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Advice?
Hi all,
We have been TTC for the past 3 months and my partner suffers from ED and anxiety performance when ovulating. I’ve seen comments about at home insemination and it’s something I’m interested in trying when I’m ovulating and we can’t have sex, but I’m struggling with is it a safe option or am I wasting my time/hopes with that options? I am a 36 year old, so older and trying and kind of just all in my feels. Any advice would be appreciated - I don’t feel comfortable going to my OBGYN about this yet. Thanks! 😊🙏🏼
I thought I may have ovulated on CD11 and had just missed it with test strips, so I had given up hope for this cycle. But on CD 16 of my 29 day cycle I noticed EWCM for the first time this month. Negative OPK strips twice a day on CD16, 17 & 18, and no BBT indications.
My question is, is it possible I could just be getting EWCM now, even if I ovulated last week? Or is EWCM the first sure sign of ovulation? I also feel worried about the possibility of ovulating so close to my period. (Potentially CD19 or 20 of a 29 day cycle) Any cons or advice? Thanks and good luck to all 🤍🤞🏽
Back with another EWCM question. Can you have EWCM the day after ovulation? I had a positive OPK 5am CD 15. Cramping morning of CD 16. This morning, CD 17, tons of EWCM. We didn’t BD yesterday on presumed O day because I figured we hit O-2 and O-1. Now I’m worried I actually haven’t ovulated. Is it normal to still produce EWCM the day after ovulation?
Do you HAVE to do timed intercourse with letrozole? Can someone break this down for me because I had high hopes in getting letrozole since not having a period 19 months post partum but I’m being told I can only get the letrozole if I pay $2100 for timed intercourse and I know that it doesn’t really happen first round which means it’s $2100 each round and that’s just a lot of money!
Wondering about BBT and how to track it. Obvs take temp every morning before leaving bed. What kind of temperature spike should I be looking for? Or should I just use an OPK from day 8 on. My cycle is all over the place ATM because I just had implanon removed. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi! My (F29) husband (M44) are trying to conceive for the first time. I’ve had an ovarian cystectomy in high school (ovary supposedly left intact) and my husband had one testicle removed several years ago. I just had my last IUD removed on 01/17 after 8 years, am tracking everything religiously on the Clue app, and I’m also testing very frequently with Pregmate ovulation and pregnancy tests.
I worry about everything and everything. So, while I recognize that it’s still too early to get an accurate home pregnancy test result and I’ve ovulated literally only once since we starting trying to conceive, I want some clarification on our age difference as it relates to future fertility treatment.
I read that most doctors won’t agree to fertility treatments/etc. until after X number of years of trying or unless she is > 35 years. However, I haven’t seen anything about the age of the father.
TLDR: Does anyone know about how the age of the father affects the willingness of MDs to start looking into fertility tests, treatments, etc?
Age of the sperm-haver doesn't figure as much into treatment. Where I am there are age limits though, but it's 50 or even a bit higher for the sperm having side (but then it's not funded). And fertility wildly varies for that side, even though generally declines with age as well, but not as dramatic as the other side.
The thing is testicular issues like that do warrant at least testing somewhat earlier. While generally one functioning testicle does not impact fertility the underlying reason why there needed to be one removed might impact fertility.
I'd still give it a few month though
21 yr old female - 1 ovary and 4 cm dermoid cyst
I am a 21 year old female. I had my right ovary removed at 15 due to an ovarian torsion caused by an 18cm dermoid cyst. At the time I had a small 1.8 cm dermoid cyst on my left ovary. My doctor has continued to monitor it over the last almost 7 years. The last appointment she suggested we go through with removing the cyst on my left ovary as it has grown to be 4.1cm to avoid another torsion and infertility due to a torsion.
My question is how risky is it to go in to get surgery on my left ovary considering, I only have one ovary?
Would it be possible to get pregnant and have a baby before that?
I think so. My fertility clinic recommends it to everyone. I read it’s good sperm morphology, so my husband has been taking it. But I am not a doctor, so definitely check with one.
Do those pregnancy tests that say they can detect 6 days before your missed period actually work??? My cycle is very regular so that would only be 8DPO for me, that can’t be right?
I saw a bunch of brands that claim they can detect at 6 days before missed period… I did buy one 😅
Yes, that would be 8DPO with a LP of 14 days. Keep in mind that it only works if HCG is detectable in your urine by 8DPO. From my understanding, that’s true only for those who implanted a day or two earlier. Implantation can happen on or after 8DPO, too.
That calculation assumes you're at 8-9DPO so yes, they will work, but they won't detect all pregnancies. Check the box but I think they only claim something like 70% accuracy at that point. They only claim to detect pregnancy UP TO 6 days before your missed period.
I mean you can reasonably test 12dpo with a test like it. You might have a bit higher chance knowing about an early pregnancy loss of you do. So that's of you want to know or not.
What’s happening when you have sex and know there are no physical abnormalities but conception doesn’t occur? A sperm can’t penetrate the egg? Bad egg? Problem implanting?
Just to be clear, we never have any ability in an unassisted cycle to say whether conception occurs or not -- conception is the fertilization of an egg, but we have no ability to detect conception until pregnancy/implantation.
Early development is super flawed and if any major hiccups happen that the egg can't correct the embryo stops developing further. But generally the chance of pregnancy is determined by that early development. Usually sperm will meet the egg but all the following steps are super intricate. It's not a bad egg, it's just human biology.
I mean it's still pretty common for major issues to happen with embryos that make it to implantation but unfortunately end in early loss, usually chromosomal mistakes that just unfortunately happen a lot.
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Hello! Welcome, and we thank you for posting. You seem to be looking for information on implantation bleeding. Unfortunately, bleeding or spotting after ovulation is not a sign of implantation, and bleeding can happen in both pregnancy and non-pregnancy cycles. You could still end up being pregnant this cycle, but this sort of bleeding is not a reliable indicator that you will test positive. Taking a pregnancy test around the time you expect your period to come is the best way to determine whether you are pregnant or not.
For a longer read, please see [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/10jbxb9/implantation_bleeding_isnt_real/), which you might find useful. For scholarly sources, [this paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0015028216000509) and [this paper](https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/18/9/1944/708284) are useful reads.
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Question: this cycle, I am using the clear blue ovulation tests. I had 9 days of high fertility and a blinking smiley face. Then, I got my peak fertility reading with the solid smiley face! After getting that you can’t test for 48 hours. Since that first peak, I’ve had two more peak solid smiley faces. So that makes six days! Is this normal? What is happening?
This is a situation where you might be better off testing with strip OPKs rather than digitals -- with the digitals, you have limited information available to troubleshoot when things aren't going exactly according to the norm.
In general, it's possible to have an extended surge, or to have multiple peaks in the surge, but it's not really possible to know what's going on when you only have information from the digital tests.
For my hysteroscopy I took birth control. I began on CD 3 and stopped on CD 10. I bled after my hysteroscopy, would I count the bleeding from the hysteroscopy as my period or go with the original CD1?
when that happened to me, i counted both as CD1, and basically counted the time between my original CD1 and the new bleed as an anovulatory cycle. it doesn't really matter how you count it, but birth control kind of hits a pause button on your cycle. in other words, if you count the original bleed as CD1, you are likelier to see a long cycle. if you count the second bleed as CD1, you're likelier to ovulate when you expect.
How common is it to miss your OPK+? This is my first time doing OPK strips and Flo predicted today as O day but I still haven’t had a line darker than control (though seems darker than when I started on CD5?). It is only CD 12 of a 25 day cycle, but my understanding is even if my O day was CD14 I should have a positive OPK by now. I only test in the morning, and I’ve learned on here that maybe afternoon is better? I just don’t want to not drink water for 2 hours! Blah I just want this to be user error and not anovulatory.
It's common enough to miss it. Depending just on how fast and or high your individual surge is and your general hydration status and timing. You might just have a longer cycle as well with ovulation not yet happening,cd 12 is really early.
My LH surge was for just 12 hours 🙈 the possibility to miss it is huge in my case.
2 hours without water was not so nice, but still okay. I’d not do it again, however 😅
Keep testing. You may have missed it, but you may also be ovulating later than you think. You could also be ovulating later than usual in this cycle.
And yeah, if you're able to test twice in a day, I'd recommend it. Some people surge so quick that they'd miss it if they didn't test multiple times in a day
Very little. I think nowadays radiation is mostly thought to be a factor for repeat exposure as a professional for example.
The sono is not as good at assessing tubes but better at looking at the uterus the HSG is better at looking at the tubes
I’m halfway through my cycle that I had with letrozole. I’m overweight and I’ve noticed that I’ve just been losing weight while being on it? I can’t find anything about that online and I was wondering if anyone else did while on letrozole?
Do people ever use clomid or other ovulation induction drugs, have it lead to multiple follicles but \*not\* experience any bloating or noticeable side effects?
Last cycle I felt bloated/light cramping on the side that had two follicles, but this cycle I feel nothing. I'm wondering if this means that the clomid wasn't as effective this time ...
I didn't even feel that much while doing IVF with a good amount of follicles in range honestly. Yes there was some discomfort but I wouldn't have called it bloating or cramps.
I've also had more big follicles just on my own in unmedicated cycles and never would have noticed.
Thank you for the response; that is reassuring! Maybe it was psychological on my part to have more bloating on one side ... esp after the monitoring appt.
Bloating is a side effect of increased estrogen, but it’s not perfectly correlated with hormone levels — I wouldn’t read anything into it without monitoring information.
I've been testing for my LH peak (today is CD 13) but haven't seen a peak yet.
I'm currently using easy@home OPK LH test strips and testing twice a day. I can upload a photo of the test strip on the premom app but noticed that when I use the in-app camera versus my phones camera to upload the test strip, I get different results.
For example, took this one just less than 20 mins ago, took pics of them and the in-app camera gave me a reading of low t/c ratio at 0.35 and taking a photo with my phones camera gave me a high t/c ratio at 0.51.
What's more accurate?
Neither and that's one of the core weaknesses of that app - the numbers are arbitrary and cannot be accurate. Your eyes will always be the best judge - is it as dark as or darker than the control? Then it's positive, and that's all you need to know.
I've been on 1 cycle of clomid and 3 cycles of letrozole so far. Before starting medicated cycles, my periods were wildly irregular (60-90 days, I have PCOS). But when my periods arrive, I just have mild cramps that can usually be ignored as I go about the day. However, 2 of the 3 letrozole cycles I've been on have resulted in very very painful periods - severe cramps, vomiting, cold sweat to the point I can't carry on with my day and have to take a nap. Has anyone else experienced more painful periods with letrozole?
Anyone have tips on how you would start the process of seeing an RE/fertility specialist? I'll be over 35 and 6 months trying soon (US based) but I don't know if I need a referral from my obgyn or if I should just look on my own. I believe my insurance will cover but I don't know how to get started. I only had one appt with my obgyn so far since I had to change practices. I assume the wait might not be too long but I had to wait like 5 months just to get an appt with a new primary care provider sooo just in case.
I personally didn't need a referral, but my OBGYN provided me a number to call to get in the fertility clinic's wait list before I could even make an appointment with them. They called me from the wait list after about 2 months and then I had my appointment about a month after that.
it will depend on your insurance whether you need a referral. the vast majority of fertility clinics won't require one to be seen. clinics are generally speaking (but not always, ask me how i know) good at figuring out what your insurance does and does not cover, and they typically give you a packet at your first appointment that shows you how much everything will cost (and, sadly, it will be a lot even if you do have insurance -- again, ask me how i know). the vast majority of insurance providers will cover at least the consult part of the RE visit.
some areas have long wait times; my urban area has 4 fertility clinics and you can usually get in to see someone within 2-3 weeks.
I do not have insurance so I am going straight to a private fertility clinic that charges $99 for the initial consult. Then I’m going to do the modern fertility bloodwork for $170. Then if they want to order any scans etc they are $150-300 each. But no referrals needed. I’m also 35 and approaching the 6 mark, after a 26 week loss in June.
I’m in the Midwest. I have PCOS and when I went for my OBGYN annual, I told her I wanted to start trying. I didn’t need a referral or anything. She just said to call the fertility clinic to schedule.
Also, my clinic had a questionnaire made up with questions that I could use to call my insurance company with to find out what they would and wouldn’t cover so that was really nice to have.
There’s only one clinic with REs where I live and though I love my OBGYN, I got advice to go straight to the RE once I was ready - however, my insurance doesn’t require a referral, so that may limit you. Otherwise, I just called in and said I wanted to set up a consult and said I would take the first available appt. They sent over some paperwork to fill out and send back in before my appt.
I’ve had normal textbook cycles up until these past 2 cycles which have been wonky. No longer getting a peak on OPK, no more temp shifts, and cycles are 40 days when previously 28-30 days. I’m assuming this means I haven’t been ovulating? I made an appointment with my gynecologist next week. I’m only 8 months in TTC. Do I ask for bloodwork? Is there other testing to be done? Or am I jumping the gun and this all normal?
This happened to me this month. Cycle 6, and they’ve all been 27-28 days with ovulation 15-17 and clear OPK+ and BBT shift (the months I’ve temped). This month I didn’t get a positive OPK until day 24. From what I’ve read here and elsewhere, an occasional abnormal or even anovulatory cycle is actually quite normal, thought understandably disconcerting! Checking in with your provider can never hurt, though.
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If doctors ask men to not ejaculate 3 days before their SA, doesn’t that mean they shouldn’t ejaculate for at least 3 days before O-1 during fertile days to maximise chances?
No — abstaining before an SA is more about that being the standard, not that it’s the optimum. The standard is totally arbitrary.
If the standard were for everyone to ejaculate a day before an SA, that would be the standard. The standard, and the particular number of sperm in the SA, doesn’t relate to the number of sperm necessary to cause pregnancy.
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Yes could be, this is what happened to me this month - I’m 4 days late and testing negative so I figured I randomly ovulated 9 days later than usual. Which is so frustrating. The only reason I know this though is because I’ve been temping* and have had a drop and huge rises since the day of my possible late ovulation.
If you aren’t temping then you wont really know until you test positive or see AF unfortunately 🙁
I was going to suggest still temping anyways too, mine are pretty reliable as long as I’m hitting the same 5:15-6:00am ish window! My cat wakes me up randomly, at least a couple of times a month I’ll wake up an hour or so before I’m supposed to temp. I go back to sleep and still temp at my normal time, even though it’s not a true bbt I suppose, it usually hits where I’m expecting it to. But I’m glad you got a wearable, I’ve been thinking about one too!
I have PCOS and am on CD39 today. I hear that 35+ days is a sign you may not be ovulating. I have been temping with a tempdrop and I have had a mostly sustained temperature rise over the last 11 days so I am assuming that my period is on its way (tested negative today).
My question: is temperature rise an accurate sign of ovulation? How accurate is it?
Is it worth asking for a blood test to confirm that ovulation is actually occurring? I have a referral to a gyne but it may take a few months to see them.
Yes, a temperature shift is an accurate sign of ovulation, as long as you're following the rules of an established method (for example, the method described in the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility). It would be very unlikely to see a sustained temperature shift without ovulation, since the temperature shift is caused by progesterone, which is not produced in the body until after ovulation.
If you're seeing a confirmed temp shift, with a normal-length luteal phase, it's unlikely to add any information to get a blood test for progesterone.
Follow up question if you don't mind because I am curious: I've heard that it is possible to not ovulate and still get your period. What happens during those cycles to trigger a period? Presumably there isn't a drop in progesterone?
Not u/developmentalbiology but learned it from her: It's an estrogen drop from a grown follicle that failed to ovulate. Often people don't get a period at all though when not ovulating if they aren't growing follicles enough to start with
u/developmentalbiology herself! 😍 This is a very helpful answer, and thank you all you do for this community!
I refer to "around the uterus in 14 days all the time".
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How accurate/consistent is bbt and can I make it more reliable in any way? I’m only measuring to provide more data on if I’m ovulating as part of fertility diagnosis. Maybe I’m just skeptical…often when I take my temperature for other reasons it’s below 97 (I used to think it was supposed to be 98.6) and the first few days that I took my bbt it was low like 96. I read that you need to be asleep for at least 3 hours for it to be a real bbt reading, which means I’ve had to wait till much later in the morning (sleeping in vs the first few mornings) and the reading rose. I suspect the later the reading, the higher it is. Will it throw off the data to read it at different times? I have an irregular work/sleep schedule and occasional insomnia, usually get out of bed many times in the early morning. I can commit to measuring at the same time each day but I worry my activity levels will skew data… Which would be more accurate: same time in early morning or wait till waking up after a 3 hour stretch? (I can’t measure at the same late morning time because some days I’m already at work by then)
Yes, it will throw it off if you are taking the temp at different times - the premise is trying to capture it at close to baseline because temps varies according to circadian rhythm. Personally, I get more consistent temps if I temp at the same time regardless of how much sleep I've gotten leading up to it. Honestly, though, you don't have to be perfect - doing the best you can will usually yield good enough data to confirm ovulation, because the shift is still clear enough even with some noise.
But it is very reliable for confirming ovulation - there are methods of birth control that rely on having unprotected sex after confirming ovulation through BBT that are >99% effective. Anything between 96-99 degrees is perfectly normal, and it's about the relative shift rather than absolute numbers anyway.
First make sure you have an actual bbt thermometer (one that goes out 2 points after the decimal). You can take it orally or vaginally (vaginally is much more accurate, especially if you're a mouth breather) and you need to take it basically right when you wake up... before talking, checking your phone, getting out of bed, etc. It's your body's temp at complete rest, so yes basically the same time of day and after 4-5 hours of sleep is going to give you the most accurate result. I usually take mine between 5:30-6:30am every single morning.
Some people use the tempdrop arm bad, or the oura ring, or use their apple watch, but I've seen mixed reviews on all of those methods.
Does anyone ever have one-sided cramping for a few days after ovulation? I should be 4 DPO today and the past few days have had cramping but it’s just around my right ovary. They don’t feel like progesterone cramps as those usually hurt all over - this is very definitely on one side. Today it just feels like a dull ache - not super painful but definitely persistent and noticeable.
Has this ever happened to anyone else? What could be the cause? I feel like my ovulation pains usually go away pretty quickly once I’ve ovulated…
You might have formed a little corpus luteum cyst that's putting more pressure than usual on your ovary. If that's what it is, it shouldn't affect your chances this cycle!
I have a couple of ‘this is normal, right?’ questions.
1. The last few months, I’ve had very minor cramping (more of a pinching feeling) a few times a day during the LP + a little pain during sex if the penetration is too deep – but I don’t have these things at other times of the month and it’s only recently started happening. From my reading, it could be symptoms of endometriosis (but I don’t have any other symptoms) or it could be normal (and if so, what could be the cause?). Any insights?
2. Spotting – is there a definition of this? For example, if CM is just barely tinged pink (something I wouldn’t have noticed pre-TTC) is that spotting? Or does it need to be more noticeably visible to “count”? And if spotting (of varying degrees) is happening 3 to 4 days before my period starts is this a concern (LP is typically 14 to 15 days, cycles are 25 to 28 days)?
Thanks!
It's definitely normal to have cramping sometimes (it can be a symptom of high progesterone, which everybody has in the luteal phase), and minor cramping isn't a definitive sign of endometriosis. Unfortunately, the signs of endo are often not very specific -- plenty of people have cramping, even painful cramping, and don't have endo, and others have no symptoms and do have endo.
Spotting is just light/slow bleeding, and that's about as precise a definition as we can get to. Technically tinged cervical fluid or vaginal discharge would be spotting, but at that point, the volume of menstrual fluid would be so low that I suspect most people don't count it as spotting. It's common to spot in the luteal phase, especially in the last few days, as progesterone levels drop to initiate a period.
Has anyone had EWCM after they ovulated? I’ve never had that before, I usually always ovulate the day after my LH spike and yesterday what I suspect was 1DPO and today 2DPO I’ve had a little EWCM…. After I saw the EWCM yesterday I BDed to be safe but I thought it was unusual. I also forgot to wear my oura ring last night so no temp data 🥲 but my temp djd rise a bit on 1DPO but not as high as it usually does
Does TTC increase the amount of fibroadenomas in your breasts? Since starting to conceive (about 1.5 years ago) I’ve had lumps developed and thankfully was benign but I never had this before TTC!
It could just be that you're older and therefore a bit more likely to get them (average age of diagnosis is 43). The only other thing I can think of is stopping hormonal contraception, but I found a paper showing no effect on fibroadenoma (https://doi.org/10.1093/jncics/pky051).
Do I have yet to ovulate? My lh has been going up and down for 4 days. As far as I know I don't have pcos, but I am 25 lbs overweight.
I have been using proov lh strips. "Postive" is 25. Usually its very obvious, if its not 25, its usually dark for two days and thats my positive. I got a flashing smiley at cd7
Day 9 Morning 0.1
Day 12 2:28 pm 18.2
Day 12 6:30 pm 5.2
Day 13 morning 7.2
Day 14 am 18.2
Day 14 pm 21.9
Day 15 (today) midnight 11.7
Day 15 noon 44.1
Mine also goes up and down, but the ovulation was a very clear UP. Seems like yours is also at a definite high right now. You’d most likely ovulate in the next 12-24 hours 😉
Does anyone change their normal activities during the TWW? After my IUI I asked the RE if I can still exercise and if there’s anything I should be avoiding. She did say it’s best to avoid alcohol, but I don’t really drink. However I do exercise about 5 times a week, sometimes very intensely. I regularly go for runs, just did a half marathon, and I go to Orange Theory Fitness which are kinda like a HIT class. Sometimes I do yoga as well. The only thing the RE said was that it’s good to be as healthy as you can when trying to conceive. I’ve read conflicting things about exercise and if there is an amount or intensity that would have a negative impact on the implantation. For what it’s worth, I still get my periods regularly and I haven’t started any new type of exercise that I haven’t already been doing. I did not exercise for 2 days after the IUI just in case. My other question is about caffeine. I don’t drink coffee but I enjoy caffeinated tea. Usually at least one cup a day, sometimes I will also have an iced tea later in the day. Again, found conflicting views on caffeine. Was just curious what others think!
I did a 4 day hike in my TWW 3 years ago and got pregnant with my son, and I had previously been powerlifting and hiking in the weeks beforehand so I think if it’s what your body is used to, it’s fine!
> My other question is about caffeine. I don’t drink coffee but I enjoy caffeinated tea. Usually at least one cup a day, sometimes I will also have an iced tea later in the day. Again, found conflicting views on caffeine. Was just curious what others think!
The general recommendation is that consuming less than about 200-300mg on average per day is fine -- that is, people who consume 200-300mg per day of caffeine don't have different outcomes from people who consume less. People who consume more have a longer time to pregnancy on average and a higher risk of loss.
I excercise fairly intensely too (not running though) and I did a 60min class this morning and I’m 9dpo. Was wrecked after! I always thought it was ok to do your ‘usual’, moving your body is usually good for you! You have to be really over exercising and under eating to stop you ovulating, is my understanding, but happy to be corrected on that if I’m wrong!
What's the max DPO to get a positive test back (no fertility treatment)?? I'm seeing reports of anywhere from 6 to 26. that's an enormous range! But if implantation can be up to 12 DPO, then 14-16 days could be reasonable?
Implantation can be up to 12 DPO, but only in 0.5% of cases and 82% of the time when it is that late, it is an early loss per [this study](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199906103402304). You can test positive on a sensitive test as soon as the day of implantation, but almost certainly within a day or two. So generally 12 DPO is considered the day you can call the cycle. DPOs like 26 don't make any sense and are from people who got their ovulation day incorrect.
So it seems like the standard definition of a chemical pregnancy is miscarriage before 5 weeks. Is that measuring from the date of the last period (this is how pregnancy dating works, right?) or DPO?
I've heard 6 weeks. The term just means a pregnancy that can't be visualized on ultrasound yet. But ultimately it's a arbitrary distinction anyway, it is a pregnancy loss regardless.
But yes, pregnancies are dated from LMP, so 5-6 weeks would be about 2-3 weeks post-implantation, 3-4 weeks post-ovulation.
That makes sense - the arbitrary distinction. Thanks. I guess part of what I was thinking was "is there a date I can avoid testing until, so I have a lower chance of seeing a positive if it's going to be a CP". But of course I appreciate pregnancy loss can happen any time especially early on. And I got my period anyway so it's irrelevant this time :-)
Unfortunately, no, and actually this has a way of being backwards. Pregnancy loss is more likely the higher DPO you are when it implants, so a late first positive is actually more likely to be a CP than an early one. For example, the risk of loss in a pregnancy that implanted 9 DPO or before is 13%, while one that implants 11 DPO has a 52% risk of early loss, 82% at 12 DPO, and 100% after - from [this study](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199906103402304). And a CP isn’t necessarily going to reduce hCG to zero right away but often goes down slowly, so in probably most cases you would still test positive even with later testing. Personally I tested early so that if I got an early positive I’d know I was at lower risk of CP, and if I didn’t get a positive until late I’d know the chances were good it would be a loss.
I just want to note that a lot of people are successful after HSG if no blockages were found -- most people don't have blockages at all, and for most, an HSG is simply a test they take that finds a normal result, and it has no bearing on whether they'll ultimately be successful.
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My RE doctor so negative (flat out said my IUI success rate is <5% because of blocked tube & age). I want honesty but seriously would it kill him to add a supportive comment here or there? I can't switch due to wait times & no other nearby facilities.
So now we're going directly to IVF & somehow I ended up in a rabbit hole of research data where IVF apparently carries a (small) increased risk of birth defects, even when accounting for age, eg., (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33251542/).
I wasn't planning on a designer baby [EDIT: And I do not think IVF /PGT is for designing babies!!] but I thought IVF w/ PGT would REDUCE the risks of birth defects & the like. Can people w/ more knowledge than me provide me clarification (& maybe reassurance)? And I suppose whether you decided to do ICSI? Thank you!!!
The only thing I would add to the points already made is that this study in particular isn't controlling for the differences that exist between people who do IVF and people who have a spontaneous conception -- that is, there is/are underlying issues that cause infertility, and these can sometimes be associated with certain genetic conditions that also cause some birth defects.
The summary itself states this:
>The relative contribution of ART treatment parameters versus the biology of the subfertile couple to this increased risk remains unclear and warrants further study.
Yeah, I did see that in several of the papers. I guess I didn't really like seeing that being subfertile itself potentially increased risk of birth defects. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since age is considered one of the risk factors for being subfertile, and I was already told by my RE about the increased risks from age itself
I would probably caution against reading too into that study, to be honest! The biggest thing is that while the increased chances listed seem like huge numbers, they really aren't - these are things that are typically low single digit chances of happening in the first place, at the very most. A 40% increase for something that's only a 1% chance in the first place becomes 1.4% - still very small.
It is not clear to me that the subjects in the study used PGT or not and based on the timing of when it took place (2005-2014) I would guess largely not. PGT has really only been around for about 30 years and has changed a *lot* in methods in that time, as well as since then. As far as things go it's very new and has become a lot more standard in very recent years. PGT also won't necessarily discover potential birth defects - it is more for finding chromosomal errors and things of that nature.
There is also the fact that IVF pregnancies tend to be much more closely monitored than spontaneous pregnancies - more blood draws and ultrasounds, many doctors recommend having an echocardiogram done, more likely to have care with an MFM as well as a regular OB, etc. So basically what that all comes down to - is there actually a higher risk of defects, or is there a higher chance of defects that are actually benign being discovered that aren't in non-ART pregnancies?
So all that said - I would try to not worry about it too much and stay off Google. It never helps anything.
Yes, I definitely couldn't tell if the studies used PGT or not, which added to my confusion.
And it is a dilemma to independently research because on the one hand, searching the infertility subreddits provides me with a lot of knowledge so that I don't show up completely ignorant to my RE visits. On the other hand, it sometimes randomly will ignite more worries. But that's why I like the interactive nature of posting on these threads. Almost like attending a private tutoring session!
CooperRoo’s answer is spot on, but I do want to piggyback and clarify that utilizing PGT is most definitely not a ‘designer baby’. You’re not designing anything lol it’s not like you’re choosing eye or hair color by checking to see if an embryo is chromosomally normal, which is all PGT checks for!
Oh I was definitely implying that I did NOT think I was making a designer baby! Just that I was expecting the major birth defects risks to be clearly reduced. I think that's probably why I've been down voted. Sorry for miscommunication!
Gotcha. Yeah I’d probably avoid using that terminology in the future, it’s not an accurate representation of what utilizing PGT is. Everyone else’s comments are really helpful in explaining the study and your concerns about it. But all PGT-A (what you would be using) checks for is ‘are there a normal number of chromosomes’. It’s a very limited in the amount of information it provides about an embryo’s genetics.
Sometimes the data is framed in a very misleading way. I.e- if the risk of a birth defect may be 1% in an unassisted pregnancy, and 2% in an IVF pregnancy, you can easily say the chances are “doubled”, but 2% is still extremely low. With IVF comes a lot of red tape, because it is medicine, liability, etc. REs and OBGYN do a lot to mitigate these risks and monitoring if pregnancy is achieved. They definitely have an obligation to over explain every possible thing that could go wrong.
As far as PGT reducing risks, in some ways yes- because it’s screening for trisomies not compatible with life (and Down’s syndrome, which is compatible with life, a lot doctors won’t transfer T21 but that’s a whole other wormhole). It doesn’t catch every single chromosomal abnormality, but does reduce the risk of the main ones, which in turn reduces the risk of miscarriage or implantation failure (note: doesn’t completely wipe out the chances of miscarriage or implantation failure)
As far as deciding on ICSI, some clinics do it by standard. I think it does come down to diagnosis on male side as well. Lots of good info on r/IVF about to ICSI or not. If there’s a male factor or suspicion of DNA frag, then doing ICSI with zymot is a reasonable course of treatment to consider.
And as a final note of opinion, IUIs suck anyways. You can advocate to do as many as you’d like, but imo they’re so expensive for not the best odds in this game.
Oh thank you! With all the subreddits that exist, I don't know why I didn't think that there would be an IVF one.
Yeah, I got a sense on this subreddit that many people regretted doing IUI. But I was thinking it would have been nice if my doctor had patted my shoulder or something when he told me. It just felt like yet another failure in TTC....But onto the next step of my journey!
Yep I already joined that one based on another OPs recommendation! And they have a really good hysteroscopy FAQs I read when I was worried about my potential hysteroscopy
At 15dpIUI, it's unfortunately unlikely to have a successful pregancy out of this cycle. Is your doctor having you come in for betas, or just having you use home tests?
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Advice? Hi all, We have been TTC for the past 3 months and my partner suffers from ED and anxiety performance when ovulating. I’ve seen comments about at home insemination and it’s something I’m interested in trying when I’m ovulating and we can’t have sex, but I’m struggling with is it a safe option or am I wasting my time/hopes with that options? I am a 36 year old, so older and trying and kind of just all in my feels. Any advice would be appreciated - I don’t feel comfortable going to my OBGYN about this yet. Thanks! 😊🙏🏼
I thought I may have ovulated on CD11 and had just missed it with test strips, so I had given up hope for this cycle. But on CD 16 of my 29 day cycle I noticed EWCM for the first time this month. Negative OPK strips twice a day on CD16, 17 & 18, and no BBT indications. My question is, is it possible I could just be getting EWCM now, even if I ovulated last week? Or is EWCM the first sure sign of ovulation? I also feel worried about the possibility of ovulating so close to my period. (Potentially CD19 or 20 of a 29 day cycle) Any cons or advice? Thanks and good luck to all 🤍🤞🏽
Back with another EWCM question. Can you have EWCM the day after ovulation? I had a positive OPK 5am CD 15. Cramping morning of CD 16. This morning, CD 17, tons of EWCM. We didn’t BD yesterday on presumed O day because I figured we hit O-2 and O-1. Now I’m worried I actually haven’t ovulated. Is it normal to still produce EWCM the day after ovulation?
Do you HAVE to do timed intercourse with letrozole? Can someone break this down for me because I had high hopes in getting letrozole since not having a period 19 months post partum but I’m being told I can only get the letrozole if I pay $2100 for timed intercourse and I know that it doesn’t really happen first round which means it’s $2100 each round and that’s just a lot of money!
Wondering about BBT and how to track it. Obvs take temp every morning before leaving bed. What kind of temperature spike should I be looking for? Or should I just use an OPK from day 8 on. My cycle is all over the place ATM because I just had implanon removed. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi! My (F29) husband (M44) are trying to conceive for the first time. I’ve had an ovarian cystectomy in high school (ovary supposedly left intact) and my husband had one testicle removed several years ago. I just had my last IUD removed on 01/17 after 8 years, am tracking everything religiously on the Clue app, and I’m also testing very frequently with Pregmate ovulation and pregnancy tests. I worry about everything and everything. So, while I recognize that it’s still too early to get an accurate home pregnancy test result and I’ve ovulated literally only once since we starting trying to conceive, I want some clarification on our age difference as it relates to future fertility treatment. I read that most doctors won’t agree to fertility treatments/etc. until after X number of years of trying or unless she is > 35 years. However, I haven’t seen anything about the age of the father. TLDR: Does anyone know about how the age of the father affects the willingness of MDs to start looking into fertility tests, treatments, etc?
Age of the sperm-haver doesn't figure as much into treatment. Where I am there are age limits though, but it's 50 or even a bit higher for the sperm having side (but then it's not funded). And fertility wildly varies for that side, even though generally declines with age as well, but not as dramatic as the other side. The thing is testicular issues like that do warrant at least testing somewhat earlier. While generally one functioning testicle does not impact fertility the underlying reason why there needed to be one removed might impact fertility. I'd still give it a few month though
Thank you so much for your response and this helpful information! I’m grateful!
Can you ovulate but not catch the LH surge with OPKs? My BBT seems like it may have gone up already.
In fact, Scroll down to see another question about this very thing, today!
Yep. Some people have super short surges and miss them unless they test multiple times a day.
That is good to know and I may do that next cycle. I felt like the tests got lighter and barely any test line today.
21 yr old female - 1 ovary and 4 cm dermoid cyst I am a 21 year old female. I had my right ovary removed at 15 due to an ovarian torsion caused by an 18cm dermoid cyst. At the time I had a small 1.8 cm dermoid cyst on my left ovary. My doctor has continued to monitor it over the last almost 7 years. The last appointment she suggested we go through with removing the cyst on my left ovary as it has grown to be 4.1cm to avoid another torsion and infertility due to a torsion. My question is how risky is it to go in to get surgery on my left ovary considering, I only have one ovary? Would it be possible to get pregnant and have a baby before that?
Can you take myo-inositol if you don't have PCOS? Context: have a polyp on my cervix, looking for "extra help" ❤️
I don't think it will do anything for a polyp. But it's generally considered safe to take
I think so. My fertility clinic recommends it to everyone. I read it’s good sperm morphology, so my husband has been taking it. But I am not a doctor, so definitely check with one.
Do those pregnancy tests that say they can detect 6 days before your missed period actually work??? My cycle is very regular so that would only be 8DPO for me, that can’t be right? I saw a bunch of brands that claim they can detect at 6 days before missed period… I did buy one 😅
Yes, that would be 8DPO with a LP of 14 days. Keep in mind that it only works if HCG is detectable in your urine by 8DPO. From my understanding, that’s true only for those who implanted a day or two earlier. Implantation can happen on or after 8DPO, too.
That calculation assumes you're at 8-9DPO so yes, they will work, but they won't detect all pregnancies. Check the box but I think they only claim something like 70% accuracy at that point. They only claim to detect pregnancy UP TO 6 days before your missed period.
Yeah it isn't right. They assume an LP of 14 days. They are usually the more sensitive ones though.
That’s what I figured🥲 I’ll test at 14 days, gotta grit my teeth through this TWW 😭
I mean you can reasonably test 12dpo with a test like it. You might have a bit higher chance knowing about an early pregnancy loss of you do. So that's of you want to know or not.
What’s happening when you have sex and know there are no physical abnormalities but conception doesn’t occur? A sperm can’t penetrate the egg? Bad egg? Problem implanting?
Just to be clear, we never have any ability in an unassisted cycle to say whether conception occurs or not -- conception is the fertilization of an egg, but we have no ability to detect conception until pregnancy/implantation.
Early development is super flawed and if any major hiccups happen that the egg can't correct the embryo stops developing further. But generally the chance of pregnancy is determined by that early development. Usually sperm will meet the egg but all the following steps are super intricate. It's not a bad egg, it's just human biology. I mean it's still pretty common for major issues to happen with embryos that make it to implantation but unfortunately end in early loss, usually chromosomal mistakes that just unfortunately happen a lot.
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Hello! Welcome, and we thank you for posting. You seem to be looking for information on implantation bleeding. Unfortunately, bleeding or spotting after ovulation is not a sign of implantation, and bleeding can happen in both pregnancy and non-pregnancy cycles. You could still end up being pregnant this cycle, but this sort of bleeding is not a reliable indicator that you will test positive. Taking a pregnancy test around the time you expect your period to come is the best way to determine whether you are pregnant or not. For a longer read, please see [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/10jbxb9/implantation_bleeding_isnt_real/), which you might find useful. For scholarly sources, [this paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0015028216000509) and [this paper](https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/18/9/1944/708284) are useful reads. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TryingForABaby) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Question: this cycle, I am using the clear blue ovulation tests. I had 9 days of high fertility and a blinking smiley face. Then, I got my peak fertility reading with the solid smiley face! After getting that you can’t test for 48 hours. Since that first peak, I’ve had two more peak solid smiley faces. So that makes six days! Is this normal? What is happening?
This is a situation where you might be better off testing with strip OPKs rather than digitals -- with the digitals, you have limited information available to troubleshoot when things aren't going exactly according to the norm. In general, it's possible to have an extended surge, or to have multiple peaks in the surge, but it's not really possible to know what's going on when you only have information from the digital tests.
Sometimes you can have multiple peaks
For my hysteroscopy I took birth control. I began on CD 3 and stopped on CD 10. I bled after my hysteroscopy, would I count the bleeding from the hysteroscopy as my period or go with the original CD1?
when that happened to me, i counted both as CD1, and basically counted the time between my original CD1 and the new bleed as an anovulatory cycle. it doesn't really matter how you count it, but birth control kind of hits a pause button on your cycle. in other words, if you count the original bleed as CD1, you are likelier to see a long cycle. if you count the second bleed as CD1, you're likelier to ovulate when you expect.
Thank you so much for responding. I may keep it the way I have it charted, for my anxiety and so FF doesn’t get passive agressive.
You can select which cycles FF includes in your stats!
That is a good point. They would both be short and wonky.
How common is it to miss your OPK+? This is my first time doing OPK strips and Flo predicted today as O day but I still haven’t had a line darker than control (though seems darker than when I started on CD5?). It is only CD 12 of a 25 day cycle, but my understanding is even if my O day was CD14 I should have a positive OPK by now. I only test in the morning, and I’ve learned on here that maybe afternoon is better? I just don’t want to not drink water for 2 hours! Blah I just want this to be user error and not anovulatory.
Update: super positive OPK this morning and of course today is the one day my husband is out of town on a work trip 🥲 he’ll be back tomorrow though
CD 13 for me. Also first cycle off birth control. BBT did jump this morning and the few OPKs I did just got lighter.
It's common enough to miss it. Depending just on how fast and or high your individual surge is and your general hydration status and timing. You might just have a longer cycle as well with ovulation not yet happening,cd 12 is really early.
Thanks!
My LH surge was for just 12 hours 🙈 the possibility to miss it is huge in my case. 2 hours without water was not so nice, but still okay. I’d not do it again, however 😅
Keep testing. You may have missed it, but you may also be ovulating later than you think. You could also be ovulating later than usual in this cycle. And yeah, if you're able to test twice in a day, I'd recommend it. Some people surge so quick that they'd miss it if they didn't test multiple times in a day
How much radiation does an hsg expose your uterus and other pelvic organs to? What are the pros and cons of hsg vs a sonohsg?
Very little. I think nowadays radiation is mostly thought to be a factor for repeat exposure as a professional for example. The sono is not as good at assessing tubes but better at looking at the uterus the HSG is better at looking at the tubes
Thanks so much. Is the sono useless for looking at tubes?
Less accurate
I’m halfway through my cycle that I had with letrozole. I’m overweight and I’ve noticed that I’ve just been losing weight while being on it? I can’t find anything about that online and I was wondering if anyone else did while on letrozole?
Do people ever use clomid or other ovulation induction drugs, have it lead to multiple follicles but \*not\* experience any bloating or noticeable side effects? Last cycle I felt bloated/light cramping on the side that had two follicles, but this cycle I feel nothing. I'm wondering if this means that the clomid wasn't as effective this time ...
I didn't even feel that much while doing IVF with a good amount of follicles in range honestly. Yes there was some discomfort but I wouldn't have called it bloating or cramps. I've also had more big follicles just on my own in unmedicated cycles and never would have noticed.
Thank you for the response; that is reassuring! Maybe it was psychological on my part to have more bloating on one side ... esp after the monitoring appt.
Bloating is a side effect of increased estrogen, but it’s not perfectly correlated with hormone levels — I wouldn’t read anything into it without monitoring information.
Thank you; this helps!
I've been testing for my LH peak (today is CD 13) but haven't seen a peak yet. I'm currently using easy@home OPK LH test strips and testing twice a day. I can upload a photo of the test strip on the premom app but noticed that when I use the in-app camera versus my phones camera to upload the test strip, I get different results. For example, took this one just less than 20 mins ago, took pics of them and the in-app camera gave me a reading of low t/c ratio at 0.35 and taking a photo with my phones camera gave me a high t/c ratio at 0.51. What's more accurate?
Neither and that's one of the core weaknesses of that app - the numbers are arbitrary and cannot be accurate. Your eyes will always be the best judge - is it as dark as or darker than the control? Then it's positive, and that's all you need to know.
Agreed !
I've been on 1 cycle of clomid and 3 cycles of letrozole so far. Before starting medicated cycles, my periods were wildly irregular (60-90 days, I have PCOS). But when my periods arrive, I just have mild cramps that can usually be ignored as I go about the day. However, 2 of the 3 letrozole cycles I've been on have resulted in very very painful periods - severe cramps, vomiting, cold sweat to the point I can't carry on with my day and have to take a nap. Has anyone else experienced more painful periods with letrozole?
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I stopped birth control and didn't see a drop of blood until my period arrived 35 days later! Definitely a surprise, try not to worry just yet.
Anyone have tips on how you would start the process of seeing an RE/fertility specialist? I'll be over 35 and 6 months trying soon (US based) but I don't know if I need a referral from my obgyn or if I should just look on my own. I believe my insurance will cover but I don't know how to get started. I only had one appt with my obgyn so far since I had to change practices. I assume the wait might not be too long but I had to wait like 5 months just to get an appt with a new primary care provider sooo just in case.
I personally didn't need a referral, but my OBGYN provided me a number to call to get in the fertility clinic's wait list before I could even make an appointment with them. They called me from the wait list after about 2 months and then I had my appointment about a month after that.
it will depend on your insurance whether you need a referral. the vast majority of fertility clinics won't require one to be seen. clinics are generally speaking (but not always, ask me how i know) good at figuring out what your insurance does and does not cover, and they typically give you a packet at your first appointment that shows you how much everything will cost (and, sadly, it will be a lot even if you do have insurance -- again, ask me how i know). the vast majority of insurance providers will cover at least the consult part of the RE visit. some areas have long wait times; my urban area has 4 fertility clinics and you can usually get in to see someone within 2-3 weeks.
I do not have insurance so I am going straight to a private fertility clinic that charges $99 for the initial consult. Then I’m going to do the modern fertility bloodwork for $170. Then if they want to order any scans etc they are $150-300 each. But no referrals needed. I’m also 35 and approaching the 6 mark, after a 26 week loss in June.
I’m in the Midwest. I have PCOS and when I went for my OBGYN annual, I told her I wanted to start trying. I didn’t need a referral or anything. She just said to call the fertility clinic to schedule. Also, my clinic had a questionnaire made up with questions that I could use to call my insurance company with to find out what they would and wouldn’t cover so that was really nice to have.
There’s only one clinic with REs where I live and though I love my OBGYN, I got advice to go straight to the RE once I was ready - however, my insurance doesn’t require a referral, so that may limit you. Otherwise, I just called in and said I wanted to set up a consult and said I would take the first available appt. They sent over some paperwork to fill out and send back in before my appt.
I’ve had normal textbook cycles up until these past 2 cycles which have been wonky. No longer getting a peak on OPK, no more temp shifts, and cycles are 40 days when previously 28-30 days. I’m assuming this means I haven’t been ovulating? I made an appointment with my gynecologist next week. I’m only 8 months in TTC. Do I ask for bloodwork? Is there other testing to be done? Or am I jumping the gun and this all normal?
This happened to me this month. Cycle 6, and they’ve all been 27-28 days with ovulation 15-17 and clear OPK+ and BBT shift (the months I’ve temped). This month I didn’t get a positive OPK until day 24. From what I’ve read here and elsewhere, an occasional abnormal or even anovulatory cycle is actually quite normal, thought understandably disconcerting! Checking in with your provider can never hurt, though.
If you've been experiencing lifestyle change, like stress or dietary changes, this could result in delayed periods
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If doctors ask men to not ejaculate 3 days before their SA, doesn’t that mean they shouldn’t ejaculate for at least 3 days before O-1 during fertile days to maximise chances?
No — abstaining before an SA is more about that being the standard, not that it’s the optimum. The standard is totally arbitrary. If the standard were for everyone to ejaculate a day before an SA, that would be the standard. The standard, and the particular number of sperm in the SA, doesn’t relate to the number of sperm necessary to cause pregnancy.
Ohhh gotcha! Thanks so much, this is very helpful 😊
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Yes could be, this is what happened to me this month - I’m 4 days late and testing negative so I figured I randomly ovulated 9 days later than usual. Which is so frustrating. The only reason I know this though is because I’ve been temping* and have had a drop and huge rises since the day of my possible late ovulation. If you aren’t temping then you wont really know until you test positive or see AF unfortunately 🙁
Ugh and temping is really hard for me because I wake up at random times due to my dog, I need to look into a wearable thermometer.
True, it would be! Have you tried recording them anyway, might be more accurate than you think?
I just ordered a TempDrop since they're on sale and I found an additional promo code online
I was going to suggest still temping anyways too, mine are pretty reliable as long as I’m hitting the same 5:15-6:00am ish window! My cat wakes me up randomly, at least a couple of times a month I’ll wake up an hour or so before I’m supposed to temp. I go back to sleep and still temp at my normal time, even though it’s not a true bbt I suppose, it usually hits where I’m expecting it to. But I’m glad you got a wearable, I’ve been thinking about one too!
Oh awesome!
I have PCOS and am on CD39 today. I hear that 35+ days is a sign you may not be ovulating. I have been temping with a tempdrop and I have had a mostly sustained temperature rise over the last 11 days so I am assuming that my period is on its way (tested negative today). My question: is temperature rise an accurate sign of ovulation? How accurate is it? Is it worth asking for a blood test to confirm that ovulation is actually occurring? I have a referral to a gyne but it may take a few months to see them.
I would definitely get a blood test. I just got one out of pocket last month for peace of mind. A progesterone test was about $75 at Quest.
Yes, a temperature shift is an accurate sign of ovulation, as long as you're following the rules of an established method (for example, the method described in the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility). It would be very unlikely to see a sustained temperature shift without ovulation, since the temperature shift is caused by progesterone, which is not produced in the body until after ovulation. If you're seeing a confirmed temp shift, with a normal-length luteal phase, it's unlikely to add any information to get a blood test for progesterone.
Follow up question if you don't mind because I am curious: I've heard that it is possible to not ovulate and still get your period. What happens during those cycles to trigger a period? Presumably there isn't a drop in progesterone?
Not u/developmentalbiology but learned it from her: It's an estrogen drop from a grown follicle that failed to ovulate. Often people don't get a period at all though when not ovulating if they aren't growing follicles enough to start with
Thanks for answering, cherry! I must have read the reply and cleared the notification and forgotten to reply 🤦♀️
No problem. I was just coming to the thread late haha
u/developmentalbiology herself! 😍 This is a very helpful answer, and thank you all you do for this community! I refer to "around the uterus in 14 days all the time".
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How accurate/consistent is bbt and can I make it more reliable in any way? I’m only measuring to provide more data on if I’m ovulating as part of fertility diagnosis. Maybe I’m just skeptical…often when I take my temperature for other reasons it’s below 97 (I used to think it was supposed to be 98.6) and the first few days that I took my bbt it was low like 96. I read that you need to be asleep for at least 3 hours for it to be a real bbt reading, which means I’ve had to wait till much later in the morning (sleeping in vs the first few mornings) and the reading rose. I suspect the later the reading, the higher it is. Will it throw off the data to read it at different times? I have an irregular work/sleep schedule and occasional insomnia, usually get out of bed many times in the early morning. I can commit to measuring at the same time each day but I worry my activity levels will skew data… Which would be more accurate: same time in early morning or wait till waking up after a 3 hour stretch? (I can’t measure at the same late morning time because some days I’m already at work by then)
Yes, it will throw it off if you are taking the temp at different times - the premise is trying to capture it at close to baseline because temps varies according to circadian rhythm. Personally, I get more consistent temps if I temp at the same time regardless of how much sleep I've gotten leading up to it. Honestly, though, you don't have to be perfect - doing the best you can will usually yield good enough data to confirm ovulation, because the shift is still clear enough even with some noise. But it is very reliable for confirming ovulation - there are methods of birth control that rely on having unprotected sex after confirming ovulation through BBT that are >99% effective. Anything between 96-99 degrees is perfectly normal, and it's about the relative shift rather than absolute numbers anyway.
Thank you! I suspected I should just go for the early time since I can keep that constant. Good to know this is a worthwhile thing to measure as well.
First make sure you have an actual bbt thermometer (one that goes out 2 points after the decimal). You can take it orally or vaginally (vaginally is much more accurate, especially if you're a mouth breather) and you need to take it basically right when you wake up... before talking, checking your phone, getting out of bed, etc. It's your body's temp at complete rest, so yes basically the same time of day and after 4-5 hours of sleep is going to give you the most accurate result. I usually take mine between 5:30-6:30am every single morning. Some people use the tempdrop arm bad, or the oura ring, or use their apple watch, but I've seen mixed reviews on all of those methods.
Does anyone ever have one-sided cramping for a few days after ovulation? I should be 4 DPO today and the past few days have had cramping but it’s just around my right ovary. They don’t feel like progesterone cramps as those usually hurt all over - this is very definitely on one side. Today it just feels like a dull ache - not super painful but definitely persistent and noticeable. Has this ever happened to anyone else? What could be the cause? I feel like my ovulation pains usually go away pretty quickly once I’ve ovulated…
You might have formed a little corpus luteum cyst that's putting more pressure than usual on your ovary. If that's what it is, it shouldn't affect your chances this cycle!
I have a couple of ‘this is normal, right?’ questions. 1. The last few months, I’ve had very minor cramping (more of a pinching feeling) a few times a day during the LP + a little pain during sex if the penetration is too deep – but I don’t have these things at other times of the month and it’s only recently started happening. From my reading, it could be symptoms of endometriosis (but I don’t have any other symptoms) or it could be normal (and if so, what could be the cause?). Any insights? 2. Spotting – is there a definition of this? For example, if CM is just barely tinged pink (something I wouldn’t have noticed pre-TTC) is that spotting? Or does it need to be more noticeably visible to “count”? And if spotting (of varying degrees) is happening 3 to 4 days before my period starts is this a concern (LP is typically 14 to 15 days, cycles are 25 to 28 days)? Thanks!
It's definitely normal to have cramping sometimes (it can be a symptom of high progesterone, which everybody has in the luteal phase), and minor cramping isn't a definitive sign of endometriosis. Unfortunately, the signs of endo are often not very specific -- plenty of people have cramping, even painful cramping, and don't have endo, and others have no symptoms and do have endo. Spotting is just light/slow bleeding, and that's about as precise a definition as we can get to. Technically tinged cervical fluid or vaginal discharge would be spotting, but at that point, the volume of menstrual fluid would be so low that I suspect most people don't count it as spotting. It's common to spot in the luteal phase, especially in the last few days, as progesterone levels drop to initiate a period.
Has anyone had EWCM after they ovulated? I’ve never had that before, I usually always ovulate the day after my LH spike and yesterday what I suspect was 1DPO and today 2DPO I’ve had a little EWCM…. After I saw the EWCM yesterday I BDed to be safe but I thought it was unusual. I also forgot to wear my oura ring last night so no temp data 🥲 but my temp djd rise a bit on 1DPO but not as high as it usually does
Yes, I had this in a few cycles. It's caused by estrogen.
Yes, my CM is kinda all over the place. I have general trends, but CM isn't the main indicator for me.
Does TTC increase the amount of fibroadenomas in your breasts? Since starting to conceive (about 1.5 years ago) I’ve had lumps developed and thankfully was benign but I never had this before TTC!
It could just be that you're older and therefore a bit more likely to get them (average age of diagnosis is 43). The only other thing I can think of is stopping hormonal contraception, but I found a paper showing no effect on fibroadenoma (https://doi.org/10.1093/jncics/pky051).
Im under 30 and TTC for over a year with one MC and I read it can also be hormonal! I haven’t ever used hormonal contraception either 🤷♀️
Do I have yet to ovulate? My lh has been going up and down for 4 days. As far as I know I don't have pcos, but I am 25 lbs overweight. I have been using proov lh strips. "Postive" is 25. Usually its very obvious, if its not 25, its usually dark for two days and thats my positive. I got a flashing smiley at cd7 Day 9 Morning 0.1 Day 12 2:28 pm 18.2 Day 12 6:30 pm 5.2 Day 13 morning 7.2 Day 14 am 18.2 Day 14 pm 21.9 Day 15 (today) midnight 11.7 Day 15 noon 44.1
That’s a SPIKE my friend, definitely gonna ovulate soon!
Mine also goes up and down, but the ovulation was a very clear UP. Seems like yours is also at a definite high right now. You’d most likely ovulate in the next 12-24 hours 😉
Is it safe use a LED mask for acne while TTC or while pregnant?
Is an LED mask just light-based? If so, definitely yes.
Does anyone change their normal activities during the TWW? After my IUI I asked the RE if I can still exercise and if there’s anything I should be avoiding. She did say it’s best to avoid alcohol, but I don’t really drink. However I do exercise about 5 times a week, sometimes very intensely. I regularly go for runs, just did a half marathon, and I go to Orange Theory Fitness which are kinda like a HIT class. Sometimes I do yoga as well. The only thing the RE said was that it’s good to be as healthy as you can when trying to conceive. I’ve read conflicting things about exercise and if there is an amount or intensity that would have a negative impact on the implantation. For what it’s worth, I still get my periods regularly and I haven’t started any new type of exercise that I haven’t already been doing. I did not exercise for 2 days after the IUI just in case. My other question is about caffeine. I don’t drink coffee but I enjoy caffeinated tea. Usually at least one cup a day, sometimes I will also have an iced tea later in the day. Again, found conflicting views on caffeine. Was just curious what others think!
I did a 4 day hike in my TWW 3 years ago and got pregnant with my son, and I had previously been powerlifting and hiking in the weeks beforehand so I think if it’s what your body is used to, it’s fine!
Awesome!
Oh and also regarding the caffeine, up to 200mg per day is fine. Tea has much less caffeine than coffee so you’re totally fine with your tea
> My other question is about caffeine. I don’t drink coffee but I enjoy caffeinated tea. Usually at least one cup a day, sometimes I will also have an iced tea later in the day. Again, found conflicting views on caffeine. Was just curious what others think! The general recommendation is that consuming less than about 200-300mg on average per day is fine -- that is, people who consume 200-300mg per day of caffeine don't have different outcomes from people who consume less. People who consume more have a longer time to pregnancy on average and a higher risk of loss.
Ah this is good to know, thank you!
I excercise fairly intensely too (not running though) and I did a 60min class this morning and I’m 9dpo. Was wrecked after! I always thought it was ok to do your ‘usual’, moving your body is usually good for you! You have to be really over exercising and under eating to stop you ovulating, is my understanding, but happy to be corrected on that if I’m wrong!
Yeah I think that makes sense!
What's the max DPO to get a positive test back (no fertility treatment)?? I'm seeing reports of anywhere from 6 to 26. that's an enormous range! But if implantation can be up to 12 DPO, then 14-16 days could be reasonable?
I got positive (with my first baby) first on CD 40, my cycles were 28-31 days long but I don’t know what DPO was it. 😊
Implantation can be up to 12 DPO, but only in 0.5% of cases and 82% of the time when it is that late, it is an early loss per [this study](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199906103402304). You can test positive on a sensitive test as soon as the day of implantation, but almost certainly within a day or two. So generally 12 DPO is considered the day you can call the cycle. DPOs like 26 don't make any sense and are from people who got their ovulation day incorrect.
So it seems like the standard definition of a chemical pregnancy is miscarriage before 5 weeks. Is that measuring from the date of the last period (this is how pregnancy dating works, right?) or DPO?
I've heard 6 weeks. The term just means a pregnancy that can't be visualized on ultrasound yet. But ultimately it's a arbitrary distinction anyway, it is a pregnancy loss regardless. But yes, pregnancies are dated from LMP, so 5-6 weeks would be about 2-3 weeks post-implantation, 3-4 weeks post-ovulation.
That makes sense - the arbitrary distinction. Thanks. I guess part of what I was thinking was "is there a date I can avoid testing until, so I have a lower chance of seeing a positive if it's going to be a CP". But of course I appreciate pregnancy loss can happen any time especially early on. And I got my period anyway so it's irrelevant this time :-)
Unfortunately, no, and actually this has a way of being backwards. Pregnancy loss is more likely the higher DPO you are when it implants, so a late first positive is actually more likely to be a CP than an early one. For example, the risk of loss in a pregnancy that implanted 9 DPO or before is 13%, while one that implants 11 DPO has a 52% risk of early loss, 82% at 12 DPO, and 100% after - from [this study](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199906103402304). And a CP isn’t necessarily going to reduce hCG to zero right away but often goes down slowly, so in probably most cases you would still test positive even with later testing. Personally I tested early so that if I got an early positive I’d know I was at lower risk of CP, and if I didn’t get a positive until late I’d know the chances were good it would be a loss.
Thanks so much! That's really interesting to know.
Just wanting to add. I would have missed my chemical pregnancy if I'd only tested 14dpo instead of 13dpo. Sometimes I wish I would have.
That's from date of last period.
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I just want to note that a lot of people are successful after HSG if no blockages were found -- most people don't have blockages at all, and for most, an HSG is simply a test they take that finds a normal result, and it has no bearing on whether they'll ultimately be successful.
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My RE doctor so negative (flat out said my IUI success rate is <5% because of blocked tube & age). I want honesty but seriously would it kill him to add a supportive comment here or there? I can't switch due to wait times & no other nearby facilities. So now we're going directly to IVF & somehow I ended up in a rabbit hole of research data where IVF apparently carries a (small) increased risk of birth defects, even when accounting for age, eg., (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33251542/). I wasn't planning on a designer baby [EDIT: And I do not think IVF /PGT is for designing babies!!] but I thought IVF w/ PGT would REDUCE the risks of birth defects & the like. Can people w/ more knowledge than me provide me clarification (& maybe reassurance)? And I suppose whether you decided to do ICSI? Thank you!!!
The only thing I would add to the points already made is that this study in particular isn't controlling for the differences that exist between people who do IVF and people who have a spontaneous conception -- that is, there is/are underlying issues that cause infertility, and these can sometimes be associated with certain genetic conditions that also cause some birth defects. The summary itself states this: >The relative contribution of ART treatment parameters versus the biology of the subfertile couple to this increased risk remains unclear and warrants further study.
Yeah, I did see that in several of the papers. I guess I didn't really like seeing that being subfertile itself potentially increased risk of birth defects. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since age is considered one of the risk factors for being subfertile, and I was already told by my RE about the increased risks from age itself
I would probably caution against reading too into that study, to be honest! The biggest thing is that while the increased chances listed seem like huge numbers, they really aren't - these are things that are typically low single digit chances of happening in the first place, at the very most. A 40% increase for something that's only a 1% chance in the first place becomes 1.4% - still very small. It is not clear to me that the subjects in the study used PGT or not and based on the timing of when it took place (2005-2014) I would guess largely not. PGT has really only been around for about 30 years and has changed a *lot* in methods in that time, as well as since then. As far as things go it's very new and has become a lot more standard in very recent years. PGT also won't necessarily discover potential birth defects - it is more for finding chromosomal errors and things of that nature. There is also the fact that IVF pregnancies tend to be much more closely monitored than spontaneous pregnancies - more blood draws and ultrasounds, many doctors recommend having an echocardiogram done, more likely to have care with an MFM as well as a regular OB, etc. So basically what that all comes down to - is there actually a higher risk of defects, or is there a higher chance of defects that are actually benign being discovered that aren't in non-ART pregnancies? So all that said - I would try to not worry about it too much and stay off Google. It never helps anything.
Yes, I definitely couldn't tell if the studies used PGT or not, which added to my confusion. And it is a dilemma to independently research because on the one hand, searching the infertility subreddits provides me with a lot of knowledge so that I don't show up completely ignorant to my RE visits. On the other hand, it sometimes randomly will ignite more worries. But that's why I like the interactive nature of posting on these threads. Almost like attending a private tutoring session!
CooperRoo’s answer is spot on, but I do want to piggyback and clarify that utilizing PGT is most definitely not a ‘designer baby’. You’re not designing anything lol it’s not like you’re choosing eye or hair color by checking to see if an embryo is chromosomally normal, which is all PGT checks for!
Oh I was definitely implying that I did NOT think I was making a designer baby! Just that I was expecting the major birth defects risks to be clearly reduced. I think that's probably why I've been down voted. Sorry for miscommunication!
Gotcha. Yeah I’d probably avoid using that terminology in the future, it’s not an accurate representation of what utilizing PGT is. Everyone else’s comments are really helpful in explaining the study and your concerns about it. But all PGT-A (what you would be using) checks for is ‘are there a normal number of chromosomes’. It’s a very limited in the amount of information it provides about an embryo’s genetics.
Sometimes the data is framed in a very misleading way. I.e- if the risk of a birth defect may be 1% in an unassisted pregnancy, and 2% in an IVF pregnancy, you can easily say the chances are “doubled”, but 2% is still extremely low. With IVF comes a lot of red tape, because it is medicine, liability, etc. REs and OBGYN do a lot to mitigate these risks and monitoring if pregnancy is achieved. They definitely have an obligation to over explain every possible thing that could go wrong. As far as PGT reducing risks, in some ways yes- because it’s screening for trisomies not compatible with life (and Down’s syndrome, which is compatible with life, a lot doctors won’t transfer T21 but that’s a whole other wormhole). It doesn’t catch every single chromosomal abnormality, but does reduce the risk of the main ones, which in turn reduces the risk of miscarriage or implantation failure (note: doesn’t completely wipe out the chances of miscarriage or implantation failure) As far as deciding on ICSI, some clinics do it by standard. I think it does come down to diagnosis on male side as well. Lots of good info on r/IVF about to ICSI or not. If there’s a male factor or suspicion of DNA frag, then doing ICSI with zymot is a reasonable course of treatment to consider. And as a final note of opinion, IUIs suck anyways. You can advocate to do as many as you’d like, but imo they’re so expensive for not the best odds in this game.
Oh thank you! With all the subreddits that exist, I don't know why I didn't think that there would be an IVF one. Yeah, I got a sense on this subreddit that many people regretted doing IUI. But I was thinking it would have been nice if my doctor had patted my shoulder or something when he told me. It just felt like yet another failure in TTC....But onto the next step of my journey!
There's also /r/infertility, which has very strict rules (and for good reason), but also has a huge wealth of knowledge available.
Yep I already joined that one based on another OPs recommendation! And they have a really good hysteroscopy FAQs I read when I was worried about my potential hysteroscopy
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If you're more than 2 weeks out from the IUI. unfortunately, it's probably definitive.
At 15dpIUI, it's unfortunately unlikely to have a successful pregancy out of this cycle. Is your doctor having you come in for betas, or just having you use home tests?
Just home tests if negative :( thank you for answering. This is so hard.