Ladies TTC August/September 2013

[mara16jade]

Mara - we are trying to do SMEP. We BD on cd8 and last night which was CD10. My OPK last night had a line but it was not darker, so still negative. I'm hoping the presence of a line means it's gearing up though!

Ooo, so how do you do SMEP? And why do you do it? haha Never heard of that one!

And I've only ever used a opk when I know I'm gearing up to O, but others here say that there'll be a line all the time since your body is always producing the LH hormone. Is there a reason you don't want to chart? Its super easy. I just keep the basal thermometer on my nightstand and when my alarm goes off in the morning I take my temp then grab my phone and enter it into my app. Later in the day or week I'll enter all the info to Fertility Friend. The trends are really cool (to me anyways LOL).

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

Mara - we are trying to do SMEP. We BD on cd8 and last night which was CD10. My OPK last night had a line but it was not darker, so still negative. I'm hoping the presence of a line means it's gearing up though!

Ooo, so how do you do SMEP? And why do you do it? haha Never heard of that one!

And I've only ever used a opk when I know I'm gearing up to O, but others here say that there'll be a line all the time since your body is always producing the LH hormone. Is there a reason you don't want to chart? Its super easy. I just keep the basal thermometer on my nightstand and when my alarm goes off in the morning I take my temp then grab my phone and enter it into my app. Later in the day or week I'll enter all the info to Fertility Friend. The trends are really cool (to me anyways LOL).

Mara- SMEP (Sperm Meets Egg Plan) seems really easy and doable for me. It doesn't require temping and it's pretty darn successful if you follow to a t! You start BDing on CD8 and then BD EOD until Positive OPK (which you start using on CD10) then once you have a positive OPK you BD 3 days in a row, then take one day off and BD one more time.

I don't want to temp 1) because I move around/ get up in the middle of the night. It doesn't seem like it'd work well for me.

2) hubby doesn't want me getting all obsessed. He doesn't even know i'm doing OPKs. He wants to just BD and let it happen, but I need a more structured plan. I'm going to try 3 months of not temping and if we still aren't successful I will give it a go. I'm really OCD and too much of the temping stuff will drive me nuts. So just using OPK's is keeping me happy right now

CD10 at lunchtime was blank
CD10 at 10pm very light line
CD11 at 8am (today) light line
CD11 at lunch time slightly darker line.

I think I am going to O in the next two days! These OPKs are pretty cool!!

 

[mara16jade]

Oh I see! That does sound like a good plan. Does your DH know the SMEP?

I'm pretty lucky that I don't move around too much or get up a lot in the middle of the night. But even on the nights where I have to go to the bathroom at say 3 or 4am, my temps don't really get affected.

I think for me, I just got soooo used to temping that its habit now. haha I started all this July 2012 when I was really nervous I had a luteal phase defect. There were a lot of months were my LP was 8-10 days and it was really getting me down. But I noticed that the more stressed I am, the shorted my period cycles were and then my LP was even shorter. Almost as soon as we got engaged earlier this year, my cycles leveled out and my LP is now 12-13 days consistently which is ideal. It was the stress that gets me all out of whack!

I'm fairly certain we'll try for a few months (till the end of the year most likely) with just dtd during my fertile week/time. If that doesn't work then we'll have to be more aggressive with timing when (morning/night) and which days (everyday or every other...?). I'm still trying to sway for a girl (shettles method with doing it early in the fertile window), but really I don't care. lol I'm not going to go too crazy with drinking loads of cranberry or douching or anything.

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

LOL - Yeah mara - I 'm trying not to get too crazy either! No. DH doesn't know about SMEP. He's IS enjoying the extra BDing.. We aren't a SUPER active couple normally, so he's LOVING this. I don't tell him about SMEP or OPK's because I see so many women on this board post that when thier guys know what's going on, they are suddenly tired, or can't "produce" at the right times. I'd rather not stress my husband and out, and just let him think he's getting lucky a lot more than deal with being mad because he couldn't make it work in my fertile period! In a few months if nothing, he will have to be more privy to what is happening!

They say it's best to DTD every OTHER day to rebuild sperm count. I think every day would be far too much for me. We've only BD on CD8 and 10 and i'm already starting to get sore! Eeek!

 

[mara16jade]

Yup, I hear you on that one. We're not the most active couple either so too much can get a little ouchy. My DH was certainly in a really good mood on our honeymoon though. Well....we both were. hahaha

Yeah, every other day sounds like a plan. So then if I'm set to O on Wed., October 2nd, should I be doing it: Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday? lol Hmm....

Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday??

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

If you O on 10/2 I'd BD Today (if you want), Friday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Maybe thursday just incase ovulation is delayed)! LOL It sounds like SO much BDing but, that's why it works! haha.

I'm going to need a BREAK after this week. Geesh!!!

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

You want to keep the spermies fresh too, that's why i'd start as early as today. Sperm quality decreases after it's in the body for a bit.

 

[mara16jade]

LOL my DH is going to be like, "sooo....are you fertile or something?".

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

I know!!! This is why I feel like DH will know what's going on.. but oh well! He knows we are trying, but he "thinks" we are being "relaxed" LOL!!!!

 

[mara16jade]

Yeah, I think they're going to know we're not as "relaxed" about it as they thought we were going to be.

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

LOL. I know. I just don't know what else to try! I've never created a human before so i'm just not sure. My best friend got pregnant with her son and only had sex ONCE. So I guess it's all about timing. It just sucks when you WANT a kid because you feel like one day is not enough. I say the closer to ovulation you BD, the better the chances!

 

[mara16jade]

LOL. I know. I just don't know what else to try! I've never created a human before so i'm just not sure. My best friend got pregnant with her son and only had sex ONCE. So I guess it's all about timing. It just sucks when you WANT a kid because you feel like one day is not enough. I say the closer to ovulation you BD, the better the chances!

My friend and her hubby tried for almost a year with just dtd when they saw fit (which was honestly a lot from what she told me). lol But she didn't understand ovulation and *when* to dtd. So we chatted about phone apps and websites and she ended up buying some brand name opks and the first month they tried- they conceived.

She was away on business (~3 hours from home) and when she got to her hotel and POS, she finally got a "" on her opk. She drove alllllll the way home that night, dtd and then drove back to the hotel 3 hours away. LOL And that's how they got their baby girl who is now 8 months old.

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

LOL. I know. I just don't know what else to try! I've never created a human before so i'm just not sure. My best friend got pregnant with her son and only had sex ONCE. So I guess it's all about timing. It just sucks when you WANT a kid because you feel like one day is not enough. I say the closer to ovulation you BD, the better the chances!

My friend and her hubby tried for almost a year with just dtd when they saw fit (which was honestly a lot from what she told me). lol But she didn't understand ovulation and *when* to dtd. So we chatted about phone apps and websites and she ended up buying some brand name opks and the first month they tried- they conceived.

She was away on business (~3 hours from home) and when she got to her hotel and POS, she finally got a "" on her opk. She drove alllllll the way home that night, dtd and then drove back to the hotel 3 hours away. LOL And that's how they got their baby girl who is now 8 months old.

Now that's dedication!!!!

 

[bellaswedus]

hey guys read through the past few posts.

Zaly - hope you did ovulate and on to 2 ww. will be joining you soon.
canthrdlywait - smep, that is exactly what we did the last time around and it worked. well we did a little modification....we beded on cd 8 the again on cd 10 (everyday) until the day after i ovulated. i did use opk, temp and i can feel when i ovulate. and thats how my daughter was made. haha

mara - i agree with you on temping it is so easy. i have my thermometer next to me so it is just second nature when i wake up.

canthrdlywait if you are afraid that you don't wake up the same time everyday there is a temp adjuster https://www.whenmybaby.com/basalbodytemperature.php

things are good here. we are waiting to ovulate. we beded yesterday which was cd 8 and taking a break today and then doing it everyday until the day after i ovulate. i am temping and using opk. also we will be using preseed which worked for us last time.

will keep you updated. happy baby making ladies.

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

bella - i've heard BDing EOD is better.. but you had luck doign it every day? I'm just lost because I hear varying things!! We BD the last 2 nights, but I think TODAY I am goign to get my postiive OPK. Got an "almost" positive today at lunch. Not sure if should wait til tomorrow, or BD again tonight. My thinking is that the +opk just means I will O in the next day or so, so i'd be okay to wait until tomorrow.

 

[mara16jade]

I usually get two positive opks, but actually O on the second positive (according to my temperature). I hear that's pretty normal though because the egg is supposed to drop 12-48 hours after a positive opk.

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

I usually get two positive opks, but actually O on the second positive (according to my temperature). I hear that's pretty normal though because the egg is supposed to drop 12-48 hours after a positive opk.

okay. And I haven't even really had one "true +" yet. I have a line that's pretty close, but def. not as dark or daker than the line until today at lunch. So, i think I may take a night off, and just BD again tomorrow. Hubby wouldn't know what to think of 3 days in a row!!! lol

 

[Buttercup84]

I think bding every other day is more manageable for most couples but every day is fine as long as your oh's sperm count is ok
I'm 7dpo so not long til I can test... Been having side lower back twinges today, hope it comes to something!

 

[mara16jade]

I usually get two positive opks, but actually O on the second positive (according to my temperature). I hear that's pretty normal though because the egg is supposed to drop 12-48 hours after a positive opk.

okay. And I haven't even really had one "true +" yet. I have a line that's pretty close, but def. not as dark or daker than the line until today at lunch. So, i think I may take a night off, and just BD again tomorrow. Hubby wouldn't know what to think of 3 days in a row!!! lol

LOL

 

[bellaswedus]

canthrdlywait - it is like buttercup said it is ok as long as your hubby's sperm count is normal. well my hubby have not taken a test but it is more common that one has a normal sperm count so therefore we just assume that he has a normal sperm count and dtd everyday from cd10 until the day after o, i typically ovulate around cd17.

i use the opk that shows a smiley face (clear blue digital opk) as i just don't feel like guessing if i am about to o or not with the lines.

the clear blue digital opk cost 35 dollars for 20sticks at walmart and supposly there are new ones that are called clearblue advanced digital ovulation test which you can buy at target for 30 dollars and it has 10 sticks. the different between the two is that the second one indicates 4 days of your fertility window https://www.clearblueeasy.com