WAYDTGKU: pnv, bbt, checking CM, OPKs are still in the mail
R/R: It's Sunday, my favorite homebody day, where I don't go anywhere and don't see anyone
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? I was not, but folks where I grew up are culturally religious, so I participated in all that, and I was technically a member of the church for the first 20 something years of my life. Not anymore, though.
WAYDTGKU: HIO, BBT, Starting OPK this cycle, FertilAid, OvaBoost, FertileCM, Vitamin C, Omega3, Probiotic, Dessicated Liver, Collagen, Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, Maca, Green Tea CD1-O, POM Juice CD2-O, No Alcohol/Caffeine, Fertility Yoga (Possibly pineapple if I ever O)
R/R: Rant: It’s gross and rainy here. Rave: Fancy donuts for breakfast and a lazy day home with the family.
CS/Q: 11 days of flashing smiley CBA OPKs. I’m losing my mind. Ovulate body. Ov-u-late.
GTKY: I was raised Catholic, but I’m agnostic now and married to an atheist and we don’t practice anything now, just good old-fashioned human compassion
@TigerCakes have fun at your St. Patrick’s Day party and fingers crossed your temp starts going up.
DS1: Nov. 2013 DS2: Jan. 2016 DS3: Dec. 2017 Baby #4 on the way!
Happy Sunday, ladies! I took a day or two off of bumping for my sanity but missed you all. Plus, I guess I'm feeling a little more hopeful as my suspected O date approaches. Hope you've all had a great start to the weekend
@TigerCakes FX for a temp spike in the morning! @kiwi2628 Love the positivity! Hope it's a great day for you. @Camomile I so enjoy homebody days. I'm jealous because I'd love to laze around in jammies all day but that's not going to happen today. Enjoy!
Month/Cycle: 3/2
CD:
WAYDTGKU: pnv, bbt, green tea, evening primrose, hio
R/R: Rave: Lovely day here and my Grandmother is making my favorite meal for us today! Rant: So much work to do today... and I haven't started yet so it'll be a long one. Weekends should be 3 days long!
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? Not really and no. Like @KatieEl we are all about compassion... and even spirituality, but not so much into an organized church.
High School Teacher * Reluctant Floridian * Steelers Fan
Family info in Spoiler
Married 6/2013 DS 11/2017 MMC 10/2019 @ 12 weeks Planning to try for our rainbow 01/2020
@TigerCakes FX for your temp spike! @KatieEl Mmmmm, fancy donuts! Hopefully you ovulate soon, 11 days of flashing smiley would be frustrating for sure! Month/Cycle: 1/1
CD: 28
WAYDTGKU: PNV's, BBT, CM, OPKs, Vitex
R/R: The hockey game yesterday was really fun! The people we went with have season tickets, so we were in the VIP lounge where free wine was definitely a thing that happened.
CS/Q: Nope
GTKY: I was raised in a very catholic household, but I definitely wouldn't consider myself catholic now. DH is Jewish, and we're a little more active in that community, but I probably won't convert or anything.
WAYDTGKU: PNV, extra folic acid, OPK, Monitoring CM, and HIO ED during fertile week.
R/R: RANt: Today is CD 1 and I am being crabby. Poor DH. Rave: We will be going to costco today and I plan to drown my menstrual woes in free samples.
CS/Q: This is going to be my first official full cycle that I can plan from CD 1. My last cycle was an unknown since I wasn't sure if O would come back or not. She did, so I am being painfully optimistic and assuming that we will be back on track. Since I have no way of knowing when or if I will go an-o again, I am hoping for some advice on how to make the most of the cycle. I have heard of eating pineapple after O and taking mucinex during fertile time for CM so those are some things I am considering. Green Tea, Raspberry leaf, Pom juice are some of the things I hear about. What are the benefits of these and when and how much should I drink? Also, is preseed worth it? Any other suggestions on things that may help? Also I would like to point out that temping is something that I don't feel would be beneficial to me right now. I plan to revisit the idea after a few unsuccessful months. Thank you so much for reading this novel and thanks in advance for any help you can give.
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? My parents are very strong Lutheran and I went to Lutheran schools my whole life. I was not in a public school until college. I still have my beliefs but I am not as active now as I was as a child. Once we have children, I told Dh that I would like to find a church to join.
@TigerCakes- Have fun at your MIL party. Sounds fun. FX for proof of O soon.
@Cricket648- Very jealous of your hockey games seats! I was once able to watch a baseball game from a luxury box with an open bar and I was never the same.
ETA- I always spell something wrong.
Me: 29 DH:30 Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014 DS Born 12/28/2017 TTC #2 06/2019
@TigerCakes Hope you have an excellent party. FX for temp spike tomorrow (and good timing! I'm sure you're in better control of your cycle than I am, but last cycle I got a huge temp spike, and I was sure I o'd, so we stopped HIO (too exhausted!). And then my temp dropped again, and O ended up confirmed two days later, resulting in much worse timing than I had hoped. Such a newbie mistake, ha)
@kiwi2628 I'm sharing your optimism. It IS going to be a good day today, yay.
@KatieEl - I love how you frame that - good old-fashioned human compassion. Sounds like a nice approach to life.
@CandyApple2012 Yes to 3-day weekends: 1 day for an outing, 1 day to catch up on housework, etc, and 1 day for staying home in pajamas! Let's all move to Sweden and partake of their 30 hour work week experiment.
@Cricket648 VIP, wow. I don't think I've even been to VIP anything or anywhere...
@morado23 I hope you get to take all the naps today
@LaurenEG14Boo for CD 1. Treating yourself today sounds good.
@CandyApple2012 I have a ton of work to do today, too. Good luck with yours! Weekends should totally be 3 days! @LaurenEG14 Sorry about CD1. FX that you're back on track!
@LaurenEG14 Pom juice is supposed to thicken your lining. I drank 8oz once a day until AF. I really like pre-seed but I need it (H works until 2 am so I have to wake up in the middle of the night & honestly just want to DTD and go back to bed as quickly as possible lol) and it helps
Month/Cycle: 8/6 (1/1AL)
CD: ?
WAYDTGKU: benched
R/R: *TW my dr had me bring Wondfo hpt with me on my trip & test every day since my levels last Wednesday were 55. Today was the first time I've used it since I found out (and the next week or so) when it was blaringly positive. Today it was very faint. I think it picks up on a level of 25 so hopefully the line will be gone soon. **. End TW***. We thought we'd be jet lagged today so we planned to sleep in & just go to Disneytown (their version of Downtown Disney/ Disney Springs) but we weren't tired when we woke up so we headed into the park!! We also had a fancy dinner at the Disneyland Hotel (I'm so surprised that H agreed to it!). So I'm excited that I can once again say I've been to every Disney park in the world!!
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? Nope and definitely not.
@LaurenEG14 So sorry for CD1. I can't imagine how frustrating an-o cycles would be. FX that you are back on track and that this cycle is smooth. You mentioned pre-seed -- do you have EWCM issues? I bought pre-seed for this cycle but won't be trying it until later this week if needed, but I also purchased evening primrose oil supplements for the same reason and so far I've noticed a difference. I may also grab some robitussin later today at the store (be sure that guaifenesin is the only active ingredient) -- sounds a bit over the top, but I haven't noticed ANY EWCM since I had my mirena out over three months ago. For green tea, I drink 1-2 cups in the evening before O (it supposedly reduces absorption of folic acid).
I'm curious about why you don't think temping will be worth it right now. I might be wrong here but I was under the impression charting is the only sure-fire way of knowing if/when we ovulate. FWIW, temping can be easy to obsess over but it also makes me feel slightly empowered because I know I'm more knowledgable about the whole process.
@purplg8r Your trip sounds like so much fun! You are YH might be the biggest Disney freaks I "know" (meant as a compliment!) My favorite meal she makes is a delicious beef stew with veggies and homemade noodles. It's wonderful and will always remind me of winters as a child.
High School Teacher * Reluctant Floridian * Steelers Fan
Family info in Spoiler
Married 6/2013 DS 11/2017 MMC 10/2019 @ 12 weeks Planning to try for our rainbow 01/2020
TigerCakes The best part of Friday St Patty's day is that it can last all weekend! kiwi2628 Yay for good days! Camomile Homebody day for sure! Last moments to soak in the weekend KatieEl I made doughnuts for breakfast! CandyApple2012 So awesome your gran is cooking! Cricket648 Love box tickets and VIP lounge.... Nice you had a fun night out! morado23 Your mom sounds like my mom! Same experience! LaurenEG14 Sorry for CD 1 purplg8r So glad you got to take your vaca TW* ugh... testing out the beta sucks...sending hugs end TW*
CD: 17
WAYDTGKU: FET, Supplements, Synthroid
R/R: Rave: estrogen is up... may be triggering soon. Rant: Lining still sucky. AND got a call from my doc after I got home from monitoring (which is super rare...never good news). He thinks my Thyroid hormone is a bit low and has put me on Synthroid. Every time someone tries to medicate me with replacement thyroid hormone, my thyroid rebels and I end up in the hospital. The last fertility doc I worked with last summer landed me in Emergency with an over night stay in the hospital and a week off work and a delay in TTC because the stuff made me sick. I'm on half the smallest dose and no active (t3) , but I'm still hella terrified to be taking this
CS/Q: nope!
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? My mom was/is religious, but like morado23's mom, she didn't like organized religion. I am not religious. Great question... nice to see to many like minded folks on here! I've called myself Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist etc... all work for me.
@KatieEl Thanks! Enjoy your lazy day at home. FX you ovulate soon @CandyApple2012 Thanks! Enjoy your favorite meal! @Cricket64 Thank you! I'm not a big hockey fan, but that VIP lounge sounds awesome @LaurenEG14 Thank you! Sorry for CD1. The only thing I tried this cycle was drinking Pom juice which is supposed to thicken your uterine lining. Who knows if it worked or not though. I've never tried preseed, but I told myself if this cycle doesn't work out I'm going to get some. Sorry, I don't really have too much advice because clearly what I'm doing isn't working or I wouldn't still be here. @Camomile We've only been HIO EOD so we will continue until O is confirmed. I had an almost positive OPK about a week and half ago so I made my H start HIO early and EOD is about the best I can get out of him. Enjoy your day at home! @purplg8r Thanks! Your trip sounds amazing so far. I'm so jealous that you have been to every Disney park! I've only been to the Orlando one, but I would love to go to others. Unfortunately, my H isn't a big Disney person so I don't see it happening anytime soon. @dragonette505 Thanks! Hopefully, your lining improves so you can trigger soon!
@LaurenEG14 Sorry for CD1 I do the green and raspberry leaf teas up until O - I'm not overly militant with it though, so just aim for at least one cup but preferably two of each. I know you said you don't want to temp at this point, but just a reminder that it is the only way to confirm O - and I only bring it up because I've had cycles with fake outs (where OPKs and CM both pointed to O, but there was no temp spike), and then one that I thought was an-O so I stopped tracking everything except temp after 40 days or so and ended up getting the spike. My DH was travelling by then so there was nothing we could have done, but it was reassuring to know that it wasn't actually an-O
@purplg8r So glad your trip is going well - you really deserve it after everything you've been through
@dragonette505 Ugh - hopefully this doesn't make you sick too!
Month/Cycle: 6/5
CD: 8
WAYDTGKU: so many things
R/R: Ended up having a fairly relaxed day yesterday, but we both had trouble sleeping last night
CS/Q: For those of you taking evening primrose oil, how much do you take? I've read different things about it
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? No and no. DH was raised Jewish, but doesn't follow that at all either. We do go to family events (Christmas, Passover, etc.) for the family element, but are both strongly agnostic
@Sailing_Mama I take Borage oil which is similar to EPO... but borage can also help with inflammation. I take designs for health GLA 240 (Gamma linoleic acid 249 mgs) Im not sure if doses are the same, though
@LaurenEG14 I'm curious how you know your last several cycles were annovulatory if you weren't temping? Are you already under the care of an RE? Or is your OB monitoring you with bw/us?
<b>Month/Cycle</b>: almost 22 months / 12th cycle since starting testing
<b>CD</b>: 8
<b>WAYDTGKU</b>: waiting for test results, taking all the usual vitamins/supplements, and just going through the motions...
<b>R/R</b>: mostly just relaxing with DH and the doggies today, which is nice. One test they said might come back ahead of the others is now not projected ready till the 23rd. Apt on the 27th, so not sure how much we'll really know till then. Such a dubious TWW. Has me a bit anxious/ manic, like feeling one last hopeful hurrah before reality comes crashing down around us. ...I probably need to buy more fluff ;) lol
<b>CS/Q</b>: n/a
<span><b>GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?</b> Yes, I was. My mom is Catholic and raised me in the Church, but my dad was agnostic, and my brother didn't much come to Church with my mom and me. We are still Catholic. DH got confirmed as an adult before the wedding, and then we were married in the Church, too! I had still been going myself through last year, but we moved several months ago, right around the time we got our news, and I haven't yet visited our new local parish... I am struggling a bit bc the Church teachings are against any ART, IVF, 3rd party reproduction etc. So it's been extra-tough for me to swallow that some sort of ART or medical intervention would be our only chance for a baby. I always thought of adoption as something we might do when we were older, even past child-bearing years, not necessarily as our only choice, between that or childlessness. I suppose it remains to be seen what's in store, but if we do go ahead and pursue ivf, it's a decision I struggle extra-hard with because of the Church's position. :/</span>
@TigerCakes Have fun at the party! @KatieEl fancy donuts for breakfast sounds delish!! @CandyApple2012 what's is she making? @LaurenEG14 boo to CD1 - I love Costco samples! @purplg8r disneyland sounds amazing! Have so much fun! @dragonette505 I would be wary of taking synthyroid with that history too! I hope it works out okay!
Month/Cycle: 4/4
CD: 14
WAYDTGKU: told DH to clean the pipes cause we might end up having okay timing after all! (maybe? one can hope)
R/R: Rave: after a super cranky week, DS and I had SUCH a fun day yesterday, we went to the farmers market and shopping and he was so happy and giggly all day! So nice to just have a solid good day with him. Rant:DH is still gone. that is all.
CS/Q: I'm thinking O will hold out until AT LEAST tomorrow? OPKs have all been negative so far, and I've been testing 2x/day. I think that temp spike a couple days ago was related to crappy sleep and having a cold, since the last two nights I slept great and temped the second I woke and they have been rock bottom again. What do you guys think? My Ovulation Chart
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? Nope, had a few friends who were religious who I went to church with on sunday morning if we had a sleep over, but other than that nope. Still not, I'm atheist.
WAYDTGKU:Femara 5mg and will be doing the trigger again. I responded well last month so we'll give it another go. Also BBT + preseed + vitex + low carb diet and may try aspirin and mucinex too.
R/R: I went for my beta blood work this am and got a BFN. I also got AF. I was pretty hopeful this cycle. Just feeling down. But also feeling optimistic about a new cycle and a new chance to temp because I didn't last month
CS/Q: None today
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?
Yes and yes. But I say it cautiously....it sounds very cliche but I don't see Christianity as a religion but more a relationship. I also say it cautiously because "Christianity" has done a lot of really horrible things that I don't want to be associated with. But yes, I read the Bible daily, walk within the teachings of Jesus daily, and am active in a church. It's a big part of our lives.
Me: 27 // DH: 30 Married 05/21/2011 TTC Since Feb 2016 RE: Dec 2016 Dx: PCOS 5 rounds of Letrozole 5mg + Ovidrel + TI BFP!!!! June 2017 // EDD: 04/01/2018 IT'S A BOY!
@Cricket648 sounds like you had a blast at the hockey game, how fun!
@LaurenEG14 Sorry about CD1, these early cycle days are always so hard (esp. If you’ve been an-o previously, I bet). In terms of the other supplements/foods you were asking about I can only speak for me (approved by my dr/midwife), but I drink 1 c. pom juice (to increase endometrial lining) CD1-O; 2c. (2 bags) green tea (to improve quality of CM) CD1-O; Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (to tone uterus for pregnancy) 3-4 cups/bags a day (check with your doctor/midwife, this isn’t appropriate for everyone, especially if you’ve suffered recurrent MC); and pineapple including the core (which contains bromelain to aid in implantation), when I have an obvious O I’ll take a fresh pineapple and divide all of it (including the core) into 5 segments, dice it and use it in my morning smoothie, this would be taken O-5DPO. In terms of preseed, I have it, and have used it the few days this cycle where I was still getting the flashy smiley face but didn’t have much/any fertile CM. I think if you have enough CM the preseed isn’t necessary, unless you need/want additional lubrication.
@purplg8r sounds like you’re having a much deserved great time on your trip!
@dragonette505 you made donuts? I’m impressed! I just picked some up lol. FX that the low dose your Dr. puts you on helps, given your experience, totally understandable you’d be a bit worried.
@kvacmak glad you had a nice day with DS. My husband travels a lot for work too and was gone for the entire month of February, it’s so hard especially with young kids.
DS1: Nov. 2013 DS2: Jan. 2016 DS3: Dec. 2017 Baby #4 on the way!
Thanks everyone for all the sentiments and advice!
CandyApple2012 I actually don’t have probs with EWCM. It can sometimes be much abundant than other times but it’s always enough to notice without much effort. The only reason I was considering it is because like purplg8r, I sometimes only have the time or stamina for a quickie and without some kind of lubrication it can be painful. Also, this most recent time I could tell that the ewcm was not as abundant as I’ve had it in the past and I’m thinking more would help.
@sailing_mama - As far as the temping, I know the only sure way to confirm O is to temp. I definitely am keeping this in mind. When I went an-o, my Dr. did so many tests on me and there was no obvious reason for it. So it was chalked up to stress. I have had a very sensitive cycle from the beginning. If anything even remotely stressful happens, I was almost certainly going to skip that cycle. Now that we are TTC the stress apparently took that all to a different level. So basically, I am afraid that temping will become too stressful for me. I like to overanalyze everything and a few weird temps could take me over the edge. Plus I am a light sleeper and I wake up in the middle of the night often so not sure how accurate it would be. I know there is no way of knowing for sure, but I really do trust that I know when I O. I have always been one of those who has always felt it. It has been the same feeling almost every O cycle I’ve had exactly 14 days before AF comes. Plus it made me feel more confident when the OPK lined up with it. BUT I am aware that I could have been wrong this whole time. So the plan is cycle 4, maybe 3, I will temp to make sure.
@businesswife- Based on CM and O pains, I felt my last Ovulation end of August and had my last AF in September. There was no sign of anything until I started spotting in Nov for a week. I also spotted for 5 weeks in Dec and Jan. I was also religiously using OPKs Dec and Jan. My Dr. then gave me progesterone end of Jan and less than a week later, AF was back. 27 days later the familiar EWCM and O pains were back with a positive OPK to match and 14 days later, today, AF is here again. So hoping I am accurate on my assumptions. Please give any advice you have. It is more than welcome.
ETA- thebump- I will figure out how to make my whole post stick!
Me: 29 DH:30 Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014 DS Born 12/28/2017 TTC #2 06/2019
@BusinessWife- I had no idea that the church was against IVF. I am so sorry that you have to deal with that on top of everything else. It should be your business and you shouldn't have to worry about what anyone else thinks. There are so many things I love about being a part of a church but everyone being all up in your business and judging every move is something I could do without. (sorry for the double tag but I didn't read all of your post before responding to your question)
ETA- TB cut off half...again....grrrr
Me: 29 DH:30 Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014 DS Born 12/28/2017 TTC #2 06/2019
@dragonette505 That's really scary! Hopefully that doesn't happen again. @Sailing_Mama Sorry about your sleep troubles @kvacmak Glad you had a good day with DS! @vintageandrea90 Sorry about CD 1! @BusinessWife Sorry you're struggling! The decision to pursue medical interventions is definitely a personal one for a lot of reasons.
@LaurenEG14 that's great that you notice the signals your body is trying to tell you! And you may be right! But unfortunately, even with +opks and ewcm, "o pains" which not everyone gets etc. It is still possible to have those symptoms accompany a "false surge" and still not actually ovulate.
That's why temping is recommended bc it is just such a powerful tool for giving us insight into what's going on in our body/ bloodstream, due to the hormonal changes ovulation creates. If I were having any wonkiness like that, personally, I would want to start temping asap so I didn't feel like I was flying "blind." Really temping and U/s scans are the only way to confirm that ovulation has ocurred, bw can help confirm after the fact as long as progesterone is rising accordingly etc., but at-home? Cm, opks, other symptoms just aren't really defininitive, when it gets right down to it. Temping is.
WAYDTGKU: Advanced OPK, PNV, Vit D, Coq10, tracking cm, gettin some sexy time on
R/R: Things I learned today. CB Advanced OPK gives you different days to start online vs the little pamphlet. Good thing, because the pamphlet says I should have started testing two days ago, but online says I'm fine starting today. So here we go!
Other things I learned today: I think I had 4 beers yesterday (It might have been 3...but it definitely wasn't 5) and I'm hung over all damn day.
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? I grew up in a fairly religious - Catholic - household. We went to church every week. Now I would say I'm spiritual - I pray and I believe in God and all. I just can't agree with so many of the Catholic churches teachings.
@KatieEl - I think after 7 days of flashing smilies, CB says it's unlikely to turn solid. They say its rare, but it could be that the LH surge was brief and so the tester never catches it. So you might have already O-ed or you might not have...I know it's clear as mud. That's why a lot of women also temp, because OPKs can help alert you when O is coming, but temping can help confirm it's happened.
@LaurenEG14 - I know with green tea they say it can inhibit your body's absorption of folic acid, so you shouldn't have green tea at the same time you're taking your PNV. You should give a couple hours inbetween. Re: pom juice - Calling @Lulu1180 who might be able to provide more details about pom juice.
@purplg8r - isn't it weird to take a hpt and HOPE for it to be negative? Hopefully you get your BFN soon! And I'm super jealous that your at Disney!!
** December BMB Siggy Challenge - Animals in Pools **
Me: 31+ H: 32 TTC Since 11/2015 #1 - MMC 6.5 weeks (2/16); #2 - MC due to cystic hygroma at 20 weeks (10/16); #3 CP (2/17); #4 - Due 12.16.17
@Sailing_Mama My DH's mom is about half Irish and they've always made a big deal out of St. Patrick's Day. About 2 months after meeting my DH, I went to the family's St. Patrick's Day party and didn't wear green and it was a HUGE deal. It was my first time meeting the extended family and I was so embarrassed and pissed at my DH for not telling me that green clothes were mandatory! @kvacmak Thanks! FX O holds off til your DH is back!
@Tennis11785 yeah I'm temping too, and I definitely haven't o'd yet. Not holding out for a peak reading but figured I'd keep using them until my temp spikes.
DS1: Nov. 2013 DS2: Jan. 2016 DS3: Dec. 2017 Baby #4 on the way!
@Tennis11785- I had no idea that green tea has that effect on folic acid. Spina Bifida runs in my family and *TW* it has caused numerous MCs in my mother and both my sisters *END TW* so I already have to take 5 times the normal amount of folic acid as is normally suggested. I would hate to have been inhibiting it without knowing. So thank you for pointing that out! Phew!
Me: 29 DH:30 Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014 DS Born 12/28/2017 TTC #2 06/2019
@KatieEl. Yeah I must have missed that before, but after 7 days with no peak it's best to stop the CBAds. I think you could maybe try again once you have the tester a day or two to reset? Or with a fresh holder? I'm not sure how that thing works exactly. But I had that happen the cycle of my SHG even tho I actually did ovulate. :/ it's annoying, but it can happen. That was the only time I had that problem, so I chalk it up to the "stress" of the SHG in my case. Keep temping tho, bc I saw a clear shift that time anyway, so I didn't stress it.
@LaurenEG14 First of all, @Tennis11785 is correct that green tea can inhibit absorption of folic acid. Because of that, I will drink the green tea in the morning and afternoon and then take my PNV in the evening right before bed. At the same time, because of that, when I am taking the full list of supplements and vitamins, I space out taking them during the day for better absorption. As for the other things you mentioned, you should eat pineapple core from 1-5 dpo for best results, just eating pineapple doesn't give you quite the same benefits because the core is loaded with bromelain which is supposed to help with implantation. Red Raspberry leaf tea and pom juice are both used to help thicken the uterine lining. I tried the pom juice last cycle (didn't seem to make any difference but that's another issue) and I drank it up until about 2 dpo because I have read that pom extract can cause uterine contractions and I didn't want to take any chances. However, I know a recent grad that was drinking pom juice through her whole cycle and it (obviously) seemed to help her. Here are the links where I got my information from. I realize that one of them is not scientific but I did a bit more research and unfortunately didn't save those links. Hope this helps! https://lifeabundant-blog.com/2013/12/17/how-to-naturally-thicken-your-uterine-lining-it-really-works/ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127095916.htm
"It's time to try defying gravity."
Me: 38 DH: 38 Married 6/11/16 TTC Since 6/2016 12/2016 RE appt; 1/2017 SA & HSG results - all normal 3/2017 Dx Hyperprolactinemia; 5/2017 Prolactin levels normal; 8/2017 Low Ovarian Reserve 8/2017 TTA for personal reasons; 10/2017 NTNP; 12/2017 Re-start TTC 7/2018 Clomid+IUI 11/2018 Letrozole+TI 12/2018 Letrozole+IUI 2/2019 NTNP 5/2019 Stopping all TTC efforts; living Childfree
@KatieEl I had an interesting run with clear blue advanced opk's. I can say on one of my cycles that I went straight to blinking smiley faces for 11 days then finally got the solid smiley. I confirmed O with temping as well so on this particular cycle the CBAs were accurate. I've had others where they are not. I have long irregular cycles and I think that's why the CBAs can be confused or maybe I'm confused lol
Re: WTO Sunday 3/19
CD: 22
WAYDTGKU: bbt, opk, pnv, cm, hio EOD
R/R: My MIL is having a St. Patrick's day party today so that should be fun!
CS/Q: I was hoping I O'd yesterday, but no temp spike today. Hopefully I'll see one tomorrow.
GTKY: I was not raised in a religious home and I'm not religious now.
CD: 8
WAYDTGKU: nada this month
R/R: Its gonna be a good day!
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?
No and definitely not
CD: 4
WAYDTGKU: pnv, bbt, checking CM, OPKs are still in the mail
R/R: It's Sunday, my favorite homebody day, where I don't go anywhere and don't see anyone
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? I was not, but folks where I grew up are culturally religious, so I participated in all that, and I was technically a member of the church for the first 20 something years of my life. Not anymore, though.
Month/Cycle: 2/2
CD: 21
WAYDTGKU: HIO, BBT, Starting OPK this cycle, FertilAid, OvaBoost, FertileCM, Vitamin C, Omega3, Probiotic, Dessicated Liver, Collagen, Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, Maca, Green Tea CD1-O, POM Juice CD2-O, No Alcohol/Caffeine, Fertility Yoga (Possibly pineapple if I ever O)
R/R: Rant: It’s gross and rainy here. Rave: Fancy donuts for breakfast and a lazy day home with the family.
CS/Q: 11 days of flashing smiley CBA OPKs. I’m losing my mind. Ovulate body. Ov-u-late.
GTKY: I was raised Catholic, but I’m agnostic now and married to an atheist and we don’t practice anything now, just good old-fashioned human compassion
@TigerCakes have fun at your St. Patrick’s Day party and fingers crossed your temp starts going up.DS2: Jan. 2016
DS3: Dec. 2017
Baby #4 on the way!
@TigerCakes FX for a temp spike in the morning!
@kiwi2628 Love the positivity! Hope it's a great day for you.
@Camomile I so enjoy homebody days. I'm jealous because I'd love to laze around in jammies all day but that's not going to happen today. Enjoy!
Month/Cycle: 3/2
CD:
WAYDTGKU: pnv, bbt, green tea, evening primrose, hio
R/R: Rave: Lovely day here and my Grandmother is making my favorite meal for us today! Rant: So much work to do today... and I haven't started yet so it'll be a long one. Weekends should be 3 days long!
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?
Not really and no. Like @KatieEl we are all about compassion... and even spirituality, but not so much into an organized church.
High School Teacher * Reluctant Floridian * Steelers Fan
Family info in Spoiler
DS 11/2017
MMC 10/2019 @ 12 weeks
Planning to try for our rainbow 01/2020
@KatieEl Mmmmm, fancy donuts! Hopefully you ovulate soon, 11 days of flashing smiley would be frustrating for sure!
Month/Cycle: 1/1
CD: 28
WAYDTGKU: PNV's, BBT, CM, OPKs, Vitex
R/R: The hockey game yesterday was really fun! The people we went with have season tickets, so we were in the VIP lounge where free wine was definitely a thing that happened.
CS/Q: Nope
GTKY: I was raised in a very catholic household, but I definitely wouldn't consider myself catholic now. DH is Jewish, and we're a little more active in that community, but I probably won't convert or anything.
Married: 10/2013
TTC #1 Since: 02/2017
CD: 9
WAYDTGKU: PNVs, HIO charting the things
R/R: I woke up ridiculously early again today, but luckily my DH let's me sleep as much as I want on Sundays because they are my Monday.
CS/Q: nope
GTKY: My mom was Christian, but didn't like organized religion, so we didn't go to church a lot. I guess I would consider myself agnostic now.
DSS born 01/2016
TTC since 01/2017
Letrozole + TI = BFP 01/30/2018 | EDD 10/11/2018
ETA- I always spell something wrong.
Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014
DS Born 12/28/2017
TTC #2 06/2019
@kiwi2628 I'm sharing your optimism. It IS going to be a good day today, yay.
@KatieEl - I love how you frame that - good old-fashioned human compassion. Sounds like a nice approach to life.
@CandyApple2012 Yes to 3-day weekends: 1 day for an outing, 1 day to catch up on housework, etc, and 1 day for staying home in pajamas! Let's all move to Sweden and partake of their 30 hour work week experiment.
@Cricket648 VIP, wow. I don't think I've even been to VIP anything or anywhere...
@morado23 I hope you get to take all the naps today
@LaurenEG14Boo for CD 1. Treating yourself today sounds good.
@LaurenEG14 Sorry about CD1. FX that you're back on track!
Married: 10/2013
TTC #1 Since: 02/2017
@CandyApple2012 what's your fav meal?
@LaurenEG14 Pom juice is supposed to thicken your lining. I drank 8oz once a day until AF. I really like pre-seed but I need it (H works until 2 am so I have to wake up in the middle of the night & honestly just want to DTD and go back to bed as quickly as possible lol) and it helps
Month/Cycle: 8/6 (1/1AL)
CD: ?
WAYDTGKU: benched
R/R: *TW my dr had me bring Wondfo hpt with me on my trip & test every day since my levels last Wednesday were 55. Today was the first time I've used it since I found out (and the next week or so) when it was blaringly positive. Today it was very faint. I think it picks up on a level of 25 so hopefully the line will be gone soon. **. End TW***. We thought we'd be jet lagged today so we planned to sleep in & just go to Disneytown (their version of Downtown Disney/ Disney Springs) but we weren't tired when we woke up so we headed into the park!! We also had a fancy dinner at the Disneyland Hotel (I'm so surprised that H agreed to it!). So I'm excited that I can once again say I've been to every Disney park in the world!!
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? Nope and definitely not.
I'm curious about why you don't think temping will be worth it right now. I might be wrong here but I was under the impression charting is the only sure-fire way of knowing if/when we ovulate. FWIW, temping can be easy to obsess over but it also makes me feel slightly empowered because I know I'm more knowledgable about the whole process.
@purplg8r Your trip sounds like so much fun! You are YH might be the biggest Disney freaks I "know" (meant as a compliment!) My favorite meal she makes is a delicious beef stew with veggies and homemade noodles. It's wonderful and will always remind me of winters as a child.
High School Teacher * Reluctant Floridian * Steelers Fan
Family info in Spoiler
DS 11/2017
MMC 10/2019 @ 12 weeks
Planning to try for our rainbow 01/2020
kiwi2628 Yay for good days!
Camomile Homebody day for sure! Last moments to soak in the weekend
KatieEl I made doughnuts for breakfast!
CandyApple2012 So awesome your gran is cooking!
Cricket648 Love box tickets and VIP lounge.... Nice you had a fun night out!
morado23 Your mom sounds like my mom! Same experience!
LaurenEG14 Sorry for CD 1
purplg8r So glad you got to take your vaca TW* ugh... testing out the beta sucks...sending hugs end TW*
CD: 17
WAYDTGKU: FET, Supplements, Synthroid
R/R: Rave: estrogen is up... may be triggering soon. Rant: Lining still sucky. AND got a call from my doc after I got home from monitoring (which is super rare...never good news). He thinks my Thyroid hormone is a bit low and has put me on Synthroid. Every time someone tries to medicate me with replacement thyroid hormone, my thyroid rebels and I end up in the hospital. The last fertility doc I worked with last summer landed me in Emergency with an over night stay in the hospital and a week off work and a delay in TTC because the stuff made me sick. I'm on half the smallest dose and no active (t3) , but I'm still hella terrified to be taking this
CS/Q: nope!
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? My mom was/is religious, but like morado23's mom, she didn't like organized religion. I am not religious. Great question... nice to see to many like minded folks on here! I've called myself Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist etc... all work for me.
@CandyApple2012 Thanks! Enjoy your favorite meal!
@Cricket64 Thank you! I'm not a big hockey fan, but that VIP lounge sounds awesome
@LaurenEG14 Thank you! Sorry for CD1. The only thing I tried this cycle was drinking Pom juice which is supposed to thicken your uterine lining. Who knows if it worked or not though. I've never tried preseed, but I told myself if this cycle doesn't work out I'm going to get some. Sorry, I don't really have too much advice because clearly what I'm doing isn't working or I wouldn't still be here.
@Camomile We've only been HIO EOD so we will continue until O is confirmed. I had an almost positive OPK about a week and half ago so I made my H start HIO early and EOD is about the best I can get out of him. Enjoy your day at home!
@purplg8r Thanks! Your trip sounds amazing so far. I'm so jealous that you have been to every Disney park! I've only been to the Orlando one, but I would love to go to others. Unfortunately, my H isn't a big Disney person so I don't see it happening anytime soon.
@dragonette505 Thanks! Hopefully, your lining improves so you can trigger soon!
@kiwi2628 Yay for good days! Anything in particular that is making it so great?
@Camomile I love days where you don't have to go anywhere or do anything - enjoy!
@KatieEl Mmm... fancy doughnuts! Did you go out for breakfast, or did someone bring them?
@CandyApple2012 Lucky you - I miss my grandma's cooking but she doesn't live close by!
@Cricket648 Sounds like the right way to watch a hockey game!
@morado23 Sorry your sleep is still off
@LaurenEG14 Sorry for CD1 I do the green and raspberry leaf teas up until O - I'm not overly militant with it though, so just aim for at least one cup but preferably two of each. I know you said you don't want to temp at this point, but just a reminder that it is the only way to confirm O - and I only bring it up because I've had cycles with fake outs (where OPKs and CM both pointed to O, but there was no temp spike), and then one that I thought was an-O so I stopped tracking everything except temp after 40 days or so and ended up getting the spike. My DH was travelling by then so there was nothing we could have done, but it was reassuring to know that it wasn't actually an-O
@purplg8r So glad your trip is going well - you really deserve it after everything you've been through
@dragonette505 Ugh - hopefully this doesn't make you sick too!
CD: 8
WAYDTGKU: so many things
R/R: Ended up having a fairly relaxed day yesterday, but we both had trouble sleeping last night
CS/Q: For those of you taking evening primrose oil, how much do you take? I've read different things about it
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? No and no. DH was raised Jewish, but doesn't follow that at all either. We do go to family events (Christmas, Passover, etc.) for the family element, but are both strongly agnostic
@purplg8r hope you are having fun!
@dragonette505 thats so scary! Do you end up in the hospital because you become overly hyperthyroid?
<b>Month/Cycle</b>: almost 22 months / 12th cycle since starting testing
<b>CD</b>: 8
<b>WAYDTGKU</b>: waiting for test results, taking all the usual vitamins/supplements, and just going through the motions...
<b>R/R</b>: mostly just relaxing with DH and the doggies today, which is nice. One test they said might come back ahead of the others is now not projected ready till the 23rd. Apt on the 27th, so not sure how much we'll really know till then. Such a dubious TWW. Has me a bit anxious/ manic, like feeling one last hopeful hurrah before reality comes crashing down around us. ...I probably need to buy more fluff ;) lol
<b>CS/Q</b>: n/a
<span><b>GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?</b> Yes, I was. My mom is Catholic and raised me in the Church, but my dad was agnostic, and my brother didn't much come to Church with my mom and me. We are still Catholic. DH got confirmed as an adult before the wedding, and then we were married in the Church, too! I had still been going myself through last year, but we moved several months ago, right around the time we got our news, and I haven't yet visited our new local parish... I am struggling a bit bc the Church teachings are against any ART, IVF, 3rd party reproduction etc. So it's been extra-tough for me to swallow that some sort of ART or medical intervention would be our only chance for a baby. I always thought of adoption as something we might do when we were older, even past child-bearing years, not necessarily as our only choice, between that or childlessness. I suppose it remains to be seen what's in store, but if we do go ahead and pursue ivf, it's a decision I struggle extra-hard with because of the Church's position. :/</span>
@KatieEl fancy donuts for breakfast sounds delish!!
@CandyApple2012 what's is she making?
@LaurenEG14 boo to CD1 - I love Costco samples!
@purplg8r disneyland sounds amazing! Have so much fun!
@dragonette505 I would be wary of taking synthyroid with that history too! I hope it works out okay!
Month/Cycle: 4/4
CD: 14
WAYDTGKU: told DH to clean the pipes cause we might end up having okay timing after all! (maybe? one can hope)
R/R: Rave: after a super cranky week, DS and I had SUCH a fun day yesterday, we went to the farmers market and shopping and he was so happy and giggly all day! So nice to just have a solid good day with him. Rant:DH is still gone. that is all.
CS/Q: I'm thinking O will hold out until AT LEAST tomorrow? OPKs have all been negative so far, and I've been testing 2x/day. I think that temp spike a couple days ago was related to crappy sleep and having a cold, since the last two nights I slept great and temped the second I woke and they have been rock bottom again. What do you guys think?
My Ovulation Chart
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?
Nope, had a few friends who were religious who I went to church with on sunday morning if we had a sleep over, but other than that nope. Still not, I'm atheist.
CD: 1
WAYDTGKU:Femara 5mg and will be doing the trigger again. I responded well last month so we'll give it another go. Also BBT + preseed + vitex + low carb diet and may try aspirin and mucinex too.
R/R: I went for my beta blood work this am and got a BFN. I also got AF. I was pretty hopeful this cycle. Just feeling down. But also feeling optimistic about a new cycle and a new chance to temp because I didn't last month
CS/Q: None today
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now?
Yes and yes. But I say it cautiously....it sounds very cliche but I don't see Christianity as a religion but more a relationship. I also say it cautiously because "Christianity" has done a lot of really horrible things that I don't want to be associated with. But yes, I read the Bible daily, walk within the teachings of Jesus daily, and am active in a church. It's a big part of our lives.
Married 05/21/2011
TTC Since Feb 2016
RE: Dec 2016 Dx: PCOS
5 rounds of Letrozole 5mg + Ovidrel + TI
BFP!!!! June 2017 // EDD: 04/01/2018
IT'S A BOY!
@Cricket648 sounds like you had a blast at the hockey game, how fun!
@LaurenEG14 Sorry about CD1, these early cycle days are always so hard (esp. If you’ve been an-o previously, I bet). In terms of the other supplements/foods you were asking about I can only speak for me (approved by my dr/midwife), but I drink 1 c. pom juice (to increase endometrial lining) CD1-O; 2c. (2 bags) green tea (to improve quality of CM) CD1-O; Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (to tone uterus for pregnancy) 3-4 cups/bags a day (check with your doctor/midwife, this isn’t appropriate for everyone, especially if you’ve suffered recurrent MC); and pineapple including the core (which contains bromelain to aid in implantation), when I have an obvious O I’ll take a fresh pineapple and divide all of it (including the core) into 5 segments, dice it and use it in my morning smoothie, this would be taken O-5DPO. In terms of preseed, I have it, and have used it the few days this cycle where I was still getting the flashy smiley face but didn’t have much/any fertile CM. I think if you have enough CM the preseed isn’t necessary, unless you need/want additional lubrication.
@purplg8r sounds like you’re having a much deserved great time on your trip!
@dragonette505 you made donuts? I’m impressed! I just picked some up lol. FX that the low dose your Dr. puts you on helps, given your experience, totally understandable you’d be a bit worried.
@kvacmak glad you had a nice day with DS. My husband travels a lot for work too and was gone for the entire month of February, it’s so hard especially with young kids.DS2: Jan. 2016
DS3: Dec. 2017
Baby #4 on the way!
Thanks everyone for all the sentiments and advice!
CandyApple2012 I actually don’t have probs with EWCM. It can sometimes be much abundant than other times but it’s always enough to notice without much effort. The only reason I was considering it is because like purplg8r, I sometimes only have the time or stamina for a quickie and without some kind of lubrication it can be painful. Also, this most recent time I could tell that the ewcm was not as abundant as I’ve had it in the past and I’m thinking more would help.
@sailing_mama - As far as the temping, I know the only sure way to confirm O is to temp. I definitely am keeping this in mind. When I went an-o, my Dr. did so many tests on me and there was no obvious reason for it. So it was chalked up to stress. I have had a very sensitive cycle from the beginning. If anything even remotely stressful happens, I was almost certainly going to skip that cycle. Now that we are TTC the stress apparently took that all to a different level. So basically, I am afraid that temping will become too stressful for me. I like to overanalyze everything and a few weird temps could take me over the edge. Plus I am a light sleeper and I wake up in the middle of the night often so not sure how accurate it would be. I know there is no way of knowing for sure, but I really do trust that I know when I O. I have always been one of those who has always felt it. It has been the same feeling almost every O cycle I’ve had exactly 14 days before AF comes. Plus it made me feel more confident when the OPK lined up with it. BUT I am aware that I could have been wrong this whole time. So the plan is cycle 4, maybe 3, I will temp to make sure.
@businesswife- Based on CM and O pains, I felt my last Ovulation end of August and had my last AF in September. There was no sign of anything until I started spotting in Nov for a week. I also spotted for 5 weeks in Dec and Jan. I was also religiously using OPKs Dec and Jan. My Dr. then gave me progesterone end of Jan and less than a week later, AF was back. 27 days later the familiar EWCM and O pains were back with a positive OPK to match and 14 days later, today, AF is here again. So hoping I am accurate on my assumptions. Please give any advice you have. It is more than welcome.
ETA- thebump- I will figure out how to make my whole post stick!
Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014
DS Born 12/28/2017
TTC #2 06/2019
@BusinessWife- I had no idea that the church was against IVF. I am so sorry that you have to deal with that on top of everything else. It should be your business and you shouldn't have to worry about what anyone else thinks. There are so many things I love about being a part of a church but everyone being all up in your business and judging every move is something I could do without. (sorry for the double tag but I didn't read all of your post before responding to your question)
ETA- TB cut off half...again....grrrr
Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014
DS Born 12/28/2017
TTC #2 06/2019
@Sailing_Mama Sorry about your sleep troubles
@kvacmak Glad you had a good day with DS!
@vintageandrea90 Sorry about CD 1!
@BusinessWife Sorry you're struggling! The decision to pursue medical interventions is definitely a personal one for a lot of reasons.
Married: 10/2013
TTC #1 Since: 02/2017
That's why temping is recommended bc it is just such a powerful tool for giving us insight into what's going on in our body/ bloodstream, due to the hormonal changes ovulation creates. If I were having any wonkiness like that, personally, I would want to start temping asap so I didn't feel like I was flying "blind." Really temping and U/s scans are the only way to confirm that ovulation has ocurred, bw can help confirm after the fact as long as progesterone is rising accordingly etc., but at-home? Cm, opks, other symptoms just aren't really defininitive, when it gets right down to it. Temping is.
Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014
DS Born 12/28/2017
TTC #2 06/2019
CD: My phone is upstairs....I think 9?
WAYDTGKU: Advanced OPK, PNV, Vit D, Coq10, tracking cm, gettin some sexy time on
R/R: Things I learned today. CB Advanced OPK gives you different days to start online vs the little pamphlet. Good thing, because the pamphlet says I should have started testing two days ago, but online says I'm fine starting today. So here we go!
Other things I learned today: I think I had 4 beers yesterday (It might have been 3...but it definitely wasn't 5) and I'm hung over all damn day.
CS/Q:
GTKY: Were you raised in a religious household? Are you religious now? I grew up in a fairly religious - Catholic - household. We went to church every week. Now I would say I'm spiritual - I pray and I believe in God and all. I just can't agree with so many of the Catholic churches teachings.
@KatieEl - I think after 7 days of flashing smilies, CB says it's unlikely to turn solid. They say its rare, but it could be that the LH surge was brief and so the tester never catches it. So you might have already O-ed or you might not have...I know it's clear as mud. That's why a lot of women also temp, because OPKs can help alert you when O is coming, but temping can help confirm it's happened.
@LaurenEG14 - I know with green tea they say it can inhibit your body's absorption of folic acid, so you shouldn't have green tea at the same time you're taking your PNV. You should give a couple hours inbetween. Re: pom juice - Calling @Lulu1180 who might be able to provide more details about pom juice.
@purplg8r - isn't it weird to take a hpt and HOPE for it to be negative? Hopefully you get your BFN soon! And I'm super jealous that your at Disney!!
** December BMB Siggy Challenge - Animals in Pools **
Me: 31+ H: 32
TTC Since 11/2015
#1 - MMC 6.5 weeks (2/16); #2 - MC due to cystic hygroma at 20 weeks (10/16); #3 CP (2/17); #4 - Due 12.16.17
@kvacmak Thanks! FX O holds off til your DH is back!
DS2: Jan. 2016
DS3: Dec. 2017
Baby #4 on the way!
** December BMB Siggy Challenge - Animals in Pools **
Me: 31+ H: 32
TTC Since 11/2015
#1 - MMC 6.5 weeks (2/16); #2 - MC due to cystic hygroma at 20 weeks (10/16); #3 CP (2/17); #4 - Due 12.16.17
Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014
DS Born 12/28/2017
TTC #2 06/2019
@dragonette505 oh no! I hope the medicine doesn't make you sick!
@vintageandrea90 so sorry about cd1
@Tennis11785 it is!!! I was so excited when it was dark before and now I'm hoping for it to be gone!
https://lifeabundant-blog.com/2013/12/17/how-to-naturally-thicken-your-uterine-lining-it-really-works/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127095916.htm
"It's time to try defying gravity."
Married 6/11/16
TTC Since 6/2016
12/2016 RE appt; 1/2017 SA & HSG results - all normal
3/2017 Dx Hyperprolactinemia; 5/2017 Prolactin levels normal; 8/2017 Low Ovarian Reserve
8/2017 TTA for personal reasons; 10/2017 NTNP; 12/2017 Re-start TTC
7/2018 Clomid+IUI
11/2018 Letrozole+TI
12/2018 Letrozole+IUI
2/2019 NTNP
5/2019 Stopping all TTC efforts; living Childfree
Dating 03/31/2011 Married 10/18/2014
DS Born 12/28/2017
TTC #2 06/2019
** December BMB Siggy Challenge - Animals in Pools **
Me: 31+ H: 32
TTC Since 11/2015
#1 - MMC 6.5 weeks (2/16); #2 - MC due to cystic hygroma at 20 weeks (10/16); #3 CP (2/17); #4 - Due 12.16.17