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TTC After a Loss
jesslw
member
Banging blind?
jesslw
member
I'm new around here and I've noticed a lot (ok most) of you ladies either chart or use OPKs and some of you use both. Is anyone just banging blind in hopes the BD falls on a lucky day, or is that just insane? I'm leery of charting (because of the hassle) and OPKs (because of the expense) and I'm wondering what you ladies think about it. I want my sticky take home baby asap, by doing nothing but tons of random banging am I committing a TTC time wasting sin? Thanks for the input!
+HPT 12/1/14
EDD 8/3/15
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Banging blind?
Have you read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility"? That is a great place to start. Also, check out the TTCAL Blog in some of the siggies on this board.
Personally, I'm using OPKs and charting. I swore I'd never become one of "those" people, but I have. You can buy OPKs online for a very inexpensive price, and I think its worth it. Once you get the hang of charting, there's not much hassle to it.
Good luck.
I chart and have a monitor (not using either this month though as I wait for an IUI.)
Btw, "Banging Blind" would be an excellent name for a band. Love it.
Yes and no. I don't chart anymore (haven't since 2005), and I don't use OPK's either. That said, after charting for so long prior to DD #1, and using OPK's w/ DD#2, I know my body so well. I can tell by the horrendous cramping and mood swings when I'm about to O. I just "know" now as much as anyone can know w/o charting and using OPK's.
Not a sin by any means. Just perhaps not the most efficient thing. And might make a determination that help is needed in the future a bit harder -- meaning that you don't have a firm handle on whether issues TTC are related to cycle issues/O problems or other reasons.
Nothing wrong with the random banging though. Probably makes for a contented DH.
BFP #1 5/2010 - Missed m/c at 8 weeks
BFP #2 2/2011
Baby G welcomed with love and relief 10/2011
Surprise BFP 1/8/2013...say what? Baby A arrived 9/2013
Motherhood is not for wimps
Dh and I got pregnant fairly quickly with your approach of blindly banging
So it definitely can happen. I also hadn't had a period in MONTHS, so my body was all out of whack! You'd think it was just "meant to happen", but it ended in a m/c, so there goes that (although thinking back now, maybe I needed to know of my septum so I could get it removed for our healthy baby that is hopefully coming!)
This time around I am going to try charting, and just recording my CM. My RE told me to specifically not use OPK's because he thinks many women get so focused on getting a + that they miss the window to BD. Who knows if thats true. I figure we'll BD as usual, and then on CD 17,18,19,20 as RE has instructed (I have longer cycles so that is when I should be ovulating). The charting will confirm this so hopefully it works out for me
I did actually buy OPK's from amazon.com so maybe i'll try them after a few months if no BFP.
Whoa sorry for the long reply! Best of luck!
bfp 01/23/10 m/c 12w1d 03/14/10 EDD 09/24/10
bfp 07/20/10 m/c 5w1d 07/25/10
bfp 11/19/10 Born 07/24/11 via C/S
My Forever Sister From Another Mister~CashewsMommy!!
Before my first BFP, I spent 6 or 7 BB (Banging Blind, yay!). I had thought charting would be annoying or take the fun out. But then I got concerned and tired of guessing, so I started charting and using OPK. We got our BFP on the third try after that. I think it's up to you, but I actually discovered that I ovulated later (usually around CD 19) so it had probably taken us a while because our guess timing was just bad. Once we had the timing down, it's just easier to get the job done. Plus, it makes me feel like I have more control over the process and am more aware of what my body is doing, even if it doesn't always behave.
You could just keep track of what day you are on the cycle and take some OPK around CD12 until you get a positive. Then you might be able to guess better when you'll O next cycle.
BFP 1: 3/19/10 Loss: 7/9/10
BFP 2: 12/28/10
My Blog: Losing Sylvia
we're banging blind, at least for now. we've just decided to try and neither one of us wants to become super obsessed about it or feel robotic about it. but that's just us. and that's just to see how it goes. i'm going to buy some OPK's from amazon, but otherwise we're going to BB to see how it goes.
i'm not sure i really want to know that much about my body, to be honest. kinda skeeves me out...
BFP #3 via cancelled IUI ~ C (2lb 3oz; HELLP) 5/16/11
BFP #4 via the natural (free!) way ~ E (8lb 11oz) 9/13/12
I used to temp, but my dog got ahold of my BBT so I haven't tempted in almost two weeks.
Right now Im just charting my AF and hoping to catch it.
Remembering Evelyn and raising Bailey
Evelyn Born at 24wks 6days on May 22, 2010 due to pre-e Passed away May 25, 2010
BFP# 2 Delivered 6wks early due to preeclampsia
Banging blind made me LOL.
Here's my 2 cents. Unless he is out of town, (in which case charting wouldnt help either) DH and I regularly have sex-at least EOD, often everyday or more. So, I don't really need to chart or use OPKs to determine when to time sex for conception. If I didn't chart, our timing would most likely be perfectly fine.
But, I still chart, and sporadically use OPKs. I even charted through these past 3 TTA cycles. I like to know what my body is doing and make sure I'm Oing, that my LP is the right length, and most importantly, so as not to drive myself bonkers, when to expect AF so I know if I'm "late" or not. My first cycle charting after my D&C I O'd on CD21, which was a full week later than I normally O'd. If I wasn't charting, I would have been convinced I was pregnant or "late" and freaking out for a week with no AF.
But that's my personality. I don't mind temping in the morning, and I like slightly OCD things like charting. If you don't like doing it and you're confident in your ability to bang at the right time sans chart, don't chart, you'll be okay.
HA! I love the term banging blind! The first time I got pg it just kind of happened. I was a FH, we weren't trying, and I ended up pg. I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with banging blind especially if you're doing a lot of boot knockin'.
FWIW OPKs are pretty cheap if you're interested in trying them. I bought some off Amazon and got like 40 OPKs and 10 HPTs for like $11 or something crazy like that. I haven't started temping yet and I'm not sure if I will. A lot of ladies really like the control it gives them, but I know I'd obsess over it.
I never charted. DH and I just BD every other day. For 7 months. lol. He was very happy during this time. Heck, so was I. I didn't find out until about 4 months into TTC that my thyroid levels were off (I was getting my levels checked every 6 months at that time and they were fine 2 months before TTC) I finally got on the correct dosage the same cycle I got pg.
So, we were TTC for 7 months, but because of my thyroid levels I was only actually able to get pg the cycle that I got my BFP.
CRACKING UP!!!!! love that term
We bang blind all the time. Patially because we got preg so fast the first time before our m/c and because I just work in research all day and have no desire to bring it home. Our doctor told us we could if we wanted to but he finds that charting (in his office) leads to more divorce than births... but that is just his opinion. My cycles are totally messed up anyways (I was always regular while on the pill) with annovulation that I don't even know where I would start. I took Clomid last week and figure now is the time to try... so FWP, EOD for a while and maybe we will be lucky!
We BANG BLIND and I've found that it's better for us... I used to chart but that took the spark out of the BANG so I just keep track of where I am in my cycle so that we're not toally blind... I prefer to have one eye open.
First, I love the term "banging blind" lol
Second, yes - we did that for almost a year with no luck
Needless to say my cycles are less than perfect/ideal/consistent/etc. and so getting KTFU proved to be more difficult than just shooting in the dark. That's when I picked up temping and charting, which I didn't find to be a hassle at all. Once I got to know my cycle, we were pg quite quickly. Now post m/c I am hoping my cycles aren't too messed up, but just in case we are adding OPKs to the mix (I get the internet cheapies) in hopes of hitting the nail on the head asap.