TWW Tuesday 10/13

bows22 · October 2020

**This is a thread that welcomes all regardless of where they are at in their TTC journeys. Please be mindful of topics that are discussed that could be hurtful to those going through tough times. Mention of children or pregnancies of others should have a TW (trigger warning) and be in a spoiler if possible, and only be mentioned if it is extremely pertinent to the conversation. Thanks for keeping this a safe place for us all to engage!**

Month/Cycle:

CD/DPO:

Timing:

Typical LP length:

Testing:

R/R:

CS/Q:

bows22 · October 2020

Month/Cycle: 23/25

CD/DPO: 18/3

Timing: -4,2,-1,O+1

Typical LP length: 12

Testing: Probably 10 DPO

R/R: I need to be in the office this week and can I say how awful it is to get dressed haha? We’re even allowed to wear jeans but sweatpants are more my style these days so it’s a struggle. I’m definitely more productive at home but need to be where my boss is to wrap these things up, so hopefully people will leave me alone and let me work. If everything goes smoothly I could be in amazing shape after today but when do things ever go smoothly😂. Wish me luck!

CS/Q:

daisy528 · October 2020

@bows22 good luck with your work today! I’m so jealous you can wear jeans to work. Our CEO is hardcore against any casual attire. 😒

Month/Cycle: 2/2

CD/DPO: 30/11

Timing: good

Typical LP length: ?

Testing: another BFN today

R/R: I also have to go to the office today. It’s rainy and gross here today though so I am ok with it.

CS/Q: ok so this could be a newbie question, but I haven’t had a 30 day cycle in literally forever (I use Ovia to track the start/end of my periods when not TTC, so I have all that data). My question is can cycles change their length when TTC? I did have a temp dip today so AF could be coming, but I also woke up in a freezing cold room without one of my blankets. I guess I just don’t know what to make of this cycle and the limbo is getting old...

bows22 · October 2020

@daisy528 your Follicular Phase (before ovulation) can vary but your LP should be consistent within a day or so. Did you ovulate later than you normally do?

daisy528 · October 2020

@bows22 hard question to answer. Prior to this cycle, I haven't tracked ovulation for like 3+ years since we weren't trying. I am guessing must have ovulated later, but I honestly don't know for sure.

bumblebee0210 · October 2020

@bows22 omg real clothes... I bought some super comfy jeans to give myself the illusion of being more "dressed" when wfh, but if I had to get into my closet full of shift dresses... no thanks.

@Daisy528 Honestly my cycles vary a lot, but I may not be a typical case... long story short I think you are regular until you're not, you never ovulate late until you do, etc. Sometimes a month is just weird for no reason. Also these things can change with age also. Are you coming off of hormonal birth control?

*tw* pg, loss*

Since getting off birth control 3 years ago, I have had 3 pregnancies (one of which led to a live birth and breastfeeding), so honestly my experience is probably not that useful, because I have not gone more than 3-4 months without a hormonal interruption of some sort (at least a CP). But FWIW, my cycle varies a lot in length, and even my LP has varied from 9-13 days.

Month/Cycle: 5/1 AL

CD/DPO: 16/7

Timing: -2, +1

Typical LP length: 10-12

Testing: unlikely

R/R: Had a nice weekend, getting back into the grind. Feeling pretty fine about this cycle likely not being the one since it's the first AL, hoping next month won't bring back all of the typical TTC anxiety roller coaster.

CS/Q: Temp dropped this morning. My temp doesn't usually drop before AF, I typically have high temps until day 3 or 4, but this is a weird cycle so chalking it up to that. Will be prepared just in case...

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/8h/0xf8fz2tmz64.jpg

daisy528 · October 2020

@bumblebee0210 your experience is definitely useful. It shows that things can fluctuate! I am not coming off hormonal birth control, and haven't been on it in 12+ years. Probably just a weird month/cycle. I was just having an annoying morning when I initially posed the question, and I now realized I was probably so whiney sounding. Just got to wait it out at this point!

acleverusername · October 2020

@bows22 lady I will be 🙏 that you’ll have a good and productive day today so that you can get all this overwork business / nonsense wrapped up and enjoy (what there is to enjoy) the rest of the year!!! Also, I hear you on putting on clothes... I’ve going into the office/manufacturing facility on Fri and I’m dreading having to spend time on getting dressed.

@daisy528 what @bows22 said re: cycle variability. If you find that your LP varies, and is on the short side of things, you’ll want to discuss with your doctor.

Month/Cycle: 9/9

CD/DPO: 7 (why only 7?! 😩)

Timing: -5, -3, -2, O

Typical LP length: 17 days when on the CORRECT dose of progesterone 🤦🏼‍♀️

Testing: weekend

R/R: rant — I had another shitty night’s sleep (29 min of REM sleep 😩😩😩; I had to take 3 doses of melatonin, although it was a 3mg dose each time) so I have a feeling today is going to be another miserable day. I was NOT productive at all yesterday (though having a boat load of meetings also doesn’t help.) I’m also being really bitchy and snappy with MH and I’m never like that! I don’t usually let my physiological symptoms affect my interactions with others (well, except my sister... I can be extra bitchy to her sometimes.)

Rave — MH and I smoked a turkey yesterday in celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving. Also made a side of mashed potatoes and roasted acorn squash. It was delish. A couple of photos in spoiler.

CS/Q: not chart related per se, but I looked it up and apparently progesterone is supposed help with sleep! Gah! But estrogen decline can lead to sleep disturbances and I suspect that maybe my estrogen levels are dropping. Not a good sign for this cycle. But this is all speculation based on some article/research scanning.

bumblebee0210 · October 2020

@daisy528 Not whiney! Totally reasonable. I think these things start to stand out and feel so weird because we are paying so close attention. Sometimes I think my body is actively trying to figure out new ways to mess with me while TTC...

acleverusername · October 2020

@bumblebee0210 have you ever had your Day 21 progesterone tested? An LP that’s as short as 9 days is a red flag.

bumblebee0210 · October 2020

@acleverusername In spoiler, because *tws*

Yes-- actually the only time I have had it tested is the month that I conceived my daughter, so I definitely ovulated! I was curious what it actually was, so I went back and looked: it was 9.46 ng/mL. Of course I was 3 weeks pregnant, so who knows if that was a typical number.

As I said to @daisy528, I think part of the reason for my whacky cycles is that I have always been either coming off of birth control, coming off of a miscarriage, or coming off of breastfeeding (within 1-4 months) so there is no real pattern. I do have a short-ish LP (usually 10-12 days), but I have also not had too much trouble getting out of the gate (I have had one LC and 2 7+ week miscarriages), so I don't think progesterone is my problem.

akoros · October 2020

@daisy528 In my experience, yes. My cycle is normally 26-28 days, but about a year ago I had random 33-day cycle (this was when I freaked out and had to figure out how to talk to a pharmacist in Polish to get a pregnancy test, which was negative). I'm with @bumblebee0210, I think my body likes playing pranks on me now that I'm actually paying attention

Month/Cycle: 28/2 AL

CD/DPO: 22/7

Timing: -3, -1, +4 (not sure that one really counts)

Typical LP length: 14-15 days

Testing: only if late

R/R: Rave: jumping in a bit late since yesterday was a holiday so I was offline most of the day. Great, productive long weekend Rant: weird digestive issues (I rarely get stomach problems), it's not terrible but of course making me worry I have COVID. Not to mention just gross and making me worn out (so no exercise)

CS/Q: none

acleverusername · October 2020

@bumblebee0210 putting my reply in spoiler

A progesterone of 9.49 when you're pregnant is definitely too low; in normal cycles that don't result in pregnancy the doctors want to see it over 10. Have you had your MC's investigated? Low progesterone is a cause of miscarriages.

acleverusername · October 2020

@akoros glad you had a good extra-long weekend. I forgot that you had been away and was just thinking "Where is @akoros?" FX the digestive issues IS NOT Covid.

akoros · October 2020

@acleverusername I know, it's terrible, but since I can't get the app to work and it loads super slow on my phone I really don't come on here unless I'm using a computer...and I don't use a computer unless I'm working. It's probably not COVID, but just went and got a test just in case. Last night I was googling my "issue" and it popped up as a reported, but rare, symptom of COVID so I got paranoid. I'm planning to visit my parents this weekend, which is also why I'm trying to be extra careful.

bumblebee0210 · October 2020

@acleverusername

I’m not sure what you mean by my progesterone being “too low” at 3 weeks preg, given that I gave birth to a healthy child 38 weeks later. In that sense I guess it was fine? My understanding is that progesterone values can vary wildly even within a day, and so those day-21 tests are really only valuable in that they can tell you whether you have ovulated, but not much else. My miscarriages were much later (at 8 and 12 weeks, respectively) so likely not a progesterone issue.

bows22 · October 2020

@bumblebee0210 it’s definitely a good feeling when you can keep your hopes in check - glad you aren’t putting too much pressure on yourself

@acleverusername I hope you get a better night of sleep tonight! And you’re allowed to be cranky to YH every once in awhile!

@ak@akoros covid is so weird because you want to not be paranoid but then you think that so many people are getting it, why not me? I hope you feel better soon!

acleverusername · October 2020

@bumblebee0210 Obviously, I'm just a couch research nerd 🤓, so take everything I say with a grain of salt!

And yeah, you're totally right... progesterone varies throughout the day, so on its own, it's not good for determining appropriate levels. Whether or not to supplement in luteal phase is also a hotly contested issue... you can find research to support both POVs.

I can't remember if you've said this before, but have you had RPL testing done? Am I remembering correctly that you had a loss, then carried a baby to term, and then had another loss? Asking because I've recently starting binge watching The Egg Whisperer show and she gives A LOT of tips on what to do when you suffer a loss including what testing you should do even if it's just 1 and not recurring.

keikilove · October 2020

*lurking since I missed a lot on TTGP while traveling this week*

@acleverusername Sorry for your sleep troubles. Not sure if you’re aware, but It Starts With The Egg recommends melatonin for IVF cycles because it helps with egg quality, but NOT for natural cycles because it can mess with your hormones & throw off your cycles. Just wanted to throw this out there in case you weren’t aware.

@bumblebee0210 I’m sorry for your losses. The timing of them could still point to a progesterone issue. I’d get my levels tested if I were you. This is one of the most common reasons for losses. During PG doctors usually want to see progesterone above 20, and for those who’ve had losses they like to see it around 50.

acleverusername · October 2020

@keikilove thanks for the info! I didn't know this, but I've reviewed my supplement list with both my RE and fertility acupuncturist and they didn't think there's any harm in my taking melatonin. I normally only take 3mg nightly, but because of this week's disrupted sleep, I've had to take more doses throughout the night to help me fall back asleep. I'm not really happy about any of this.

bumblebee0210 · October 2020

@acleverusername @keikilove

Guys-- I know you are just trying to be helpful, but I really don't think this is an issue. I have consulted with several doctors, including some of the best MFMs in the country about this, and low progesterone is not something that could have caused the losses that I had. Also-- that progesterone reading was not associated with a miscarriage, but a healthy pregnancy that resulted in a living child. I was just trying to answer someone else's questions about fluctuating cycles.

keikilove · October 2020

@bumblebee0210 I hear you. Definitely was trying to be helpful and not annoying.😉
TW: Loss

I’m just sensitive to these issues because of my own history. I had a late loss at 18 weeks. It’s still a mystery as to why. But I’d felt something was wrong for most of the pregnancy. I asked them if my progesterone was ok but they wouldn’t check because I’d made it so far along. After joining several groups where ladies have had late losses, quite a few were because of falling/low progesterone. The placenta doesn’t always do what it’s supposed to. I often bring up progesterone here in TTGP because I’d hate for anyone else to experience another loss when it’s so easy to supplement with progesterone. I hope your losses were flukes & that it is smooth sailing from here on out.💗

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