TTC #8 A great adventure is about to begin…

[aggytha]

Also trying for baby #2 and seeing the gap grow is really bothering me. I’m grateful for having my daughter but would love to have a second. So many mums at the nursery are pregnant.

Same for me too. I feel you.

 

[littlepup]

Had anyone ever tried or looked into the at home fertility test kits, like Hertility?
Once again I caved and did a clear blue early detection test 4 days before AF is due, and once again it was a big old negative result. I'm just sick of it now, and I know going through the NHS isn't the quickest, I just want to see what's going on with me and hopefully get peace of mind

I haven’t but my local private scanning clinic does a fertility scan where they check the ovaries etc for about £150. The doctors can do a free books test to check for ovulation with not waitlist (besides what it takes to get an appointment) , could you look for something similar?

Also, same, trying for baby two. Sadly MC at what you’ll have been a 2.25yr age gap. We’re niow looking at 3.5yrs, I suppose at least our child will be in school almost if baby happens.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

Had anyone ever tried or looked into the at home fertility test kits, like Hertility?
Once again I caved and did a clear blue early detection test 4 days before AF is due, and once again it was a big old negative result. I'm just sick of it now, and I know going through the NHS isn't the quickest, I just want to see what's going on with me and hopefully get peace of mind

I’m thinking about it. It’s probably too ‘early’ for me to be considering it but at the same time, I’m late 30s, time is not really on my side! Waiting for my cycle to ‘settle’ post mirena then will probably just bite the bullet and order the test from Hertility.

 

[Curly]

First post here, but spent all of tonight going through the thread.
Husband and I ttc for over a year now. I have pcos and My periods stopped early this year for a round 4 months. I was prescribed a course of medroxyprogesterone to bring on my period. It brought the worst period I have ever had on but glad to have had it. This was Aug 1st, today I had a really dark line on ovulation test for a few hours. I had some spotting and cramps. Also diarrhoea (TMI sorry) . Is this normal?
I feel so uneducated in my own body

 

[prinnygrace]

Hi all, first time poster on this thread. My boyfriend and I have been “not not trying” for the last few months. I’m in the process of being diagnosed with PCOS after not having a period since the age of 13 (I was on the pill to “treat” it from 17-23). I’m 25 and the last 2 months I have had my first ever regular periods.
I’m only 9 days post ovulation (I think - I only track it very loosely) and I have 6 days until my period.
I took this test this morning. I have no idea if I’m dreaming of a line since I want it so badly or if there is a very faint one there (I’d expect it to be faint at this point!). Any second opinions before I lose my mind trying to concentrate in work added a darkened version too

 

[amyy]

Hi all, first time poster on this thread. My boyfriend and I have been “not not trying” for the last few months. I’m in the process of being diagnosed with PCOS after not having a period since the age of 13 (I was on the pill to “treat” it from 17-23). I’m 25 and the last 2 months I have had my first ever regular periods.
I’m only 9 days post ovulation (I think - I only track it very loosely) and I have 6 days until my period.
I took this test this morning. I have no idea if I’m dreaming of a line since I want it so badly or if there is a very faint one there (I’d expect it to be faint at this point!). Any second opinions before I lose my mind trying to concentrate in work added a darkened version too

I see a line!! Keep testing but I'm praying for you. x

I'm 6dpo and I keep staring at the tests even though theres no point at 6 lol

 

[prinnygrace]

I see a line!! Keep testing but I'm praying for you. x

I'm 6dpo and I keep staring at the tests even though theres no point at 6 lol

Thank you
Such a mind game isn’t it I’m only early on the journey so my heart really goes out to everyone who is months and years down the line.
I only have 1 test left before I need to go and buy more so I’m going to try and force myself to wait a few days before testing again

 

[littlepup]

Thank you ❤❤❤
Such a mind game isn’t it I’m only early on the journey so my heart really goes out to everyone who is months and years down the line.
I only have 1 test left before I need to go and buy more so I’m going to try and force myself to wait a few days before testing again

It does look like a line however I’ve had a similar one once that turned out to be an evap line so and try again tomorrow.

You might want to put it behind a spoiler if it continues to show positive x

 

[Alexaj]

First post here, but spent all of tonight going through the thread.
Husband and I ttc for over a year now. I have pcos and My periods stopped early this year for a round 4 months. I was prescribed a course of medroxyprogesterone to bring on my period. It brought the worst period I have ever had on but glad to have had it. This was Aug 1st, today I had a really dark line on ovulation test for a few hours. I had some spotting and cramps. Also diarrhoea (TMI sorry) . Is this normal?
I feel so uneducated in my own body

All I can say is... period poos are definitely a thing. Something to do with the cramping.

 

[Curly]

All I can say is... period poos are definitely a thing. Something to do with the cramping.

Oh definitely, I always have really bad tummy whenever I get a period. I have never linked it with ovulation though but suppose Iv never properly tracked it. I’m hoping it’s not a fluke and I will get a second period
I have an appointment with gynaecologist and endocrinologist next month so hoping to get some answers

 

[Meg78]

First post here, but spent all of tonight going through the thread.
Husband and I ttc for over a year now. I have pcos and My periods stopped early this year for a round 4 months. I was prescribed a course of medroxyprogesterone to bring on my period. It brought the worst period I have ever had on but glad to have had it. This was Aug 1st, today I had a really dark line on ovulation test for a few hours. I had some spotting and cramps. Also diarrhoea (TMI sorry) . Is this normal?
I feel so uneducated in my own body

If I was in your position I would purchase a basal thermometer and track both strips and temperature, PCOS can cause multiple LH surges each month so it would be hard to know when/if you’re ovulating just from strips alone. With the thermometer you take your temperature the moment you wake up, before you’ve gotten out of bed, and enter the data to your app of choice (my favourites are Pre Mom and Fertility Friend) it has to be a basal one with two decimal points. you should start to see a pattern emerge over the first few months of tracking, when your body is gearing up for ovulation your temperature should drop at the same time as the strips darken, then if you’ve successfully released an egg your temperature will continue to rise afterwards. I’ve attached a screenshot from my last month to help, blue line is temp, red line is strips, see how they dip towards each other and cross over? And then the blue line keeps going up? That’s how I know I ovulated, and outside of viral infections I tend to ovulate at the same point each month which is 4 days later than the apps expected, so now we can time it better, last month we had implantation but my progesterone is low so it didn’t stick around, got an appointment next month at a fertility clinic but without this data I wouldn’t have known what was going on, it’s really helpful ❤

 

[Curly]

View attachment 2403365 q
If I was in your position I would purchase a basal thermometer and track both strips and temperature, PCOS can cause multiple LH surges each month so it would be hard to know when/if you’re ovulating just from strips alone. With the thermometer you take your temperature the moment you wake up, before you’ve gotten out of bed, and enter the data to your app of choice (my favourites are Pre Mom and Fertility Friend) it has to be a basal one with two decimal points. you should start to see a pattern emerge over the first few months of tracking, when your body is gearing up for ovulation your temperature should drop at the same time as the strips darken, then if you’ve successfully released an egg your temperature will continue to rise afterwards. I’ve attached a screenshot from my last month to help, blue line is temp, red line is strips, see how they dip towards each other and cross over? And then the blue line keeps going up? That’s how I know I ovulated, and outside of viral infections I tend to ovulate at the same point each month which is 4 days later than the apps expected, so now we can time it better, last month we had implantation but my progesterone is low so it didn’t stick around, got an appointment next month at a fertility clinic but without this data I wouldn’t have known what was going on, it’s really helpful ❤

Thank you so much this is really helpful.
Will purchase that today.
I honestly think it’s so sad how little education females have about our bodies

 

[call.me.coco]

View attachment 2403365 q
If I was in your position I would purchase a basal thermometer and track both strips and temperature, PCOS can cause multiple LH surges each month so it would be hard to know when/if you’re ovulating just from strips alone. With the thermometer you take your temperature the moment you wake up, before you’ve gotten out of bed, and enter the data to your app of choice (my favourites are Pre Mom and Fertility Friend) it has to be a basal one with two decimal points. you should start to see a pattern emerge over the first few months of tracking, when your body is gearing up for ovulation your temperature should drop at the same time as the strips darken, then if you’ve successfully released an egg your temperature will continue to rise afterwards. I’ve attached a screenshot from my last month to help, blue line is temp, red line is strips, see how they dip towards each other and cross over? And then the blue line keeps going up? That’s how I know I ovulated, and outside of viral infections I tend to ovulate at the same point each month which is 4 days later than the apps expected, so now we can time it better, last month we had implantation but my progesterone is low so it didn’t stick around, got an appointment next month at a fertility clinic but without this data I wouldn’t have known what was going on, it’s really helpful ❤

Thank you so much for sharing
I will buy a basal thermometer. I have been relying on the Flo app but did buy some ovulation strips last month.

 

[Meg78]

I joined a couple of Facebook groups for women trying to conceive after 35 and really wish I hadn’t bothered, it’s just a constant stream of people posting positive tests, no spoiler, no hiding it at all and it’s so triggering to have them in the timeline without warning, I keep scrolling to get them off the screen but as there’s so many it’s impossible, it’s such a basic common courtesy to hide things like that under a spoiler or in the comments, feel like leaving and I’ve only been a member for one day!

 

[prinnygrace]

2 very faint positive tests yesterday, a negative this morning period is due on Thursday

 

[Brewtime87]

This is probably a really daft question, but I am the queen of over thinking and over complicating things, so I'll ask anyway!
To avoid going down the route of paid for at home tests which I'm not 100 percent trusting, how do you go about getting yours and potentially your partners fertility checked through the NHS? Do you go via your normal gp, and have to provide some form of evidence that you've been actively ttc for a certain amount of time? Then what checks/tests are done and how long typically do you have to wait to have these tests?
I'm 36 now, about to start cycle 17 of ttc, my partner and I are desperate to be parents

 

[ScoutFinch]

This is probably a really daft question, but I am the queen of over thinking and over complicating things, so I'll ask anyway!
To avoid going down the route of paid for at home tests which I'm not 100 percent trusting, how do you go about getting yours and potentially your partners fertility checked through the NHS? Do you go via your normal gp, and have to provide some form of evidence that you've been actively ttc for a certain amount of time? Then what checks/tests are done and how long typically do you have to wait to have these tests?
I'm 36 now, about to start cycle 17 of ttc, my partner and I are desperate to be parents

Me and my husband have different GPs so we both just attended to tell them we’d been trying for X amount of time and had no luck, so asked if we could have some testing done. We didn’t need to prove how long we’d been trying or anything.

My GP sent me for CD3 and CD21 bloods to check I was ovulating, and his GP sent him for semen analysis. Everything came back normal so they referred us to the Fertility Clinic at our local hospital, who carried out a HYCOSY procedure on me. Again, that came back normal. We weren’t eligible to have IVF via the NHS so they said I could try Clomid if I wanted to, but we went private at that stage. Our waiting times were a bit weird as it was January 2020 when we first asked for help and then obviously Covid happened. If you are eligible for IVF I suppose they’d put you onto a waiting list at that point, unless any tests came back abnormal and they could consider alternative treatment. Luckily our clinic accepted our NHS test results too so that saved us quite a bit when we got to that stage.

I think it’s definitely worth seeing your GP and asking what help they can offer you as I understand how soul destroying it is month on month. If there’s a bit of a waiting list it’s good to at least have the ball rolling!

 

[Meg78]

This is probably a really daft question, but I am the queen of over thinking and over complicating things, so I'll ask anyway!
To avoid going down the route of paid for at home tests which I'm not 100 percent trusting, how do you go about getting yours and potentially your partners fertility checked through the NHS? Do you go via your normal gp, and have to provide some form of evidence that you've been actively ttc for a certain amount of time? Then what checks/tests are done and how long typically do you have to wait to have these tests?
I'm 36 now, about to start cycle 17 of ttc, my partner and I are desperate to be parents

The average waiting time currently is two years to access nhs help and criteria is strict around IVF, some trusts no longer offer it at all, it’s a postcode lottery. At home testing is reliable and processed in a professional lab, private fertility clinics also offer a raft of testing at a fairly reasonable price, most have transparent pricing online you can see in advance to check if it’s affordable to you, my local clinic was £145. You can also check if you’re ovulating using the methods above

 

[sassylash]

hi where you are getting the clinic from please x

 

[User767676]

Sorry for the rant but I’m CD 28 and still no sign of ovulation starting having the build up as normal but then none of the wet CM, no build in temperature or peak in LH. Was always fairly regular (give or take a few days) before my CP, and last cycle was normal (first proper one since). Has anyone had similar ? I’m starting to wonder if I had another CP as I felt I had symptoms but didn’t test until the day before AF and AF was heavier than normal. Struggling to keep up with the baby dancing at the moment but know as soon as I miss one I’ll ovulate.
Hope everyone else is having more luck!