TTC #1 Hopeful and Obsessed! lol

[StarGazerRose]

Illa,
Well I'm just learning myself. I used to never track anything, I tried but it's mainly cause years of no cycles and not ovulating. I'm learning what O cramps are and all the progesterone crap that happens during the dreaded tww. Last cycle was the first time I experienced all that stuff.

I wouldn't say I'll be come OCD about it. My goal is to just take opk's during my fertile week and t.r.y to wait out til about 8 or 9 dpo before I'll poas.
I think that only thing that I'm trying to do everyday, is update my app with how I feel, any symptoms that appear throughout the day, my cm, and a few other things i can test/view/feel, as I see fit.

That app I use Ovia -- it's nice cause it gives nice articles and stuff to read, and helps let you know that what you are updating is in line with where you should be in your cycle. Its supposed to adapt based on the data, but i don't have enough for it to figure anything out yet. Its a bit pushy but it's focused on you getting pregnant. (Plus I like how it looks over quite a few others) It's not solely focused on temping, which is also a huge plus for me.

 

[Illa]

Stargazer,
I am learning a lot on this forum as well, before coming I didn't even know there were such thing as ovulatory cramps.. I will look keep an eye out for them.
I am going through a phase thinking that I may have regular cycles but not ovulating... so I caved in a ordered some cheap opks on amazon. will not get them till next cycle.
and debating whether to take temps or not just to see if I am ovulating...
the things that we think about when you are in the TTC phase... I am going crazy

I am using an App as well (my period tracker) It does everything that you mentioned, but I usually only use it to keep track of BD and feritile days...

I hope you get a BFP soon

 

[greenarcher]

If you're just starting out, opks and temping might not been a bad idea. I did that when I first quit birth control, just to make sure that, you know, I WAS actually ovulating. It was a relief to get my first positive OPK and my first temp shift. It was like... okay, my body knows what it's supposed to be doing.

I just use a regular thermometer, nothing fancy. The one I have saves the last read temp. Nice in case I half wake up, take temp, then pass out and forget it.

I'm using fertility friend (see below) and I love it. I tried a few other things before this, I just really like that I can post it to my signature, and women can click and see my older cycles.

 

[Illa]

Thanks Green, I will give Fertility Friend a try along with temping this cycle

 

[BelleNuit]

Definitely try temping a couple cycles but once you know your pattern and O days there isn't much point in continuing. It just increases stress!

 

[sil]

Illa, welcome! This is a wonderful caring group of ladies. I wish you luck his cycle!

Star, how'd your opk go? Was it positive?

Belle, how are you doing? I forget, are you close to o?

Green, thank you for the support yesterday. It talked me down from worrying to much over it and helped me get a good nights sleep. I did end up testing again this am (11dpo) though.

Spoiler

 

[BelleNuit]

Congrats sil.

I have my follow-up appointment with my RE today to go over all of our test results and get a "big picture" look at everything. I don't think they'll tell us anything new, but I do have a couple specific questions about our testing that I would like to ask. I wouldn't be surprised if they offered clomid but I'm hesitant to take it because I've read that clomid doesn't increase pregnancy rates above expectant management for unexplained infertility, and then you are exposed to all the risks associated with clomid, which makes me nervous.

 

[sil]

Thank you belle. I hope you girls don't mind if I stay with you on this thread through your journeys. I know I've only been on the thread for a month but I do feel as though I've made friends and don't want to leave you.

Good luck at the doctor belle. I hope they can tell you something to help thugs along that they haven't thought of yet. I would be hesitant to try clomid too if it's not truly needed. Have you ever tried vitex/castus agnus? I used it last cycle and I know it's helped many women with unexplained infertility. It is a herb, but it helps to regulate the whole system

 

[BelleNuit]

Vitex isn't right for me. It increases progesterone and lowers FSH which lowers estrogen. My estrogen is already borderline and definitely doesn't need to get any lower. My progesterone is well within the normal range, so I'm not worried about that. Herbs like vitex work well at correcting certain types of imbalances. But if you don't have that imbalance they can actually just make things worse.

 

[Illa]

Congrats SIL!!! It's great to see that you got the BFP!!! I am so happy for you.
This group has been great and I am looking forward to learning more about my cycle this month.

Belle, Good luck at the doctors, hopefully they suggest something new, and it works

 

[StarGazerRose]

OMG .... SIL!!!! I'm so happy for you!!!!
That line is getting darker too! Ahhhha Can I steal some baby juice?! Pass it around so we can all get pregnant!!!

I had to pee really bad when I got home and wasted it cause I didn't have time to open the packaging .... So I didn't take one. BUT we DTD anyways So regardless of what it would be I count it as a good day.
I think it's too early for a positive, though. I'll test when I get home today cause I should be coming up to it.
I think my CM is going back and forth from watery to creamy, and I just can't pin point it as to which one I should track, so I'm putting "nothing" :/

 

[greenarcher]

YAY! Congrats Sil!!! It's so good to see a second line in here! Definitely love to have you stick around!

Belle - I'm really interested to know how your appt goes. Please let us know. I'm going to be following in your footsteps in a couple months, so the more I can learn now, the better!

Star - OPK or not, you dtd, so you're covered

Should be Oing sometime soon. Just trying to have some fun and relax at work, easier said than done.

 

[BelleNuit]

Green I really hope that you aren't heading down the same road as me! I hope you get your BFP soon.

I will definitely update on the appointment, but I'm not expecting much

Thanks ladies for all of the support!

 

[BelleNuit]

Well the RE pretty much sat us down said we had unexplained infertility and then said our options were stimulated IUI and IVF.

I told her we didn't start timing BD until December so she told us we could try on our own for a little while. She prescribed letrazol (femara) for 3 cycles after I told her I had 1 anovulatory cycle this year. Supposedly it should help lengthen my cycle.

I'm not sure how I feel about all this. She pretty much said the SA was fantastic and that DH had well above normal count and that all my hormones are normal and tubes are open. Said lining was on the thin side (as I thought) but that femara should supposedly help with that (and at the very least not make the problem worse like clomid would). She said we had a decent chance for success but that we should consider treatment in January.

I dunno. Feels so false. I'm not ready for IUIs

 

[Illa]

Well the RE pretty much sat us down said we had unexplained infertility and then said our options were stimulated IUI and IVF.

I told her we didn't start timing BD until December so she told us we could try on our own for a little while. She prescribed letrazol (femara) for 3 cycles after I told her I had 1 anovulatory cycle this year. Supposedly it should help lengthen my cycle.

I'm not sure how I feel about all this. She pretty much said the SA was fantastic and that DH had well above normal count and that all my hormones are normal and tubes are open. Said lining was on the thin side (as I thought) but that femara should supposedly help with that (and at the very least not make the problem worse like clomid would). She said we had a decent chance for success but that we should consider treatment in January.

I dunno. Feels so false. I'm not ready for IUIs

Belle,
It's great to know that you are both healthy and everything is in check.
You may not need IUI, The Femara may work for you, as you mentioned it's not going to make it worse like Clomid, so why not give it a try and hope for BFP before the end of the year.
Are you you going to use Femara right away, or do you have to wait until next cycle.
Hang in there.. you are going to get a BFB soon

 

[greenarcher]

I think thin lining might be a big part of your problem. Have you ever had a chemical before? If not, that means you're not implanting, and that can be due to your thinner lining. Maybe femara is exactly what you need to thicken that up.

Also, can I borrow some of DH baby gravy? I could use some super sperm about now... hubby's count's on the low side...

 

[BelleNuit]

Thanks illa it's just for unexplained, clomid and femara don't offer better results than expectant management. So I won't hold my breath. I suppose it's something else we can try though. I wouldn't start it until next cycle.

Green ive never even had a chemical. I'll have to do some more research into femara and the effects it has on lining. The RE said it should help with lining, releasing more eggs and with lengthening my cycle, but that all sounds almost too good to be true. And Green I'd lend you some of the super sperm but I'm not sure they'd do any more for you than they have for me lol

Guys I'm depressed and I don't have the energy for hope anymore.

 

[StarGazerRose]

Belle I think you should try for the rest of the year and see how things go. Unexplained and healthy just means it's taking a while, as long as you ovulate, what can it really hurt for the next few cycles. If nothing happens then in January try the Letrozol and see how it goes.
Don't loose hope, it's still possible!!!

Ok so I took an opk when I got home. And here it is:

Spoiler

View attachment 971173

 

[greenarcher]

Star - I don't know how to read that one! It looks like it's very positive, but you wrote "low" on it? If it's positive, hells yea! Another ovulatory cycle!!

Belle - If you only had that ONE check for your lining thickness (which was borderline) and never got checked again to see if it got better or worse, then maybe that's at least part of your issue. If that's the case, then you're not wholly unexplained--there's a reason for at least some of the problem. In which case, Femara might do you good! Definitely look into it. Lengthening cycles will also likely help, give your uterus more time to get ready for an egg. I've still got my money on this month after your HSG though

Depression is understandable and okay. We all go through it from time to time. It's won't last forever.

 

[StarGazerRose]

I wrote low on it because that's what the thing read. I'll test until I get a "peak" which is assuming a "real" positive. And maybe a day or two after just to see if it goes back down.
I only started reading it after taking it out, not just what it says. I would say that I haven't had a solid sign with my cm that it's an early test.
Idk honestly I'm still learning.