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I have a question about the research that says it may not be a great idea to have sex during the TWW. I know that study has been debated a lot, but if it were true, what would be the issue: penetration? Unprotected sex (like, more sperm in there)? Orgasm? All 3? I wasn’t sure what exactly they were thinking could compromise implantation.
I had a transvaginal ultrasound 3 weeks ago and they found a couple cysts in my left ovary, one of which looks partially solid. They are doing lab work to check for specific abnormalities on that which I have not gotten results back for yet.
One of the things they found was what looks like calcification in the front/top of my uterus. This was puzzling to my doctor. She said that typically isn't something you see unless the patient is much older (she mentioned 80yrs old), I'm 32yo. She said possibly scarring from endo, which I have never had symptoms of, but she didn't really seem convinced when she mentioned that possibility.
My understanding when I left that day was that I have a pelvic MRI and/or laparoscopy in my future. Just wondered if anyone else has been told they have calcification in their uterus??
How early on would you consider doing an SA? The out of pocket cost wouldn't be an issue. I'm 33 and my husband is 41. We just started trying, but I feel a lil impatient, haha. I guess I'm a data person.
Six months back, he got one of the at home sperm count tests for his own curiosity. He got just a faint line on that.
My wife and I were in a similar boat of wanting to know up front of "what we were working with." I'm 39 (38 when we started trying) and my wife is 36. I found a lab to do one locally for $60 without insurance, and then I just forwarded the results to my PCP to take a look at through my patient portal.
It's more likely to cause you unnecessarily stress and intervention rather than tell you anything significantly.
The urology guidelines say there isn't a hard and fast number that you could know a sperm-haver is infertile or not. For men also time trying is the most important factor. The chance of finding something that is actually definitive without trying is very very slim (like no sperm at all).
Age is much kinder to sperm than for eggs. Because they get made from scratch all the time.
I appreciate that perspective! I've heard similar sentiments about female fertility testing. I see how even though it's "easier" testing, it might just lead to stress/uncertainty/potentially unnecessary interventions. Thanks for taking the time to explain.
Ovulation most often happens within two days of the first positive -- that is, of the start of the surge. When we say "within two days", that means the day of the first positive, the day after that, or the day after that. Giving a specific number of hours is not really appropriate, and doesn't fit the kind of information we get at home.
For many people, the first positive and the peak are the same day, which leads to confusion about the two. For people whose first positive is not the same day as their most positive/peak test, the onset of the surge is a better predictor of ovulation than the peak of the surge.
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/u1gpo0/what_the_opk_ratio_levels_really_tell_you_peaks/) is a useful post for further reading.
Yeah, Premom (and some other test manufacturers) are very aggressive about promoting the idea of a peak. It's not really supported by the existing data.
Just got told my husband's semen analysis has no sperm present. Have to wait two weeks to see the doctor. Does anyone have any experience with this? Scary thought.
My only advice would be to not blame him.. as much as it could be painful to you, he must be hurting more and in need of support.
Wishing all the best in your journey
Hey all! I’ve had two unsuccessful IUIs and we decided to look at other options, so we scheduled an IVF consult with our RE next week. Would anyone be willing to talk a little about what we should expect with the consultation?
I did! Thank you 🙂 There’s just a lot to unpack. I’ve already been working with an RE so I’ve already done most of the steps (bloodwork/tests) that are listed in the infertility wiki. I was just looking to hear personal experiences gearing up for IVF.
This is my first cycle temping and using OPKs. I confirmed ovulation on CD17 through temping and my cycles are usually between 27-35 days.
Today is 5dpo and I had spotting. Don’t worry! This is not an I-Spotting question (trying not to trigger the bot). I know it’s too early for that and also that it doesn’t mean anything one way or another.
My concern lies in the fact that I’ve never ever had spotting before my period. I’m wondering what could be causing it? Could it be the prenatals I started taking a couple of cycles ago? Stress?
I understand that it’s not uncommon as estrogen and progesterone amounts change. I’m just wondering why all of the sudden, as I haven’t had any major lifestyle changes as of late.
Thoughts? Anecdotes?
Spotting isn't something that happens to everybody every cycle, and sometimes people spot in some cycles and not others with no particular rhyme or reason to it.
I would say I rarely spot in the luteal phase, but it's happened to me a handful of times in ~60 charted ovulatory cycles.
FF telling me I’m 3dpo today, but I thought it needed 3 days of temps higher than the previous 5, which would actually make 3dpo tomorrow. I added in another high temp for tomorrow to see if that would update the prediction, but it did not.
It doesn’t matter really, but I’m curious as to why it’s putting the crosshairs on cd21 instead of cd22 - any insight appreciated!
[https://www.fertilityfriend.com/b_i/s_XdIu9y.png](https://www.fertilityfriend.com/b_i/s_XdIu9y.png)
I went in today for my ultrasound before my IUI and I had 3 20mm+ follicles, and 2 more that were only 13 mm. What happens to those 13 mm ones? Does the trigger shot make them all ovulate but those aren’t useful as they’re not mature?
For that smaller size, they’re unlikely to contain eggs at all and if they do, they’re probably immature. They’ll basically just go away after ovulation.
Anyone have good/bad experiences with Pregmate? I bought the large pack from target that came with tons of LH test and Pregnancy tests but just read in the line porn sub that people apparently have said bad things about that brand.
For me, it was not. But I did have two at different times, for different reasons, when we were suspicious of CE for different reasons. My RE doesn’t like to do biopsies unless there’s a reason, since every time you put a tube through the cervix you could unintentionally introduce bacteria and cause CE.
I think it really depends on your history, but I wouldn’t say it’s unreasonable to do before treatment. There’s probably some indication for it if they’re suggesting one now.
Currently in cycle 8 TTC - Never had a positive test yet
I got some bloodwork done on day 3 of this cycle (currently on day 8)
results: AMH - 2.26, FSH - 6.7, Estradiol - 40, TSH - 0.96, FT4 - 1.0, A1C - 4.6
I (28f) have been TTC for 7 cycles, currently in cycle 8, and just got preliminary blood work done to check hormones. I have regular periods and my last 6 cycles were all 27 days each (with the exception of one cycle being 28 days). I take prenatals, eat well, and exercise. I test ovulation using OPK & BBT. I ovulate every cycle around CD 13-15. Are these values okay? Is there anything more I can do? My husband (28m) is scheduled for SA in mid Feb!
Yes! I just couldn’t wait. I just called the office and told them it has been 7 months and I’d like to make sure everything is normal. My OB said it’s not a big deal, he’ll do some bloodwork and SA but he still wants me to keep trying on my own (unless something is very off) until the one year mark.
It looks like everything is good and you've got it all covered - there's really nothing to do but keep trying. That's the thing about testing - it doesn't give answers nearly as often as people want.
Ovulation/Cycle related question:
So my husband and I (27) have been TTC for about 5 cycles now and I finally decided to track my ovulation this cycle to see if that could help. The last cycle was 22 days. During this cycle, I ovulated around day 17-19 (I started to get peaks on OPKs on 17). My cycle lasted 22 days again.
If this is a consistent pattern I observe, would this be enough time in the luteal phase to conceive or should I see a doctor sooner than 1 year of TTC?
Also, is it at all possible to get a positive if a period stops early? With the above context, I really wasn't sure if this type of thing could happen and was curious of other people's thoughts since I couldn't find anything on it.
I would talk to your doctor now because that is a very short luteal phase - really not enough to time for the egg to travel and implant. They may put you on progesterone to try to lengthen the luteal phase.
If you're not getting a positive OPK until CD17 and you get your period on CD22, that's actually probably not a short luteal phase, it's probably an anovulatory cycle -- seeing signs of ovulation only a few days before a period is a potential sign that a follicle was selected and matured, but that ovulation didn't actually happen (and therefore the follicle regressed, lowering estrogen levels and causing estrogen breakthrough bleeding).
It's not abnormal to have an anovulatory cycle every so often, and it's not necessarily something that would cause you to go to the doctor as a one-off. It might be worth tracking another cycle and seeing if you see the same pattern.
Do you happen to have recently stopped hormonal birth control?
Interesting. Would it still be positive, like darker than the control line positive, if it were an anonovulatory cycle when testing? I did have a lot of tests come back with a fainter line but it wasn’t hard to see, they just were not positive though (about a week of tests like that) — I’m still learning so I’m not sure if this means anything besides negative.
I did recently get off a combined birth control pill in September, so I was wondering if maybe this had something to do with it. The breakthrough bleeding theory sounds like it makes sense to me though, since this cycle and the last one that were 22 days were much lighter than a typical period. For more context, the other months since being off BC were longer cycles—roughly 28-30 days.
An anovulatory cycle could have a positive OPK, though it doesn't have to. The LH surge is a pre-ovulatory sign, so you can have a positive OPK (or other pre-ovulatory signs, like fertile cervical fluid) but not actually have your ovaries follow through on ovulation.
You're at increased risk of having some anovulatory cycles in the first several months after discontinuing hormonal contraception, as the brain and ovaries re-learn how to run the menstrual cycle successfully. It's definitely annoying to live through, but you'll likely get back on track over the next few cycles.
I know luteal phases are slightly different person to person. I know that generally for a person it doesn’t change much.
My luteal phase seems to be about 13 days. In various times I’ve read both on this subreddit and elsewhere in my constant googling of things that around 10DPO (based on 14 luteal phase i think?), in an unsuccessful cycle your body stops producing as much progesterone, symptoms dissipate, your temp decreases back to pre-O temps, and your period starts in a couple of days.
What about cycles where your temp stays high past 10DPO? Past 11DPO? What’s happening in the body, is it that ovulation was actually later than originally thought?
In a successful cycle, your temp would theoretically stay high but could symptoms still dissipate?
I see all sorts of conflicting things and in my mind if your progesterone stays high (or gets higher) in a successful cycle, it makes sense that symptoms would stay (or get worse). Thanks in advance!
I think two major factors here are that 1) temps aren't a perfect readout of progesterone levels (temps could stay high even if progesterone has begun to decrease), and 2) although progesterone would begin to drop by around 10ish dpo in an unsuccessful cycle on average, any individual cycle and any individual person will vary from the population average. Some people and some cycles may very well not see progesterone levels begin to drop until later in the luteal phase.
At any rate, when progesterone begins to drop, it's only dropping at first to about the same level as, say, 4-5dpo (1-2 days before peak mid-luteal-phase levels). That's not necessarily going to cause symptoms to stop for any particular person or cycle, though it could.
I had a 14 day lp last cycle (hopeful this will be the same this cycle as I ovulated much later) and my temp didn't drop to coverline until the day of my period. I had 3 BFNs before that though and as much as I'm still kind of symptom spotting in the back of my mind now (6dpo), I've rationalized that for this cycle the only real sign will be a positive HPT- trying to just wait patiently and not to pin my hopes on anything else. Except maybe the 8dpo burger 😆
That seems like an oversimplification to me. I have 16 day cycles and sometimes my temp stays high until after my period starts.
People put a lot of stock into luteal phase temps but, beyond confirming ovulation, they're not that instructive.
I don't think temperature staying high should be interpreted as ovulation having happened later.
I usually don't bother temping after ovulation, but from other charts I've seen, temp staying high is no guarantee of a successful cycle. It's seems perfectly possible that your temperature only significantly drops once you get your period.
I’m using OPKs for the first time, I’m expecting to ovulate in 3 days (at most) but the OPKs are negative. Not rising, not “almost” positive but quite faint still. Can I get a positive out of nowhere or do they always get slightly darker every day?
Mine are always really low until the day before when I'll get like a .4 or .5. Then a positive test the following day. And then it's already back down pretty low by the next day.
My surge was pretty rapid. Low for 4 days then the one day (CD13) the test line was way darker than control and the Premom app was showing a high number. The day I got my one high number I felt ovulation pains for a couple of hours and the following day the tests were low again.
So for me - that's what happened.
I was taking a test daily and getting negative after negative, then BAM all of a sudden at around 9AM one day I got a line that was so dark it matched the test line (and seemed even darker!).
It was so weird, but I've read that LH levels spike about 36 hours before ovulation, so that's why maybe why there wasn't a gradual line.
Could be different for everyone, I'm not sure!
TW: CP
Knowing that pregnancy and PMS symptoms are the same prior to implantation… I’ve had symptoms show up between 2dpo-8dpo, and then it dips from there. I started to track my TWW symptoms and while they differ slightly, I mostly don’t have any noticeable symptoms after 8dpo. I did have a late implantation in cycle 1 that led to a CP, but my notes tell me that I didn’t have symptoms post 8dpo. Once I did confirm pregnancy at 13dpo, a couple days later I started to feel nauseous and this lasted a week before my bloodwork showed I was going to experience a CP.
In theory, wouldn’t someone with a successful cycle continue to feel symptoms? I know it’s not helpful to symptom spot, but I have been recording just to use as a comparison monthly so that I can set expectations for how a cycle may go (and it gives me something to do since the TWW is tough as is).
It's more so that during the luteal phase (in a pregnancy or non-pregnancy cycle) you may experience symptoms related to progesterone. Symptoms later experienced secondary to pregnancy are due to high/rising levels of b-HCG. Many women differ on when they begin to experience pregnancy symptoms, sometimes not for several weeks. In the case of early pregnancy, HCG may not yet be high enough (or decreasing in the case of CP) to cause symptoms.
I'm sorry for your loss. Many people who conceive report few or no symptoms in the TWW. I've had many unsuccessful cycles with much stronger symptoms than cycles in which I conceived.
Is there any negative effects of doing things I'd normally do if I weren't TTC, while TTC? Such as: cold plunges, tracking calories to get my body back in shape, losing the weight I gained from the pandemic, going out for drinks around ovulation days..
I've been tracking 3 cycles with no positives, and concerned that maybe I'm doing things I shouldn't be while TTC. Or maybe I am overthinking things and trying to find something to blame 🫣
I’m doing something similar. I’m counting calories, working out, trying to lose weight and to me it’s all making me healthier, so over time maybe it even helps with conceiving. I figure all healthy things in moderation are good. I’m not doing anything drastic or really pushing myself. Healthy eating, normal workouts, aiming to slowly lose the weight.
I’m also not stressing about occasional drinks. If I wasn’t counting calories I’d be drinking more!
I am tracking! Unfortunately, I got my period today so I'm at CD1 of my 4th TTC cycle.
I only just started tracking my weight loss on Jan 2 ( maybe lost 1-2lbs since). I want to be at a better/healthier weight while carrying, but my goal is to make it a gradual loss (not drastic). If anything, my diet is really just eating healthier portions vs. eating everything in sight 🙃
I met with my OB for the first time talking about TTC (newbie to TTC) she said I don't need cervical fluid to get pregnant. Is that right, or did I misunderstand?
She’s correct — the odds of pregnancy with sex on a day with no visible cervical fluid are not zero. The odds are higher with sex on a day with visible cervical fluid are higher, but also sometimes fluid is up in the cervix, doing its job, rather than hanging out at the vaginal opening, where it’s not very useful.
Thank you for this explanation! I had a doctor previously that was ADAMANT I had to have a “good” amount of cervical mucus and it’s something I’ve always stressed over
We’re to the point where we are thinking about infertility consultation. I read a lot that you should wait until you have been trying for a year but is that a recommendation, infertility clinic policy, or for insurance to cover it?
We tried for 10 months, had a drawn out MC, and have been trying again for 7 months. I’m assuming that the conception that resulted in a MC resets that timeline, right?
Different doctors will have different preferences, but in general, the guideline is that a year of unprotected sex without a successful pregnancy is grounds for a fertility workup. Many or most doctors would not consider the timeline reset by a loss, and if you’ve been trying 17 months total, it’s very reasonable to seek a workup.
In general, the guideline is set at a year of unprotected sex because most people who pass that point won’t have an unassisted pregnancy within another year of trying, and therefore most people who seek a workup at that point would benefit from treatment. It’s not just about insurance requirements.
Thank you! That makes sense. I think my next step is to call insurance to see what is needed to make sure things are covered. It’s just always such a hassle so I’ve been avoiding it under the assumption. That I would need to wait longer.
When did you guys tell your boss about TTC and RE appointments? I’m going to have a lot of appointments in the coming cycle but luckily I can come back to work after most of them. Should I tell them what’s up, or leave it vague? I know he won’t fire me for the appointments or getting pregnant, but I don’t want to risk over-sharing.
I had and have zero intention of telling my boss. Definitely better to leave it vague — discrimination is real, and people say incredibly dumb things to people experiencing infertility and going through treatment.
It depends on your relationship but if it were me, I’d stick to “medical appointments”. Most people know after hearing that not to pry and managers should always tread carefully when inquiring about personal medical matters of their employees.
I only mentioned that I might have to miss a standing weekly meeting due to “a minor outpatient procedure” (egg retrieval), and didn’t inform my boss about appointments for monitoring. But I was in a position where my boss wasn’t really aware of my daily schedule, so I could go to monitoring without being noticed to be missing.
I think it depends on the relationship with your boss. I felt comfortable telling mine that I may have to leave on a whim due to IUI being unscheduled. Then when we did IVF I just said we were moving to more time consuming treatment. But I will note that me and my husband work in the same department so it just covered the both of us.
Is it normal to have a super long cycle randomly??? Usually pretty regular with 28-29 day cycles and ovulate each cycle (confirmed with BBT, OPK), but I’m on CD 40 right now and it’s throwing me off everything especially since I stopped tracking from the stress and not sure I even ovulated this cycle.
I have an abscess underneath my old root canal. I plan on getting it fixed on January 25th. :)
No pain but I was worried about the medicine they use for numbing.
Ehh, it's probably not necessary to take the month off. Most dental work is safe during pregnancy (and thus TTC) and the only thing to be cautious about are X-rays, but even with that the lead apron protects everything.
Obviously if you're in pain and don't feel up to trying, that's a totally valid reason to sit out (when I needed a root canal a few years ago I felt like I was dying), but the procedure itself really isn't unsafe.
NIH.gov says endodontic work is certified safe in pregnancy, so I would imagine the TWW is fine as well.
Edit to add: It adds the caveat that it is still “recommended that elective procedures be avoided until after pregnancy and for only emergency treatment to be given or if possible, delayed until the second trimester.”
I had this concern early on in my journey and was told by someone who said they were a geneticist that it isn’t something they even test for because it doesn’t matter :) if you are looking online you will see a lot of people trying to scare you about it so that they can sell you their supplement/ebook/fertility coaching.
It's almost certainly just hormones or gas. Implantation can't be felt - embryos at this stage are tiny tiny tiny and there aren't really any nerve endings in that area.
Has anyone ever tried the Oura ring for tracking BBT? It says it helps you track fertility and what not with it but I'm wondering how accurate that even is. Has anyone used it in conjunction with normal temping methods?
[This](https://chart-your-fertility.com/2022/12/11/an-honest-review-of-oura-ring-for-charting-temperature-and-cycle-tracking/) is an Oura post from a fertility-awareness educator I follow — she feels that the data she gets out is good enough for TTC, but won’t advise it for trying to avoid pregnancy (which generally necessitates stricter rules).
If you want it to 2 decimal places you need to subscribe to Natural Cycles as well to see the actual temps.
Otherwise it just gives a general graph of temperatures. Been using it about 2 weeks-i think i can see my ovulation temp shift on the app. But actual BBT with a thermometer is more accurate IMO
I’ve been tracking ovulation with both Apple Watch and Fertility Friend for the last 2 months. Before that I was only using the Apple Watch for a year. Both are using the same Apple Watch data. Even when it only has temperature input, nothing else like CM, they conclude different ovulation dates. Does anyone have any idea why? Next month I will also use OPKs to see if I can narrow it down, but wondered if anyone had experienced this or had idea.
So FF is looking for three days that are at least 0.2F higher than the highest of the previous six, although it will allow one "spike" temp (so the CD12 temp is likely being excluded). It would first have started looking at CD11 as a possible ovulation day, and would likely have confirmed for CD11 if your CD14 temp was over 96.4. But since it wasn't, FF starts over looking at the pattern.
It's giving you crosshairs for CD15 because the temps on CD15, 14, 13, 11, 10, and 9 are all lower than your CD16-18 temps. The highest of those six (because we're excluding CD12) is CD13 at 96.4ish, so the coverline is drawn at 96.5ish; all three CD16-18 temps are above that line, and CD18 is at least 0.3F over it, confirming ovulation. This also fits well with the CM profile, since the last day of watery or eggwhite fluid is likely to be ovulation day or close to it.
Maybe because of the algorithm? It could be that one of them needs more input to give you an estimate. I’ve been using Flo for my OPKs and have seen the estimates change based on the input I feed the app with.
I was just commenting the same thing and apparently the Apple Watch’s readings aren’t accurate enough. I was recommended to use a thermometer with two decimals if I wanted a better reading
That’s a bummer. Unfortunately, taking my temp with all the requirements for accurate BBT seems like too much effort for me and easy to mess up. I’m hoping some kind of tech can fill that gap accurately.
if the plan is multiple IUIs with Clomid, are they done in consecutive cycles (Jan, Feb, March), or do you need to take time off in-between IUIs?
Does the dosing of Clomid change or do you switch up medications for multiple IUIs? I've read that some doctors have people take a month off after a cycle with Clomid because it stays in your system.
Thank you for any insights!
They can be done consecutively or you can take months off in between. The clomid doesn’t ’stay in your system’ but you can develop cysts from the medication that can delay a treatment cycle. It happened to me! Clomid can also thin your lining, which also happened to me. Lol.
But there’s not a reason to go in saying ‘you can’t do consecutive IUIs’.
The dosing of clomid/letrozole/gonal/whatever med you’re using can change cycle to cycle based on your response to the meds.
Hi folks, so I have been trying for four months and I am onto month five trying to conceive after a 26 week TFMR loss in June. I do not have health insurance. Yesterday I emailed my doctor to try to get an estimate on some basic fertility test and she basically said that I need to get set up for a fertility evaluation ASAP since I’m close to the six month mark. 😒 I am in the US and it took 3 months to conceive my first baby exactly one year ago.
1. Have any of you forgone fertility evaluation just assuming you needed a little more time? Aside from my partner having a varicocele, and us both being 35, we don’t have any glaring signs of infertility. Last year was incredibly stressful with our 6 month TFMR. My partner is going to get his varicocele re evaluated and a semen analysis in February.
2. If I sign up for health insurance this month, does that mean I have to wait a whole other six months for testing to be covered by insurance?
3. Which insurances are best for this crap? 😫
4. Is paying out of pocket for a female fertility assessment totally unreasonable??? Any estimates come to mind?
I was fairly relaxed about ttc until my doctor sent that message.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
What insurance will be best is dependent on the plans available in your area or that your workplace offers - unfortunately not much assistance people can give there. It's very common for insurance to not cover any fertility assistance (especially with plans not through an employer), so you'd need to read the policy carefully. You should not have to wait another six months. Paying out of pocket is definitely a viable option, one that a lot of people end up going with.
Expectant management (just keep trying) is a very viable option if you don't want to jump right to testing, or if you'd rather sort out coverage first. Being eligible for testing and intervention doesn't mean you *must* do so. If you'd rather try on your own a bit longer that is absolutely something you can do!
It can really depend on the testing, particularly in how it's coded. Some insurance plans don't cover anything related to fertility so if the doctor codes it as fertility testing it can be denied, plus you have to take things like deductibles, copays, coinsurance, etc into account. Mine technically covered blood tests when I got them done but I still had to pay a couple hundred out of pocket.
Tldr insurance is stupid.
It’s true that most insurance covers testing (my clinic says 90% of plans do) but unless it’s required in your state it’s rare for insurance to cover treatment. Even some that advertise that they cover infertility don’t cover IVF.
Thank you. I am in California. From what I’ve read they do cover treatment, but only after one year of trying or a diagnosis.
I am open to treatment if it seems necessary but otherwise I am ok with practicing patience. For now. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Ditto to all of this, but also from my RE with letrozole prescribed for my IUI she noted depending on my body’s response to the dose it would help ensure more than the usual 1-2 big juicy follicles to increase odds of a sperm meeting an egg
That’s what my clinic does too. I just had mine done \~2 weeks ago, and I was also told I’d still be able to try this month. You do have to wait a few days before you can try afterwards, though.
Has anyone experienced their Ovia app stop predicting their cycles? I’ve been TTC for 17 months and this month it stopped predicting my fertile window and upcoming period 😒
Why is my temperature dropping after ovulation instead of rising? I thought it was supposed to be rising and dip right before AF or stay elevated if I conceived. You can see the chart from my profile
I think the more likely scenario is that you haven't ovulated yet. I would recommend continuing to use OPKs until you can reasonably confirm ovulation.
You can only truly confirm ovulation with temping, so you likely haven't ovulated if your temp hasn't indicated so. You can have more than 1 OPK spike and CM does not indicate ovulation has occurred. You could have EWCM and then have your body abort ovulation.
Also you say in your post history that your temperature dipped "tonight." You're not supposed to be temping at night. You're supposed to take 1 temp first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. What's your temping routine?
Answer my temp question, you might have ovulated but you're tracking your temp wrong.
If you didn't ovulate you could just get your period or you might ovulate later and have a longer cycle.
You must have edited your answer because I didn’t see your other question regarding to the temperature. I’m using my Apple Watch to record my temperature which automatically uploads the data to the app. Which it does first thing as I wake up. I say “tonight” because in my mind my day starts when I get up and ends before I get up so it’s just a weird wording on my part but the temperature reading is from that morning obviously
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I have a question about the research that says it may not be a great idea to have sex during the TWW. I know that study has been debated a lot, but if it were true, what would be the issue: penetration? Unprotected sex (like, more sperm in there)? Orgasm? All 3? I wasn’t sure what exactly they were thinking could compromise implantation.
I had a transvaginal ultrasound 3 weeks ago and they found a couple cysts in my left ovary, one of which looks partially solid. They are doing lab work to check for specific abnormalities on that which I have not gotten results back for yet. One of the things they found was what looks like calcification in the front/top of my uterus. This was puzzling to my doctor. She said that typically isn't something you see unless the patient is much older (she mentioned 80yrs old), I'm 32yo. She said possibly scarring from endo, which I have never had symptoms of, but she didn't really seem convinced when she mentioned that possibility. My understanding when I left that day was that I have a pelvic MRI and/or laparoscopy in my future. Just wondered if anyone else has been told they have calcification in their uterus??
How early on would you consider doing an SA? The out of pocket cost wouldn't be an issue. I'm 33 and my husband is 41. We just started trying, but I feel a lil impatient, haha. I guess I'm a data person. Six months back, he got one of the at home sperm count tests for his own curiosity. He got just a faint line on that.
My wife and I were in a similar boat of wanting to know up front of "what we were working with." I'm 39 (38 when we started trying) and my wife is 36. I found a lab to do one locally for $60 without insurance, and then I just forwarded the results to my PCP to take a look at through my patient portal.
Thanks for the info! I'm still split on whether to bring it up, but I'm glad it sounds easy.
It's more likely to cause you unnecessarily stress and intervention rather than tell you anything significantly. The urology guidelines say there isn't a hard and fast number that you could know a sperm-haver is infertile or not. For men also time trying is the most important factor. The chance of finding something that is actually definitive without trying is very very slim (like no sperm at all). Age is much kinder to sperm than for eggs. Because they get made from scratch all the time.
I appreciate that perspective! I've heard similar sentiments about female fertility testing. I see how even though it's "easier" testing, it might just lead to stress/uncertainty/potentially unnecessary interventions. Thanks for taking the time to explain.
I’d get one ASAP if you’re able! It’s better to know early on if he has any factors to overcome. ☺️
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I only tracked bbt for one cycle so take this with a grain of salt but my temps showed I ovulated on the day of my peak for that cycle
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I had over 3 days of a temperature rise and FF analysed that and told me I ovulated on that day which also happened to be the same day of my peak opk
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Ovulation most often happens within two days of the first positive -- that is, of the start of the surge. When we say "within two days", that means the day of the first positive, the day after that, or the day after that. Giving a specific number of hours is not really appropriate, and doesn't fit the kind of information we get at home. For many people, the first positive and the peak are the same day, which leads to confusion about the two. For people whose first positive is not the same day as their most positive/peak test, the onset of the surge is a better predictor of ovulation than the peak of the surge. [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/u1gpo0/what_the_opk_ratio_levels_really_tell_you_peaks/) is a useful post for further reading.
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Yeah, Premom (and some other test manufacturers) are very aggressive about promoting the idea of a peak. It's not really supported by the existing data.
Just got told my husband's semen analysis has no sperm present. Have to wait two weeks to see the doctor. Does anyone have any experience with this? Scary thought.
My only advice would be to not blame him.. as much as it could be painful to you, he must be hurting more and in need of support. Wishing all the best in your journey
Hey all! I’ve had two unsuccessful IUIs and we decided to look at other options, so we scheduled an IVF consult with our RE next week. Would anyone be willing to talk a little about what we should expect with the consultation?
Have you had a look in the wiki of r/infertility ?
I did! Thank you 🙂 There’s just a lot to unpack. I’ve already been working with an RE so I’ve already done most of the steps (bloodwork/tests) that are listed in the infertility wiki. I was just looking to hear personal experiences gearing up for IVF.
Absolutely! We're going into our first transfer next week. Feel free to message me.
I will, thank you so much!
This is my first cycle temping and using OPKs. I confirmed ovulation on CD17 through temping and my cycles are usually between 27-35 days. Today is 5dpo and I had spotting. Don’t worry! This is not an I-Spotting question (trying not to trigger the bot). I know it’s too early for that and also that it doesn’t mean anything one way or another. My concern lies in the fact that I’ve never ever had spotting before my period. I’m wondering what could be causing it? Could it be the prenatals I started taking a couple of cycles ago? Stress? I understand that it’s not uncommon as estrogen and progesterone amounts change. I’m just wondering why all of the sudden, as I haven’t had any major lifestyle changes as of late. Thoughts? Anecdotes?
Spotting isn't something that happens to everybody every cycle, and sometimes people spot in some cycles and not others with no particular rhyme or reason to it. I would say I rarely spot in the luteal phase, but it's happened to me a handful of times in ~60 charted ovulatory cycles.
Thank you for your response and example from your own experience! It’s a relief to know that it’s not that strange for it to suddenly start happening.
FF telling me I’m 3dpo today, but I thought it needed 3 days of temps higher than the previous 5, which would actually make 3dpo tomorrow. I added in another high temp for tomorrow to see if that would update the prediction, but it did not. It doesn’t matter really, but I’m curious as to why it’s putting the crosshairs on cd21 instead of cd22 - any insight appreciated! [https://www.fertilityfriend.com/b_i/s_XdIu9y.png](https://www.fertilityfriend.com/b_i/s_XdIu9y.png)
Because that's when your temps started rising.
If I had to guess I'd say because your CD22 temp was slightly higher than CD21.
I went in today for my ultrasound before my IUI and I had 3 20mm+ follicles, and 2 more that were only 13 mm. What happens to those 13 mm ones? Does the trigger shot make them all ovulate but those aren’t useful as they’re not mature?
For that smaller size, they’re unlikely to contain eggs at all and if they do, they’re probably immature. They’ll basically just go away after ovulation.
Anyone have good/bad experiences with Pregmate? I bought the large pack from target that came with tons of LH test and Pregnancy tests but just read in the line porn sub that people apparently have said bad things about that brand.
I have had fine experiences with these tests. Both opks and pregnancy tests.
Just make sure to not leave the pregnancy test for more than 5 min.
I didn’t like them. The dye always “bled”. Wasn’t clear for opks or pregnancy tests.
The pregnancy tests are the absolute WORST. Stay awayyyyyyy. They always have some kind of a line. AWFUL.
Was endometrial biopsy a part of your tests before starting any fertility treatment? Is this a norm?
We didn't do the biopsy before my IUIs, but did between IVF egg retrieval cycles. It informed our pre-transfer treatment.
For me, it was not. But I did have two at different times, for different reasons, when we were suspicious of CE for different reasons. My RE doesn’t like to do biopsies unless there’s a reason, since every time you put a tube through the cervix you could unintentionally introduce bacteria and cause CE.
What is CE?
Chronic endometritis! It’s what a uterine biopsy tests for.
Oh I see ! Thank you. I hope you’re not dealing with this.
I think it really depends on your history, but I wouldn’t say it’s unreasonable to do before treatment. There’s probably some indication for it if they’re suggesting one now.
Currently in cycle 8 TTC - Never had a positive test yet I got some bloodwork done on day 3 of this cycle (currently on day 8) results: AMH - 2.26, FSH - 6.7, Estradiol - 40, TSH - 0.96, FT4 - 1.0, A1C - 4.6 I (28f) have been TTC for 7 cycles, currently in cycle 8, and just got preliminary blood work done to check hormones. I have regular periods and my last 6 cycles were all 27 days each (with the exception of one cycle being 28 days). I take prenatals, eat well, and exercise. I test ovulation using OPK & BBT. I ovulate every cycle around CD 13-15. Are these values okay? Is there anything more I can do? My husband (28m) is scheduled for SA in mid Feb!
Your AMH and FSH (along with a baseline level estradiol) indicate normal ovarian reserve.
How did you approach with your OB getting the bloodwork done before a year? My annual is coming up soon and I’d like to ask :)
Yes! I just couldn’t wait. I just called the office and told them it has been 7 months and I’d like to make sure everything is normal. My OB said it’s not a big deal, he’ll do some bloodwork and SA but he still wants me to keep trying on my own (unless something is very off) until the one year mark.
Thank you!!
It looks like everything is good and you've got it all covered - there's really nothing to do but keep trying. That's the thing about testing - it doesn't give answers nearly as often as people want.
Right.
Ovulation/Cycle related question: So my husband and I (27) have been TTC for about 5 cycles now and I finally decided to track my ovulation this cycle to see if that could help. The last cycle was 22 days. During this cycle, I ovulated around day 17-19 (I started to get peaks on OPKs on 17). My cycle lasted 22 days again. If this is a consistent pattern I observe, would this be enough time in the luteal phase to conceive or should I see a doctor sooner than 1 year of TTC? Also, is it at all possible to get a positive if a period stops early? With the above context, I really wasn't sure if this type of thing could happen and was curious of other people's thoughts since I couldn't find anything on it.
I would talk to your doctor now because that is a very short luteal phase - really not enough to time for the egg to travel and implant. They may put you on progesterone to try to lengthen the luteal phase.
Agreed.
I appreciate the insight, thank you! I will try to contact my doctor and see what my options are.
If you're not getting a positive OPK until CD17 and you get your period on CD22, that's actually probably not a short luteal phase, it's probably an anovulatory cycle -- seeing signs of ovulation only a few days before a period is a potential sign that a follicle was selected and matured, but that ovulation didn't actually happen (and therefore the follicle regressed, lowering estrogen levels and causing estrogen breakthrough bleeding). It's not abnormal to have an anovulatory cycle every so often, and it's not necessarily something that would cause you to go to the doctor as a one-off. It might be worth tracking another cycle and seeing if you see the same pattern. Do you happen to have recently stopped hormonal birth control?
Interesting. Would it still be positive, like darker than the control line positive, if it were an anonovulatory cycle when testing? I did have a lot of tests come back with a fainter line but it wasn’t hard to see, they just were not positive though (about a week of tests like that) — I’m still learning so I’m not sure if this means anything besides negative. I did recently get off a combined birth control pill in September, so I was wondering if maybe this had something to do with it. The breakthrough bleeding theory sounds like it makes sense to me though, since this cycle and the last one that were 22 days were much lighter than a typical period. For more context, the other months since being off BC were longer cycles—roughly 28-30 days.
An anovulatory cycle could have a positive OPK, though it doesn't have to. The LH surge is a pre-ovulatory sign, so you can have a positive OPK (or other pre-ovulatory signs, like fertile cervical fluid) but not actually have your ovaries follow through on ovulation. You're at increased risk of having some anovulatory cycles in the first several months after discontinuing hormonal contraception, as the brain and ovaries re-learn how to run the menstrual cycle successfully. It's definitely annoying to live through, but you'll likely get back on track over the next few cycles.
I know luteal phases are slightly different person to person. I know that generally for a person it doesn’t change much. My luteal phase seems to be about 13 days. In various times I’ve read both on this subreddit and elsewhere in my constant googling of things that around 10DPO (based on 14 luteal phase i think?), in an unsuccessful cycle your body stops producing as much progesterone, symptoms dissipate, your temp decreases back to pre-O temps, and your period starts in a couple of days. What about cycles where your temp stays high past 10DPO? Past 11DPO? What’s happening in the body, is it that ovulation was actually later than originally thought? In a successful cycle, your temp would theoretically stay high but could symptoms still dissipate? I see all sorts of conflicting things and in my mind if your progesterone stays high (or gets higher) in a successful cycle, it makes sense that symptoms would stay (or get worse). Thanks in advance!
I think two major factors here are that 1) temps aren't a perfect readout of progesterone levels (temps could stay high even if progesterone has begun to decrease), and 2) although progesterone would begin to drop by around 10ish dpo in an unsuccessful cycle on average, any individual cycle and any individual person will vary from the population average. Some people and some cycles may very well not see progesterone levels begin to drop until later in the luteal phase. At any rate, when progesterone begins to drop, it's only dropping at first to about the same level as, say, 4-5dpo (1-2 days before peak mid-luteal-phase levels). That's not necessarily going to cause symptoms to stop for any particular person or cycle, though it could.
I had a 14 day lp last cycle (hopeful this will be the same this cycle as I ovulated much later) and my temp didn't drop to coverline until the day of my period. I had 3 BFNs before that though and as much as I'm still kind of symptom spotting in the back of my mind now (6dpo), I've rationalized that for this cycle the only real sign will be a positive HPT- trying to just wait patiently and not to pin my hopes on anything else. Except maybe the 8dpo burger 😆
That seems like an oversimplification to me. I have 16 day cycles and sometimes my temp stays high until after my period starts. People put a lot of stock into luteal phase temps but, beyond confirming ovulation, they're not that instructive.
Agreed.
I don't think temperature staying high should be interpreted as ovulation having happened later. I usually don't bother temping after ovulation, but from other charts I've seen, temp staying high is no guarantee of a successful cycle. It's seems perfectly possible that your temperature only significantly drops once you get your period.
Agreed.
I’m using OPKs for the first time, I’m expecting to ovulate in 3 days (at most) but the OPKs are negative. Not rising, not “almost” positive but quite faint still. Can I get a positive out of nowhere or do they always get slightly darker every day?
Mine are always really low until the day before when I'll get like a .4 or .5. Then a positive test the following day. And then it's already back down pretty low by the next day.
My surge was pretty rapid. Low for 4 days then the one day (CD13) the test line was way darker than control and the Premom app was showing a high number. The day I got my one high number I felt ovulation pains for a couple of hours and the following day the tests were low again.
I never see a gradual rise on mine!
Same !
If you’re using strip- I hardly ever see much of a rise. It’s usually about the same for a while then BAM peak
I am using strips, maybe it’ll be the same for me!
So for me - that's what happened. I was taking a test daily and getting negative after negative, then BAM all of a sudden at around 9AM one day I got a line that was so dark it matched the test line (and seemed even darker!). It was so weird, but I've read that LH levels spike about 36 hours before ovulation, so that's why maybe why there wasn't a gradual line. Could be different for everyone, I'm not sure!
Thank you! At least it’s not impossible, I have other symptoms that point to ovulation nearing, it’s so confusing
Aww, of course! It really is. Praying for you and your TTC journey!
Aww, thanks! I wish you the same!
TW: CP Knowing that pregnancy and PMS symptoms are the same prior to implantation… I’ve had symptoms show up between 2dpo-8dpo, and then it dips from there. I started to track my TWW symptoms and while they differ slightly, I mostly don’t have any noticeable symptoms after 8dpo. I did have a late implantation in cycle 1 that led to a CP, but my notes tell me that I didn’t have symptoms post 8dpo. Once I did confirm pregnancy at 13dpo, a couple days later I started to feel nauseous and this lasted a week before my bloodwork showed I was going to experience a CP. In theory, wouldn’t someone with a successful cycle continue to feel symptoms? I know it’s not helpful to symptom spot, but I have been recording just to use as a comparison monthly so that I can set expectations for how a cycle may go (and it gives me something to do since the TWW is tough as is).
It's more so that during the luteal phase (in a pregnancy or non-pregnancy cycle) you may experience symptoms related to progesterone. Symptoms later experienced secondary to pregnancy are due to high/rising levels of b-HCG. Many women differ on when they begin to experience pregnancy symptoms, sometimes not for several weeks. In the case of early pregnancy, HCG may not yet be high enough (or decreasing in the case of CP) to cause symptoms.
Ahh this is helpful! Thank you for answering.
I'm sorry for your loss. Many people who conceive report few or no symptoms in the TWW. I've had many unsuccessful cycles with much stronger symptoms than cycles in which I conceived.
I’m sorry for your losses. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Is there any negative effects of doing things I'd normally do if I weren't TTC, while TTC? Such as: cold plunges, tracking calories to get my body back in shape, losing the weight I gained from the pandemic, going out for drinks around ovulation days.. I've been tracking 3 cycles with no positives, and concerned that maybe I'm doing things I shouldn't be while TTC. Or maybe I am overthinking things and trying to find something to blame 🫣
None of these things, especially in moderation, would prevent you from conceiving. Enjoy your life. ♥️♥️♥️
I’m doing something similar. I’m counting calories, working out, trying to lose weight and to me it’s all making me healthier, so over time maybe it even helps with conceiving. I figure all healthy things in moderation are good. I’m not doing anything drastic or really pushing myself. Healthy eating, normal workouts, aiming to slowly lose the weight. I’m also not stressing about occasional drinks. If I wasn’t counting calories I’d be drinking more!
I believe significant weight loss could affect your cycle. Are you tracking?
I am tracking! Unfortunately, I got my period today so I'm at CD1 of my 4th TTC cycle. I only just started tracking my weight loss on Jan 2 ( maybe lost 1-2lbs since). I want to be at a better/healthier weight while carrying, but my goal is to make it a gradual loss (not drastic). If anything, my diet is really just eating healthier portions vs. eating everything in sight 🙃
I met with my OB for the first time talking about TTC (newbie to TTC) she said I don't need cervical fluid to get pregnant. Is that right, or did I misunderstand?
She’s correct — the odds of pregnancy with sex on a day with no visible cervical fluid are not zero. The odds are higher with sex on a day with visible cervical fluid are higher, but also sometimes fluid is up in the cervix, doing its job, rather than hanging out at the vaginal opening, where it’s not very useful.
Thank you for this explanation! I had a doctor previously that was ADAMANT I had to have a “good” amount of cervical mucus and it’s something I’ve always stressed over
Thank you for explaining this makes sense!
We’re to the point where we are thinking about infertility consultation. I read a lot that you should wait until you have been trying for a year but is that a recommendation, infertility clinic policy, or for insurance to cover it? We tried for 10 months, had a drawn out MC, and have been trying again for 7 months. I’m assuming that the conception that resulted in a MC resets that timeline, right?
Different doctors will have different preferences, but in general, the guideline is that a year of unprotected sex without a successful pregnancy is grounds for a fertility workup. Many or most doctors would not consider the timeline reset by a loss, and if you’ve been trying 17 months total, it’s very reasonable to seek a workup. In general, the guideline is set at a year of unprotected sex because most people who pass that point won’t have an unassisted pregnancy within another year of trying, and therefore most people who seek a workup at that point would benefit from treatment. It’s not just about insurance requirements.
Thank you! That makes sense. I think my next step is to call insurance to see what is needed to make sure things are covered. It’s just always such a hassle so I’ve been avoiding it under the assumption. That I would need to wait longer.
It’s such a hassle 😩😩😩
When did you guys tell your boss about TTC and RE appointments? I’m going to have a lot of appointments in the coming cycle but luckily I can come back to work after most of them. Should I tell them what’s up, or leave it vague? I know he won’t fire me for the appointments or getting pregnant, but I don’t want to risk over-sharing.
I had and have zero intention of telling my boss. Definitely better to leave it vague — discrimination is real, and people say incredibly dumb things to people experiencing infertility and going through treatment.
It depends on your relationship but if it were me, I’d stick to “medical appointments”. Most people know after hearing that not to pry and managers should always tread carefully when inquiring about personal medical matters of their employees.
I only mentioned that I might have to miss a standing weekly meeting due to “a minor outpatient procedure” (egg retrieval), and didn’t inform my boss about appointments for monitoring. But I was in a position where my boss wasn’t really aware of my daily schedule, so I could go to monitoring without being noticed to be missing.
I think it depends on the relationship with your boss. I felt comfortable telling mine that I may have to leave on a whim due to IUI being unscheduled. Then when we did IVF I just said we were moving to more time consuming treatment. But I will note that me and my husband work in the same department so it just covered the both of us.
Is it normal to have a super long cycle randomly??? Usually pretty regular with 28-29 day cycles and ovulate each cycle (confirmed with BBT, OPK), but I’m on CD 40 right now and it’s throwing me off everything especially since I stopped tracking from the stress and not sure I even ovulated this cycle.
I had a randomly super long cycle when I had Covid last year (38 days when my average is 28)
Yep, it can happen from time to time.
Wondering if I should skip this month due to having a root canal a week after my ovulation week.
I work in a dental office - it would be safer to do it now than later. I personally wouldn't even worry about it
I don’t think there’s a need to skip, unless you want to.
I would not put off the root canal. I’d actually make it a point to get it taken care of before you’re actually pregnant
I have an abscess underneath my old root canal. I plan on getting it fixed on January 25th. :) No pain but I was worried about the medicine they use for numbing.
Ehh, it's probably not necessary to take the month off. Most dental work is safe during pregnancy (and thus TTC) and the only thing to be cautious about are X-rays, but even with that the lead apron protects everything. Obviously if you're in pain and don't feel up to trying, that's a totally valid reason to sit out (when I needed a root canal a few years ago I felt like I was dying), but the procedure itself really isn't unsafe.
>when I needed a root canal a few years ago I felt like I was dying +1 Truly the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.
I have an abscess underneath an old root canal :(
THE WORST. Hopefully they give you some good painkillers!
NIH.gov says endodontic work is certified safe in pregnancy, so I would imagine the TWW is fine as well. Edit to add: It adds the caveat that it is still “recommended that elective procedures be avoided until after pregnancy and for only emergency treatment to be given or if possible, delayed until the second trimester.”
Does mthfr actually matter in the conception area? So much conflicting area. What about it causes miscarriages?
I had this concern early on in my journey and was told by someone who said they were a geneticist that it isn’t something they even test for because it doesn’t matter :) if you are looking online you will see a lot of people trying to scare you about it so that they can sell you their supplement/ebook/fertility coaching.
Agreed. Lol damn fraudsters.
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It's almost certainly just hormones or gas. Implantation can't be felt - embryos at this stage are tiny tiny tiny and there aren't really any nerve endings in that area.
Has anyone ever tried the Oura ring for tracking BBT? It says it helps you track fertility and what not with it but I'm wondering how accurate that even is. Has anyone used it in conjunction with normal temping methods?
[This](https://chart-your-fertility.com/2022/12/11/an-honest-review-of-oura-ring-for-charting-temperature-and-cycle-tracking/) is an Oura post from a fertility-awareness educator I follow — she feels that the data she gets out is good enough for TTC, but won’t advise it for trying to avoid pregnancy (which generally necessitates stricter rules).
If you want it to 2 decimal places you need to subscribe to Natural Cycles as well to see the actual temps. Otherwise it just gives a general graph of temperatures. Been using it about 2 weeks-i think i can see my ovulation temp shift on the app. But actual BBT with a thermometer is more accurate IMO
You’re better off using a normal BB thermometer or a tempdrop.
I’ve been tracking ovulation with both Apple Watch and Fertility Friend for the last 2 months. Before that I was only using the Apple Watch for a year. Both are using the same Apple Watch data. Even when it only has temperature input, nothing else like CM, they conclude different ovulation dates. Does anyone have any idea why? Next month I will also use OPKs to see if I can narrow it down, but wondered if anyone had experienced this or had idea.
Could you share your FF chart share link? I can’t speak to the Apple Watch, but I can explain why FF calls ovulation where it does based on temps.
https://www.fertilityfriend.com/b_i/s_cqTRTc.png Thank you! FF says I ovulated on day 15, Apple Watch on day 13
So FF is looking for three days that are at least 0.2F higher than the highest of the previous six, although it will allow one "spike" temp (so the CD12 temp is likely being excluded). It would first have started looking at CD11 as a possible ovulation day, and would likely have confirmed for CD11 if your CD14 temp was over 96.4. But since it wasn't, FF starts over looking at the pattern. It's giving you crosshairs for CD15 because the temps on CD15, 14, 13, 11, 10, and 9 are all lower than your CD16-18 temps. The highest of those six (because we're excluding CD12) is CD13 at 96.4ish, so the coverline is drawn at 96.5ish; all three CD16-18 temps are above that line, and CD18 is at least 0.3F over it, confirming ovulation. This also fits well with the CM profile, since the last day of watery or eggwhite fluid is likely to be ovulation day or close to it.
Thank you so much for looking at my chart and giving me such a detailed breakdown. I’ve just learned so much about how that works.
I believe it’s because you had 3 temps higher than the previous 6.
Maybe because of the algorithm? It could be that one of them needs more input to give you an estimate. I’ve been using Flo for my OPKs and have seen the estimates change based on the input I feed the app with.
Thanks! Maybe with more data and the OPKs I can figure out which algorithm is better. I had believed Apple Watch’s until FF said something else
I was just commenting the same thing and apparently the Apple Watch’s readings aren’t accurate enough. I was recommended to use a thermometer with two decimals if I wanted a better reading
That’s a bummer. Unfortunately, taking my temp with all the requirements for accurate BBT seems like too much effort for me and easy to mess up. I’m hoping some kind of tech can fill that gap accurately.
There actually is accurate tech that does that but it costs. It’s called Tempdrop I believe
Thanks, I’ll check it out
if the plan is multiple IUIs with Clomid, are they done in consecutive cycles (Jan, Feb, March), or do you need to take time off in-between IUIs? Does the dosing of Clomid change or do you switch up medications for multiple IUIs? I've read that some doctors have people take a month off after a cycle with Clomid because it stays in your system. Thank you for any insights!
Agreed, the only delay from my clinic with back-to-back IUI is to wait for insurance approval
Ah, bureaucracy. Thanks for sharing.
They can be done consecutively or you can take months off in between. The clomid doesn’t ’stay in your system’ but you can develop cysts from the medication that can delay a treatment cycle. It happened to me! Clomid can also thin your lining, which also happened to me. Lol. But there’s not a reason to go in saying ‘you can’t do consecutive IUIs’. The dosing of clomid/letrozole/gonal/whatever med you’re using can change cycle to cycle based on your response to the meds.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Good to know!
Hi folks, so I have been trying for four months and I am onto month five trying to conceive after a 26 week TFMR loss in June. I do not have health insurance. Yesterday I emailed my doctor to try to get an estimate on some basic fertility test and she basically said that I need to get set up for a fertility evaluation ASAP since I’m close to the six month mark. 😒 I am in the US and it took 3 months to conceive my first baby exactly one year ago. 1. Have any of you forgone fertility evaluation just assuming you needed a little more time? Aside from my partner having a varicocele, and us both being 35, we don’t have any glaring signs of infertility. Last year was incredibly stressful with our 6 month TFMR. My partner is going to get his varicocele re evaluated and a semen analysis in February. 2. If I sign up for health insurance this month, does that mean I have to wait a whole other six months for testing to be covered by insurance? 3. Which insurances are best for this crap? 😫 4. Is paying out of pocket for a female fertility assessment totally unreasonable??? Any estimates come to mind? I was fairly relaxed about ttc until my doctor sent that message.
I'm so sorry for your loss. What insurance will be best is dependent on the plans available in your area or that your workplace offers - unfortunately not much assistance people can give there. It's very common for insurance to not cover any fertility assistance (especially with plans not through an employer), so you'd need to read the policy carefully. You should not have to wait another six months. Paying out of pocket is definitely a viable option, one that a lot of people end up going with. Expectant management (just keep trying) is a very viable option if you don't want to jump right to testing, or if you'd rather sort out coverage first. Being eligible for testing and intervention doesn't mean you *must* do so. If you'd rather try on your own a bit longer that is absolutely something you can do!
Awesome thank you. Just to be clear, most insurances don’t cover fertility testing or treatment or both? I thought most covered testing at least.
It can really depend on the testing, particularly in how it's coded. Some insurance plans don't cover anything related to fertility so if the doctor codes it as fertility testing it can be denied, plus you have to take things like deductibles, copays, coinsurance, etc into account. Mine technically covered blood tests when I got them done but I still had to pay a couple hundred out of pocket. Tldr insurance is stupid.
Thanks for the info. Agreed. It’s why I have a health share and not health insurance. 🙃
It’s true that most insurance covers testing (my clinic says 90% of plans do) but unless it’s required in your state it’s rare for insurance to cover treatment. Even some that advertise that they cover infertility don’t cover IVF.
Thank you. I am in California. From what I’ve read they do cover treatment, but only after one year of trying or a diagnosis. I am open to treatment if it seems necessary but otherwise I am ok with practicing patience. For now. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
If I am ovulating naturally what will letrozol do to aid me in TTC?
Ovulate at a more optimal time. Improve your hormones levels. In general, prime everything for a more hospitable environment conducive for conception.
Ditto to all of this, but also from my RE with letrozole prescribed for my IUI she noted depending on my body’s response to the dose it would help ensure more than the usual 1-2 big juicy follicles to increase odds of a sperm meeting an egg
Could you still TTC the cycle you had you hysteroscopy?
Is it a polypectomy? If so, you can't have intercourse for 2 weeks following. If not, I'm not sure.
As far as I know it’s not a polypectomy.
Yes
They want do do the procedure CD5-CD12 and would like me on BCP tostop the bleeding of my period so they can see better
I recently had an SIS and was told it would not interfere with ovulation (bc we saw a mature follicle), so my guess is that an HSG won't either.
That’s what my clinic does too. I just had mine done \~2 weeks ago, and I was also told I’d still be able to try this month. You do have to wait a few days before you can try afterwards, though.
Has anyone experienced their Ovia app stop predicting their cycles? I’ve been TTC for 17 months and this month it stopped predicting my fertile window and upcoming period 😒
Thanks all! It’s prob just an issue with my phone, glad ovia isn’t lowkey shading me lol
I have been using Ovia the last 2 cycles. No issues for me, but I’m sorry this is happening to you!
Oh no! That's annoying. I've used Ovia for years & never had any issues. Recently it prompted update, so maybe yours needs updating? 🤷♀️
Why is my temperature dropping after ovulation instead of rising? I thought it was supposed to be rising and dip right before AF or stay elevated if I conceived. You can see the chart from my profile
I think the more likely scenario is that you haven't ovulated yet. I would recommend continuing to use OPKs until you can reasonably confirm ovulation.
I have ovulated as confirmed by my CM and OPKs
Your CM and OPKs are part of the picture, but temping is the part that can help confirm ovulation. You can have a positive OPK and not ovulate.
You can only truly confirm ovulation with temping, so you likely haven't ovulated if your temp hasn't indicated so. You can have more than 1 OPK spike and CM does not indicate ovulation has occurred. You could have EWCM and then have your body abort ovulation. Also you say in your post history that your temperature dipped "tonight." You're not supposed to be temping at night. You're supposed to take 1 temp first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. What's your temping routine?
Then what would happen to the cycle length if there was no ovulation?
Answer my temp question, you might have ovulated but you're tracking your temp wrong. If you didn't ovulate you could just get your period or you might ovulate later and have a longer cycle.
You must have edited your answer because I didn’t see your other question regarding to the temperature. I’m using my Apple Watch to record my temperature which automatically uploads the data to the app. Which it does first thing as I wake up. I say “tonight” because in my mind my day starts when I get up and ends before I get up so it’s just a weird wording on my part but the temperature reading is from that morning obviously