TTC #9 Your worth is not determined by your fertility

[Jasminexx02]

Can anybody recommend some cheapo pregnancy tests I can bulk buy from Amazon? I ordered some yesterday but cancelled after looking at the reviews and seeing a load of people saying they give false positives and then I couldn’t find any reasonably priced ones where the reviews didn’t say similar things lol

 

[Elisha97]

Amazing news!! Congratulations. Wishing you a healthy pregnancy

Thank you so much

sending my love to everyone who didn’t get the results they wanted, know I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you and you in my thoughts

 

[MidnightAura]

I’m so sorry, sending you so much love. How many DPO are you?

13 DPO.

 

[macrofriendly]

Hey!
Not currently TTC but going through hypothalamic amenorrhea. I am 29 this year and single as can be, but I worry about my ability to conceive in the future. At this stage I'm not even sure if I want children, and I think that also has a lot to do with me being single, but I at least want the choice!
I find that as I am getting older and everyone arounds me seems to be having babies and raising their kids, I feel really left behind.
Not to mention I worry about the health consequences of not having a cycle. I am on year 6 now of no period and just feel defeated.
I don't even know if this is the right place to post this, but maybe some of you have gone through this in the past?

 

[Brewtime87]

I have what's probably a really stupid question, but here goes.
If using ovulation tests, would they not be accurate if you don't use them until you already think it's your fertile days?
So if my cycle is 28 days and I only start testing on day 13 expecting to see a result showing a LH surge, could the result show a false 'no LH surge' because I didn't start testing on day 11 like the guide says?

 

[pollysunshine22]

I'm 2DPO, cycle 20, TTC number 1. We managed 6 out of 6 days of the fertile window this month (everyday 4 days before LH peak, peak day and the day after)... now we are too exhausted to continue Do we even need to continue? I get ovulation pain each month and always start my periods 12-14 days after ovulation but who knows when the egg actually pops out it's so confusing!

 

[Lorny]

Spoiler: Test result

I’m absolutely stunned to say that I am pregnant. Sharing it here for now as I can’t tell anyone in my life in case anything happens, I don’t think I could cope with that. I feel dreadful not telling my parents yet but they aren’t very emotionally mature and I know if anything happened they would be devastated, so it feels easier to say nothing right now. I’m an anxious mess and I can’t stop crying and devouring all the information and websites that I can get my hands on it’s the first time I have fallen pregnant in 8-9 years of loosely trying then actively trying

Amazing news!! Congratulations. Wishing you a healthy pregnancy

 

[littlenoodle]

Another vote for the ClearBlue ones! So much easier and worth the money for taking the guessing/stress out if you can afford them - they're nearly always on offer somewhere

 

[Jasminexx02]

It’s easier said than done but as time goes on I think you do tend to take any vague/squinter results with a pinch of salt. I tend to think of anything I get before my period is late is just a nice to have or a hint at a possibility. It could still be good news but HCG levels vary so much depending on time of day, the test, what you’ve eaten and drunk.
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Spoiler: Evap lines/mystery lines

These are my two tests from earlier that I keep peering at and dug out of the bin. Lines didn’t appear during the required time frame. I am going to say they’re Evap lines until I can test next week when AF is due

View attachment 2575398View attachment 2575399

Just seen your tests, definitely look promising!! Your clearblue one is exactly how mine looked yesterday too which was also out of the time frame but I’d still count it tbh. Fingers crossed for you xxx

 

[Greencatfysh]

Ohhh maybe! I’ve just kind of resigned myself to the fact that I will forever be dipping a stick in my wee

This is quite an informative article about LH surging, it says it’s pretty unreliable and numbers can range dramatically in different women. It also says some can have two surges per cycle! Seems like crazy guesswork. https://weconceive.com/library/fertility-101/lh-surge

 

[Scorpihoe]

Could be any of those three, sadly no way for us to know on here, you’d need to test to check for pregnancy or wait for shark week to appear. Have to say though if you get pregnant your first week here I want to know which leprechaun you hit up for good luck

Sadly I think it’s a period coming on. I have cramps that feel like Aunt Flo is arriving

Oh if I was pregnant after 1 week, I’m buying a lottery ticket + everyone here a non alcoholic drink on me!!

 

[call.me.coco]

Just remember that your feelings are valid and to be kind to yourself! On days that I get down about things I try to do something nice for myself even if thats just getting my fave snacks in, watching a fave film or having a pamper night with a nice bubble bath and fask mask. Just take some time to allow yourself to process your emotions Xx

Thank you

I’ll have a relaxing bath tonight and enjoy some of my favourite chocolate.

 

[Greencatfysh]

Still knocking about on the periphery of TTC whilst I make decisions about my job/see if I’m not too burned out or emotionally damaged to get a better job or whether I’m stuck in this mess for all eternity. I haven’t been LH testing with any regularity. Last cycle I apparently tested on Day 15 and it was low. Something then made me test on Day 24 and it was the highest ever (I must have been wondering about ovulation symptoms or something), I followed up on Day 25 which established that Day 24 was my peak. It’s now CD 16 of the next cycle and I’ve had some general ovary twinges (it’s both, though, not one, so maybe I’m imagining it), had a look at PreMom who reckoned I was near ovulation. Did an LH test tonight and it’s high but probably not at peak. Maybe these daft apps are getting better at figuring me out. I’m not preventing but I’m not really trying, either. I just don’t have the emotional strength to obsess over numbers and hush my bladder whilst I BBT etc etc at the moment. Rightly or wrongly!

Still waiting for an appt letter for an ultrasound for PCOS checking. I kind of expected a letter by now even if the appt was going to take a while. I’m interested in asking the GP for the progesterone test to see if I am ovulating in a cycle to at least confirm whether I can rely on LH tests, but from what I understand they like to issue it on Day 21 of your cycle, and my Day 21 won’t always tell me anything as my cycle has been anything from 27 to 43 days long. If I reach a peak in the next couple of days then this is the earliest I’ve potentially ovulated in a little under a year. Is that going to make it challenging to get a result? I could get a ‘false negative’ if I’ve tested too early in that particular cycle,surely?

Even if you do a day 21 test and it comes back very low you’ll have an idea of your progesterone levels at that point in your cycle, they could even do one on day 26-27 to confirm what you’re thinking. If you have very low progesterone for a few months and they can repeat the tests, you could get some supplementary progesterone and it could help you fall pregnant that month. Either way, good to have as much data as possible I’d say.

The issue is the LH tests cannot actually tell you if you’re ovulating. I recommend doing BBT checking if you haven’t already, it’s really simple and gives you a better idea of what’s happening

 

[Jasminexx02]

Spoiler: Test

can’t stop shaking, I had what I think are lines this morning. It’s 4 days before my period. What do people think please?
View attachment 2578499

thank you

edit 2: thanks for your help @User767676 i managed to get the spoiler over the picture too by manually typing!

any thoughts if you feel able would be so appreciated xx

Those definitely look promising

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

ugh how annoying, when is your predicted period, have you gone past it yet?

Not yet, the two apps are predicting tomorrow (Premom) or Saturday (Flo). The change from 35/35 days down to 28 last time has thrown them, and me, into chaos. I don’t really have any of the PMS that I have been having, last time I had tender boobs for days, I’ve been having horrible skin in the lead up to my period, I tend to lean towards eating junk and my mood is normally a bit all over the place (I tend to be very ‘that’s it! I can’t do anything! I’m going to quit my job’ etc and then my period comes and I’m like ‘oh, nevermind’). I’ve had some headaches and mild nausea and I think I mentioned above somewhere a twinge around where my left ovary might be (don’t even know. I’m pretty fat anyway so things aren’t always where I think they should be, haha!) but otherwise I’m basically just my normal self. Apart from the epic meltdown I’m currently having, of course. Haha!

 

[Elisha97]

Literally just keeping as busy as possible. But that's definitely easier said than done. I turn into a sloth in my luteal phase. Right now I'm finding reading is helping
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32 here, also feeling the same about my age

I'm scared too and felt super anxious the first time we didn't use protection - our brains have been programmed to avoid pregnancy for all of our 20s. I just reached the point where I had a few family events happen and I realised I would really regret not having a child sooner rather than later, or at all.

I started ovulation testing straight away. I found it a bit stressful at first because I didn't really know what I was doing but now I don't find it stressful whatsoever. I also use the ClearBlue digital ovulation - more expensive but definitely has reduced my stress as it's a lot quicker/easier to read.
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This is why I made my husband get the Flo partner app

I can barely stay awake I’ve decided to try and teach myself to knit

 

[Jasminexx02]

UPDATE! Tested about an hour ago and look how dark the line is, would you say this is peak?

Yes, 100%

 

[pollysunshine22]

9dpo… boobs are bloody agony. I’m going to test at 11dpo as I have my work’s social that evening.

I'm exactly the same, 9dpo with sore boobs! Not tested yet

 

[sarapal23]

Does anyone know what exactly is a good level of FSH / LH etc in a 31 year old in follicular phase?

I had day 3 bloods for FSH, LH and cortisol as it was found after my miscarriage that my prolactin was raised but with me experiencing no symptoms - regular periods, always confirm ovulation. I’ve had the results back and they look ok - I can access my records online and can see that they’re all within the expected ranges and the GP has put ‘satisfactory, no further action required’. I don’t want satisfactory though… I want optimal!

Is this a case of language? And his way of putting all fine, crack on?! Or what lol. I’m going to try and book in with him again after my next period (but let’s keep our fingers crossed we don’t get to that) as last cycle was slightly different to my usual in terms of length and ovulation date so just keeping tabs on that because of the prolactin, although this time it’s gone down…

Hey, I am the same age and had day 3 bloods done with hertility so I have what their ranges are for FSH & LH -

FSH - 0 - 3.5 (low), 3.5 - 12.50 (in range), 12.51 - 50 (high)
LH - 0 - 2.40 (low), 2.40 - 12.60 (in range), 12.61 - 20 (high)

I was 6.2 for Fsh & 8.60 for LH! Hope those numbers help!! It’s all so confusing

 

[Scorpihoe]

I’m only 4DPO but today I felt incredibly sick and nauseous. But I did have the most disgusting lunch at work, I ate it cuz I was starving but I’ve felt sick since I think NC updated my chart after my temperatures rose and looks like I ovulated a lot earlier