advice I'd like to give everyone here also. I think TGal can attest to this--I really think that if you have a more relaxed attitude about it and just go with the flow, it could be beneficial to you. Stress ruins everything, including possibly your relationship if you obsess over this stuff too much. Try to have fun with it and it will happen when it's supposed to! That doesn't mean I don't support charting, temping, etc. because I did all of that. I just didn't let it control my life.

 

[peonygirl]

Hey girls! What resource(s) did you find most helpful to learn about charting? Thanks!

 

[robbie3982]

Fertility friend has online lessons that I found helpful.

 

[somethingshiny]

Fertility Friend is really a great place. They''ve come a long way in the last several years. Your doctor may have specific methods he/she prefers for accuracy, too. And, if you''re working with your doctor, you''ll need hard copies of your charts to take with you.

Good Luck

 

[ChargerGrrl]

TCOYF has all the info you''ll ever need to know!

haven''t yet been on the Fertility Friend website, but it sounds like a great resource.

 

[snlee]

Date: 11/2/2007 1:31:54 PM
Author: robbie3982
Fertility friend has online lessons that I found helpful.

Ditto!

 

[ljmorgan]

OK I have a question about multivitamins and fish oil supplements.

Question 1: Is a prenatal vitamin better than a women''s multivitamin to take before/during TTC? I looked at prenatal vitamins today and my multivitamin actually has morew folic acid than the prenatal. I take Rainbow Light Women''s Multivitamin which is all natural. I was wondering if there are other vitamins that are super important that my normal multivitamin is lacking that a prenatal would have.

Question 2: Is it OK for my fish oil supplement to contain EPA? I take Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega supplement. It has 450mg of DHA and 650mg of EPA. I saw that Nordic Naturals carries a prenatal oil supplement that contains only 250mg of DHA. Should I switch to the prenatal version, or is it ok to have EPA too? Not sure...

 

[ellaila]

Hi Lindsey,

I know that one thing you need to be careful of is getting too much vitamin A when TTC -- prenatals have a lower amount of vitamin A than normal vitamins do. According to about.com: "Too much vitamin A can cause birth defects, be sure that you're using a prenatal vitamin or a multi-vitamin with under 10,000 IU." From what I remember when I asked a pharmacist when I was comparing brands, the two things she looked at were folic acid and vitamin A.

I don't know anything about EPA, but as for fish oil: "Supplements made from the liver of the fish, such as cod liver oil, contain the retinol form of vitamin A and need to be either avoided altogether or strictly limited in pregnancy so that your daily intake does not exceed 3,300 micrograms (mcg). On the other hand, fish oils not derived from fish livers contain lots of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for your baby's developing eyes and brain." It's recommended that you take a fish oil supplement that is made specifically for pregnant women.

If I were you, I'd just get a good prenatal vitamin with DHA and avoid the confusion of fish oil altogether! I take LifeFitness with DHA and have never had any stomach problems whatsoever and am growing two healthy babies in me, so I think they're good

 

[peonygirl]

Hi girls! I started the FF classes, and they''re great! I''ve only taken 3 so far, but I have a question. So the benefit of tracking temperature is in month-to-month prediction or your general cyclic patterns, not prediction in a particular month, right (since by the time your temp shifts it''s too late to get pregnant)? So then would would cervical fluid really tell you more precisely when you might be fertile?

How do you guys check this? In the early lessons it talked about using an additional piece of toilet paper to "retreive" some after wiping, but I tried that a few times, and I couldn''t see much fluid at all. Obviously my readings won''t make sense since I''m on the pill, but I''d like to start occasionally checking for practice.

Thanks everyone! I''m sure that all this will be addressed in later lessons too.

 

[Blenheim]

Peonygirl -- I think that temperatures generally tell you more about your cycle, but by the time that your temperature shifts upwards it's probably too late to get pregnant.

For example, your body will produce more fertile quality CM leading up to ovulation, but things like stress can push ovulation back and only your temp can tell you if ovulation really occurred. In a stressful cycle, your body might start to produce fertile quality CM two or three times before it actually releases an egg, and in which case having intercourse on the first time it starts to produce the right CM won't get you pregnant and a "missed period" two weeks later doesn't mean anything, since it hasn't been two weeks since you ovulated.

If you end up having problems getting pregnant, then the temperatures will probably be more useful diagnostically than CM would be. For example, 18 consecutive high temperatures after you ovulate generally indicates pregnancy. So if you have more than 18 high temps and then your temps drop again, you probably miscarried early. This means that you're at least ovulating, that your partner is producing sperm, and that eggs are getting fertilized, which eliminates the doctors having to test for those things.

You can either retrieve some by wiping or internally, but the key is to be consistent. Also, from what I've read, the pill will make you produce much less fluid, so that's probably why you didn't see much. Even if you weren't on the pill, most women have dry days just after they menstruate and starting again a couple of days after they ovulate, so not finding fluid could just mean that you're in one of these times in your cycle.

I hope that all of this makes sense.

 

[sunkist]

Hi girls! I''ve just noticed the new thread, what a great idea! We will probably be TTC next year and I have a few questions. How long before TTC should I start taking prenatal vitamins? Also, I''m not off BC pills yet, so is it really pointless to start charting basal temps?

 

[E B]

Yay! It''s a sticky!

 

[E B]

Date: 11/4/2007 8:38:20 PM
Author: sunkist
Hi girls! I've just noticed the new thread, what a great idea! We will probably be TTC next year and I have a few questions. How long before TTC should I start taking prenatal vitamins? Also, I'm not off BC pills yet, so is it really pointless to start charting basal temps?

Are you taking a regular multi? If so, I don't think you have to start prenatals until ~3 months before, for the folic acid.

As for charting, I'd start about a month before TTC just so you get the hang of doing it every morning (unless you're off the pill and just want to see how your cycle works). But while you're on the pill, you won't get accurate readings, because you aren't actually ovulating.

 

[sunkist]

Date: 11/4/2007 9:15:01 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 11/4/2007 8:38:20 PM

Author: sunkist

Hi girls! I''ve just noticed the new thread, what a great idea! We will probably be TTC next year and I have a few questions. How long before TTC should I start taking prenatal vitamins? Also, I''m not off BC pills yet, so is it really pointless to start charting basal temps?

Are you taking a regular multi? If so, I don''t think you have to start prenatals until ~3 months before, for the folic acid.


As for charting, I''d start about a month before TTC just so you get the hang of doing it every morning (unless you''re off the pill and just want to see how your cycle works). But while you''re on the pill, you won''t get accurate readings, because you aren''t actually ovulating.

Hi Ebree, thanks! I''m not taking a regular muli-vit. Last time I bought them they made me sick. So you should let the folic acid kind of build up in your system, huh? Ok.

Ya, about a month ago I went on the Fertility Friend website. It wasn''t the easiest website to understand, I thought. But I started getting their emails on how to chart and learning all about your cycle and stuff, but then I realized that I wasn''t even really ovulating, so I quit doing it. Maybe I''ll look at that site again when I go off the pill.

 

[E B]

Date: 11/4/2007 9:45:36 PM
Author: sunkist

Hi Ebree, thanks! I'm not taking a regular muli-vit. Last time I bought them they made me sick. So you should let the folic acid kind of build up in your system, huh? Ok.

Ya, about a month ago I went on the Fertility Friend website. It wasn't the easiest website to understand, I thought. But I started getting their emails on how to chart and learning all about your cycle and stuff, but then I realized that I wasn't even really ovulating, so I quit doing it. Maybe I'll look at that site again when I go off the pill.

I've heard great things about a book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" (mentioned somewhere in this thread) if you're interested in how everything works but aren't quite ready to TTC. I'm probably going to pick up a copy soon, too.

ETA: The author is Toni Weschler

 

[sunkist]

Date: 10/29/2007 6:41:39 PM
Author: EBree
I''m curious: Have any of you TTCers (ha!) bought anything for yet? Is it crazy to want to?


Don''t worry, I haven''t, even though I''ve seen so many cute things that scream, ''For Emily''s future baby''. Women in other TTC communities I''m a member of (elsewhere online) have boxes full of baby clothes! I''d probably pick up a piece or two if DH didn''t discourage it.


I''m so tempted to buy one of these, but I guess I''ll have to wait:

I''m reading through earlier pages. Ebree, the only thing I''ve bought is a pretty baby bag that I found at a great price! I''ve been looking at those Hotslings though too. They are so cute! I have the excuse of a neice that lives very close when I want to buy anything else baby related

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I''m getting really frusterated with my cycles right now. I''m on Day 42 and still nothing. I was good and waited until Saturday a.m. to retest and got the BFN, but yet still no AF. Ugh. The wait continues.......



~Jess~

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 11/4/2007 9:11:18 PM
Author: EBree
Yay! It's a sticky!

Haha wow, I totally thought you meant sticky baby and not sticky thread! I just went back and scrolled through all the old posts to see if I missed something and you were pregnant! Lol.

Does anyone know what the difference between a closed circle and an open circle is on fertility friend? It's marking some of my temps with closed circles and others with open ones.

I searched for my old charts from the last time I came off of bc, but couldn't find them so I have no idea what to expect right now.

I'm on CD20 and no temp shift so I'm thinking I'm not going to ovulate this cycle. I know you can still get your period if your not ovulating (obviously since you still get it on bc!), but how do you know when it's coming if you don't have your temps to guide you??

 

[Blenheim]

DivaDiamond, do you know how long ago you ovulated? I hope that you soon find out what''s going on.

Robbie, FF gives you a closed circle if you temp at your default time and there are no other unusual circumstances. If you temp at a different time (which was really likely with daylight savings time), are sick, or have other stuff going on that could potentially throw off your temp, it gives you an open circle.

I''m not sure how you can tell when your period is coming if you''re having an anovulatory cycle, but it could be possible that your first cycle off is really long and you just haven''t ovulated yet.

 

[blushingbride]

Date: 11/4/2007 9:11:18 PM
Author: EBree
Yay! It''s a sticky!

YAY!!

So, I''ve been away for a few days, but wanted to update you girls. I went off BC the first week of October and was a week late with getting my first AF after BC, but on Sat. I got my AF (which wasn''t as heavy or as bad as I thought it would be off BC). Anyway, I''m not going to chart this month since I just want to see how long my cycle is. Next month I''ll be charting.

 

[blushingbride]

Date: 10/30/2007 5:15:07 PM
Author: curlygirl
New mom just popping in here to send all of you my best wishes on your ttc journey!

Regarding NYC hospitals, I can vouch for NY Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children''s Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center. I had amazing care throughout my pregnancy and a fantastic labor and delivery. I can''t say anything negative about my entire experience. NY Presbyterian/Cornell Medical Center is the sister hospital and it''s also highly reputable. One of my friends used their top RE for her severe infertility problems and got pregnant on her first IVF.

Hi Curlygirl...as a fellow New Yorker, I was just reading up on which hospitals were most reputable, it seems like NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell are ranked the best in NYC followed by Mount Sinai Medical Center and NYU. Currently, my gyno is affiliated with NYU, but does it make sense to switch to a doctor who is affilated at one of the top hospitals? Was your recommended by someone or did you do research beforehand? Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated since I would like to start off on the right foot with a good doctor and hospital.

 

[snlee]

Yay for the sticky! Thanks Andrey!

Jess, did you recently go off BC? Do you know when you ovulated? I hope you find out soon! I know the wait is really difficult! I have about a week more of waiting. Less if AF shows up.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Awwww man! I typed out a post and I got an error message so here I go again.....


I''m not sure if I ovulated this cycle or not. I had some cramps a few weeks ago (I think I posted about it) but it could have been from anything. Don''t want to get my hopes up, you know?

I got off of bc at the end of August. I had my "period" then and had a normal one after that. The cycle between my last pill period was 35 days and now I''m here.

I need to schedule my annual pap so I''ll ask my doctor what she thinks - although I''m sure that it''s from getting off the pill. Still annoying though!

Good luck Snlee!! Baby dust coming your way!

~Jess~

 

[ljmorgan]

Date: 11/3/2007 9:46:27 AM
Author: ellaila
Hi Lindsey,

I know that one thing you need to be careful of is getting too much vitamin A when TTC -- prenatals have a lower amount of vitamin A than normal vitamins do. According to about.com: ''Too much vitamin A can cause birth defects, be sure that you''re using a prenatal vitamin or a multi-vitamin with under 10,000 IU.'' From what I remember when I asked a pharmacist when I was comparing brands, the two things she looked at were folic acid and vitamin A.

I don''t know anything about EPA, but as for fish oil: ''Supplements made from the liver of the fish, such as cod liver oil, contain the retinol form of vitamin A and need to be either avoided altogether or strictly limited in pregnancy so that your daily intake does not exceed 3,300 micrograms (mcg). On the other hand, fish oils not derived from fish livers contain lots of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for your baby''s developing eyes and brain.'' It''s recommended that you take a fish oil supplement that is made specifically for pregnant women.

If I were you, I''d just get a good prenatal vitamin with DHA and avoid the confusion of fish oil altogether! I take LifeFitness with DHA and have never had any stomach problems whatsoever and am growing two healthy babies in me, so I think they''re good

Thanks for the advice ellaila! I will check my folic acid and switch to something DHA only, just to be safe!

To everyone else, I just joined fertility friend for charting, and I love reading about all of the women getting pregnant -- I love seeing how excited they are when it happens!

 

[peonygirl]

Hey girls! I have a question about having sex while TTC. Currently, I go pee right afterwards and all the semen "falls out." When I''m actually TTC, should I wait a certain length of time before peeing or even put a pillow under my lower back to angle the sperm toward to ovum? I don''t know if these are just old-wives tales. Thanks!

 

[curlygirl]

peonygirl, great question and I''m sure you''ll get mixed answers on this one!! As I mentioned, I tried some gender swaying techniques to get a girl and one of the things I did was what we like to call jump and dump!!! I didn''t wait at all, just ran to the bathroom right away and got rid of those quick swimmers. Haha, it''s all so ridiculous when I think about it now and I honestly can''t remember all the scientific reasons for doing it but it worked for me!! But I''m sure many people will tell you it''s important to stay put and elevate your legs for at least 30 minutes after dtd. I''m prone to UTI so I always like to flush everything away immediately after. Just speaking for myself here, others may have different opinions on this topic.

 

[snlee]

Date: 11/6/2007 12:48:07 PM
Author: peonygirl
Hey girls! I have a question about having sex while TTC. Currently, I go pee right afterwards and all the semen ''falls out.'' When I''m actually TTC, should I wait a certain length of time before peeing or even put a pillow under my lower back to angle the sperm toward to ovum? I don''t know if these are just old-wives tales. Thanks!

From what I''ve read, there''s no evidence that staying horizontal or putting a pillow under your butt makes a difference, but it can''t hurt. I''ve read laying in bed for an extra 20-30 minutes is all you need. That''s what I did just in case it helps a little!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Hello ladies,
Not TTC yet, but all of this is SO fascinating that I admit, I''ve been lurking. I have an observation and a question.

Re: the Robitussin. I believe Robitussin contains a drug called Guaifenesin, which is an expectorant. It''s what you take when you have a cough to bring up the phleghm. TG was right-on when she called CM "Tw*t snot". If you think of it that way, and you take the Guaifenesin, then it''s logical to assume that your hoo ha would act like your nose/chest and expell all of the snot. Hence causing an increase in the discharge.

Now on to my question. Someone mentioned that age 35 is the somewhat arbitrary date that ins companies start paying for fertility/genetic testing and treatment. Is this only for "average" people? What happens if you have a history of some genetic issues and under 35, but your OB/GYN suggests genetic testing before TTC? Will ins cover that? I mean, one would think that a simple (though possibly expensive) test would be less costly than a dependent born with a genetic disorder requiring life-long medical attention and treatment and would therefore be covered, but as we know with ins and BC (small cost of BC versus cost of Prenatal visits, L&D, etc), looking ahead isn''t always what the ins company does.

Anyway, thanks in advance and good luck to everyone TTC!!!!

 

[mela lu]

Date: 11/6/2007 1:31:52 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Hello ladies,
Not TTC yet, but all of this is SO fascinating that I admit, I''ve been lurking. I have an observation and a question.

Re: the Robitussin. I believe Robitussin contains a drug called Guaifenesin, which is an expectorant. It''s what you take when you have a cough to bring up the phleghm. TG was right-on when she called CM ''Tw*t snot''. If you think of it that way, and you take the Guaifenesin, then it''s logical to assume that your hoo ha would act like your nose/chest and expell all of the snot. Hence causing an increase in the discharge.

Now on to my question. Someone mentioned that age 35 is the somewhat arbitrary date that ins companies start paying for fertility/genetic testing and treatment. Is this only for ''average'' people? What happens if you have a history of some genetic issues and under 35, but your OB/GYN suggests genetic testing before TTC? Will ins cover that? I mean, one would think that a simple (though possibly expensive) test would be less costly than a dependent born with a genetic disorder requiring life-long medical attention and treatment and would therefore be covered, but as we know with ins and BC (small cost of BC versus cost of Prenatal visits, L&D, etc), looking ahead isn''t always what the ins company does.

Anyway, thanks in advance and good luck to everyone TTC!!!!

SNORT!!!!!!! LOL.

I have no idea. I just had to express my laughter!!

 

[blushingbride]

Date: 11/6/2007 3:09:29 PM
Author: mela lu

Date: 11/6/2007 1:31:52 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Hello ladies,
Not TTC yet, but all of this is SO fascinating that I admit, I''ve been lurking. I have an observation and a question.

Re: the Robitussin. I believe Robitussin contains a drug called Guaifenesin, which is an expectorant. It''s what you take when you have a cough to bring up the phleghm. TG was right-on when she called CM ''Tw*t snot''. If you think of it that way, and you take the Guaifenesin, then it''s logical to assume that your hoo ha would act like your nose/chest and expell all of the snot. Hence causing an increase in the discharge.

Now on to my question. Someone mentioned that age 35 is the somewhat arbitrary date that ins companies start paying for fertility/genetic testing and treatment. Is this only for ''average'' people? What happens if you have a history of some genetic issues and under 35, but your OB/GYN suggests genetic testing before TTC? Will ins cover that? I mean, one would think that a simple (though possibly expensive) test would be less costly than a dependent born with a genetic disorder requiring life-long medical attention and treatment and would therefore be covered, but as we know with ins and BC (small cost of BC versus cost of Prenatal visits, L&D, etc), looking ahead isn''t always what the ins company does.

Anyway, thanks in advance and good luck to everyone TTC!!!!

SNORT!!!!!!! LOL.

I have no idea. I just had to express my laughter!!

I know...that expression is genious!!! Definitely was LOL at work when I TG mentioned that one!