Anyone in their 20's and ttc #1?

[LnDnurse]

I am 27 and husband is 33. We just got married this past September and I threw out my BCP while on our honeymoon. I was on BC for 13 years... Tetracycline, NuvaRing, and patch during my teen years. Low-ogestrel for past 8 years. Since throwing out BCP, I have had very irregular periods ranging from 33-42 days. First 3 cycles, had positive OPK on cycle days 12-14 (used ClearBlue advanced digital). Last cycle, took OPK (Wondfo strips) twice daily from CD10-CD17 and all negative so gave up. Had EWCM on CD15 and CD18 though? Unable to temp because I work as a labor nurse on night shift so unable to temp at same time every day. AF came on 2/26, so hoping this is the cycle!! Also was diagnosed with endometriosis at 15 years old but have not had laprascopic surgery since then. Hoping it does not affect our TTC. It's getting to be more and more frustrating, especially being a labor & delivery nurse. I have too many patients that take their pregnancies and babies for granted and don't seem to realize the gift they have been given. Also beginning to feel like everyone around us is pregnant and got pregnant either 1) without trying or 2) after only trying for 1 cycle.

 

[KymD]

LnDnurse, I could not imagine working in your line of work and TTC at the same time. You are one strong woman. The same thing happened to me with OPK's this cycle. I never got a positive, but I could definitely tell I had because of the EWCM and cramps.

I know how you feel about everyone around you getting pg, it's definitely not easy, especially when they want to give unsolicited advice, such as "oh just stop trying and it will happen." Last I checked, the only way to get pregnant was to actually try. Haha.

How have you been feeling? Oh and of course, welcome to the group!

 

[LnDnurse]

Hi KymD. Thanks for the welcome. I'm so glad I found this forum so I can have others to talk to that are unbiased and going through the same thing I am.

Most of the time- I'm just depressed or bitter. I try not to talk to my husband too much about it because I don't want to worry him and I think because we're still only in the 5th cycle TTC, he is confident nothing is wrong. But I have a gut feeling that the enfo has just continued to worsen and we won't be able to conceive without assistance. We have several vacations coming up so he wants to wait until we get back from the last one in April. If no BFP by then, then he agreed to make an appt with me.

It's hard when everyone around you is either pg or getting pg. some nurses at work have also struggled in past for various reasons and have since had children. They're much more understanding than others. But you're right- if I hear "stop stressing about it and it'll happen" one more time i may cry right there lol. It's hard not to stress when you had a dr tell you at 15 years old "do NOT wait to have kids. Especially not over 30.. It's going to be harder for you the longer you wait".

 

[KymD]

Your doc told you that when you were 15? I can absolutely see how that would stress you out even more.
Sometimes vacations do help though. Hopefully they will give you the break you need from work and all the other life stress.

I'm on cd30 now... I never have cycles this long. Im starting to worry now, because I still haven't gotten a BFP.

 

[LnDnurse]

I'm so sorry your BFN. Waiting for af after getting a BFN is the most frustrating and hardest thing ever. My first two cycles off BCP were 40 and 42 days. At some point you're begging for af just so you can start the cycle over. Hopefully af comes soon for you so you can try again! I'm on CD4 now. Patiently waiting for ov.....

 

[KymD]

I've been doing some reading, and apparently having an HSG done has delayed ovulation for a lot of women, in turn delaying AF. Hopefully that's all that's going on with me. It's currently CD30, even my phone app is telling me it isn't going to predict anything until I either get AF or BFP.
How's labor and delivery going, LnDnurse?
Peach cheeks, how are you doing? Hope and Megan, how about you?

 

[LnDnurse]

Labor and delivery is....... Busy right now! We're a 16 bed LDRP (meaning you labor, deliver, recover and spend the remainder of your stay in the same room). We've had every bed filled twice this month which doesn't happen too often. At one point, we had to move people up to another unit and even had people laboring and getting epidurals in our triage room while waiting for their own room. I don't know what was in the water 40 weeks ago, but it needs to send some baby dust our way and soon!!

Sending positive thoughts to everyone in this group! Maybe we'll all get babies for Christmas this year.

 

[WhereisBabyL]

I'll be 25 on Friday and we are trying for our first!

 

[KymD]

Welcome whereisbaby! What CD are you on? How long have you been trying?
LnDnurse, you are funny. Hey let those lucky ladies know that we all need some baby dust. Maybe they have some extra. Haha.

 

[arabiya94]

I really hate the waiting game! Every month you just wish it ends and you get your BFP!

 

[armywifejen]

I am 25 (26 in two days) and ttc with my husband since December 2013. I have done a cycle of clomid, but my doctor is not following it up with ultrasound or progesterone, as I have heard lots of others receive (in another infertility support group I'm in). We have a second opinion with a prestigious clinic in Los Angeles to make sure we've tried everything else before we move on to IUI. My doctor adamantly suggests using OPKs when you're ready to start seriously trying. Unfortunately, I wished I had started trying closer to 23 like you both, seeing that it's taken 15 months to get to this point-- still not pregnant.

 

[peachcheeks]

LnDnurse, your story really touches my heart. I am so sorry to hear about the endo. I really admire you for the work that you do. I know you said that you are "depressed and bitter" sometimes but I can still sense your positive attitude. I hope you are able to get pregnant without fertility assistance, but if you do need it, try to keep your head up and know that you have us to talk to.

KymD, sorry about the BFN. Have you tested again since then, or did you get AF?

Hello whereisbaby. Welcome to the chat!

arabiya, hi there! I know what you are saying! Each month feels longer and wears me out a little more. I need my bfp!

ArmywifeJen, Happy birthday tomorrow! I hope you have a fantastic day. I love opks. I use them religiously. I use about 40 of the cheapies a month. I test multiple times a day and still keep testing even after I get a positive lh surge (I know I'm not supposed to and it does more harm than good!) but hey, I'm a POAS addict. haha

Well afm, I finished Clomid yesterday and am just waiting for O. We'll be at my DH's parents house for a week for his birthday and if my calculations are correct, I'll be ovulating on his bday! Which kinda stinks for him because I think he's expecting to wake up to a (TMI alert) birthday bj. Can't waste it though!

 

[proudwifey]

I am 27 and DH is 29. We are ttc our first. Been together 10 years, married a year and a half ago, and we are finally ready! I have wanted a child forever, but very strongly for the past 4 years. My DH wanted to get all of our ducks in a row and here we are! READY! This is our second cycle trying. I was on BCP for over 10 years. Last cycle, I did not chart BBT. This month I am charting and I am so nervous that I will not be ovulating. I am under a lot of stress and the thought of not ovulating just adds more stress. It's a viscous cycle. Stress about ovulation; no ovulation due to stress... OPK's are really confusing for me, as I've received two close to positive tests, with very clear negatives hours after each of them. I have not seen a rise in BBT so ovulation has not been confirmed. I'm trying to BD as much as possible without DH looking at is as a chore or job. If it were up to him, we would just "let it happen." I'm not even really sure what that means, I don't understand how people can accidentally get pregnant. It seems so hard to get pregnant and I want to increase my chances as much as possible by OPK and BBT charting. I have told a few of my close friends and I feel like some of them judge me. They think that I should just try to "let it happen" too, for at least six months before tracking anything. Why would I waste six months of not knowing when (or if) I ovulate. It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[LnDnurse]

Welcome soon2bpreggo... Your story touches my heart. I feel like I am in the exact same boat. DH wants to "just let it happen" forcing me to feel like I have to hide my opk's and tracking apps on my phone. Friends and coworkers continue to say "stop tracking and just have fun". But I, like you, worry that something is wrong and that I may need assistance with fertility due to my endo. Therefore the more information I can gather during the first 6 months of TTC, the better.... Right?

As for opk's... I used digital for the first 3 cycles off BCP and had a positive each cycle. This last cycle I used strips because they're cheaper and I never got a positive so this cycle I chose to spend the extra money and buy digitals. I felt like it was worth the $. If you continue to worry about not ov'ing- try splurging a little a buy the digitals for additional reassurance. The docs and midwives I work with assured me that the first 3 cycles off BCP can be wacky so try not to get discouraged. Good luck!

 

[LnDnurse]

Peachcheeks- thank you for your kind words! I know that ultimately, with or without assistance, the end result will be the same. But sometimes I can't help but feel like I'm less of a woman if I cant get pregnant without help. This probably sounds like a crazy thing to think, but I do. It's so ironic because I've spent the first years of my career as a nurse explaining to laboring moms whose birth experience ends up with a cesarean section that "the path you take may be different than the one you expected or intended to use, but the destination (receiving your beautiful baby) is always the same". So why can't I take my own advice?

As for you- sending positive thoughts your way! Hoping you O soon!

 

[LnDnurse]

I used Clearblue Advanced digital OPK's the first three cycles after getting off BCP. And for three cycles in a row I went from having an "O" (low fertility) to a solid smiley (peak fertility). I never had a flashing smiley (high fertility). I decided to do a little research on this brand and the manufacturer's website says that they're "advanced" because they measure both the increasing estrogen levels (the days you'd receive the flashing smiley) and the lh surge (the solid smiley day). I'm worried that because I never had a flashing smiley that maybe my estrogen levels are wacky. Anyone else experience this issue with this brand?

 

[KymD]

Hey ladies, sorry I've been gone for a couple days. Hello soon2bpreggo, arabiya and armywifejen!

Peach Cheeks, still no BFP, and still not AF. =/

I had my first appointment with the infertility doc today, I have some bad(isn) but good news. It turns out one of my tubes is blocked, so they're doing an exploratory surgery a week from tomorrow and if they can, they'll fix the problem right then and there.
Crossing my fingers!
LnDnurse, digital OPK's are definitely the way to go!

 

[proudwifey]

Welcome soon2bpreggo... Your story touches my heart. I feel like I am in the exact same boat. DH wants to "just let it happen" forcing me to feel like I have to hide my opk's and tracking apps on my phone. Friends and coworkers continue to say "stop tracking and just have fun". But I, like you, worry that something is wrong and that I may need assistance with fertility due to my endo. Therefore the more information I can gather during the first 6 months of TTC, the better.... Right?

As for opk's... I used digital for the first 3 cycles off BCP and had a positive each cycle. This last cycle I used strips because they're cheaper and I never got a positive so this cycle I chose to spend the extra money and buy digitals. I felt like it was worth the $. If you continue to worry about not ov'ing- try splurging a little a buy the digitals for additional reassurance. The docs and midwives I work with assured me that the first 3 cycles off BCP can be wacky so try not to get discouraged. Good luck!

I just ordered some more cheap OPK's online, and I also went to the dollar store to pick some up as well. I am just really nervous that I won't ovulate and AF will come. I've been temping every morning, same time, before getting up, before even looking at my phone.... and no rise in temperature. Just hoping that the temperature will rise. I'm happy that it's Friday because I need a glass of wine to relax and stop over analyzing. It's looking like I'll be cleaning tonight to keep my mind off things!

 

[LnDnurse]

That sounds like a wonderful idea! Drink a glass (or two) of your favorite wine... Take a bath... And unwind. Keep us all updated on your charting. And don't get discourage if the temping doesn't give you answers this cycle. Maybe the OPK's will.

 

[ambernwxo]

Hello ladies!

I am 21 and my husband is turning 23 next month.. We are trying for our first, have only been actively trying since January of this year. I experienced an early miscarriage in July of last year and even though we weren't really trying, I got overly excited before it broke my heart.. After that we both kind of secretly hoped to get pregnant again, but didn't have a serious talk about it until January. I guess you could say before this year we were not trying, not preventing.
I'm currently 4 dpo today, and this was my first cycle using OPK's and charting my temps, and I'm very glad I did or I would have been way off on guessing when I was ovulating! I'm still learning and reading everything I can get my hands on trying to make some life changes to increase my chances. I will admit I'm a little obsessive over it, haha. Now I'm just waiting for the right time to start HPT testing - I'm not very good at patience so I need to work on that, lol.
I'm very excited for this journey, and I wish good luck and lots of baby dust to all you lovely ladies riding this emotional rollercoaster with me!