Experience going off BCP

[Webby]

Sorry Webby, I'm probably not the best person to give any advice so hopefully k8nz can jump in. I'm the queen of waiting things out until they get really bad before seeing a professional. I could understand if there's spotting after sex but still spotting the next day would concern me.

Thank you for both for the advice! I'm currently on CD31 and am excited to announce that I got a positive OPK yesterday. Temp is still low so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I may actually ovulate this cycle. My periods seem like a typical period so far so nothing concerning there. I guess I'm hesitant to see a doctor because I had emailed her in December telling her that AF hasn't visited yet and she said to wait a few months and didn't sound too concerned. Then a few weeks ago I had a ruptured ovarian cyst that sent me to the ER and the doctor there didn't seem concerned when I told her my troubles TTC. Idk. Now that I got a positive OPK I think I'm going to wait a couple more months. I keep going back and forth in trying to decide what to do. Thanks for listening to my woes.

Thanks, I feel a bit silly now, I think I was just really shocked and surprised as I was not expecting it and then a bit hormonal too because of the provera.

Went to obgyn today and turns out its just menstruarion but it's light because there's not much there to shed. So I ended up going on the right day anyway for her to take bloods and she also did another ultrasound to check ovaries and follicles. She said my follicles were fairly enlarged, almost polycystic looking but she doesn't want to label me with PCOS.

Due our extenuating circumstances with my husbands autoimmune disease and having to go on meds (can't have a baby when you're on the meds) she's putting me on a low dose of clomid which I start today. Hopefully ovulation etc. will work out just before he has to go in for surgery, so we'll see what happens.

How are you both doing? Good news about your OPK - hoping it will be confirmed by a temp rise soon - get active!

 

[k8nz]

Webby good on you for going to the obgyn, you know your body best after all.

Did she say whether it was normal for menstration to start while still on provera? It's definitely good news I'd say, moves things along for you!!

Tomorrow is my last day of provera and then the waiting begins. It's going to be hard not to stress about whether or not AF arrives post provera but it's out of my hands now

 

[Webby]

Webby good on you for going to the obgyn, you know your body best after all.

Did she say whether it was normal for menstration to start while still on provera? It's definitely good news I'd say, moves things along for you!!

Tomorrow is my last day of provera and then the waiting begins. It's going to be hard not to stress about whether or not AF arrives post provera but it's out of my hands now

Hoping that provera works for you! Keep us posted. The doc didn't say whether it was weird, but she didn't seem concerned at all and told me not to bother taking my last pill. Took my first clomid pill last night - all these pills are so off for me and I'm such a "non-pill" person if that makes any sense! haha

On the positive side, AF really hasn't been that bad. In fact it's barely been there. I have not needed more than a pantyliner which is a first! Doc said it was because there wasn't much there to bleed. Hope that your AF isn't too bad when it comes in the next few days x

 

[alexanne89]

Webby - Glad it wasn't an issue and just AF. Hoping you O this cycle! Is there a certain date that your husband has to go on meds? Does he have to be on them long-term? That would really stress me out with a time crunch. If those questions are too personal just ignore me!

k8nz - Good luck! Hope AF arrives on schedule!

Are you guys temping at all? My temps are all over the place and I wonder if it's due to my lack of sleep. I normally get 5-6 hours of restless sleep every night. My temp went up .4 this morning but not sure if that's a high enough jump for O. This whole TTC process is very confusing and frustrating.

One of my closest friends just had a baby and is posting pics all over FB. I actually teared up today at work. I'm happy for her but it's hard to push the jealously down especially when she hasn't even been married a year and they weren't even TTC. Is there anyone in your life where it feels like they are shoving their baby pics in your face?

 

[Webby]

Webby - Glad it wasn't an issue and just AF. Hoping you O this cycle! Is there a certain date that your husband has to go on meds? Does he have to be on them long-term? That would really stress me out with a time crunch. If those questions are too personal just ignore me!

k8nz - Good luck! Hope AF arrives on schedule!

Are you guys temping at all? My temps are all over the place and I wonder if it's due to my lack of sleep. I normally get 5-6 hours of restless sleep every night. My temp went up .4 this morning but not sure if that's a high enough jump for O. This whole TTC process is very confusing and frustrating.

One of my closest friends just had a baby and is posting pics all over FB. I actually teared up today at work. I'm happy for her but it's hard to push the jealously down especially when she hasn't even been married a year and they weren't even TTC. Is there anyone in your life where it feels like they are shoving their baby pics in your face?

Thanks. There's no specific date but they want him to go on as soon as possible. He hasn't been well for a while and then was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease at the beginning of this year. They then realised that it was pretty bad so told us that if we wanted kids we need to start now before the meds. We will have been married 7 years this August and we were beginning to plan to ttc around now anyway but now it feels like the pressure is on! He'll have to be on the meds for the rest of his life, but if we want another kid in the future, he'll have to come off them around six months to get them out his system. There's been so much to learn recently, and not just about ttc-ing (which up till recently, I was completely naive about! Haha)

I do temp, but only started around day 55 in my last cycle and as you know, didn't end up ovulating so I'm not much help on the charting front, but I remember looking at things online and I think 0.4 sounds about right, or at least the minimum it should jump. Really hope that's an O spike for you!! Keep us posted. I see some people post their chart on here but I don't know how to do it. I might look into it.

I know what you meant about other people getting pregnant, but a close friend did warn me that as soon as you start to ttc you'll begin to find everyone gets pregnant lol. Over the weekend we had THREE pregnancy announcements! Two of them were not planned (one was on the pill!) and they are their third and fourth baby. The last one was planned and is their first and I was genuinely happy for them, but I did feel distract the rest of the night, in some ways sad that my own body was not working how it should lol.

Off to go and take my next clomid pill..eek. I think the last ten days are the most pills I've taken in years (except BCP of course!)

 

[Webby]

Found this on fertility friend for you:

"The rise in temperature is usually about 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.2 degrees Celsius, but the rise may be as slight as 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.1 degrees Celsius or even less in some cases. The actual temperatures are less important than noting a biphasic pattern showing two levels of temperatures."

 

[k8nz]

Webby how is clomid going so far? Any side effects? Will you use OPK too?

Today is my first day off provera, now we wait! If my experience on BCP is any indication, it will take a few days for my body to start AF. The doctor also told me AF is likely to be light, so that's going to be interesting!

Do you both temp at the exact same time each day? I dabbled in temping but was terrible at being consistent so I don't think it was very valuable.

I totally know what you ladies mean about friends getting pregnant! I don't know about you, but I found the same with engagements. Before hubby and I got engaged, it seemed like EVERYONE was getting engaged haha now it's babies! One of my friends is the most fertile person around. Her and her husband are expecting baby #2 and both were conceived in their first month of trying! I think that's why it seems like such a shock that it's actually not that easy for everyone. My sister had difficulties getting pregnant both times with my nieces, so I feel like I've been prepared for it to be hard, but that probably doesn't help with my mindset!

 

[Webby]

Hoorah for finishing - hope the waiting game is not too long for you!

It may sound silly but the main side effect I've felt is exhaustion! The past two days I've come back home and fallen asleep straight away. It's a very heavy tiredness. Just don't think my body is used to taking all these drugs! Haha. I'm taking it at night, cos the doctor said to take it at the same time each day and I swear it's kept me awake when I'm trying to get asleep and maybe that's why I'm tired. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid. I had a headache when I woke up but I'm making a concious us effort to stay very hydrated as I want good ewcm. I'm also drinking pomegranate juice (I read it can help with uterine lining) and will start drinking some grapefruite juice this weekend (read it can help with ewcm). Who knows whether any of it will help but I figure there's no harm than trying and it's certainly better than taking any other pills!

obgyn said to get busy every other day from days 10-16, so that's Tuesday. I bought OPKs but I've read that you must wait 3 days after you've taken last clomid - I take my last pill on Friday so will start using them Monday. I'm going back for an appointment on Thursday avo so will see how things are going along there.

I do chart, but since I haven't had anything remotely close to a proper cycle and that I haven't ovulated, I'm not sure if it works. I'm still doing it so will keep you posted. My temp definitely went down for AF. I'm a teacher so it's easy for me to temp roundabout the same time each day (5:30am) and on the weekends I usually find that I wake up around that time naturally so I just wake up, take my temp and go back to sleep. The thermometer I've got keeps the temp so when I turn it on later when I wake up properly, I note it down on fertility friend. If I wake up late, I take my temp but don't look into it too much. That's probably a bit of a long winded answer to your question! In short, yes I temp lol

 

[alexanne89]

Webby - Sorry to hear about your husband! Hopefully your body gets on track quickly making it easier to get a BFP.

My temp was still up today so hopefully it stays up. I had some cramps yesterday and then today they were really bad. I'm hoping that it means I O but reading online it could be anything from tube irritation or my body just getting ready for the next step in my cycle. I was really worried it might be another ovarian cyst eruption which isn't fun at all. I finally had to take some Advil since the pain was too much.

I temp every morning at 6 am and I'm pretty consistent. I've been temping for 9 months now so I better have it down. As for understanding my chart, not so much.

One of my best friends from high school is on baby #3. She keeps telling me "it'll happen" but when!?

I never heard of drinking pomegranate or grapefruit juice before. Maybe I'll add that as I heard we're suppose to make sure we get lots of fruits, veggies, and protein which I know I don't get enough of. Are you guys taking prenatals?

You'll both have to keep me posted on your charts once things get going. My temp likes to bounce back and forth between a zig zag and a curve. Not very helpful!

 

[Webby]

really hoping those are good sign alexanne! Yes, I'm trying to be very healthy at the moment too. I generally lead a healthy lifestyle with lots of exercise and good eating, but I've been drinking lots of green juices with kale and super food etc. recently to up all the good nutrient intake!

k8nz, keep us posted if AF shows up! Hopefully soon!

 

[k8nz]

Crossing my fingers for you alexanne! Keep us posted!

Webby how's it all going??

Day 2 off provera today and I woke up with sore boobs and I've had mild cramps this afternoon. I've had quite a bit of CM since yesterday, so hoping those are all good signs! It's very difficult not to over think everything, and it's hard to tell whether the cramps are proper cramps (if that makes sense) or my mind making them seem bigger than they are. I'll definitely keep you posted!

 

[Webby]

I know how you feel! I swear I have never noticed all these different things that are going on in my body before I started TTC-ing - the little twinge, the bit of CM, the aches etc.

All going okay so far for me. No massive side effects. I felt a bit of nausea after taking my pill last night but am fine this morning. Last pill tonight so then it's a waiting game....Will take first OPK on Monday and then have an appointment on Thursday.

Hoping all your signs are good too k8nz!

 

[k8nz]

Webby I so know what you mean re noticing all the different things with your body!

So a few hours after I last posted, AF arrived!!! I honestly have never been so happy to see AF before! That was in the afternoon and the nurse told me if it arrives in the afternoon to count the next morning as CD1, so here I am on day 1, finally! It's very light but I still have mild cramps so thinking it will last a few days. I start taking letrozole/clomid on CD3

 

[k8nz]

I forgot to add.. Webby it's good to hear there haven't been any major side effects for you. Fingers crossed for a positive OPK!

 

[alexanne89]

Hurray!! So glad AF showed up k8nz and Good to hear that you aren't having any major side effects Webby! Hopefully you both have positive OPKs this cycle!

My cramps have pretty much gone away. My temp is still up so I'm thinking (hoping) I ovulated. My problem is that this cycle will be around CD46 if AF shows up on time. Why are my cycles getting longer?? I told my DH after this cycle I'm only going to do one more cycle and then I'm making a doctor appointment. I want to get a bit more data/charting before going to the doctor.

At this rate it's going to take forever to get a BFP since I only have one shot every month and a half. Ridiculous! I was reading online if you have irregular cycles you should not waste time seeing a doctor. Plus an average cycle is usually 28-32 days. Yeah this cycle I'm way over that. Before BC my cycle was 30-32 days.

Hopefully you both to have regular cycles!

 

[alexanne89]

So I've been reading more and it sounds like if your cycle is longer than 40 days you should see a doctor. Apparently by the time I O there's so much lining in my uterus that my egg doesn't stand a chance. And I may not have even been ovulating this whole time except for this cycle. Okay ladies, when is the best time to make a doctor appointment? Researching online it sounds like clomid would be the next step. AF should be due in a week and a half if it's on time. At what part in your cycle do they like to do testing? Maybe when I call they'll let me know.

 

[Webby]

Yay k8nz, we can be clomid buddies! Took my last pill last night. Felt a bit nauseous yesterday but seem fine this morning. Feeling a bit nervous - I don't want to put too much hope and expectation into it all. I hope you don't feel any side effects. I think it helped that I took my pill at night, around 9ish, so I went to sleep not long after.

Alexanne, I feel for you. I remember going through something similar. I think if you're cycles are not regular and are getting longer, it is worth going to the doctor if you want answers. I guess a lot of it depends on where you live. I'm lucky where I live because I was able to go and see an obgyn straight away without a referral and I did my research before I went to find one that I knew would listen to me. She specialises in this sort of stuff - women struggling with fertility. She is so great and was really sympathetic to my husbands situation too.

However, I know in some places you have to go to your GP first and get a referral which they might not even give you etc. If it's easy enough for you to go and see someone, I'd go for it. There's no harm in getting yourself checked out. Im not sure what part of the cycle you should go. I don't think it will matter in the grand scheme of things because one of the issues you will be raising is irregular cycles.

Still hoping that you ovulated and that it all works out for you before any of that xx

 

[k8nz]

Thanks for the tip Webby, I was just thinking about when I should take my pills so good to know that night time is best! My first pill tomorrow night, ekk! My AF is heavier than I expected, which is almost a relief in a weird way. I'm also happy as the timing of AF and potential O means we have a few days of action before hubby goes away! Haha. How long until you start testing with OPK Webby?

Alexanne I completely agree with Webby, there's no harm in seeing someone. Similar to what Webby has suggested, finding the right doctor to see is key. I saw two GPs and both were completely unhelpful, so I referred myself to a obgyn who specialises in fertility. He listened to me which was such a huge relief! So I suggest doing your research and seeing the right doctor

 

[Webby]

Well said k8nz - I went to a GP and she was so patronizing and not helpful at all. I just wanted to cry when I left! Who you see makes a big difference.

Going to use my first OPK tomorrow though am going to try get busy today I've read that you should try every other day (Doctor agreed) and I've also read when you get positive OPK try two days in a row. I never thought I would be so mathematical about it all lol - how naive I was!

Feeling slightly tender down below and in my breasts. Nothing major. Hoping that my hormones are doing the right thing!

 

[k8nz]

How's everything going ladies? Any positive OPKs Webby? Have you found a good doctor alexanne?

Day 3 of clomid for me, so far so good! I'm on CD5 and AF is very light so thinking today will be the last day. It lasted longer than I expected it to!

I've had a few side effects from clomid - have had two hot flashes so far! It's winter here so it's been a shock to the system haha first one was last night while eating dinner, I ended up sweating so much, ew!

I'm booked in for my blood test on CD21 so hoping that will show I O'd - looking forward to starting testing with OPKs!