I had a leftover generic OPK from last cycle. I wanted to use it first, and then bust out the fancy brand name OPK. I started testing on Friday, and I decided to use FMU because a few ladies on FF posted that their RE recommended it for OPK. I usually test at 4 pm after peeing and limiting liquids after 2 pm. I was assuming it would be negative because I always thought you weren’t suppose to use FMU. Wouldn’t you know that I got a positive result. I thought it would be positive at 4 pm because I felt some cramping. I was excited because I felt it on the left side, and I haven’t felt anything on that side since my IUD was removed. It was negative at 4 pm that day, and I haven’t had a positive since. Hmm… I had fertile CM on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday. I only started testing on Friday, but my temp hasn’t dropped- just gone up. It’s not as high as it usually is after I ovulate. So maybe I ovulated, or maybe I’m about to ovulate… I feel some cramping now. I wish things were more clear-cut.
It wouldn’t normally matter, but we were only able to BD on Saturday because of DH’s schedule. If the positive OPK on Friday was accurate, then we at least had one BD attempt during ovulation. If not, then we missed our opportunity this month. Grrr…. DH is super busy this week and wanted to not actively TTC this month. As if that is possible now! It’s like we opened Pandora’s box. There is no going back! I understand his side, but I was totally crushed. This is Cycle 4, and I feel we are going to be at Cycle 6 before I know it. Ugh! But, I tried my best to limit baby talk. I only slipped up around Thanksgiving because of my Dr. appointment. Oops… I don’t think I’ve mentioned it to him in almost two weeks, but I’m pretty sure he was aware of why I was seducing him on Saturday.
I’ve also decided to not have further testing done until my yearly gyno visit in February. I’m going to not temp or do OPK in January. I can tell when I’m fertile by my CM. I’m hoping that will make me feel more relaxed. I’m going to go to a different practice and see how they approach my concerns. I don’t feel comfortable with how my current practice handled my concerns.
But, I’m still wondering if that positive OPK on Friday was accurate…
Here I am in my 3rd TWW. Only 40% of healthy couples get pregnant in the first 3 months of trying, so I don’t know if I should be optimistic about this month or not. I guess I’m 40% optimistic and 60% pessimistic. I know that we timed BD every other day during my fertile period, and we happen to BD the morning of ovulation. I feel pretty confident that I did all that I could to conceive this month. Now, I know my hormones could be screwy, so I’m looking into that. I’m afraid that I secretly have my hopes up high for this month because it only takes my older sister about 3 months to conceive. But, we’re completely different, so I’m trying to look forward to trying again next cycle. Trick psychology… maybe it’ll work… At least, with a short LP, I don’t have too long to wait for AF to start.
I have to admit that I spend way to much time on Fertility Friend during this TWW. In one of my most recent FF binges, I came across a post about OPK. It seems as though OPKs can be used to test for pregnancy… sort of. It’s not really the most reliable way to test, but it can work.
I’m not sure I totally understand the science of how this works, but I’m going to try to explain it. Here goes… The last hormone to surge before ovulation is the LH. The pregnancy hormone is hCG. Apparently these two hormones are similar. The OPKs can pick up both LH and hCG. Pregnancy tests pick up only hCG. The OPK are not as sensitive as the pregnancy test, so it really isn’t reliable to use the OPK to test for pregnancy- except for fun… or in the name of science!
Which is what I did. For research purposes only, and not because I’m antsy about the outcome of this TWW, I went out and invested in a box of OPK. I explained to my DH, who thought this wasn’t one of my best TTC ideas, that this was necessary research for my blog. I eagerly awaited the outcome of my study. It was negative. No LH or hCG in my system. I’m not ovulating and I’m not pregnant. I’m exactly in the middle of a TWW. Perfect.
This will help me wait a bit longer to POAS. I’m not sure if I want to just wait for my AF or to test early and risk a BFN. At least I know there isn’t any hCG in my system yet, which makes sense since I’m only 6 dpo.
Now, OPK are best for predicting ovulation, and pregnancy tests are best for testing for pregnancy. But, for fun, if I am lucky enough to get a BFP some day, I’ll just check the OPK to see if it works. My research will continue. I’ll keep you posted.
Am I pregnant? Am I not pregnant? I have no symptoms. How boring! There is nothing to obsess over. I don’t even have PMS symptoms. Odd… I usually have tender BB the week before my AF. Today- nothing. Is that a good thing? I know that Vitamin B6 helps with PMS symptoms, so is that why I feel nothing in the BB area? I might be getting a sore throat. That’s suppose to be a good sign… but I could just be getting a sore throat. What I know for sure is that I ovulated on CD19, and I am going to test on Saturday. Everything else is just a TTC fantasy.
I have found myself at 1 dpo again. So the TWW begins! My DH and I went to dinner and a movie to celebrate us. It’s nice to know that I ovulate on a monthly basis so far. It will be interesting to see if I was able to extend my LP with the vitamin B6. I think I learned a lot last cycle, so I was able to make some changes this time. BDing every other day was more fun and less stressful than every day! We’ll see if that give me a BFP!
I have a few non-baby books to read to get me through the week of imaginary symptoms. My first symptom is that I’m starting to get a cold, which I find to be funny since a stuffy nose and sore throat often happen at the beginning of a pregnancy. I work with young children, so getting a cold is typical (but secretly I hope that means I conceived- I know I’m nuts). My BB are sort of sore, but it may be because I keep checking to see if they are sore. I’m sure by the end of the week I’ll have a whole list of symptoms that I concocted to convince myself that this is THE month!
I finally got two dark lines on the OPK. Geez- it took long enough, it’s Day 18! I know last month I ovulated on Day 19, but I thought I was late because of stress. I thought I was going to ovulate earlier because of the spotting, cramping, and last weekend I had TONS of EWCM. I don’t have much now, which was why I was stressing about not ovulating. I rationalized it to myself. You need the EWCM before ovulation so that the sperm lasts longer. You don’t really need it right before ovulation since the egg will be there. After I thought about that, I felt much better. I guess I typically ovulate on Day 19. Next month, I will try to not get so worked up. I’ve been using the First Response 20 pack, but I think I get the 7 pack next month. It’s too stressful to use the OPK day after day with negative results. It’s like getting BFN all the time. I’ve got a good idea when I ovulate, so I’ll switch to that. My DH hates the OPK because it just gets me worked up! Since we BD often- it seems unnecessary, but I hate to not have that extra information. So, tomorrow, I should ovulate, and I will start my TWW (or in my case the 10 Day Wait). I’m hoping that the vitamin B6 lengthens my LP. It would be nice to have it around 12. If I finish this bottle with no BFP, I will switch to taking a B complex. I read that the B vitamins work better in combination with each other. I feel like such a load is off my shoulders now that I got a positive OPK result. It’s so funny how much effect that all has on your body. One more BD, and I’m crossing my fingers that my baby is created!
Ah- the endless waiting while TCC. Waiting to O. TWW. Waiting for AF to end. Repeat.
I was happy that my spotting stopped today. I knew it was ovulation bleeding, but I couldn’t help worrying that I had cancer or that something important was broken! I decided that I wouldn’t worry about it unless I was still spotting after the weekend. Hurray- no spotting!
Since I’ve ruled out something being wrong, I am pretty convinced that it was due to ovulation, so I’m excited. Yep. I’m excited about spotting. And EWCM- Bizarre. I’ve never had spotting mid-cycle before! I have no idea why this happened this month. My sources say that this is a great fertility sign. My temp dipped way down today, but my OPK was negative. Maybe I’ll get a positive result tomorrow. I feel such a rush to get to the next part of the cycle- TWW. Which is funny because there isn’t anything to do except wait… and obsess over imaginary symptoms.
My DH and I decided to take a day off of BD to help him “recharge.” I’ve heard mixed advice about timing BD while TCC. Some say BD every day there’s fertile CM. Some say every other day. Some say it doesn’t matter, but you increase your chances of success with daily BD. Some say every day depletes DH’s sperm supply. Some say 2-3 times a week is sufficient. I’m assuming DH has an adequate supply of little guys, so we’re just going with the flow. Here’s to hoping that this is THE month!!!!
At 5 dpo, it is practically impossible to be pregnant since the egg hasn’t implanted yet, and even more unrealistic is that I am having cravings- especially when those cravings are ice cream and potato chips. I ate them anyway, and convinced myself that it was okay since I MUST be pregnant. Ha! I’ll have gained five pounds by the end of my TWW with this attitude, and I’ll still have a BFN.
Additional pregnancy symptoms that are less imaginary are my bbs. They feel huge. They don’t hurt exactly, but they feel different. I do have a weird twinge in my right ovary area. I’m optimistic! To be honest, my PMS symptoms are different every month. Which is probably why I was able to convince myself that I was pregnant in both July and August. Two BFN even though we were using birth control. To say I was ready to start TTC a little before my DH is an understatement!
I have “baby on the mind,” so anything I feel before my AF is fair game for a pregnancy symptom. I guess, technically, all PMS symptoms are pregnancy symptoms because your body gets ready for pregnancy each month. If there’s no egg, then the body starts over. What an annoying trick of nature when you are TTC. But, it does make me feel better when I feel like I’m obsessing a little too much over each and every symptom. It’s also makes for a good excuse to each ice cream and potato chips.
I couldn’t believe it! I had a positive result with the OPK. I had given up- just thinking that I missed the surge or my urine was diluted. I had two sticks left- good thing I got the pack that came with 20 sticks! I used one today after work just to “finish” up the pack. I had forgotten all about it, and when I went to throw it out- it was showing two dark lines! You would have thought I got a BFP with how happy I felt. I did something right! I got a positive result! My months vary, so it was hard to figure out exactly when I ovulated. I’m so glad that I kept using the OPK even after I thought I had ovulated this weekend and just missed it with the OPK. I used the last stick just to double check that it really was a surge, and it also showed a positive double line. A little BDing tonight (maybe tomorrow just for the heck of it), and THEN I’ll start the TWW. I guess I jumped the gun there with my last post!
I don’t know what I am going to do with myself for the next two weeks while I wait to find out if TTC worked this month. I don’t want to get my hopes up. This is the first month we tried, and I know it rarely works the first month you try. I keep reminded myself that I only have a 25% chance of being pregnant, and that means I’m 75% sure that I’m not pregnant. I’m not even 100% sure I ovulated since I never got a positive result with the OPK, and I wasn’t taking my temperature correctly. So. I am waiting. I think I’ll read a non-baby book… or maybe pick up a new hobby. I hate waiting!
