Trying for a Baby Part Six

glimmerofhope

Hi Lurker
I am about to log off but I will respond tomorrow if nobody has in the meantime.
Glimmer

glimmerofhope

Lurker1972 wrote: »

absolutley no idea!! didnt realise you could get different ones!!!:o
either i guess?

a friend recommend using them, but nothing more specific than that (claims they worked for them, 18 months of nothing, pregnant within 3 months of using the kits)

Dont quote me as I am no expert but I use two types
I use the internet cheapies for the days around when I think I will ovulate and then when I get the feint line I use the clear blue digital which gives a smiley face to confirm ovulation.

What you basically do is either Pee on the strip/stick (abbv on this site to POAS) or pee into a container and dip the test for approx 10 secs, it reads the level of LH hormone which increases at the time of ovulation
Below is a link to a page on amazon,that shows all the different types and explains how to use them.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ovulation+test&sprefix=ovulation

It may be that your friends had a clearblue fertility monitor and I don't know anything about this I am afraid

Hope this helps and I sure more people will be on today/tomorrow with more info

Glimmer

2_trying_to_become_3

Hello Ladies

I was wondering if I could join you please?

I'm 30 TTC#1 since March 2010!

I'm not really new, just made a new profile as some of my real life friends know me on here!! If anyone wants to know who am then PM me.

Confession time - i've been lurking on this board since May 2010 but everytime i plucked up the courage to post something happened and I bottled it!!

Anyway i made this profile to ask some advice about two weeks ago but it wouldn't let me on on the relevant night!

So today being CD1 i thought i would just go for it and come and say hello!!

My question was a bit of a what would you do... I had a positive on an OPK, 1st one in about 6 months and the day after which was OV day (29th July) was supposed to be the day that DH was giving his ahem sample for testing so i wanted opinions on postponing sample giving or miss OV this time, anyway i went for the first option but to little avail this time!!

I've been to doc's for tests on CD3 and CD21 and all seems to be ok so down to DH now lol!!

After he's eventually done that does anyone know what happens after that if that comes back ok?

I've always had perfect 28 day cycles but (TMI alert) I never have a lot of blood at AF time, maybe 3 days max and very light - is there such a thing as not enough for a bean to stick too?

Having done OPK's for the last year and being a self confessed POAS addict i'm going to get myself on FF!!

My PMA is that i can try and lose some more weight this month, i can book a spa day (for my period party lol), i can have a few drinks when we go out tomorrow and this may sound awful but my best friend had a miscarriage this week and as hard as i've been trying for a baby all this time i would have never forgiven myself for being pregnant when she has lost her baby, i'm in tears writing this i feel so sorry for her.

Wow that was over a years worth of getting it off my chest, i don't talk to anyone about this!!

Thank you for reading and SBDTA xxx

bigzippy

Amymo wrote: »

Hello, I'd like to be added to this group please, am 27, just off the pill ttc#1 and I think I'm CD19 but last AF was withdrawl from the pill so who knows! ...so I guess we're actively trying and I'm actively trying not to get myself too excited if that makes sense?

Welcome Amymo! :wave: Yep, it makes sense. We're all trying, to do both

glimmerofhope wrote: »

Crazy
Us lot, no never

Love. It. :T

2_trying_to_become_3 wrote: »

Hello Ladies

I was wondering if I could join you please?

I'm 30 TTC#1 since March 2010!

Welcome 2ttb3 :wave::D

After he's eventually done that does anyone know what happens after that if that comes back ok?

I think you'll probably be referred to a gynae/fertility specialist/for a scan to check your ovaries.

I've always had perfect 28 day cycles but (TMI alert) I never have a lot of blood at AF time, maybe 3 days max and very light - is there such a thing as not enough for a bean to stick too?

Having done OPK's for the last year and being a self confessed POAS addict i'm going to get myself on FF!!

Everyone's "normal" is different. If your hormone levels were off then the blood tests should've detected that, so try not to worry too much about that.

This might sound harsh (or whatever the right word is) but were you following all the recommended instructions for your OPKs? (I only ask because you say you've only had one positive OPK in 6 months) If you temp as well (using FF to chart, or similar) then that should help you work out what's going on with ovulation, as would checking your CM - do you do this? (I find it's better to be as prepared with information about yourself and your body as possible, when seeking help from the medical bods) Were your CD21 bloods done the same month you had the +ive OPK or a different cycle?

My PMA is that i can try and lose some more weight this month

Do you think you are particularly overweight? (I am! ) Or is it a "feeling better about yourself" type of lose weight?
If you did turn out to have anything like PCOS (which I'm not saying you do!) then losing 10% of your body weight can make all the difference between ovulating and not, so losing weight (other than when you've no need to) is usually a good start

I hope none of that came across wrong, I just wanted to welcome you and try and answer some of your questions, as I think the resident experts are either away or asleep at the mo

2_trying_to_become_3

Hi Bigzippy and thankyou for your quick response and lovely welcome!

You have told me more in one post than I have learnt in the past however many months on my own!!

Ok here goes...

Thank you about hormones - doc said not to worry too! Its great to find out what comes next!

Your absolutely right about OPK's and it doesn't sound harsh at all! I think i have been doing them wrong, not holding pee, forgetting to do them etc!

I haven't been temping but and going to start this month and I have looked for CM but haven't really had any, well no EWCM anyway!

My Cd21 bloods were not done in the same month i had my +OPK.

I'm not hugely overweight but am 3 stone off where i was 5 yrs ago so that is my aim! Not in a month tho lol!! I love those dancing ladies QQ does for weightloss!!

Ah thank you so much for posting Bigzippy, having lurked for so long I know that you are an expert!! I really appreciate your help and advice!!

xxx

bigzippy

2_trying_to_become_3 wrote: »

Hi Bigzippy and thankyou for your quick response and lovely welcome!

You have told me more in one post than I have learnt in the past however many months on my own!!

That's what we're here for, to support each other!

Ok here goes...

Thank you about hormones - doc said not to worry too! Its great to find out what comes next!

Your absolutely right about OPK's and it doesn't sound harsh at all! I think i have been doing them wrong, not holding pee, forgetting to do them etc!

That's reassuring then. The CD21 tests check that you've got the hormone levels that indicate that you have ovulated. So if you've had that in a diff cycle to the one you got the +ive OPK that's even better news :T It's normal for ladies to miss the odd one, but I think you're right about doing them wrong ;) I shouldn't worry too much though, you don't need a +ive OPK to get preg And I've never had one yet! :rotfl:

I haven't been temping but and going to start this month and I have looked for CM but haven't really had any, well no EWCM anyway!

Are you drinking enough? It's common for people to generally not drink enough water (the recommended guideline is 2litres of water a day (but it seems most people rarely get anywhere near that) - more in hotter weather/climates). Also anything with caffeine in can dehydrate you. CM is made up majoritively of water, so get glugging if you don't drink a lot of it Otherwise, ladies on here drink grapefruit juice pre-ov to increase the production of CM. I've never tried it personally, but they seem to think it's worth the bitter taste I do find taking an acidophilus supplement can help with CM production too, so that might be something you want to consider (but the decent ones can be expensive). If you scroll back a little I posted a link to pictures of what different types of CM - it helped me work out what to label mine for FF

I'm not hugely overweight but am 3 stone off where i was 5 yrs ago so that is my aim! Not in a month tho lol!! I love those dancing ladies QQ does for weightloss!!

Ah well, good luck with your weightloss journey then! I hope it does the trick. In my experience, the happier you feel about your weight/how you look, the happier and more self-confident and sexy you feel, and the more BD you have

I love the weightloss announcements QQ does too...esp when it's for meeeeeeeee

Ah thank you so much for posting Bigzippy, having lurked for so long I know that you are an expert!! I really appreciate your help and advice!!

xxx

No worries, my lovely
Dunno about the expert lark though! ...expert in slipping silly smileys in where they're not needed, perhaps

2_trying_to_become_3

I love your smileys!!

Thank you again!! I feel loads more positive now!!

I do need to drink more water, hardly drink any during the day! Not sure i could manage grapefruit juice tho, i hate the stuff!

I saw your CM linky tonight, very helpful! I'll get FF set up this weekend hopefully.

Thanks again about weightloss! You have done so amazing with yours!

You are defo an expert at this!!

Many many thanks again for tonight!!

Goodnight.

xxx

AmandaD28

Hey guys,

Haven't posted here really since I got my BFP and really I'm not here for myself either

Will try to keep this short but basically she has got PCOS she is really struggling with my pregnancy tbh and was brave enough to tell me this even though I'd already worked it out we haven't seen much of her since I announced it and she has actively avoided seeing me anywhere else too.

She is however ovulating she's had the blood tests at the different parts of the cycles and they are telling her they are all ok ! she also home tests with OPKs and gets poitives.

I just want to ask why is it not happening for them what actually prevents PCOS sufferers from becoming pregnant ?

Any advice would be useful

bigzippy

AmandaD28 wrote: »

Hey guys,

Haven't posted here really since I got my BFP and really I'm not here for myself either

Will try to keep this short but basically she has got PCOS she is really struggling with my pregnancy tbh and was brave enough to tell me this even though I'd already worked it out we haven't seen much of her since I announced it and she has actively avoided seeing me anywhere else too.

She is however ovulating she's had the blood tests at the different parts of the cycles and they are telling her they are all ok ! she also home tests with OPKs and gets poitives.

I just want to ask why is it not happening for them what actually prevents PCOS sufferers from becoming pregnant ?

Any advice would be useful

There's so many variables here Amanda. How long has she been trying (it is NORMAL for it to take a year)? Does she have regular periods? Is she particularly overweight? If the blood tests are normal, how do we know she has PCOS - has she had a scan?

There are a couple of things that are the biggies for PCOS - AS I UNDERSTAND IT (I'm not a medical professional or an expert) this is just how I took in the info I read:
a) you have PCO - where the ovaries have the cysts around the follicles, which can affect the release of the eggs - but no other symptoms
b) you have PCOS with the symptoms too (which vary greatly) - to class as having PCOS (rather than PCO alone) you have to have two out of 2 of: PCO on the scan, hormone test results that vary from the "norm", irregular periods.

With PCOS it seems that a good number of sufferers have at least some level of impaired glucose tolerance (I have this) - this means your body doesn't deal with sugar the way it should. This in turn means that the sufferer tends to put on weight (trending around the tummy area), and the added weight has a knock on affect on the hormones/andogens/etc and ovulating becomes more difficult. This is why a lower sugar/carb diet is often recommended, and losing 10% of your body weight is said to often be enough to recommence ovulation. Metformin (traditionally a diabetes medication) may also be prescribed, in a fairly low dose, to help rebalance things. Metformin is considered safe in pregnancy, and is given to pregnant ladies suffering from gestational diabetes.

Along side that, with or without the sugar issues, the hormone levels can be a bit squiffy. This -from what I understand- can change the environment slightly in the uterus etc, and in theory this can mess with implantation and the successful carrying of a baby - which is, from what I understand, what accounts for the slightly higher risk of miscarriage in PCOS.

All this sounds a bit frightening (and it can be a LOT to get your head around!) BUT once you and the docs know, there are tests and treatments and lifestyle choices that can be made. And the fact that they think she is ovulating is a good place to start! Other than getting a handle on the above, tracking cycles, and taking medical professionals advice, really it's all about time, patience, BDing and God

Again - this is just what I have absorbed, and how I understand it - you/she may find this differs from what you/she finds in the information available to her on the net/in leaflets/from the doctor(s).

I wish her luck though. I know how she feels - one of my mates has just told me she's 6wks pregnant, plus one of DH's closest friends' wife too, and it's took a major hit on our PMA

Please don't let this stop you from enjoying your pregnancy though Amanda. Noone would want that. The way I feel is that I don't begrudge pregnant ladies, at all, I just wish it was me too.

(I'll stop rambling now!! I hope that was of some help?)

ETA: How are you doing? How's bean? Have you had your scan yet?

AmandaD28

bigzippy wrote: »

There's so many variables here Amanda. How long has she been trying (it is NORMAL for it to take a year)? Does she have regular periods? Is she particularly overweight? If the blood tests are normal, how do we know she has PCOS - has she had a scan?

There are a couple of things that are the biggies for PCOS - AS I UNDERSTAND IT (I'm not a medical professional or an expert) this is just how I took in the info I read:
a) you have PCO - where the ovaries have the cysts around the follicles, which can affect the release of the eggs - but no other symptoms
b) you have PCOS with the symptoms too (which vary greatly) - to class as having PCOS (rather than PCO alone) you have to have two out of 2 of: PCO on the scan, hormone test results that vary from the "norm", irregular periods.

With PCOS it seems that a good number of sufferers have at least some level of impaired glucose tolerance (I have this) - this means your body doesn't deal with sugar the way it should. This in turn means that the sufferer tends to put on weight (trending around the tummy area), and the added weight has a knock on affect on the hormones/andogens/etc and ovulating becomes more difficult. This is why a lower sugar/carb diet is often recommended, and losing 10% of your body weight is said to often be enough to recommence ovulation. Metformin (traditionally a diabetes medication) may also be prescribed, in a fairly low dose, to help rebalance things. Metformin is considered safe in pregnancy, and is given to pregnant ladies suffering from gestational diabetes.

Along side that, with or without the sugar issues, the hormone levels can be a bit squiffy. This -from what I understand- can change the environment slightly in the uterus etc, and in theory this can mess with implantation and the successful carrying of a baby - which is, from what I understand, what accounts for the slightly higher risk of miscarriage in PCOS.

All this sounds a bit frightening (and it can be a LOT to get your head around!) BUT once you and the docs know, there are tests and treatments and lifestyle choices that can be made. And the fact that they think she is ovulating is a good place to start! Other than getting a handle on the above, tracking cycles, and taking medical professionals advice, really it's all about time, patience, BDing and God

Again - this is just what I have absorbed, and how I understand it - you/she may find this differs from what you/she finds in the information available to her on the net/in leaflets/from the doctor(s).

I wish her luck though. I know how she feels - one of my mates has just told me she's 6wks pregnant, plus one of DH's closest friends' wife too, and it's took a major hit on our PMA

Please don't let this stop you from enjoying your pregnancy though Amanda. Noone would want that. The way I feel is that I don't begrudge pregnant ladies, at all, I just wish it was me too.

(I'll stop rambling now!! I hope that was of some help?)

ETA: How are you doing? How's bean? Have you had your scan yet?

Hey big zippy

Thanks for taking the time to reply will try to answer some of your questions

She hasn't quite been trying a year but certainly longer than I did. She doesn't have regular periods they are all over the place really I think sometimes she goes up to 8wks without having one and others she gets one within 3 weeks its incredibly variable and she hasn't been able to work out a pattern.

She is not at all overweight she is petite size 8 and weighs 8st shes only 5ft 2.

She has had the diagnosis of PCOS since she was 18 and at that time she was told her blood tests weren't normal and they also saw the cysts on a scan on her ovaries, however after they told her this and gave her the youre going to have trouble ever getting pregnant she stopped taking all contraception and very quickly feel pregnant with her DD who is now approaching being 9yrs old.

I'm not too sure therefore that the diagnosis is accurate she had the hormone profiling re done recently by the GP who told her that all of her blood results are in normal range but I didn't think if you get diagnosed it just suddenly gets better ! Or am I wrong ?

Her tummy is prob the biggest part of her body and is the only bit of her out of proportion its a big rounded one and maybe this is down to what you describe with the glucose tolerance.

She is just struggling with it all atm and to be fair to her as soon as I got pregnant there are a load more people who have quickly announced theirs too so it seems that she is surrounded by it and I wish I could make it better for her she is lovely and like all sufferers who struggle I guess is one of those lovely people who you would love to see get pregnant. Lots of ladies here included in that of course.

I'm trying to be supportive and sensitive towards her but have found that she is actively avoiding me which I've half accepted and am half upset about if i'm honest just really wanted to know if I was missing anything that I could be doing to help.

As for me well me and bump are doing well I'm 16wks today and we have a private gender scan on wed not too fussed about whether were having a boy or girl tbh just wanted to know and its also a good excuse to see beanie on screen again it seems such a long time between 12wks and 20 wks to see him/her again. So far all tests scans etc show a normal healthy pregnancy they are taking special care of me though and come 20 wks they will start to scan every 4 weeks given the previous problems I have had and baby will also be delivered early at 38 weeks to prevent any recurrances of previous history thats down the line though and for now I'm just happy and feel lucky that all is going well

I'm still watching here to see how you're all doing and hoping you all follow me soon hopefully I've brought some baby dust in with me and you guys get some more BFP's this month

xx