4 Awesome Chic's, TTC #1, 30+, cycle #3, Join our Journey!!!

[Elphabaa77]

Thanks El, I will do that next month for sure! Can i just write my temps down in a notebook? DH said October will be our last month TTC and after that he wants to go to NTNP, he said he doesnt liked being told when to DTD anymore! He also said all his friends on facebook are always saying how miserable their lives are because their kids hold them back from everything, so he is back on the fence about having a kid at all now......

You can use a notebook, but it's easier to see when on a graph. I am sure you could 'google' BBT chart or something similar and come up with a blank template you could fill in yourself if you don't want to use an app on the computer or your phone.

Here is one I found below that you can print.
https://www.babycenter.com/0_blank-bbt-chart_7069.bc

Sorry to hear about your hubby being on the fence. Personally, I think if people complain about how miserable their lives are because they had kids and their kids hold them back... well, maybe they should have never had kids to begin with. Kids do change your life, but you can't look at it as they are holding you back. You get to experience many things WITH your kids you could never experience without. That being said, I do 'think' about the things we could do if we didn't have kids. Mostly because I am scared we won't be able to have kids. I told hubby that if we don't have any, we better start traveling A LOT!!! I need something to make my life feel complete, and the only way I can think to do that is for us to have a baby of our own. If we can't, then something is always going to be missing for me. It will be a void I will forever try to fill. Babies do change your life and yes, you can't do all the crazy things you never 'thought about' before... but to me, it would be so worth it.

I have also learned really quick that I need to not share 'too' much with my hubby about all of this TCC stuff. That is the quickest way to stress him out and then, sometimes, he has trouble 'finishing' when we do BD. I just keep my fertile days to myself and just try to show more interest in sex. I try to not force him to have it on nights when he is too tired... and that part KILLS me when I 'think' it's the best time to be doing it. I don't want to turn it all into baby making and lose the 'fun.' It's a new philosophy for me... I went with it this month. It's a lot less stressful... and heck, I didn't even test until I was 12dpo!!! (today) Usually I can't hold out past 7dpo.

So maybe... if you still really want to have a baby... you can tip the NTNP in your favor? If you chart on the side, and just don't tell him when you guys need to BD. Just let it happen. Maybe that will help?

 

[drhouse]

hiya all,

i know waht you mean about taking all the fun out of it. we had a shag for no reason this weekend, it was great. we have been to the movies, seen the inlaws, went to shops.


I hope you all are well!!! I def find the charting helpful, though I tend to forget except for around the good days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Elphabaa77]

Well, it's been quiet around here... so I am about to change that!

I just came to the realization today that January 1st is 84 days away and I haven't made any sort of progress towards dropping some of my weight. I had started to do better, but then those 2 sessions of Zumba and 1 session of Piloxing did my knee in... which in turn, did my back in. *sigh* So I used both as an excuse to eat like crap and not exercise at all for most of the past month. January is when we take the next step, which will probably be Clomid or Femara. I want to try to drop at least 30 lbs by then to really give it the best shot. So even if I am still baffled on how I am going to exercise with my current injuries, I am still going to start eating better. I think I will commit to my IdealShape shakes again. Also, when I have an extra $70, I am going to purchase a sports bra from Enell. Most of my back issues stem from horrible support when I am exercising. I usually have to wear at least 2 sports bras to 'try' to keep the bounce at a minimum. I have a friend who has ran a marathon wearing the Enell bra and she swears by them and so do a lot of other 'well endowed' women. So I just need to buy one and hopefully that will eliminate the back issues. As for my knee... I think I just need a better knee brace and to eliminate Zumba and Piloxing for now. :sad: At my current weight, it is just too hard on my knees to be jumping around so much. I will just go back to the elliptical trainer and burn calories that way until I drop some of the weight.

So, I have a plan... and I am going to make some 'visual aid' type stuff to help me follow through. I think my husband is going to think I am crazy... but since he won't eat right and exercise with me, he will just have to put up with it. First visual aid will be a countdown calendar to remind me that I do not have a lot of time. Hopefully this will be what I need to stop procrastinating and realize the urgency of the issue.

Hope everything is well with all of you. It has been awfully quiet around here!

 

[YellowGrey]

Well, it's been quiet around here... so I am about to change that!

I just came to the realization today that January 1st is 84 days away and I haven't made any sort of progress towards dropping some of my weight. I had started to do better, but then those 2 sessions of Zumba and 1 session of Piloxing did my knee in... which in turn, did my back in. *sigh* So I used both as an excuse to eat like crap and not exercise at all for most of the past month. January is when we take the next step, which will probably be Clomid or Femara. I want to try to drop at least 30 lbs by then to really give it the best shot. So even if I am still baffled on how I am going to exercise with my current injuries, I am still going to start eating better. I think I will commit to my IdealShape shakes again. Also, when I have an extra $70, I am going to purchase a sports bra from Enell. Most of my back issues stem from horrible support when I am exercising. I usually have to wear at least 2 sports bras to 'try' to keep the bounce at a minimum. I have a friend who has ran a marathon wearing the Enell bra and she swears by them and so do a lot of other 'well endowed' women. So I just need to buy one and hopefully that will eliminate the back issues. As for my knee... I think I just need a better knee brace and to eliminate Zumba and Piloxing for now. :sad: At my current weight, it is just too hard on my knees to be jumping around so much. I will just go back to the elliptical trainer and burn calories that way until I drop some of the weight.

So, I have a plan... and I am going to make some 'visual aid' type stuff to help me follow through. I think my husband is going to think I am crazy... but since he won't eat right and exercise with me, he will just have to put up with it. First visual aid will be a countdown calendar to remind me that I do not have a lot of time. Hopefully this will be what I need to stop procrastinating and realize the urgency of the issue.

Hope everything is well with all of you. It has been awfully quiet around here!

Good luck!!!! You can do it! Something else that I've found helpful for myself is keeping track of what I eat. Even if I'm not trying to reduce calories, just seeing how many calories I'm eating makes me want to reduce them. It's crazy how fast they can add up! I like livestrong.com to track.

I'm having a crazy cycle this month. I think that I O'ed on CD10, which is pretty early for me. At least that's when my OPK and Fertility Friend said that I O'ed. We just barely got a few BD's in since I was expecting it around CD13/14. I'm also not sure if I O'ed or not. I pretty consistently get EWCM and I have had nothing all month long. On CD12/2DPO, I felt like I was getting AF cramps near my uterus. I was starting to get mad at my body - I mean, give me a few weeks break from tampons! - but then the cramping went away. It's too early for implantation cramping and it didn't feel like O cramping. Also, all month long I have been breaking out like crazy, and I usually have pretty good skin. It looks like I am 16 again (plus a few laugh lines and grey hairs).

 

[SloanPet77]

Hi girls! I have been mia because I started my period sunday and didnt have much to say. DH and I took the rv to tahoe for the weekend and got way too drunk! I am still recovering!

Thanks for the advice Elpha. I dont know, I think people can still want kids but not be gaga over it all the time. We will see what happens. I am going to chill this month, eat better, get a trainer, and keep having sex but try to push it out of my mind. DH thinks im not getting pregnant because I stree so much it haults my ovulation. I think he is right because I didnt O until cd 22 which is not normal. Period was 3 days late for the first time I can ever remember...

Elpha I am going to no carbs thing and have lost 4 pounds without any exercise. Its pretty easy?"basically you eat all the meat and veggies you want anx you can have cheese! Just no carbs.

Talk to you soon. Hey maybe halloween will be lucky for all us witches! Xoxo

 

[MrsJP]

Hi ladies,

I've been reading your thread for a while and wanted to introduce myself- I'm 35 (36 tomorrow, eek!) and ttc #1, on our 2nd cycle. I was on the pill for literally 17 years before this so I have no idea if I can even get pregnant!

Good luck to everyone!

 

[Lotus Womb]

Welcome Mrs JP best of luck on your journey. It great to get support of others.

Well I have been taking the relaxed approach this month another thread I am part of decided to try smep try our best not to streess. I have been temping but missed a few. I been using opk since march and have not this month. I have felt less anxious I know I am about to ovulate becouse c/m fertile cervix is high. I prodict tomorrow or Friday and then 2ww. I am so ready for it to be my months ladies. Best of luck to all xx

 

[sassypants77]

Hey Ladies,
Just hopping on here quick at work! Sorry been MIA, but I knew that since there hadn't been any assistance with the last cycle, odds were not in our favor for results to be any different. But AF came on the 6th, and I started first does of Femara on cd3, which was Monday! I have been taking Metformin too, and am up to 3 pills a day now, it seems to be keeping things in check. Very excited about the next few cycles, and fx it works.

Elpha, good luck on the exercising, you can do it! For me the motivator has been being on Metformin. I am definitely eating low carb, but still struggling with working out consistently.

Sloan, sounds like you had a great weekend though! Very relaxing and enjoyable.

Dr - you sound in good spirits as always, hope things are going well for you!

Mae - hope you're doing good too.

JP, Lotus, Yellow - Welcome ladies!

 

[MalaMae]

Nothing exciting over here except that AF came and left after 4 days, which would be the shortest bleeding I ever had in my life and absolutely no PMS or cramps. My chiropractor is happy and said that's good since finally my reproductive system is normalizing. Yay!!!!.
The last week a cousin delivered her second baby and yesterday my best friend called me to tell me she's pregnant (4th month) with her 2nd baby. Yay! I'm happy for them!!! But I'm soooo pissed at the nature!!! (or some other great cosmic power)
Other than that, I'm getting more and more relaxed and starting the smep with pee sticks from today.

Sloan, nice job!! 4 pounds!! but be careful with low-carb diet, the meat increases inflammation in the body. I lost 4.4 lb with Mediterranean diet (a bit modified in sense of eating fish )
Elpha, don't stress out too much about the diet. It takes a lot to set the mind and body in diet mode. It took me 3 years. I changed the psyhology about it and made it more like "changing to healthy eating habits" than "dieting". Once you establish healthy eating habits, you'll have them for a lifetime. While with dieting- we stop dieting after we reach the goal and go back to eating bad. This is what helped me.
Finally my husband understood this and he lost approx. 5 pounds for the last 1 month.

 

[MalaMae]

OK, today was my first appointment with a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and had an acupuncture session as well.
So, here what he said: I have kidney yang deficiency (cold feet, hands, peeing a lot, clots in period)- so warm food for me and he gave me some pills to drink. He also said my ovaries are not working well, that they are producing small eggs (i.e. follicles less than 20 mm).
He almost fainted when I told him that my prenatal vitamins that I'm taking for 2 years have 1000 mcg folic. He said max should be 400 and that higher amount causes ovulation problems, so from now I have to take this vitamins once in 2 days. He said CoQ10, vit. E (400mcg) - take this.
The acupuncture- I did not feel any pocking when he put in the needles on my tummy, for this he said (in his broken english) "no pain- not good"- meaning I was suppose to feel something, not enough circulation causes nerves not to work properly, thus no feelings there.

I feel amazing now. I have a feeling this will work.
Next week 2nd session.

 

[Lotus Womb]

OK, today was my first appointment with a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and had an acupuncture session as well.
So, here what he said: I have kidney yang deficiency (cold feet, hands, peeing a lot, clots in period)- so warm food for me and he gave me some pills to drink. He also said my ovaries are not working well, that they are producing small eggs (i.e. follicles less than 20 mm).
He almost fainted when I told him that my prenatal vitamins that I'm taking for 2 years have 1000 mcg folic. He said max should be 400 and that higher amount causes ovulation problems, so from now I have to take this vitamins once in 2 days. He said CoQ10, vit. E (400mcg) - take this.
The acupuncture- I did not feel any pocking when he put in the needles on my tummy, for this he said (in his broken english) "no pain- not good"- meaning I was suppose to feel something, not enough circulation causes nerves not to work properly, thus no feelings there.

I feel amazing now. I have a feeling this will work.
Next week 2nd session.

Glad you enjoyed your session and found out some important information. I started Accupunture and the beggining of last cycle it makes a difference for me around Ov time much more C/M and I feel my breast are tender and a feeling of ovulation. Hard to explain lol. Last cycle we did not as much as we should of but got much more in this cycles so just have to wait and see. I love my sessions too. I also take herb tea's which I missed a week off as finance was tight but got some this week. Looking like 1dpo temps up slightly today so will know for sure over the next few days. Then TWW.
Come on catch those eggs for us all and snuggle up in the womb

 

[MalaMae]

OK, today was my first appointment with a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and had an acupuncture session as well.
So, here what he said: I have kidney yang deficiency (cold feet, hands, peeing a lot, clots in period)- so warm food for me and he gave me some pills to drink. He also said my ovaries are not working well, that they are producing small eggs (i.e. follicles less than 20 mm).
He almost fainted when I told him that my prenatal vitamins that I'm taking for 2 years have 1000 mcg folic. He said max should be 400 and that higher amount causes ovulation problems, so from now I have to take this vitamins once in 2 days. He said CoQ10, vit. E (400mcg) - take this.
The acupuncture- I did not feel any pocking when he put in the needles on my tummy, for this he said (in his broken english) "no pain- not good"- meaning I was suppose to feel something, not enough circulation causes nerves not to work properly, thus no feelings there.

I feel amazing now. I have a feeling this will work.
Next week 2nd session.

Glad you enjoyed your session and found out some important information. I started Accupunture and the beggining of last cycle it makes a difference for me around Ov time much more C/M and I feel my breast are tender and a feeling of ovulation. Hard to explain lol. Last cycle we did not as much as we should of but got much more in this cycles so just have to wait and see. I love my sessions too. I also take herb tea's which I missed a week off as finance was tight but got some this week. Looking like 1dpo temps up slightly today so will know for sure over the next few days. Then TWW.
Come on catch those eggs for us all and snuggle up in the womb

Did your acupuncturist/TCM doctor told you if you have some deficiency?
I hope I'll feel the ovulation this time and hope for more CM.

 

[Lotus Womb]

No she just said she wanted to improve egg quality and quality of the lining for implantation.

 

[SloanPet77]

Hello Ladies!

JP welcome!!!! can you give us soem background information on you and DH?

Mal I am so glad the accupuncture was helpful!! Does insurance cover that? How do you find a person you want to go to? Are there certain ones that specialize in fertility? Yes i am being careful on the low carb, not really increasing my meat intake so much as increasing the veggies. The main thing I have changed is just removing the bread. I gained all my weight back over the weekend by drinking and eating tacos two days in a row.... uggg.

Today is DH and my 1 year anniversary. I am CD 9 today so about another week until I start DTD like crazy.

 

[MalaMae]

Hi Sloan,

First congrats on your 1st Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you're having wonderful day and that will end up even more wonderful with many romantic moments!!!

The acupuncture is not covered (I don't have medical coverage except from the regular one from the Ontario government- meaning acupuncture, special fertility tests, chiropractor, dental and eye vision are not covered, all the rest is covered). I found this guy through friends (word of mouth) and he specialized in fertility.

Removing the bread for me is the hardest. I love pastries! You are having a good diet. I need to increase the veggies as well.
O

 

[Elphabaa77]

I have been MIA since I wrote that post about it being quiet around here! LOL I was busy with last minute preparations for the baby shower I threw for my cousin on Saturday. It was definitely a busy weekend and VERY bad for the diet!
I am currently on CD 10 or 11? Something like that. Life has been so crazy that I am doing good just to do all this TTC stuff. I am really getting burnt out on it... especially now that I temp, use the OvaCue Monitor, use OPKs, and track other signs, on top of taking all my meds twice a day. SHEW! I just am afraid to back off, I really want to conceive before I have to go through all of the fertility testing and start treatments in January. That scares the heck out of me!

Mala- I have heard too much Folic Acid can be bad... except in the case of us PCOS women taking Metformin. Apparently it can cause a deficiency or something and extra Folic Acid is recommended. All this stuff gets SOOOOO confusing though! I have heard GREAT things about CoQ10, but it seems to do the same thing my Pregnitude does, so I haven't added it. I am apprehensive to add too much. I tend to obsess and then want to add a bazillion things, then I have to stop myself and say 'reading internet articles does not make you a doctor!' So I am sticking to my Metformin, Pregnitude, and prenatals until January.

I am excited you are trying acupuncture! I cannot wait to hear about your experiences of what it is doing for you. I am actually going to an acupuncturist tomorrow with my Mom. Both of my parents used one to quit smoking back in 1990. When My Dad passed in 2010, my Mom ended up picking it back up again due to stress. She is ready to quit again, so she set up an appointment. I am curious about acupuncture, especially in relation to weight loss and for fertility so I am going to tag along. I know they were able to quit smoking cold turkey after acupuncture 22 years ago. I have read, in the US, you can use your Health Savings Account to pay for acupuncture. That is how I would have to pay for it since insurance does not cover it.

Sloan- I was trying low amylose, which basically is no carbs. It is just a bit more specific, but the same general concept. Carbs are REALLY bad for PCOS women because of our insulin resistance. I think I was trying TOO hard too fast on the diet front which lead to quick failure! So for the time being, I am going back to just tracking calories using My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone. I am going to try to avoid carbs, but I am not going to completely eliminate them. I hate to cook, so having a Weight Watchers or Healthy Choice entree for dinner is a great option for me for dinner... however low amylose warns against them. So, for now, I am just going to calorie count until things get moving... then I may revisit low amylose. I wish I could get back to the gym. I had an issue with a couple of steps at my sister's this weekend and now my knee is right back to where it was. There is a huge lump on the side of it, and now my calf muscle is in pain. *sigh* I wish that one of the gyms I have memberships through had a pool. I am going to break down and ask my family doctor about my knee tomorrow at my appointment. The appointment is to check my meds, but I am definitely bringing up the knee! I need to exercise if I am going to lose weight!

 

[MrsJP]

Congratulations on your one year anniversary!!!

About me, hmm... Honestly, I'm a boring science geek! I'm 36, my husband is 35, we were just married in July and neither of us have any kids. It's funny but all this ttc stuff really only hit me after I stopped taking my bc pills and we were actually trying- all of a sudden it was like I want to be pregnant NOW!

I actually eat pretty low carb too- I go to a crossfit gym and follow a mostly "paleo" diet. I'm not super strict but I usually avoid gluten, grains and dairy and it's made a huge difference in my health and weight. I reached a point where I felt like nomatter how much I exercised my weight was always creeping up, and now it's really stable and I feel really healthy.

 

[SloanPet77]

Elph, sorry about the knee. maybe just start with a healthy diet and not worry about the gym right now? I know for me diet is 80% excercise is great for health benefits but ive never lost weight doing it, even when i was running half marathons. We are around the same CD so lets see what this happy halloween brings us???!!!

Mal, haha about the pastriesI just totally blew it and had 2 pieces of pumpkin spice bread someone brought in today!!!! dang it!

JP my husband does crossfit, I did it for a while but hurt my arm so he took over my membership. We party with all the crossfit people and dang they all have amazing bodies so I know it works!! I am super lazy so i wold rather starve then go to the gym but I know im going to have to give in and do it. What CD are you on?

 

[Elphabaa77]

Well, I went to the doctor last Tuesday and we definitely got some meds adjusted. She switched me to extended release Metformin and backed me down to 1000mg (from 1700mg) since it would appear the Pregnitude is pretty much doing everything the Metformin wasn't for me. We are not completely eliminating it at this point. She also gave me meloxicam for my knee along with knee strengthening exercises. She is quite certain it is the LCL, not the ACL. (thank goodness!) My knee seems to be feeling better for the most part... but it does have a tendency to 'give way' at unexpected times. It was not doing that before this weekend, so when the doctor asked if it was I had told her no. Anyhow, I plan to try the gym tonight. She gave me strict orders for NO ZUMBA or PILOXING! At least not until I have lost some weight and strengthened my knees. She said Zumba in-particular is terrible on the knees. So I can go back to my elliptical or a stationary bike, but I need to take it easy and pay attention to what my knee is telling me. Also, I must always wear a knee brace now.

The best part of the visit was the doctor gave me something to help jump start my weight loss! She prescribed 30 days of Apidex-P (Phentermine) and if I think I need more after that I can call her and talk to her about it. My blood pressure is borderline high, so it is important for me to check it very regularly because Apidex is known to increase blood pressure. I started the med last Wednesday, and by Friday I was not feeling quite right. I stopped at a CVS Pharmacy to use their BP machine and my BP was 162/96 with a heart rate of 78. EEK! I checked it again Saturday at another store's BP machine and it was 159/101 with a heart rate of 97! My doctor has me checking in with my Mom (my Mom is a nurse at my doctor's practice) regularly and my Mom let it go Friday, but when I talked to her Saturday and my heart rate and bottom BP number were up, she told me I needed to get it back down. She suggested not taking it on Sunday, then breaking the pill in half to cut the dose. That is what I am doing today, and so far I don't feel 'funky.' I will probably stop to check on the way home from work.

I really LOVE the med, it definitely suppresses my appetite which helps me to not cave in to fast food on the drive home from work! I had a hard time getting to even 1200 calories on the days I took it last week and I am supposed to have 1750 calories a day to 'lose weight the healthy way.' However, I also would like to live. This med also makes me practically CRAVE water... my water intake has drastically increased! I also appeared to have lost 5lbs the first week.

Other than that... I am on CD19 and OvaCue says today is my peak day for BD'ing. Going to get a good session in tonight with Hubby, I am already 'working him up' so he doesn't fall asleep on me! Not sure I completely believe the OvaCue at this point, but we are definitely going to go with it. Last month it was still a few days after OvaCue noted a 'peak' that I actually did ovulate. Plus the last 2 months I ovulated on CD25 and today is only CD19... so I think I am still a few days off. Hoping it is our month because I have MAD baby fever!!! One of my 2 pregnant cousins had to have an emergency c-section on Friday, little man wanted out! She wasn't due for her planned c-section until November 2nd. He was in NICU so I didn't get to meet him, but I saw pictures!

Okay... I have rambled on long enough. (another effect of taking the Apidex, lol) Hope everybody is doing well!

 

[Lotus Womb]

Mrs JP I see on your sig you got BFP and your 5 weeks. Congratulations. Please update.

I am 12dpo and have had some breast tinglyness so just waiting it out. Due on Friday.