Looking for TTC buddies

[karoolia]

ooh ladyapril, those are all very promising symptoms! Really hoping this is your month!!

 

[ricschick]

Sounds promising ladyapril xx

 

[Mom15]

Fx lady!! Hope you get your bfp on Sunday (you said you would test then right?) or maybe tomorrow could be Sunday. Haha. No pressure

 

[Mom15]

Oh and almost pos opk for me

 

[Alligator]

I have a question for you ladies! I'm going to start using OPTs this month (I bought some off Amazon cheap, easy@home brand). I just suffered a MC and had a d&c August 2, so I'm waiting for my HCG to go down (took a HPT yesterday and it was VVVVVFL positive, had to squint to see it, so I know it's going down and I hope it will negative in the next few days). I have heard that you can get positives on your ovulation tests if you are pregnant, so I'm wondering...should I wait? How long? Should I test now with faint positive HPT? And what does a positive OPT look like...two solid lines exactly the same colour are what the instructions say.

HELP! I am new to this. We were blessed to fall pregnant easily without much tracking last time (I tracked my periods and guessed at my fertility window and honestly we just BD a lot lol), and I am hopeful that we will have that luck again, but honestly it helps me to have something to do and track, dealing with this loss. It gives me a sense of control.

 

[karoolia]

Hmm, during 5 weeks between D&C and AF I had 3 positive OPKs. I used clearblue digitals and checked the lines manually as well. They were definitely all positive. Personally, I don't think I ovulated at all that cycle. I think my body tried, came close, but failed every time. The test picks up on the surge of LH, which I assume happened for me, but it can't tell you if you actually ovulated. That is why I tracked my temperature the next cycle so that I would actually know.

So I'm not sure if those were false positives from the HCG in my system, if I was very close to ovulating several times and it just didn't happen, or if one of them was a real ovulation. I was still getting positive HPTs until 4 weeks post-D&C so those hormones were definitely lingering in my body for a while.

Oh and as for what a positive looks like. On OPKs you will always get two lines, but you'll know it is a positive when the test line is as dark as or darker than the control line. That said, some women never get a dark line so they consider it positive when it is almost as dark as the control. You would need to track for a few cycles to find out if you fall in this category though.

ETA I'm really not an expert so if I got anything wrong, someone please correct me!

 

[Alligator]

Thanks Karoolia! I am not an expert either, clearly!! Perhaps I should bite the bullet and buy the digital test but they are so expensive! I'm trying to monitor CM as well but it's all such a new world to me and my body is still very confused. I'm hoping my faint positives on HPTs go away within 3 weeks of my d&c (would be next Wednesday), but you never know. So frustrating. It's probably best to not even test ovulation this cycle and wait for AF...

 

[Mom15]

Alligator - I agree with everything Karoolia said. I got super positive opks 2 weeks after my mc but by temping I could tell I never really O'ed so same experience as Karoolia.
I recommend you not spend the money on digitals. At the very least not for these first couple of cycles. I order the clinical guard brand from amazon (comes with 40 opks and 10 hpts for about $12 and they have never failed me). As Karoolia said it takes a few cycles of tracking to know what your positive opk looks like. I would recommend a 3-4h hold with little fluids during that time. I have found smu works best for me. So I get up and pee and then hold for 3-4 hrs and then do an opk. I also wanted to mention if you are checking cm, you may want to hold off on checking internally until you are 4-6 weeks post d&c. I think you may be more prone to infections as your cervix was dilated. Just passing on what my doc said. I know it is so hard to hear that it will take time. I could hardly stand having to wait. Now I'm finally almost back to ttc. Something else that might be helpful to know while my hCG dropped below 20 (and what I consider below what and hpt can pick up) it wasn't until I was at below 5/6 that I ovulated the first time which was about 7ish weeks after the mc. Hang in there lovely and keep up asking question if you have any!

 

[Alligator]

Thank you Mom15! That is so helpful thank you for sharing your experience. My doctor told me to wait 2 weeks to put anything up there so it can heal (fingers, tampons, sex).. I had my follow up Wednesday this week and she said I've healed well and cleared me, so I feel good about that. Obviously making sure to wash my hands! I have so far only tracked CM by looking on TP and undies, but I would like to be more familiar with it moving forward. The wait is so hard!! Ugh I am so impatient, but st least preparing to TTC helps me feel like I'm doing something and making the wait less torturous.

I'm glad you're almost back to normal! I'm hoping my HPT comes back negative soon so I know it's nearly zero.. my doctor did not order blood tests so I guess wait and see? I had cramps earlier this week (I usually do get ovulation cramps), so you get to wondering if it's ovulation or just my uterus being twitchy as it returns to normal. I had almost no bleeding after the procedure which my doc said was a good sign of healing well.

I've also just started to chart my temp too and noticed a small jump earlier this week... I should probably hold off until my cycle is back on track but it's hard!

 

[Mom15]

I would still track everything, just for practice reason. I remember my uterus feeling sore a couple of weeks past the miscarriage when my body was trying to O. And there was soooo much ewcm, but I was spotting at the same time. It was weird. My first period came 4 weeks after the mc. It was very clotty. All in all I spotted for about 8 weeks, but I think I was an exception. Most women here seemed to not have that. Did your doctor advise to wait a certain amount of time before ttc again?
Is this the first time you are temping? It takes a while to get used to it and get into the routine, but I love it.

Btw. I looked back at my opk and it was positive. I just took my temp before going to sleep as I have found it is somewhat accurate and it is super low at 96.7, so I am guessing tomorrow is O day, then 11 days before Af will start and our first ttc cycle post mc starts. Can't say I'm not excited.

 

[Alligator]

It's my first time temping, yes! We fell pregnant easily when we first started 'trying' - just lots of BD around what I thought wasn't fertile window based on my periods. Lucky us! Obviously not so lucky now with our loss but I'm hoping we conceive quickly again. I bought a BBT and the OPKs just to have something to do and track and feel like I was doing something after the miscarriage as I felt so helpless.

My doctor said to wait 1 cycle but that some women don't get a period for upwards of 2 months and end up pregnant and to listen to my body. Until I get a period we aren't being careful but not really trying either. I'll practice temping to get used to it and once AF arrives I'll start paying more attention!

Yay for Oing!! What did your doc say about TTC again? My doc warned me my first AF may be very heavy/painful so I'm not looking forward to that. I typically have light periods, so that will suck!

 

[Alligator]

Forgot to mention I just took an HPT and got a negative!! I stared at it and stared and stark white, no second line. I am so happy! For now... I want another positive next cycle!!! 🤞🏻

 

[karoolia]

I had a lot of on and off cramps in the weeks after my D&C as well. Nothing really bothersome, but more like the way it feels for me during ovulation or implantation. I was sure I ovulated the first time I got a positive OPK because I had all the right signs to go with it until they happened again a week or so later - womp womp.

My ovulation was probably about 7 weeks after my mc as well. It took 5 weeks for af to show up, then I ovulated on CD17. I hadn't thought about that timeframe before.

Good luck with figuring it all out Alligator! I know it seems like a lot and a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it.

 

[Mom15]

Glad you hpt went finally negative! So your hCG is probably below 20 now. It may take another 2-3 weeks for it to be all the way down, but you are getting close. My doctor ordered that I do not try for two months AFTER my hCG was below 5. So that time is up in September. I would advise waiting at least for your first period. It just gives your uterus the chance to get back to normal and make sure it's lining is built back. Hopefully in the next week or two you will either o or get af. The waiting is just the worst.

 

[karoolia]

My doctor said to have one period then we had the green light.

As for heavy/painful first AF I was really worried about that too. Not sure why, but I was overly concerned. Mine actually started the day I was flying back to Canada for a wedding so I was really nervous. But it was fine. It started out heavier than I'm used to, but other than that initial part, was short, light, and not at all painful. So ya, it can be bad, but wasn't in my experience.

 

[Mom15]

I had zero pain with mine! So it doesn't have to be bad.

 

[Alligator]

Thanks ladies, I know everyone is different but it's good to hear the experience of others! I'm hoping AF arrived in the next 2 weeks or so. Hubby and I are waiting for my first period than 'trying' again but I'll admit we aren't being careful right now. My doctor advised I had healed well and my body knows what to do. The waiting is totally the worst! My doctor also said that some women don't get a period and come in 2 months later pregnant, and largely the reason for advising to wait is for dating purposes (assuming there have been no complications with healing, which my doc indicates I haven't had). FX my body goes back to normal soon, the negative HPT within just over 2 weeks made me happy as my levels were pretty high. I think getting back into my workouts helped a lot.

I'm hoping when AF returns it isn't too bad.. so many unknowns...

 

[ricschick]

I agree waiting is the worst as you just want to get back to ttc and feeling normal and hoping that "this will be the month"
I think I ovulated 3 weeks after my hpt went negative but I normally have long cycles anyway. Fx it won't be long for you now. Xx

 

[Alligator]

Thanks ricschick. Fx for both of us!! Xx

 

[ladyapril777]

Bfn for me this morning,. Just waiting on AF to show