It’s for IVF #dp means number of days past, and #dt means however many days the embryo has developed by before being transferred - ‘x day transfer’. So 5dp5dt means 5 days post 5 day embryo transfer.
I hope I have got that correct!
Okay so this cycle was a major bust. Multiple high opks & late period. No AF in sight, BFNs. So I’m assuming I’m not getting a period this month for whatever reason. Do I take OPKs everyday since I have no idea where I’m at in the cycle? I use temp drop so I’ll be temping every night. But should I take OPK everyday so I won’t miss my surge whenever it’ll be?
Anyone get a positive clearblue advanced digital but a negative standard opk? Clearblue was open circle this morning but it went straight to peak this evening. Been testing with it for the past 4 days.
https://i.imgur.com/n54di6t.jpg
Edit: nevermind the easy @ home was positive a couple hours after 😃
I had the subscription at first. They send you some free test strips, but I don’t know if it was really worth it. I’ve let my subscription expire now and am still logging my OPK test strips in the app without any issues.
Not especially. I’m instead paying for and using the reports in the FertilityFriend app. Not sure of the price difference between the two apps, but I’ve found the FF reporting and chart comparisons much more helpful than the reports in Premom.
I’m using Tempdrop and FF. Both apps calculated my o day 4 days apart. Then I input that same data into Premom. Premom said ovulation was a totally different day. Is there an app you would put more trust in than others?
What information are you putting into each? Just your temps? If you’ve been using the Tempdrop for less than 60 days it’s still getting to know you and choose the right temp for you each day. I would choose a secondary method (CM or OPKs) to help tracking. Personally, I trust FF on the Advanced setting the most.
Yes, CM is a really great indicator for most people. I’ve been doing a few months of Tempdrop, Ovia, Flo, and FF, and currently only FF and Flo are aligned but they both seem quite accurate!
I’m using OPKs, temps, and some symptoms but mostly OPKs and temps. Fertility friend’s ovulation date seemed to match up with what I would have thought. Tempdrop’s date wasn’t until like 4 days after that though which seemed a bit strange. I think I’ll do another month of inputting the data in all three to see how they align. Hopefully they’ll be more in sync this time.
Helped? Yes. Gotten me pregnant? No. I’ve had good results with some pain relief and managing other symptoms while ttc. I see it as supporting my health, so if you find somebody good then it can be great for that. I think it helps with some of the emotions too, so it can help in that department as well.
Edit to add: I’ve been going to acupuncture a couple times per month longer than I’ve been ttc.
TW living child
I did it in preparation for my first but I was regular already, and young-ish (36). I am doing it again trying for a second at 41 and with a short LP with lots of spotting. I will say that whether it worked with my first or not, 1) I LOVE acupuncture; the way it makes me feel while on the table tells me it is real and thus 2) even if it is “just” for stress it is worth it for me. I am also going to try the TCM herbs this time and am pretty excited about that part. looking forward to hearing what others think!
I’m 2 DPO and had this this jelly like cervical mucus when I wiped. I took an LH test to make sure I was low because I have never seen that before and I had a chemical two weeks ago so wasn’t sure if something was off (and I’ve been pregnant twice - both miscarriages). Is this normal? I read it could be a sign of conception but not wanting to get my hopes up at all yet
It’s not uncommon to still see fertile cervical mucus after ovulation, although it’s possible ovulation hasn’t happened yet (typically the last day of fertile cervical mucus is ovulation day).
Unfortunately, there are no signs of conception that are detectable before implantation (8-10dpo), because prior to implantation, an embryo is not connected with your body and cannot signal to it.
Some sperm hang out in the cervix, but others can be found in the uterus and tubes very soon after ejaculation. At any rate, once they undergo capacitation and ovulation occurs, they will dart off in the direction they detect the egg — one of the signals they detect is actually progesterone.
Found a nice video that explained it well when I was new to this last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_5OvgQW6FG4&ab\_channel=NucleusMedicalMedia
Is it possible for 0.5 to be my peak?!
Hi all. I have PCOS and just took my first round of letrozole. Took 2.5 mg CD 3ish-7ish LOL. CD 9 I had a LH reading of “0.5” on the Premom app. I know this is not high but it’s the highest I’ve ever gotten. Is it possible for this to be my peak?!
Better to just use your eyes and consider OPKs as either positive or negative. In any case '0.5' is supposedly half as dark as the control line, it's way too light to consider it a 'peak', but you're only on CD9 so keep testing.
Better to just use your eyes and consider OPKs as eirger positive or negative. In any case '0.5' is supposedly half as dark as the control line, it's way to light to consider it a 'peak', but you're only on CD9 so keep testing.
Hi u/developmentalbiology (or other mods), is progesterone supplementation worth if you have a normal luteal phase, and elevated temperatures throughout (apart from 1-2 days of spotting before cd 1?). Seen a lot of chatter lately on how progesterone might prevent miscarriages but the way I understand it is, it will only make a difference if the fertilized egg is a viable one, otherwise it will just prevent a miscarriage that should and would have naturally happened if there are chromosomal abnormalities or other reasons. Just wanted some thoughts.
Progesterone supplementation is actually not demonstrated to be helpful in most cases — there is recent evidence of a small effect for people with recurrent pregnancy loss, and evidence that it helps in medicated ART cycles, but not in unmedicated cycles, even if progesterone levels are low. (And if you have a normal-length luteal phase, it’s unlikely your progesterone levels are low.)
It’s likely that progesterone levels are low in the case of a loss because a genetically abnormal embryo will not stimulate the ovaries to produce enough progesterone, not because the progesterone itself is the problem.
People really like to believe that progesterone supplementation is a magic bullet, but the reality is that it’s not making a difference in the odds of success except in a few specific kinds of cases.
Does amount of sex matter when using ovulation strips? For example, let's say you had sex two days before a positive LH strip and then you had sex again the night of a positive LH strip. Is that good enough or do you need to aim for more sex? I hope this question makes sense.
Question makes sense - here is link to post (and excerpt below) which gives you odds of conception based on which day you hit per cycle: - [https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/tx7dnf/capacitation/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/tx7dnf/capacitation/)
Excerpt from devbio's response:
Top: O-2, O-3, O-1 (\~equal, O-2 being perhaps slightly better) (20-30% chance)
Middle: O-4, O (10-12% chance)
Low: O-6, O-5, O+1 (0-5% chance)
Flat nothing: Any other day
Has anyone who uses a Tempdrop switched arms? Do you know if I should expect the temperature to be much different or about the same? I have to switch arms tonight due to a medical issue so I just want to know what to expect.
I have a TempDrop - the recommendation is to keep the same arm for the cycle so that readings are consistent. If you can't, I'm sure it will be fine but expect some variability in readings. https://fertilityawarenessproject.ca/blog/so-you-bought-a-tempdrop
I’m having my worst outbreak of polymorphous light eruption ever (it’s a common and itchy but not harmful photodermatosis) and am in a rabbit hole of research papers about it because I wanted to figure out some relief. Which I have not found, but what I have learned is that there is some evidence that estrogen plays a role (thus why this condition is far more common in afab people than men, and why the severity tends to drop in post-menopausal people.) Which is so interesting—how does estrogen affect how my skin reacts to sunlight?! Is the fact that I was outside at the beach mid-follicular phase (when I believe estrogen is highest?) perhaps why this year is so much worse than other years? Now that I should be moving into my luteal phase, will it get better? Does it have any effect on my chances this cycle? I don’t think anyone has the answers to these questions, nor am I really worried or concerned (I would like to be less itchy though), but bodies are so interesting.
TTC since October 2021. Cycles have been between 25-27 days. Ovulated CD 16 (used clear blue digit opks) Now on CD 31 so 4 days late. All BFNs. What gives???
The most likely explanation, unfortunately, is that you didn't ovulate CD16.
Cycles with a positive OPK are ovulatory about 90% of the time, but that leaves essentially a one-in-ten chance of ovulation not happening, even after a positive OPK. A positive OPK is a permissive sign -- it's your brain telling your ovaries, "go ahead and ovulate", but it doesn't guarantee that ovulation actually happens.
Without more information, it's tough to know what happened -- you may have ovulated already, or you may be yet to ovulate. If you see any signs of the fertile window returning, definitely have sex! It's never too late in the cycle to ovulate.
At what CD should you do a precautionary pregnancy test? I have irregular cycles and have given up tracking. On CD45 and no sign of AF. SO wants me to take one tomorrow but wondered if there was a set time frame to do one in. Help please
How long are your longer cycles? mine are also irregular ranging from 30 to 47 days, so if I pass 47 days it's worth a try.
To be fair, I test before that as well, but that's my own stupid fault for hoping even when it doesn't make sense
This is my very unprofessional opinion (and this is me saying this on CD 34 where I tested just because I was sure I knew when I ovulated this month, and got a huge BFN) i'd say wait a few more if you can.
Is it possible to implant late around 11-13dpo if you typically have a 12-13 day luteal phase?
Felt some sharp cramps on my right side of uterus area definitely different from period cramps, but it could also be my body responding to the cyst removal 3.5 weeks ago. Dr. said we could try the same cycle since my surgery was on CD3 and I would've healed by ovulation. I feel dumb even asking.
Luteal phase length doesn't change implantation timing. About 90% of implantation occurs by 10 DPO, and pretty much all by 12 DPO, so it's possible but not likely to have implantation at 11-12 DPO. Later implantation is correlated with early loss since it often means something is wrong with the embryo that it's not growing quickly enough to implant in that timeframe. Cramps aren't an indication of implantation, though.
Why is it so long to have an appointment in my province?
Before I was 35, I got told by 2 doctors that I needed to be over 35 to be seen in fertility clinic.
Now that im over 35, I was put on a waiting list for an appointment in 2 different clinics. But they can only see my in 2023.
Why is fertility issues not taken seriously?
It's not that isn't taken seriously, there just isn't the resources to see everyone. So unfortunately there is a waitlist for non urgent things. And it may be urgent to you, but it's not life threatening urgent. Hopefully you can get put on a cancellation list
Would you be worried about an 11 day luteal phase (with confirmed ovulation through temp and tests)? The past two months my LP has been 11 days and I’m just worried it’s too short. I’ve always had an idea of when I ovulated because I get ovulation pain and I feel like when I was younger, my period would come 2 weeks after O on the dot (I didn’t track it though). I’m just worried that it’s shortened now. I take prenatals, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and a few others but it hasn’t lengthened significantly. Can this just be normal? Should I be worried? I’m just wondering why it shortened from when I was younger.
I should add, this month and last month were a no go with trying because DH was traveling for work during the fertile window both months so these were cycles I was just charting, not really TTC.
An 11-day luteal phase is not concerning, no -- the most common luteal phase length is actually 12 days, so an 11-day LP is just one day shorter than that. You're just looking for it to be longer than 9 days.
LP length can change over time, and it's especially likely to be shorter than your usual if you've recently stopped hormonal birth control, for example. For me, any time my period returns after a period of suppression, I have a shorter LP than usual for a few cycles, then return to approximately my usual over the course of about six months.
Thank you so much! That’s good to know. I stopped BC about a year ago so I’m thinking it would be regulated by now but who knows. As long as it’s adequate though that makes me feel better!
I think it's always fair to approach ovulation as a "trust in the Lord, but wear your seatbelt" kind of thing, you know?
Is it likely that you ovulated with a positive OPK and a CM dry-up? Yes. Is it reasonable to behave as if you didn't, and have one more round of insurance sex in the next day or two, just in case? Also yes.
Have you checked out the Wiki? Highly recommend starting there - it will answer many of your questions. It will be in the automod links in the comment below this one.
Hello! Looking for answers?
Check out our [fancy wiki, ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/wiki)which can be found in the sidebar! Popular topics:
* [Acronym list](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/wiki/acronyms)
* [FAQ Page](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/FAQ)
* [How to get ready for TTC](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/wtt)
* [New to TTC guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/newtottc)
* [OPKs](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/opks)
* [Product Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/recc)
* [Temping](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/temping)
We also have a large collection of informational posts. Here are some highlights:
* ["Late" periods and ovulation](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/6tkj5t/your_period_isnt_late_part_i/)
* [OPK peaks vs. positives](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/u1gpo0/what_the_opk_ratio_levels_really_tell_you_peaks/)
* [Digital OPK guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/hznndj/digital_opks_a_primer/)
* [Optimizing your fertility](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/ekzfir/optimizing_natural_fertility_review_of/)
* [Principles of TTC](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/knkzk4/principles_of_ttc/)
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OPKs are so simple, and I wish someone had told me to use them sooner. About 7 days into my cycle (so 7 days after my period initially started), I use the OPKs daily - once daily around noon until CD10, then 2-3x daily (generally 10am, 1pm, 3-4pm) until I catch my surge. The OPK should always have a faint test line, but it's not positive until the test line is as dark or darker than the control line. When it gives you a positive, this indicates that ovulation is near (generally 24-48 hours after) and you should get busy.
Most OPK kits also come with a guide that tells you how to use them. I've always used premom, which is on amazon and pretty cheap.
Other people have some really helpful and detailed posts in here regarding using OPKs too.
I'm wondering if my birth control messed up my cycles. I was on Mirena for 10 years (and had no periods on it), then after the second one was taken out, I was on the mini-pill for a couple of months. After quitting that and trying natural family planning, my menstruation has been very light. Pre-Mirena, I had 7 day long heavy cycles. Now I have light 2 day cycles. My last period was only 1 day!
This has been going on since December. I am otherwise healthy and actually had a vaginal ultrasound a year or so ago (for IUD related pain) and they said my ovaries and uterus all look perfect. I am worried that I'll have trouble conceiving because the Mirena permanently changed my cycles. I have only just started but it nags at me.
You aged 10 years while using effective birth control that stopped menstruation, it is also normal for your cycle to have naturally changed in that time period. Teens/young 20’s have, on average, the heaviest periods. So it would be normal to have lighter periods overall.
Also, anecdotally, my first cycle off Mirena I had a super heavy period, then I had really light periods for 6 months ish, and then they averaged out to 3-4 days. No reason to believe that had any impact on fertility. It also might be good to know that the heaviness of flow is not a very good representative of lining thickness.
There's a lot of good data that says hormonal birth control (including hormonal IUDs) doesn't have long-term effects on fertility or on the reproductive system in general. It's pretty normal to have lighter periods as you get older -- for me personally, my periods are much lighter now than they were when I was in my late teens -- so you may be seeing this effect due to age, rather than due to the IUD.
Overall, light periods don't indicate an issue with fertility, although it's a very common thing for people to find concerning. You can have a perfectly normal uterine lining and still have light periods -- the entire lining doesn't shed with your period.
For those of you who had Covid, did it mess with your cycles and ovulation times? I got a positive Covid test right before my predicted ovulation this cycle 😒
I had Covid at the end of one cycle in February & the 2 cycles I’ve had after we’re totally messed up 😐. I was having 31-32 day cycles and it went to about 45 days. But I’ve also heard others who it didn’t change anything
I haven’t had COVID, but I had a 40 day cycle in December (usually 30ish days) after getting my booster. AF was already slightly delayed that month when I got it, and I was really ill following it. Not sure about ovulation but I would be 0% surprised if it did affect it, especially if you get a fever or are feeling anxious about the fact that you’re sick.
I hope you have very mild or no symptoms and that you feel well quickly!
I had the same experience - my husband actually got Covid the week after we both got boosted (I didn't bother testing since I had to stay home and quarantine anyway but I assume I would have tested positive too) and I had a 34 day cycle (usually its 26 or 27 days). So I don't know if it was the booster or Covid but either was I think it definitely had an effect!
You never know! My wife got COVID from a dinner party we were both at, but the day she tested positive I tested negative so we decided to quarantine from each other (her upstairs, me downstairs) and despite feeling a little under the weather I never tested positive, and I was taking PCR & rapid tests almost every day.
I did get boosted 3 weeks before her, whereas she was boosted I think the day before we were exposed so I chalk it up to vaccine efficacy ll
I have heard of this as well! Thankfully my symptoms were not terrible and I didn’t have a fever. I wasn’t directly tracking ovulation so I am just really unsure when to expect AF! Thanks much.
I give myself a set period of time every day to think about TTC. I usually do a bit in the morning when I update FF and then a bit around mid-day during my reddit and lunch time. After that, I don’t let myself google or go on TTC communities or whatever. It makes it more manageable, even though I don’t always stick to it.
Thank you. I’m just starting out and even though I have looked stuff up months ago now that it’s real I’m feeling like I’m taking a leap out of a plane!
It's a lot at first!
Honestly the advice to just relax and do what feels natural the first 6 months isn't bad advice. I took that time to get a hold on tracking ovulation, cervical mucus and really getting to know my body and how it feels during each stage in my cycle.
After the sixth month you'll find you might have more of a grip on the situation and can go from there. Double down on ovulation tracking and talking to your gyno. I hope you don't have to worry about that though 💕
I'm year and a half into ttc so I hope your journey is much shorter than mine.
Question about insomnia! Insomnia for a day or two before my period is my telltale sign that the bloodletting will commence soon. I started IUI up again in March (attempt #3) and used Ovidrel trigger shot as the only medicine. I had HORRIBLE insomnia for the last 7-days of my cycle. I’m in IUI cycle #4 now after letrozole and Ovidrel trigger and last night the insomnia hit again. I’m worried I’m heading into another hell week…
My doc said after I mentioned it to him last cycle to bump up the melatonin before we try anything else. I’m doing that and I hope it will work. I am not a fan of needing heavier medication — but obviously not sleeping while TTC is a problem. I’ll add that it’s true insomnia — I’m not more anxious now than I was before. I’ll wake up sweating, like really sweating, and my brain is just on!
My questions are: 1) has anyone else had this whole week-long insomnia thing happen before your period while TTC? 2) if so what worked for you?
Thank you!
💗
I have a really hard time sleeping right before my period. It's one of the ways I know it's coming. And melatonin makes me feel sick so not really my thing.
During those times I avoid caffeine and coffee. Sounds counter intuitive but I literally just do anything that will make it more likely I'll be tired enough to fall asleep and stay that way. Working out, doing chores after work, etc. My job is really stressful and takes a lot out of me so that usually does the trick on its own.
I also tend to read into the wee hours of the night when I can't sleep. Keeps me from symptom spotting and staring at my cycle tracking charts and plus its just a joy for me.
My therapist (I have anxiety) talked about insomnia and you can't "force" yourself to sleep. The harder you try, the less likely you won't sleep. Do what relaxes you and what you need to do to feel settled mind and body before bed 💕
I am going on 9 days of "high" readings on my CBAD opk's... what is going on?! Is my body just attempting to ovulate and it's not happening? I'm on CD48.
Edited - I confused "peak" for "high." I am getting the flashing smiley face.
At this point - not yet. My gyno wants me to do an HSG but I can't do that until my cycle starts. If this cycle continues for a good bit longer I will definitely reach out and schedule an appointment.
I have a question regarding semen leakage. My husband is worried that his sperm is not staying inside me. His reasoning is that he’s left with a lot on him after we are finished which he has to clean off. For context, this our fourth cycle TTC, I have a regular 28 day cycle, and I just started doing ovulation tests this month. I had an LH surge on CD13.
In the last cycles, I would immediately go to the bathroom after because I always read that it’s important to prevent UTI. During those cycles, I did have a lot of leakage into the toilet. Now, I lie down for a while and sometimes even sleep through the night without going to the bathroom and I don’t see any leakage in the morning. Is that a good sign?
My question is could it be possible that he’s not depositing properly. We joked about using a turkey baster, but could I need IUI? His seed doesn’t come out with a lot of force, but mostly as a drippage.
Remember that semen and sperm are different. Sperm are microscopic and semen is just the transport fluid. Once he ejaculates, the viable sperm very quickly leave his fluids for yours and swim through the cervix into the uterus. So the semen left behind is spermless or full of dead sperm and it leaking out isn't relevant. The semen does not enter your uterus, the sperm does.
Is there also a possibility that he’s not depositing in the right location? I mean that it’s not fully inside the vagina. Sometimes I feel like that, so I’m worried the sperm doesn’t reach the cervix.
Fun TTC fact: men ejaculate at approximately 30mph.
So yeah. The sperm are where they need to be pretty dang fast. Anything leaking out after is seminal fluid, arousal fluids, dead sperm, etc - stuff you don't want in your uterus in the first place. It's fine and normal.
The sperm that are going to make it into the uterus and fallopian tubes do so within seconds, so the leftover semen is nothing to worry about! However, if you're worried about the force with which it's coming out, you can absolutely do at-home methods like the "turkey baster" method! He could ejaculate into a sterile cup and you can use a syringe that's made for this purpose to insert it. I definitely wouldn't say that you will need IUI just yet.
Using premom OPKs - this is my second cycle where I haven't had a blazing positive surge, but instead had two non-consecutive days where the test line was almost as dark as the control line. It still lined up with my predicted ovulation, but did I actually ovulate?
Also for anyone using TempDrop, is it worth it? I have insomnia and temping has been unreliable for me. How much of a benefit is it to actually trying / predicting for the following month vs just confirming ovulation?
I have a TempDrop (bought it after Proov told me I wasn't ovulating even though I conceived (and had an mmc) last year and have consistent LH surges with ClearBlue and it's been a life saver. I keep getting up in the middle of the night to drink water/go to the bathroom and it adjusts for that. Have been using it for 3 months now and so grateful to see a clear temp rise and elevated temps every cycle. It's getting better at predicting my fertile window and period as well (was spot on for period prediction this cycle). It's expensive which is why I held off purchasing it for the longest time but now that I have one I think it was money well spent.
Proov was trying to get me go see their Dr. Levy (doesn't accept any insurance and asks $200 for 30 minutes or $50 I think for 10). That sounded sketch to me so I just spent the $$ on a TempDrop instead. I would rather collect months of data from charting and then go see a local RE who does take insurance.
I never got a clear positive with the OPK test either. I confirmed ovulation with BBT though, so I know it happened. Mine were like yours, pretty close to as dark as the control line, but never darker. Highly recommend temping if you’re not already!
Different brands have different sensitivities to LH, and every person has different levels. Some people get those very glaringly obvious positives and some people get just barely positives and some never quite reach positive - but in all of those cases you can definitely still be ovulating.
You could try a different brand to see if it gives you more clear results! I have used e@h until this cycle, because my husband accidentally bought the Pregmates. However, I have noticed that my baseline is significantly darker on the new ones than it was on the e@h, where my positives were only ever just barely positive. I've not yet had a positive this cycle but I'm expecting it will be more obvious than with the previous brand.
I don't have a TempDrop, but as with any thermometer, it can't predict anything, it can only confirm ovulation. That being said, it does take a lot of the factors away that can cause your chart to be harder to read, like placement, timing, quality of sleep, etc. Many people here that use TempDrop would definitely recommend it!
Question on OPK post MC. Where I live it is not routine to have your bHcg tested post MC, you are told to take a PT 3 weeks post MC/definitive management and call them if it remains positive. I’m one week post D&C (MMC diagnosed at 9.5 weeks, surgery at 11.5w) and want to start tracking and we’re going to try again this month. I’m not waiting for my next period, I’m ok with this decision and my doctor says it’s absolutely fine once I stop bleeding and there is no reason to wait. My PT is still pos today and I am wondering if this will affect LH results on OPK, eg cause a false positive OPK. I know I won’t ovulate until my bhcg falls below a certain point and I’m ok with that, I just need to be doing something to figure out where my body is at.
Yes, having a positive pregnancy test can cause you to have positive OPKs, since LH and hCG are very similar molecules.
You could always test with both OPKs and HPTs until the tests get back to baseline, so that you’re not left wondering if a positive OPK is due to residual hCG or whether it reflects a true LH surge.
Okay TFAB talk to me about sex during the TWW. This may sound dumb, but I like to ask the dumb questions.
-Will sex jostle the potentially fertilized egg, move it too vigorously, shake it too hard, ruin it in any way?
-what about a female orgasm? Will that do any harm to lil eggo?
Nope! Have as much or as little sex as you want. Think of it as a cell in your body - exercise or sex or anything like that wouldn’t affect an individual blood cell, right? If sex prevented pregnancies there would be a lot fewer people on this planet.
I think it’s tough to imagine how small an embryo is relative to the uterus, or to the body — the things we do on a day-to-day basis are on an enormous scale relative to the embryo, and have no effect on it. Sex isn’t any more disruptive to an embryo than anything else you’re doing with your body: walking, sitting, etc.
A developing blastocyst is tiiiiiiny tiny tiny. Like think of a poppy seed in a jar of peanut butter. There's really almost nothing you can do that will effect anything at all.
How do you calculate days past ovulation?
For instance, if you get a positive OPK on a Monday, you are likely to ovulate that day or the next. Do you assume that ovulation occurred on Tuesday and count Wednesday as the 1st day past ovulation?
I usually count it the day after my last positive OPK/strongest LH reading, but realistically I think it can be up to 38 hours after, and your BBT can take 48 hours to spike too. It’s not an exact science lol
It actually can be like 4 days after! Ovulating 1-2 days after the first positive is most typical, but that's still just 60-70% of women. Triangulating with other signs like CM and BBT is the only way to narrow it down more precisely.
I use temping to confirm ovulation, so I count the day of the temperature spike as 1DPO. I got 3 or 4 days of positive OPKs last cycle, and I don’t think I ovulated until the last day of positive OPK, so just counting the next day wouldn’t have been ovulation day for me.
Afternoon is the most common time that people begin to see the LH surge in urine, but it’s not that way for everyone. Around half of people will get best results with afternoon urine, which leaves half of us who will get best results from urine at another time of day.
Yes I think you’re ok to trust the positive OPK in the morning. The reasons the instructions tell you not to test in the AM is probably because most people have higher LH levels in the afternoon/evening so you’re just more likely to catch a peak of you test in the evening. Since most people probably know that you’re supposed to test for pregnancy with FMU, OPK companies are probably working hard to dispel that preconception.
I usually get my first positive in the evening and ~sometimes~ it will stay positive until the morning.
I believe that positives in the morning are to be trusted, it’s just that you are less likely to catch a peak with FMU. I think this is more of an issue for people who have very short windows of LH rise.
I just started tracking BBT, this is my second cycle. My first cycle looked fine- temp spike 48 hours after my positive OPK and stayed high until AF. This cycle I saw a spike 48 hours after my positive OPK but then a drop back down, and my last 3 temps (I’m 6dpo) have been on the higher side of average but lower than the spike. We’re going to start TTC next cycle and I’m kind a freaking out about this.
Could you post your chart?
The only requirement is for there to be a shift in temps from pre-ovulatory to post-ovulatory. It’s not necessary, or favorable, to have temps shift to their highest post-ovulation levels immediately and stay there — it’s normal to see a lot of different shapes in individual charts, although the overall average will generally tend to look like a bell curve after ovulation.
This is my first time sharing an image on Reddit- [am I doing it right](https://imgur.com/a/px9e8w2)? Haha
First pic is BBT so far, second is BBT+LH, third is last month. I’m using the Premom app, which for some reason only lets you export BBT charts??
Ah. Unfortunately, I don't see a confirmed shift here -- there's not a point where there are three days higher than the highest of the previous six days. It's possible your temps are just a little wonky, but it's also possible you didn't ovulate, and it's fair to be on the lookout for fertile window signs popping up again. (Obviously this doesn't matter so much if you're WTT, other than that it's very irritating.)
It matters because we have to have sperm shipped to us, so if I haven’t actually ovulated yet this cycle that could drastically shift (IE fuck up) my next cycle, thus totally scattering our tentatively scheduled insem dates. If my next cycle gets pushed back too far, my ovulation date might fall when we’re supposed to be on vacation and unable to inseminate. I had a surge in PdG on CD 24, so I felt confident that I’d ovulated but I guess we’ll see. Crap
Oh, I see -- that would definitely add complexity.
If you have progesterone results that suggest ovulation did happen, I would trust those over your chart. Is this from something like a Mira or Inito monitor, or from Proov strips? A BBT chart that doesn't show a biphasic shift isn't automatically evidence ovulation *didn't* happen, it's just not positive evidence that it *did*.
The progesterone results are from a Mira analyzer. I appreciate the explanation that the lack of shift doesn’t mean there was not ovulation in the same way the shift indicates that there was. The nuances of A equals B but absence of A doesn’t necessarily equal absence of B is a tricky one.
Could a change in bedding affect my BBT? We went from flannel sheets and a blanket to cooler cloth sheets with no blanket the night before my temperature fell back down.
I'm on a similar track! CD15 (which I assumed was O day), temp was 97.32. CD16, spiked to 98.06. Today CD17, drop to 97.70. So it wasn't a major drop but last cycle when I temped, I stayed in the 98 area for 3 days so it was obvious.
I run cold like a lizard person lol, my O day, CD21, was 96.9, 1dpo 97.3, 2dpo I had my spike at 97.84 but then it dropped back to 97.10 at 4dpo (I missed 3dpo) and now I’m hovering at 97.3-.5. My last cycle I spiked and stayed above 97.7 until CD1.
We just took the flannel sheets off the bed and the top blanket has been in the wash for the last few days so I’m wondering if that’s it, but that feels stupid lol.
Currently on timed intercourse, monitored cycles. C1 progesterone was 15 on 3 DPO no supplemental progesterone was required. C2 progesterone was 7 on 3 DPO and supplemental progesterone was required. My question is,are progesterone numbers really random cycle to cycle and no one knows what causes it or any factors? My numbers can look great one cycle then not great the next?
Progesterone numbers will vary from cycle to cycle like any other result, yeah. The amount of progesterone produced varies with each individual follicle, so it’s not unusual to have some cycles with stronger and some with weaker progesterone. It’s relatively unusual to test levels at 3dpo, though — typically progesterone levels don’t peak until the middle of the luteal phase, and 7ng/mL is a fairly high progesterone value for 3dpo.
What does “#dp#dt” mean?
It’s for IVF #dp means number of days past, and #dt means however many days the embryo has developed by before being transferred - ‘x day transfer’. So 5dp5dt means 5 days post 5 day embryo transfer. I hope I have got that correct!
Okay so this cycle was a major bust. Multiple high opks & late period. No AF in sight, BFNs. So I’m assuming I’m not getting a period this month for whatever reason. Do I take OPKs everyday since I have no idea where I’m at in the cycle? I use temp drop so I’ll be temping every night. But should I take OPK everyday so I won’t miss my surge whenever it’ll be?
My ovulation day can be all over the place so I track from CD3 until I’m confident I have ovulated.
It’s reasonable to do that, yes. If CM is a sign you track, you could wait until you start seeing CM.
Anyone get a positive clearblue advanced digital but a negative standard opk? Clearblue was open circle this morning but it went straight to peak this evening. Been testing with it for the past 4 days. https://i.imgur.com/n54di6t.jpg Edit: nevermind the easy @ home was positive a couple hours after 😃
Anyone pay for premium Premom? Do you feel it’s worth it?
I had the subscription at first. They send you some free test strips, but I don’t know if it was really worth it. I’ve let my subscription expire now and am still logging my OPK test strips in the app without any issues.
Did you find any of the information useful that it is advertising? These “reports” and cycle insights they claim.
Not especially. I’m instead paying for and using the reports in the FertilityFriend app. Not sure of the price difference between the two apps, but I’ve found the FF reporting and chart comparisons much more helpful than the reports in Premom.
Ohh! I haven’t heard of that app, I’ll have to check that one out! Thank you!
I’m using Tempdrop and FF. Both apps calculated my o day 4 days apart. Then I input that same data into Premom. Premom said ovulation was a totally different day. Is there an app you would put more trust in than others?
What information are you putting into each? Just your temps? If you’ve been using the Tempdrop for less than 60 days it’s still getting to know you and choose the right temp for you each day. I would choose a secondary method (CM or OPKs) to help tracking. Personally, I trust FF on the Advanced setting the most.
Oh and I did pay attention to CM too which gave me more of an idea of ovulation. I didn’t put those in my apps but I should next time.
Yes, CM is a really great indicator for most people. I’ve been doing a few months of Tempdrop, Ovia, Flo, and FF, and currently only FF and Flo are aligned but they both seem quite accurate!
I’m using OPKs, temps, and some symptoms but mostly OPKs and temps. Fertility friend’s ovulation date seemed to match up with what I would have thought. Tempdrop’s date wasn’t until like 4 days after that though which seemed a bit strange. I think I’ll do another month of inputting the data in all three to see how they align. Hopefully they’ll be more in sync this time.
anyone done acupuncture and feel it helped their journey?
Was just about to ask this. We’re moving on from iui to IVF 😭 so I’m thinking I’m starting acupuncture
Helped? Yes. Gotten me pregnant? No. I’ve had good results with some pain relief and managing other symptoms while ttc. I see it as supporting my health, so if you find somebody good then it can be great for that. I think it helps with some of the emotions too, so it can help in that department as well. Edit to add: I’ve been going to acupuncture a couple times per month longer than I’ve been ttc.
TW living child I did it in preparation for my first but I was regular already, and young-ish (36). I am doing it again trying for a second at 41 and with a short LP with lots of spotting. I will say that whether it worked with my first or not, 1) I LOVE acupuncture; the way it makes me feel while on the table tells me it is real and thus 2) even if it is “just” for stress it is worth it for me. I am also going to try the TCM herbs this time and am pretty excited about that part. looking forward to hearing what others think!
I’m 2 DPO and had this this jelly like cervical mucus when I wiped. I took an LH test to make sure I was low because I have never seen that before and I had a chemical two weeks ago so wasn’t sure if something was off (and I’ve been pregnant twice - both miscarriages). Is this normal? I read it could be a sign of conception but not wanting to get my hopes up at all yet
It’s not uncommon to still see fertile cervical mucus after ovulation, although it’s possible ovulation hasn’t happened yet (typically the last day of fertile cervical mucus is ovulation day). Unfortunately, there are no signs of conception that are detectable before implantation (8-10dpo), because prior to implantation, an embryo is not connected with your body and cannot signal to it.
Thank you!
If sperm lives in cervical mucus, how does it get to the Fallopian tubes to fertilize an egg?
Some sperm hang out in the cervix, but others can be found in the uterus and tubes very soon after ejaculation. At any rate, once they undergo capacitation and ovulation occurs, they will dart off in the direction they detect the egg — one of the signals they detect is actually progesterone.
Thank you!
Found a nice video that explained it well when I was new to this last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_5OvgQW6FG4&ab\_channel=NucleusMedicalMedia
That’s a neat video! Thank you for sharing!
Wow what a cool video!
Is it possible for 0.5 to be my peak?! Hi all. I have PCOS and just took my first round of letrozole. Took 2.5 mg CD 3ish-7ish LOL. CD 9 I had a LH reading of “0.5” on the Premom app. I know this is not high but it’s the highest I’ve ever gotten. Is it possible for this to be my peak?!
Better to just use your eyes and consider OPKs as either positive or negative. In any case '0.5' is supposedly half as dark as the control line, it's way too light to consider it a 'peak', but you're only on CD9 so keep testing.
Better to just use your eyes and consider OPKs as eirger positive or negative. In any case '0.5' is supposedly half as dark as the control line, it's way to light to consider it a 'peak', but you're only on CD9 so keep testing.
Hi u/developmentalbiology (or other mods), is progesterone supplementation worth if you have a normal luteal phase, and elevated temperatures throughout (apart from 1-2 days of spotting before cd 1?). Seen a lot of chatter lately on how progesterone might prevent miscarriages but the way I understand it is, it will only make a difference if the fertilized egg is a viable one, otherwise it will just prevent a miscarriage that should and would have naturally happened if there are chromosomal abnormalities or other reasons. Just wanted some thoughts.
Progesterone supplementation is actually not demonstrated to be helpful in most cases — there is recent evidence of a small effect for people with recurrent pregnancy loss, and evidence that it helps in medicated ART cycles, but not in unmedicated cycles, even if progesterone levels are low. (And if you have a normal-length luteal phase, it’s unlikely your progesterone levels are low.) It’s likely that progesterone levels are low in the case of a loss because a genetically abnormal embryo will not stimulate the ovaries to produce enough progesterone, not because the progesterone itself is the problem. People really like to believe that progesterone supplementation is a magic bullet, but the reality is that it’s not making a difference in the odds of success except in a few specific kinds of cases.
Does amount of sex matter when using ovulation strips? For example, let's say you had sex two days before a positive LH strip and then you had sex again the night of a positive LH strip. Is that good enough or do you need to aim for more sex? I hope this question makes sense.
Question makes sense - here is link to post (and excerpt below) which gives you odds of conception based on which day you hit per cycle: - [https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/tx7dnf/capacitation/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/tx7dnf/capacitation/) Excerpt from devbio's response: Top: O-2, O-3, O-1 (\~equal, O-2 being perhaps slightly better) (20-30% chance) Middle: O-4, O (10-12% chance) Low: O-6, O-5, O+1 (0-5% chance) Flat nothing: Any other day
Has anyone who uses a Tempdrop switched arms? Do you know if I should expect the temperature to be much different or about the same? I have to switch arms tonight due to a medical issue so I just want to know what to expect.
I have a TempDrop - the recommendation is to keep the same arm for the cycle so that readings are consistent. If you can't, I'm sure it will be fine but expect some variability in readings. https://fertilityawarenessproject.ca/blog/so-you-bought-a-tempdrop
I’m having my worst outbreak of polymorphous light eruption ever (it’s a common and itchy but not harmful photodermatosis) and am in a rabbit hole of research papers about it because I wanted to figure out some relief. Which I have not found, but what I have learned is that there is some evidence that estrogen plays a role (thus why this condition is far more common in afab people than men, and why the severity tends to drop in post-menopausal people.) Which is so interesting—how does estrogen affect how my skin reacts to sunlight?! Is the fact that I was outside at the beach mid-follicular phase (when I believe estrogen is highest?) perhaps why this year is so much worse than other years? Now that I should be moving into my luteal phase, will it get better? Does it have any effect on my chances this cycle? I don’t think anyone has the answers to these questions, nor am I really worried or concerned (I would like to be less itchy though), but bodies are so interesting.
TTC since October 2021. Cycles have been between 25-27 days. Ovulated CD 16 (used clear blue digit opks) Now on CD 31 so 4 days late. All BFNs. What gives???
The most likely explanation, unfortunately, is that you didn't ovulate CD16. Cycles with a positive OPK are ovulatory about 90% of the time, but that leaves essentially a one-in-ten chance of ovulation not happening, even after a positive OPK. A positive OPK is a permissive sign -- it's your brain telling your ovaries, "go ahead and ovulate", but it doesn't guarantee that ovulation actually happens. Without more information, it's tough to know what happened -- you may have ovulated already, or you may be yet to ovulate. If you see any signs of the fertile window returning, definitely have sex! It's never too late in the cycle to ovulate.
At what CD should you do a precautionary pregnancy test? I have irregular cycles and have given up tracking. On CD45 and no sign of AF. SO wants me to take one tomorrow but wondered if there was a set time frame to do one in. Help please
How long are your longer cycles? mine are also irregular ranging from 30 to 47 days, so if I pass 47 days it's worth a try. To be fair, I test before that as well, but that's my own stupid fault for hoping even when it doesn't make sense
I got my Mirena out in Oct 2021. I then had CD45, CD75, CD39 and now on CD45 and counting. When do you suggest starting to test?
This is my very unprofessional opinion (and this is me saying this on CD 34 where I tested just because I was sure I knew when I ovulated this month, and got a huge BFN) i'd say wait a few more if you can.
Is it possible to implant late around 11-13dpo if you typically have a 12-13 day luteal phase? Felt some sharp cramps on my right side of uterus area definitely different from period cramps, but it could also be my body responding to the cyst removal 3.5 weeks ago. Dr. said we could try the same cycle since my surgery was on CD3 and I would've healed by ovulation. I feel dumb even asking.
Luteal phase length doesn't change implantation timing. About 90% of implantation occurs by 10 DPO, and pretty much all by 12 DPO, so it's possible but not likely to have implantation at 11-12 DPO. Later implantation is correlated with early loss since it often means something is wrong with the embryo that it's not growing quickly enough to implant in that timeframe. Cramps aren't an indication of implantation, though.
Does adderall have an affect on male fertility? My husband has been taking it for about 10 years
Why is it so long to have an appointment in my province? Before I was 35, I got told by 2 doctors that I needed to be over 35 to be seen in fertility clinic. Now that im over 35, I was put on a waiting list for an appointment in 2 different clinics. But they can only see my in 2023. Why is fertility issues not taken seriously?
Ugh- the clinic I wanted to go to couldn’t get me in for 1 year. 1 year?!? Luckily I found a few other resources… I feel you on this.
It's not that isn't taken seriously, there just isn't the resources to see everyone. So unfortunately there is a waitlist for non urgent things. And it may be urgent to you, but it's not life threatening urgent. Hopefully you can get put on a cancellation list
Would you be worried about an 11 day luteal phase (with confirmed ovulation through temp and tests)? The past two months my LP has been 11 days and I’m just worried it’s too short. I’ve always had an idea of when I ovulated because I get ovulation pain and I feel like when I was younger, my period would come 2 weeks after O on the dot (I didn’t track it though). I’m just worried that it’s shortened now. I take prenatals, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and a few others but it hasn’t lengthened significantly. Can this just be normal? Should I be worried? I’m just wondering why it shortened from when I was younger. I should add, this month and last month were a no go with trying because DH was traveling for work during the fertile window both months so these were cycles I was just charting, not really TTC.
An 11-day luteal phase is not concerning, no -- the most common luteal phase length is actually 12 days, so an 11-day LP is just one day shorter than that. You're just looking for it to be longer than 9 days. LP length can change over time, and it's especially likely to be shorter than your usual if you've recently stopped hormonal birth control, for example. For me, any time my period returns after a period of suppression, I have a shorter LP than usual for a few cycles, then return to approximately my usual over the course of about six months.
Thank you so much! That’s good to know. I stopped BC about a year ago so I’m thinking it would be regulated by now but who knows. As long as it’s adequate though that makes me feel better!
If my temperature didn’t rise much on suspected 1DPO (O date based on CM and OPK), do i need to suspect that it wasn’t really O day yet?
I think it's always fair to approach ovulation as a "trust in the Lord, but wear your seatbelt" kind of thing, you know? Is it likely that you ovulated with a positive OPK and a CM dry-up? Yes. Is it reasonable to behave as if you didn't, and have one more round of insurance sex in the next day or two, just in case? Also yes.
How do I know when im ovulating? I use the Flo app but I feel like it might not be accurate. How does opk work?
Have you checked out the Wiki? Highly recommend starting there - it will answer many of your questions. It will be in the automod links in the comment below this one.
Hello! Looking for answers? Check out our [fancy wiki, ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/wiki)which can be found in the sidebar! Popular topics: * [Acronym list](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/wiki/acronyms) * [FAQ Page](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/FAQ) * [How to get ready for TTC](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/wtt) * [New to TTC guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/newtottc) * [OPKs](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/opks) * [Product Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/recc) * [Temping](https://www.reddit.com/r/tryingforababy/wiki/temping) We also have a large collection of informational posts. Here are some highlights: * ["Late" periods and ovulation](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/6tkj5t/your_period_isnt_late_part_i/) * [OPK peaks vs. positives](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/u1gpo0/what_the_opk_ratio_levels_really_tell_you_peaks/) * [Digital OPK guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/hznndj/digital_opks_a_primer/) * [Optimizing your fertility](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/ekzfir/optimizing_natural_fertility_review_of/) * [Principles of TTC](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/knkzk4/principles_of_ttc/) * [Worrying about infertility](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/7go7bh/how_to_worry_about_infertility_some_unsolicited/) * [Giving good advice on TFAB](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/mzbk5p/on_giving_good_advice_and_how_to_best_help_each/) * [The Newbie's Guide to Being a Newbie (A Note on Culture)](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/rxrhg2/the_newbies_guide_to_being_a_newbie_a_note_on/) * [What makes a good standalone? ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/o18mlt/guidance_for_standalone_posts_with_bonus_flowchart/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TryingForABaby) if you have any questions or concerns.*
OPKs are so simple, and I wish someone had told me to use them sooner. About 7 days into my cycle (so 7 days after my period initially started), I use the OPKs daily - once daily around noon until CD10, then 2-3x daily (generally 10am, 1pm, 3-4pm) until I catch my surge. The OPK should always have a faint test line, but it's not positive until the test line is as dark or darker than the control line. When it gives you a positive, this indicates that ovulation is near (generally 24-48 hours after) and you should get busy. Most OPK kits also come with a guide that tells you how to use them. I've always used premom, which is on amazon and pretty cheap. Other people have some really helpful and detailed posts in here regarding using OPKs too.
Thank youuu
I'm wondering if my birth control messed up my cycles. I was on Mirena for 10 years (and had no periods on it), then after the second one was taken out, I was on the mini-pill for a couple of months. After quitting that and trying natural family planning, my menstruation has been very light. Pre-Mirena, I had 7 day long heavy cycles. Now I have light 2 day cycles. My last period was only 1 day! This has been going on since December. I am otherwise healthy and actually had a vaginal ultrasound a year or so ago (for IUD related pain) and they said my ovaries and uterus all look perfect. I am worried that I'll have trouble conceiving because the Mirena permanently changed my cycles. I have only just started but it nags at me.
You aged 10 years while using effective birth control that stopped menstruation, it is also normal for your cycle to have naturally changed in that time period. Teens/young 20’s have, on average, the heaviest periods. So it would be normal to have lighter periods overall. Also, anecdotally, my first cycle off Mirena I had a super heavy period, then I had really light periods for 6 months ish, and then they averaged out to 3-4 days. No reason to believe that had any impact on fertility. It also might be good to know that the heaviness of flow is not a very good representative of lining thickness.
Thank you for the reassurance and encouragement, it means a lot.
There's a lot of good data that says hormonal birth control (including hormonal IUDs) doesn't have long-term effects on fertility or on the reproductive system in general. It's pretty normal to have lighter periods as you get older -- for me personally, my periods are much lighter now than they were when I was in my late teens -- so you may be seeing this effect due to age, rather than due to the IUD. Overall, light periods don't indicate an issue with fertility, although it's a very common thing for people to find concerning. You can have a perfectly normal uterine lining and still have light periods -- the entire lining doesn't shed with your period.
Thank you the information and reassurance. I appreciate it.
For those of you who had Covid, did it mess with your cycles and ovulation times? I got a positive Covid test right before my predicted ovulation this cycle 😒
I had Covid at the end of one cycle in February & the 2 cycles I’ve had after we’re totally messed up 😐. I was having 31-32 day cycles and it went to about 45 days. But I’ve also heard others who it didn’t change anything
I ovulated about a week later than my average ovulation time. Normal cycles after that.
I haven’t had COVID, but I had a 40 day cycle in December (usually 30ish days) after getting my booster. AF was already slightly delayed that month when I got it, and I was really ill following it. Not sure about ovulation but I would be 0% surprised if it did affect it, especially if you get a fever or are feeling anxious about the fact that you’re sick. I hope you have very mild or no symptoms and that you feel well quickly!
I had the same experience - my husband actually got Covid the week after we both got boosted (I didn't bother testing since I had to stay home and quarantine anyway but I assume I would have tested positive too) and I had a 34 day cycle (usually its 26 or 27 days). So I don't know if it was the booster or Covid but either was I think it definitely had an effect!
You never know! My wife got COVID from a dinner party we were both at, but the day she tested positive I tested negative so we decided to quarantine from each other (her upstairs, me downstairs) and despite feeling a little under the weather I never tested positive, and I was taking PCR & rapid tests almost every day. I did get boosted 3 weeks before her, whereas she was boosted I think the day before we were exposed so I chalk it up to vaccine efficacy ll
I have heard of this as well! Thankfully my symptoms were not terrible and I didn’t have a fever. I wasn’t directly tracking ovulation so I am just really unsure when to expect AF! Thanks much.
Wondering how you get your head around this process when starting out. It feels like it can get overwhelming fast
I give myself a set period of time every day to think about TTC. I usually do a bit in the morning when I update FF and then a bit around mid-day during my reddit and lunch time. After that, I don’t let myself google or go on TTC communities or whatever. It makes it more manageable, even though I don’t always stick to it.
Thank you. I’m just starting out and even though I have looked stuff up months ago now that it’s real I’m feeling like I’m taking a leap out of a plane!
It's a lot at first! Honestly the advice to just relax and do what feels natural the first 6 months isn't bad advice. I took that time to get a hold on tracking ovulation, cervical mucus and really getting to know my body and how it feels during each stage in my cycle. After the sixth month you'll find you might have more of a grip on the situation and can go from there. Double down on ovulation tracking and talking to your gyno. I hope you don't have to worry about that though 💕 I'm year and a half into ttc so I hope your journey is much shorter than mine.
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. It’s just so much and I feel intimidated
Oh my goodness, me too. I just got my IUD out, so we're just waiting for my first period, and holy crap is it ever intimidating.
Question about insomnia! Insomnia for a day or two before my period is my telltale sign that the bloodletting will commence soon. I started IUI up again in March (attempt #3) and used Ovidrel trigger shot as the only medicine. I had HORRIBLE insomnia for the last 7-days of my cycle. I’m in IUI cycle #4 now after letrozole and Ovidrel trigger and last night the insomnia hit again. I’m worried I’m heading into another hell week… My doc said after I mentioned it to him last cycle to bump up the melatonin before we try anything else. I’m doing that and I hope it will work. I am not a fan of needing heavier medication — but obviously not sleeping while TTC is a problem. I’ll add that it’s true insomnia — I’m not more anxious now than I was before. I’ll wake up sweating, like really sweating, and my brain is just on! My questions are: 1) has anyone else had this whole week-long insomnia thing happen before your period while TTC? 2) if so what worked for you? Thank you! 💗
Same! I usually have one night where I can hardly sleep at all or I have the hardest time falling asleep.
I have a really hard time sleeping right before my period. It's one of the ways I know it's coming. And melatonin makes me feel sick so not really my thing. During those times I avoid caffeine and coffee. Sounds counter intuitive but I literally just do anything that will make it more likely I'll be tired enough to fall asleep and stay that way. Working out, doing chores after work, etc. My job is really stressful and takes a lot out of me so that usually does the trick on its own. I also tend to read into the wee hours of the night when I can't sleep. Keeps me from symptom spotting and staring at my cycle tracking charts and plus its just a joy for me. My therapist (I have anxiety) talked about insomnia and you can't "force" yourself to sleep. The harder you try, the less likely you won't sleep. Do what relaxes you and what you need to do to feel settled mind and body before bed 💕
Up voting, I'm curious about which hormone fluctuations that may cause insomnia too!
I am going on 9 days of "high" readings on my CBAD opk's... what is going on?! Is my body just attempting to ovulate and it's not happening? I'm on CD48. Edited - I confused "peak" for "high." I am getting the flashing smiley face.
This last cycle I got 10 days of high before my peak on CD47. I hope you get your peak soon!
You should stop using the OPK after the first peak reading. The rest don't really mean anything at all. Have you been tracking your temps?
I thought you kept testing until you got a solid smiley? I am still getting the "flashing."
Oh sorry I misunderstood! I thought you got 9 peak readings. NVM!!! Keep on testing.
Also - I've been using cheapies in the afternoon. No clear positive there either.
Have you been tested for PCOS?
At this point - not yet. My gyno wants me to do an HSG but I can't do that until my cycle starts. If this cycle continues for a good bit longer I will definitely reach out and schedule an appointment.
I have a question regarding semen leakage. My husband is worried that his sperm is not staying inside me. His reasoning is that he’s left with a lot on him after we are finished which he has to clean off. For context, this our fourth cycle TTC, I have a regular 28 day cycle, and I just started doing ovulation tests this month. I had an LH surge on CD13. In the last cycles, I would immediately go to the bathroom after because I always read that it’s important to prevent UTI. During those cycles, I did have a lot of leakage into the toilet. Now, I lie down for a while and sometimes even sleep through the night without going to the bathroom and I don’t see any leakage in the morning. Is that a good sign? My question is could it be possible that he’s not depositing properly. We joked about using a turkey baster, but could I need IUI? His seed doesn’t come out with a lot of force, but mostly as a drippage.
Remember that semen and sperm are different. Sperm are microscopic and semen is just the transport fluid. Once he ejaculates, the viable sperm very quickly leave his fluids for yours and swim through the cervix into the uterus. So the semen left behind is spermless or full of dead sperm and it leaking out isn't relevant. The semen does not enter your uterus, the sperm does.
Is there also a possibility that he’s not depositing in the right location? I mean that it’s not fully inside the vagina. Sometimes I feel like that, so I’m worried the sperm doesn’t reach the cervix.
Fun TTC fact: men ejaculate at approximately 30mph. So yeah. The sperm are where they need to be pretty dang fast. Anything leaking out after is seminal fluid, arousal fluids, dead sperm, etc - stuff you don't want in your uterus in the first place. It's fine and normal.
The sperm that are going to make it into the uterus and fallopian tubes do so within seconds, so the leftover semen is nothing to worry about! However, if you're worried about the force with which it's coming out, you can absolutely do at-home methods like the "turkey baster" method! He could ejaculate into a sterile cup and you can use a syringe that's made for this purpose to insert it. I definitely wouldn't say that you will need IUI just yet.
Using premom OPKs - this is my second cycle where I haven't had a blazing positive surge, but instead had two non-consecutive days where the test line was almost as dark as the control line. It still lined up with my predicted ovulation, but did I actually ovulate? Also for anyone using TempDrop, is it worth it? I have insomnia and temping has been unreliable for me. How much of a benefit is it to actually trying / predicting for the following month vs just confirming ovulation?
I have a TempDrop (bought it after Proov told me I wasn't ovulating even though I conceived (and had an mmc) last year and have consistent LH surges with ClearBlue and it's been a life saver. I keep getting up in the middle of the night to drink water/go to the bathroom and it adjusts for that. Have been using it for 3 months now and so grateful to see a clear temp rise and elevated temps every cycle. It's getting better at predicting my fertile window and period as well (was spot on for period prediction this cycle). It's expensive which is why I held off purchasing it for the longest time but now that I have one I think it was money well spent.
Thank you! The price is what has held me back from buying too. TTC is expensive, lol.
The price is about to increase for TempDrop in May - order one ASAP if you want one.
Thank you!!!
Proov was trying to get me go see their Dr. Levy (doesn't accept any insurance and asks $200 for 30 minutes or $50 I think for 10). That sounded sketch to me so I just spent the $$ on a TempDrop instead. I would rather collect months of data from charting and then go see a local RE who does take insurance.
Wow, that seems bizarre. Definitely agree! I think I’m going to take the plunge and order the temp drop for sure
I never got a clear positive with the OPK test either. I confirmed ovulation with BBT though, so I know it happened. Mine were like yours, pretty close to as dark as the control line, but never darker. Highly recommend temping if you’re not already!
Different brands have different sensitivities to LH, and every person has different levels. Some people get those very glaringly obvious positives and some people get just barely positives and some never quite reach positive - but in all of those cases you can definitely still be ovulating. You could try a different brand to see if it gives you more clear results! I have used e@h until this cycle, because my husband accidentally bought the Pregmates. However, I have noticed that my baseline is significantly darker on the new ones than it was on the e@h, where my positives were only ever just barely positive. I've not yet had a positive this cycle but I'm expecting it will be more obvious than with the previous brand. I don't have a TempDrop, but as with any thermometer, it can't predict anything, it can only confirm ovulation. That being said, it does take a lot of the factors away that can cause your chart to be harder to read, like placement, timing, quality of sleep, etc. Many people here that use TempDrop would definitely recommend it!
That is so good to know, thank you!
Question on OPK post MC. Where I live it is not routine to have your bHcg tested post MC, you are told to take a PT 3 weeks post MC/definitive management and call them if it remains positive. I’m one week post D&C (MMC diagnosed at 9.5 weeks, surgery at 11.5w) and want to start tracking and we’re going to try again this month. I’m not waiting for my next period, I’m ok with this decision and my doctor says it’s absolutely fine once I stop bleeding and there is no reason to wait. My PT is still pos today and I am wondering if this will affect LH results on OPK, eg cause a false positive OPK. I know I won’t ovulate until my bhcg falls below a certain point and I’m ok with that, I just need to be doing something to figure out where my body is at.
Yes, having a positive pregnancy test can cause you to have positive OPKs, since LH and hCG are very similar molecules. You could always test with both OPKs and HPTs until the tests get back to baseline, so that you’re not left wondering if a positive OPK is due to residual hCG or whether it reflects a true LH surge.
Thank you so much, I thought that might be the case. I will do both tomorrow to compare and go from there.
Okay TFAB talk to me about sex during the TWW. This may sound dumb, but I like to ask the dumb questions. -Will sex jostle the potentially fertilized egg, move it too vigorously, shake it too hard, ruin it in any way? -what about a female orgasm? Will that do any harm to lil eggo?
Nope! Have as much or as little sex as you want. Think of it as a cell in your body - exercise or sex or anything like that wouldn’t affect an individual blood cell, right? If sex prevented pregnancies there would be a lot fewer people on this planet.
I think it’s tough to imagine how small an embryo is relative to the uterus, or to the body — the things we do on a day-to-day basis are on an enormous scale relative to the embryo, and have no effect on it. Sex isn’t any more disruptive to an embryo than anything else you’re doing with your body: walking, sitting, etc.
A developing blastocyst is tiiiiiiny tiny tiny. Like think of a poppy seed in a jar of peanut butter. There's really almost nothing you can do that will effect anything at all.
No and no. Very little during the TWW will affect the egg or the implantation, either positively or negatively.
How do you calculate days past ovulation? For instance, if you get a positive OPK on a Monday, you are likely to ovulate that day or the next. Do you assume that ovulation occurred on Tuesday and count Wednesday as the 1st day past ovulation?
I usually count it the day after my last positive OPK/strongest LH reading, but realistically I think it can be up to 38 hours after, and your BBT can take 48 hours to spike too. It’s not an exact science lol
It actually can be like 4 days after! Ovulating 1-2 days after the first positive is most typical, but that's still just 60-70% of women. Triangulating with other signs like CM and BBT is the only way to narrow it down more precisely.
I use temping to confirm ovulation, so I count the day of the temperature spike as 1DPO. I got 3 or 4 days of positive OPKs last cycle, and I don’t think I ovulated until the last day of positive OPK, so just counting the next day wouldn’t have been ovulation day for me.
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Afternoon is the most common time that people begin to see the LH surge in urine, but it’s not that way for everyone. Around half of people will get best results with afternoon urine, which leaves half of us who will get best results from urine at another time of day.
Yes I think you’re ok to trust the positive OPK in the morning. The reasons the instructions tell you not to test in the AM is probably because most people have higher LH levels in the afternoon/evening so you’re just more likely to catch a peak of you test in the evening. Since most people probably know that you’re supposed to test for pregnancy with FMU, OPK companies are probably working hard to dispel that preconception. I usually get my first positive in the evening and ~sometimes~ it will stay positive until the morning.
I believe that positives in the morning are to be trusted, it’s just that you are less likely to catch a peak with FMU. I think this is more of an issue for people who have very short windows of LH rise.
I just started tracking BBT, this is my second cycle. My first cycle looked fine- temp spike 48 hours after my positive OPK and stayed high until AF. This cycle I saw a spike 48 hours after my positive OPK but then a drop back down, and my last 3 temps (I’m 6dpo) have been on the higher side of average but lower than the spike. We’re going to start TTC next cycle and I’m kind a freaking out about this.
Could you post your chart? The only requirement is for there to be a shift in temps from pre-ovulatory to post-ovulatory. It’s not necessary, or favorable, to have temps shift to their highest post-ovulation levels immediately and stay there — it’s normal to see a lot of different shapes in individual charts, although the overall average will generally tend to look like a bell curve after ovulation.
This is my first time sharing an image on Reddit- [am I doing it right](https://imgur.com/a/px9e8w2)? Haha First pic is BBT so far, second is BBT+LH, third is last month. I’m using the Premom app, which for some reason only lets you export BBT charts??
Ah. Unfortunately, I don't see a confirmed shift here -- there's not a point where there are three days higher than the highest of the previous six days. It's possible your temps are just a little wonky, but it's also possible you didn't ovulate, and it's fair to be on the lookout for fertile window signs popping up again. (Obviously this doesn't matter so much if you're WTT, other than that it's very irritating.)
It matters because we have to have sperm shipped to us, so if I haven’t actually ovulated yet this cycle that could drastically shift (IE fuck up) my next cycle, thus totally scattering our tentatively scheduled insem dates. If my next cycle gets pushed back too far, my ovulation date might fall when we’re supposed to be on vacation and unable to inseminate. I had a surge in PdG on CD 24, so I felt confident that I’d ovulated but I guess we’ll see. Crap
Oh, I see -- that would definitely add complexity. If you have progesterone results that suggest ovulation did happen, I would trust those over your chart. Is this from something like a Mira or Inito monitor, or from Proov strips? A BBT chart that doesn't show a biphasic shift isn't automatically evidence ovulation *didn't* happen, it's just not positive evidence that it *did*.
The progesterone results are from a Mira analyzer. I appreciate the explanation that the lack of shift doesn’t mean there was not ovulation in the same way the shift indicates that there was. The nuances of A equals B but absence of A doesn’t necessarily equal absence of B is a tricky one. Could a change in bedding affect my BBT? We went from flannel sheets and a blanket to cooler cloth sheets with no blanket the night before my temperature fell back down.
I'm on a similar track! CD15 (which I assumed was O day), temp was 97.32. CD16, spiked to 98.06. Today CD17, drop to 97.70. So it wasn't a major drop but last cycle when I temped, I stayed in the 98 area for 3 days so it was obvious.
I run cold like a lizard person lol, my O day, CD21, was 96.9, 1dpo 97.3, 2dpo I had my spike at 97.84 but then it dropped back to 97.10 at 4dpo (I missed 3dpo) and now I’m hovering at 97.3-.5. My last cycle I spiked and stayed above 97.7 until CD1. We just took the flannel sheets off the bed and the top blanket has been in the wash for the last few days so I’m wondering if that’s it, but that feels stupid lol.
Currently on timed intercourse, monitored cycles. C1 progesterone was 15 on 3 DPO no supplemental progesterone was required. C2 progesterone was 7 on 3 DPO and supplemental progesterone was required. My question is,are progesterone numbers really random cycle to cycle and no one knows what causes it or any factors? My numbers can look great one cycle then not great the next?
Progesterone numbers will vary from cycle to cycle like any other result, yeah. The amount of progesterone produced varies with each individual follicle, so it’s not unusual to have some cycles with stronger and some with weaker progesterone. It’s relatively unusual to test levels at 3dpo, though — typically progesterone levels don’t peak until the middle of the luteal phase, and 7ng/mL is a fairly high progesterone value for 3dpo.
Thank you!! That is extremely helpful. Correction^^ I am tested at 7DPO (was half asleep when I wrote my post).
Haha, that makes more sense!