Tips for TTC

[ctwojo]

I'm new here and I'm not yet expecting but very actively TTC so I hope you don't mind me posting on this board.

I was just wondering if you have any tips to help us. We are intimate every other day, I've cut back on caffeine, my DH keeps the laptop on a table, and TMI (sorry) we have just starting using the Pre-Seed lube since we read the other stuff can make conceiving difficult. I also prop up on a pillow after for 15-20 minutes. We've been TTC since November and nothing yet. :(

Thank you for your suggestions!

[Kitten007]

I honestly think the best tip is to not even think about it and that is most likely when it happens. You might be stressing yourself out to much which does affect your body. I say try 1-3 months of not worrying about it and just have sex when you feel like it and hopefully soon I will see a post that you are pregnant!

Sending you tons of positive pregnancy vibes and welcome to the boards! :cheerleader1:

[scrooks]

With DS I found those ovulation predictor kits somewhat helpful. I also charted my basal temp each day which can help predict ovulation. Good luck and have some fun!:wink2:

[Dr C]

Both of my kids were conceived when we quit trying, FWIW!

[MoJo]

I'll second and third the ovulation predictor kits. I have no doubt they helped us with both our DDs, especially since my cycle is irregular.

Welcome, and best wishes!

[hillview]

I know it is hard but I would say keep trying. If you want to you can chart -- there is a great book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility that teaches you how to chart.
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909

this website is also a great source of information and support (I was here for 3 years before I came to this board!)
http://www.fertilityfriend.com/

Good luck!
/hillary

[marymoo86]

Taking mucinex or robitussion (the plain versions) or generic equivalent during the first part of your cycle will thin the mucus making travel easier for the little guys

also if you aren't already go ahead and start taking a prenatal vitamin to ensure that you have enough folic acid in your system :)

good luck!!

[WolfpackMom]

I would suggest BBT charting and an ovulation kit. We used the digital clear blue kit (reuasable) which charts through the entire month. However it's quite expensive so I reccomend looking on craigslist or online - the test strips are not reusable just the digital monitor so it's not a sanitary issue. We also did the pillow thing but definitely not the every other day unless I was ovulating when really it was more frequent than that...

[Katigre]

I also recommend charting your fertility signs. www.fertilityfriend.com is free and has a huge tutorial about how to do it. When you have a few cycles of this, it will show clearly if you're ovulating or not, how healthy your cervical fluid is, and the length of your luteal phase.

If you want to look at other natural methods for aiding in TTC check these books: Taking Charge of Your Fertility (http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909/ref=pd_sim_b_6) and Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition (http://www.amazon.com/Fertility-Cycles-Nutrition-Marilyn-Shannon/dp/0926412345/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299425449&sr=8-2)

There are also natural supplements you can take that will help enhance cycles, and there are some foods you'll want to avoid (non-fat/low fat dairy has been shown to impede ovulation for some women).

[rin]

Ok, this might sound a little weird, but I've read some evidence that suggests a diet high in dairy fat increases female fertility. (e.g. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-02-27-dairy-report_x.htm) At home, we usually drink skim milk, eat fat-free yogurt, and don't in general have a lot of dairy fat. My DH & I were TTC for two years, and in that time I got pregnant twice and miscarried twice. The month before we finally conceived my now 10-month old DD I was visiting friends on their goat farm, and eating a diet SUPER high in dairy fat (full-fat goat milk, cheese, yogurt, etc).

Of course it could just be coincidence, but I now (maybe superstitiously) plan to start loading up on ice cream and cheese once we start TTC #2.

Good luck!!!!

[ctwojo]

THANK YOU for all of the wonderful tips and well wishes!! I think I'm going to try not thinking about it (yea right :)!) and just go with it! I'll keep everyone posted!

[mommylamb]

I know it is hard but I would say keep trying. If you want to you can chart -- there is a great book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility that teaches you how to chart.
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909

This is a great book! One of the things I remember from when I read it was cough syrup can help by loosening the mucus membranes in your body. I remember it because I remember thinking at the time that this would have never occurred to me.

But when it comes down to it, I think the ovulation predictor kits are a big help.

[BayGirl2]

I suggest doing Basel Body Temp monitoring/tracking. For my first my OB/GYN had me start tracking a few months before I wanted to start trying. When we started trying I knew exactly when I would ovulate and got pregnant in the first month of trying twice (one was a miscarriage).

The key was to have intercourse a day or two before ovulating, not right after. I believe the ovulation kits tell you when you are already ovulating, which gives a later start, not to mention the extra cost for something you can do with a $5 thermometer and piece of paper.

It only takes about 1 minute every morning. A friend said they didn't have the patience - really, there's nothing you can do to speed up your cycles, so not sure what patience has to to with it. For my current pregnancy I was pretty haphazard about the BBT tracking and it took us 4 months of trying.

[erosenst]

You didn't mention your age. If you are over 30, I'd suggest starting now with a workup by your OB to make sure there's nothing obvious hindering your efforts (polyps, uterine cysts, endometriosis) etc. You might also want to have a semen analysis done for DH.

If you're over 35, I'd include a discussion of fertility clinics he/she likes - depending where you live, it can take 3+ months to get an appointment, and you can always cancel if it's not needed.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer here...but so many women aren't aware of this. Hopefully, none of it will be necessary!

Best of luck -

Emily

[ewpmsw]

ITA with trying to relax and avoid focusing so much on TTC. I found that focusing on the things I could control was a good distraction, like making changes I'd have to make anyway once we were expecting: changing diet and eating healthier foods, taking folic acid and prenatals, exercising more, drinking more water, cutting back on caffiene (hooray, you can already check that one off!). IMO, stress was our biggest obstacle to TTC with our first DC. I was super stressed at work and conceived within 2 months of leaving that job.

[indigo99]

I'll second and third the ovulation predictor kits. I have no doubt they helped us with both our DDs, especially since my cycle is irregular.

Welcome, and best wishes!

:yeahthat: Walgreens sells kits by the brand Answer (I think) that have a bunch of tests in one box. Based on the fact that I got pregnant this time after DH had been away, and it was 3 days after the darkest line on the ovulation test, I'd use the line as a guide to start trying and assume that you will probably ovulate a few days later.

We happen to have a liberator ramp (http://www.liberator.com/eng/product/liberator-ramp/10022) that I scooted onto to stay elevated for a while.

Also, I don't think that the doc will do an ultrasound just because you feel like it, but I happened to be diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome during an ultrasound. That can make it more difficult to become pregnant, and you're actually most likely to become pregnant right after coming off the pill. I've been pregnant 3 times now. 2x were our first try right when I came off the pill. The other pregnancy took 10 months of trying with the ovulation kit.

ETA: In response to pp, the ovulation kits tell you when your LH spikes. That's the hormone that triggers ovulation so you will start seeing a fain line that gets darker and then lighter again over the course of a few days. Peak fertility is supposedly 36hours after the LH surge.

[momm]

Get a wellness check up done by your OB
Get a basal temp thermometer and charts, and start charting immediately.
I've heard great things about the ovulation predictor kit, as well.
I highly recommend the website fertilityfriend.com - get an account, sign up for their tutorials, start charting
Figure out what is happening with your body, why you menstruate, when you ovulate etc.
Keep doing what you're doing!! You have all the things right!

We tried for a year and a half, full fledged. there's little I haven't read up about TTC :) Feel free to PM me if you want.

Good luck and enjoy trying!! :)

[Smillow]

Make sure you are taking folic acid daily - also Dollar Tree sells ovulation & pregnancy tests.

[mommylamb]

The key was to have intercourse a day or two before ovulating, not right after. I believe the ovulation kits tell you when you are already ovulating, which gives a later start, not to mention the extra cost for something you can do with a $5 thermometer and piece of paper.


I'm pretty sure that this isn't true. Ovulation predictor kits show you when you will ovulate before it happens. It's the basal temperature rise that happens after you've ovulated.

[ctwojo]

THANK YOU for all of the wonderful tips and well wishes!! I think I'm going to try not thinking about it (yea right :)!) and just go with it! I'll keep everyone posted!


I am 25 (DH is 26) and I've been taking Prenatals since we started TTC. I want to conceive terribly, but I don't want to get obsessive about it so I'm just constantly reminding myself that when God says we're ready, He'll make it happen!:)

gain, thank you for all of the suggestions! :) Much appreciated!

[zag95]

I tried the ovulation kits (got the clear blue ones from Costco) they didn't work well for me.

What did work was the Taking charge of your fertility book and charts-
Charting your cycle, cervical mucus, temps, etc.

I would definitely do that- there are many recommended websites..... here is one that I just downloaded for myself to TTC #2
www.tcoyf.com (http://www.tcoyf.com)

I recommend that you have an exam done, so you are ready...... relax and go for it!

GL! And if things haven't happened after a few cycles... schedule an appt with your OB/GYN.

[MWmom]

You've gotten some great ideas. My OB actually recommended the free version of fertility friend for charting while TTC DD. B/f DD I used the paid version and still use the free version now. We are TTC now and I will be sticking w/the freebie. As for preg/ov tests I found a huge lot of cheapie preg tests on amazon. I've used the dollar store ones too. I didn't feel as bad POAS & trashing it when it was only a buck in the first place.

[BayGirl2]

I'm pretty sure that this isn't true. Ovulation predictor kits show you when you will ovulate before it happens. It's the basal temperature rise that happens after you've ovulated.

The idea of BBT tracking is to do it for a few months and figure out when you ovulate. Yes, the rise happens when you ovulate, but if you track consistently you will know which days of the month you are more fertile and can plan in advance.

Perhaps ovulation kits tell you in advance too, not sure because I haven't used them. My Dr. was pretty clear that you can achieve the same result w/o the kits, so it kind of seems like a waste of $$ to me.

[barkley1]

I would NOT recommend temperature charting, Robitussin, all that stuff until you've been ttc for a year w/ no luck, or been told by your GYN that you have something preventing you from conceiving. I did all that gung-ho when TTC my first, and all it did was make me think about it more, get more stressed out when it didn't happen, and the whole experience was not fun. I think b/c I was so focused on doing all this stuff to "help", it ended up hurting - it took us 17 months to get prg.

Second time around, we didnt' do anything, but have intercourse every other day, or every day if I suspected ovulation (bloated feeling) and BAM. 2 months. LOL. I can't believe I did that to myself the first time....:shake:

[janine]

I do recommend temping combined with the OPK's. I did not pursue any of the other tactics (presseed, robitussin,etc). The temping is v. useful in understanding your cycle - and after awhile might be a tool in helping time things.
After a few months of that, I added OPK's a few days prior to my expected O date base on temping charts. This helped me 2x to get pregnant.

We did not go nuts with BD'ing (not that I would have minded but life gets in the way and it also can make things more stressful). Both times we got lucky unexpectedly...I think for all my analysis the part I was surprised by was how you can end up pg when you least expect it. As long as you BD a few days prior to O, you have a shot (and I'm over 35 as well).

After 6 months (if 35+) - 1 year of trying you may want to contact an RE just to see if there any other issues outside of your control. I think these tactics are most often what leads to success - I'm sure you will find success soon!

[MSWR0319]

I'll second and third the ovulation predictor kits. I have no doubt they helped us with both our DDs, especially since my cycle is irregular.

Welcome, and best wishes!

No doubt this is what got us pregnant. I have irregular cycles and did 't ovulate until day 30 of my cycle. If I hadn't know I ovulated late, I would have been trying to figure out why I wasn't getting my period and was the pregnancy test was negative. I also charted until I ovulated and then stopped till my period came. This way I wasn't trying to interpret if the temps meant pregnant!

[BabbyO]

Ok, this might sound a little weird, but I've read some evidence that suggests a diet high in dairy fat increases female fertility. (e.g. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-02-27-dairy-report_x.htm) At home, we usually drink skim milk, eat fat-free yogurt, and don't in general have a lot of dairy fat. My DH & I were TTC for two years, and in that time I got pregnant twice and miscarried twice. The month before we finally conceived my now 10-month old DD I was visiting friends on their goat farm, and eating a diet SUPER high in dairy fat (full-fat goat milk, cheese, yogurt, etc).

Of course it could just be coincidence, but I now (maybe superstitiously) plan to start loading up on ice cream and cheese once we start TTC #2.

Good luck!!!!

Hmmm...interesting. I had to cut dairy from my diet while nursing DS. Shortly after weaning DS we starting trying to conceive. It took 4 mo...but over that time I was slowly re-introducing dairy into my diet. My first two were one-n-done conceptions...and I've always been a fairly big dairy eater. I wonder if there's more to this than meets the eye.

Regardless...I think adding pressure and stress from "trying" can make it difficult to conceive. My sis "tried" for more than 2 year and once they decided it wasn't happening and they started looking into adoption she got pg...she has a beautiful 2 mo old daughter. I think stress plays a major role...so try to relax.

We always said we were practicing to conceive...not trying!

Best of luck and welcome to the boards!

[AnnieW625]

I honestly think the best tip is to not even think about it and that is most likely when it happens. You might be stressing yourself out to much which does affect your body. I say try 1-3 months of not worrying about it and just have sex when you feel like it and hopefully soon I will see a post that you are pregnant!

Sending you tons of positive pregnancy vibes and welcome to the boards! :cheerleader1:

:yeahthat: With DD1 I was off the pill for a month. With the pregnancy we lost it took 6 months to get pregnant and I honestly think we were stressing ourselves out. With DD2 she was sort of an oopsie (we got lazy and didn't use protection) and so as soon as we were done I went on My Monthly Planner to estimate. A couple of weeks later no period and I went back to My Monthly Planner and verified the date.

I had never heard of lube causing issues with fertility.

Oh yeah and don't forget a multi w/folate.

[bisous]

Okay the dairy thing is really interesting to me! I've never had to diet until after I weaned DS2 when I started slowly putting on pounds for the first time in my life. I found I really had to cut back my calories to slim up and while that felt good, I remember about a year ago feeling like I wasn't well. My hair was dry, my energy level was down and TTC wasn't going very well (whereas the previous 2 times were first time's the charm type of things!)

One day I was just craving full fat yogurt so I started eating some once a day and I just felt a lot better. I felt like I NEEDED it, if that makes any sense at all. It still took me some months but I feel like my dieting affected my bodies "willingness" to let it go into creating a baby. Does that make sense?

I have no scientific basis for this opinion, BTW just something that I've observed.

FWIW, I found the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility to be really interesting and informative. I wish you luck in your quest and as others have mentioned have fun! :)

[ctwojo]

So I took a HPT (it looked like a pH strip) this morning that came as a free sample when I ordered Pre-Seed...2 lines are positive, 1 is negative and there were 2 lines!!! I'm not sure how effective this HPT is so we're going to buy a digital one today and test in the morning. Here's hoping we get another positive!! :bighand:

[ctwojo]

I took my 2nd HPT this morning (ClearBlue Easy) and it was positive!!!! Now on to the bloodwork from my doc! :bighand:

[ctwojo]

I took a HPT yesterday morning (a free pH strip sample from Pre-Seed) and that came out positive too!!!

[mommylamb]

The idea of BBT tracking is to do it for a few months and figure out when you ovulate. Yes, the rise happens when you ovulate, but if you track consistently you will know which days of the month you are more fertile and can plan in advance.

Perhaps ovulation kits tell you in advance too, not sure because I haven't used them. My Dr. was pretty clear that you can achieve the same result w/o the kits, so it kind of seems like a waste of $$ to me.

I think charting is a good thing too. I had been doing it this month, but I was having problems because I can't seem to sleep for 3 consecutive hours before taking my temp, so I was messing it up. Anyway, I had to see my midwife this week for my annual pap and explained my concern about the night waking to her and she told me that charting is old fashioned and not to bother with it, just get an OPK. This kind of cracked me up because it wasn't what I would expect a midwife to say.


I took my 2nd HPT this morning (ClearBlue Easy) and it was positive!!!! Now on to the bloodwork from my doc! :bighand:


:cheerleader1:Awesome!

[llama8]

After a miscarriage at 17 weeks, my husband and I tried for almost one year to conceive (the first time took 2 months)

Ovulation kits did not work for us at all. Temping and charting helped. My cycles are so irregular and long (sometimes up to 40 day cycles) that it helped me understand that I was timing it wrong for a few months.

To be honest, the one thing that helped me conceive my DD was to stop actively trying. I took on more work at my job and was distracted and I went to a fertility doctor just to make sure that I was ok.

I conceived the day I went to that doctor....I think it was finally feeling I was getting looked at and help took away stress and I am convinced that it finally happened when I stopped obessessing over it and put my faith in someone else.

I am now 26 weeks with my second and this one was an unplanned but wonderful surprise!

[trcy]

I took a HPT yesterday morning (a free pH strip sample from Pre-Seed) and that came out positive too!!!

Congrats!

[goldenpig]

Congrats & best wishes for a smooth & healthy pregnancy! :cheerleader1:

[janine]

congrats and looks like coming here did the trick!:cheerleader1:

do you think you did anything this time around or that it was just a matter of time?

good luck with your first dr. visit and welcome!!!

[Kitten007]

SUPER CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!! :yay::cheerleader1:

[MamaSnoo]

:cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1: and a :grouphug:

Congrats!

[ctwojo]

congrats and looks like coming here did the trick!:cheerleader1:

do you think you did anything this time around or that it was just a matter of time?

good luck with your first dr. visit and welcome!!!

We started using Pre-Seed last month and more pillow therapy so you never know! :)

[ctwojo]

THANK YOU for all of the best wishes! It's so nice to have a support system!!! Bloodwork results tomorrow *fingers crossed*

[blue]

Congrats :boogie: and my fingers are crossed for good blood work results.

[ctwojo]

Got my results back today...POSITIVE!!!! My numbers were 17/17 or 1717 (not sure what they mean and how to read them) but I guess they're high enough! :love-retry: Now on to the next journey in our lives!!!

[Kitten007]

May you have a smooth, healthy, uneventful pregnancy! :cheerleader1:

[littlebird]

Congratulations! I hope you have a happy, healthy pregnancy!

[ctwojo]

THANK YOU for the well wishes!!! Same to all of you moms-to-be!!!:yay: