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After some discussion in the Pregnancy Thread, it was suggested that those of us who are trying to GET pregnant could start our own thread and hopefully draw a few others out of the woodwork. So, if you are in the process of procreating, introduce yourself! And if you've already succeeded, tell us what worked for you. As for me, I'm 24, married for a year, and trying to get pregnant with our first child. About two months ago I started using the Fertility Awareness Method (links below), and I think it's pretty neat. Basically, it teaches you to recognize your body's fertile signs without a lot of fancy gadgetry--all you need is a thermometer. I'd be really interested to know if others on here have tried it yet. If you have any resources, including books, articles, or websites that may be of interest to those with ticking clocks, please share them and I will add them to this post. Resources Websites: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/how-to-get-pregnant/pr00103 <--the basics http://www.fertilityfriend.com <--a great site for tracking your fertility signs and figuring out what's up with your body http://www.peeonastick.com <--exactly what it sounds likes. Some worthwhile reviews of tests. http://www.saveontests.com <--great resource for cheap pregnancy and fertility test strips. They are medical grade pee sticks, so don't let the price fool you. http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com <--more cheap tests Books: http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242225089&sr=8-1 <--the holy grail of Fertility Awareness Method *****I HEREBY PROCLAIM THAT THIS THREAD SHALL CONTAIN NO STUPID ACRONYMS FOR SEX***** And go. Aardvarklet fucked around with this message at 18:08 on May 14, 2009 |
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May 13, 2009 15:23
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flyboi posted:I keep trying to get pregnant but I don't know what i'm doing wrong I would highly recommend checking out Taking Charge of Your Fertility--your local library might have a copy, and if not, it's totally worth the $16 on Amazon. It will help you figure out what is going on with your cycles. There are a lot of different things that could be going on, and learning to recognize your own body's patterns and cues will tell you if everything is in working order. Personally, I always assumed that I ovulated on day 14 of my cycle, which is the "standard" day used by doctors to calculate conception. Once I started using Fertility Awareness, I discovered that I actually ovulate around day 20 (using the first day of your period as day 1). So if I were only having sex in the days leading up to day 14, and maybe even right after that, it wouldn't be close enough to my actual ovulation day to work. Also, have you talked to a doctor or midwife? The standard recommendation is to seek help after 1 year of trying if you are young and healthy.
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May 13, 2009 15:43
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Beichan posted:flyboi's a guy and he's trolling, guys. Yeah, I realized that after I typed out my novel--but hey, my advice still stands!
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May 13, 2009 16:06
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Beichan posted:Maybe we should add to the OP that a uterus is generally required for procreation at some point. I'm guessing Flyboi's main problem is that the deposits are going in through the back door.
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May 13, 2009 16:19
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Longpig posted:Hello ladies! I'm in my third month of trying to get knocked the gently caress up. I went off the pill and bought Toni Wesschler's book, which is awesome, and am tracking all my fertility crap both on paper and with fertility friend... Nice to hear from someone else who is doing this. I was trying evening primrose oil for awhile, but I read that it could cause a shorter luteal phase and mine was already pretty short, so I didn't want to risk it. I'm interested to know more about the grapefruit juice. Is there a certain type you are supposed to drink?
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May 13, 2009 16:28
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Longpig posted:I've read that you're supposed to take the Primrose oil only up until the day of ovulation, so maybe we are both right. Last cycle (my first one using it) I has a 12 day luteal phase so it doesn't seem to have done any harm. As for the grapefruit juice, as far as I know it doesn't matter what kind. I found this little article about it, but it doesn't really explain *why* it's supposed to be good. Hahaha I know, I gross myself out sometimes. I might have to try the cough syrup trick if things don't work out this month. I'm testing in a week, so we'll see. I'm curious what others have done in terms of diet changes. Basically all I've done so far is cut way back on caffeine and alcohol (gave up everything except an occasional glass of wine).
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May 13, 2009 17:45
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Helanna posted:I always wondered about this but... why don't couples wanting to get pregnant just have sex one or twice every single day? I'd say you'd be pretty certain to hit your fertile time doing that. Yeah, definitely a valid point--the "safe bet" way is to do it every other day because you're pretty much guaranteed to get it close to the right time that way. There is some evidence that doing it too much can be counterproductive, especially for guys with low sperm count. I guess in our case we gently caress a lot more when we know it's the right time, and then just do whatever the rest of the month. Less pressure that way. We both have stressful jobs, which means some nights we're just not up for it. God, I'm so old. edit: Lingling posted:This was a while ago, but I've done a reproductive biology unit in my neuroscience degree. IIRC, if you have sex ONCE on day fourteen, you are only 14% likely to become pregnant. The effectiveness of becoming pregnant is like a bell curve overtime, peaking at day 14 (I think it was day 14. I had pregnancy brain at the time-- go figure). I figure if you just start loving at the first sign of mucus change until it's done being the lubiest lube ever, you increase your chances. I personally consider cervical mucus more telling of fertiling than basal temperature. Basal temperature can be altered by you feeling slightly turned on, or flustered, or if you're feeling slightly ill. This is definitely true--the temperature part is great for knowing when you've ovulated after the fact. I think of it more as a confirmation than anything else. Cheap fertility tests are also great. In fact I think I'll throw some links in the OP. Aardvarklet fucked around with this message at 18:41 on May 13, 2009 |
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May 13, 2009 18:39
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Sally Slug posted:You may want to talk to your doctor about starting to take prenatal vitamins, too. It can help to have the extra folic acid kicking around in your system for a while before conception. I had a "preconception" visit with my doctor, and she was great--spent a lot of time talking to me and explaining my body parts in a way that was far more detailed than I had anticipated. She also wrote me a prescription for some great prenatal vitamins, but I only took them for a month and then went back to generic. With a $25 copay on prescriptions, it just made more sense to grab the Costco bottle. Also I Wish I Was, it sounds like you're going about things in a very proactive way. My mom was 35 when my little brother was born and she had no issues. She didn't even do an amnio. Obviously this is not the case for everyone, but it is possible to have a very low-key conception and pregnancy at that age. And please do hang around here; the more questions that get asked, the more interesting this thread will be.
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May 13, 2009 20:53
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I Wish I Was posted:Unless they've changed from ten years ago, I don't think OTC prenatals of any brand are as good as the prescription ones. You might want to do a side-by-side ingredient comparison and make sure that you're not shorting yourself on important nutrients to save money. Yeah, I've tried several kinds now. I take some other supplements in addition to the prenatal, so I feel fairly confident about it. The doctor actually told me not to bother with a prescription vitamin, but I asked for one anyway because my sister-in-law had mentioned that hers were coated, which was something I wanted. I might switch back to those once I'm actually pregnant. I just want to throw out a "good luck" to everyone in here...hopefully we'll all wind up over in the pregnancy thread together at some point. And Chickalicious, I broke down and used that test you sent me early last month! I have no self-control.
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May 13, 2009 23:36
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grendelspov posted:I have a penis. Heh. Supercock. I think if we go more than 6 months without any result, we might buy one of those fancy kits. I hear you can get a good deal on ebay and just buy the disposable test strips to go along with it. I heard somewhere that the chance of conceiving in any given cycle, even if you do everything "right," is something like 20%...anyone know more about this?
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May 14, 2009 04:35
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Google Embryo posted:multiple baby stuff... Wow, that is very interesting--I had no idea you could see how many follicles were mature beforehand. Sort of gives me a different perspective on the Octomom types out there. I wonder if most of the time they think, "no way that could happen to me." I mean, what are the odds, right? (Probably higher than I think.) Elanore--did you experience any side effects with the metformin? My cycles are (I think) still adjusting after getting off the pill, and right now they are getting a day or two longer each time. I'm thinking metformin may be in my future if this keeps up for very long.
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May 14, 2009 14:49
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Google Embryo posted:Octomom is entirely something else. Not only did she know what she was doing, she had IVF, so a doctor knowingly implanted 8 embryos into her uterus. Generally, 1-2 embryos are implanted with IVF, 3 if you're older or have had major issues with miscarriage from what I understand. Ahhhhh...I see. Wow, no wonder people have expressed concern over the doctor's role. That's just crazy.
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May 14, 2009 14:57
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Jenny, I'm glad you showed up! If you didn't show soon I was gonna come over to the preg thread and get on your case. I'm so pumped for you that you're going to start in July! That's coming up soon. I'm adding the site that you bought from to the OP.
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May 14, 2009 18:07
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SKeefe posted:
First off, congrats, that is very exciting. Just to add another anecdote, my sister-in-law was doing IUI last fall. She finally got a positive in November, but then had very low HCG levels for several weeks. She went through all kinds of hell trying to figure out what it was--the doctors were fairly sure it was ectopic. Happily she wound up being fine and is due in August. Something else I'm wondering--are you sure the doctors aren't saying "3 weeks" as in "3 weeks from conception exactly?" I know they normally figure from the date of last period, but maybe they mean exactly 3? Because if she ovulated around the 19th or 20th, and it didn't implant for another week...the numbers probably wouldn't be too far off. I'm sure you've already thought of that and I'm just misreading it but I thought I'd put it out there in case.
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May 14, 2009 21:15
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SKeefe posted:Well we just found out that the levels have only gone up to 275 so it looks like it's just a loving matter of time. Man, I'm really sorry. Don't know what else to say.
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May 15, 2009 15:46
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Alterian posted:
Where do you buy these? They look awesome, and they would alleviate my need to take an extra B-complex capsule every day. The fewer pills I have to swallow, the better. I'm 8 days past ovulation right now and DYING to take a test, but I know it's pointless. UGH drat you cheap test strips tempting me from the cabinet. SKeefe--sorry man. Hope everything goes as smoothly as possible.
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May 16, 2009 16:50
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Alterian posted:They have a store locator here Wow, how did I miss the store locator? I'm an idiot. Bring on the highlighter pee! I missed it when I switched brands, but now that I'm taking a B-complex, we're back in business. 
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May 16, 2009 22:23
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Longpig posted:3 days past ovulation now... Here comes the parade of psychosomatic symptoms! You should see my litany of "symptoms" on Fertility Friend...all of which can be explained away by non-pregnancy-related causes. (Hungry? It's 5:30. Thirsty? Yeah maybe because I just ate a bunch of popcorn.)
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May 17, 2009 15:26
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Yay Sally! I'm 10 days past ovulation today. I tested yesterday (yeah, I know) and got a negative. I'm just trying to tell myself it's still too early for a test to show anything, and I'm not going to test again until Thursday. I just don't know about this time. My husband got deathly ill on the day that I ovulated, so we just have to hope that all the sexin' leading up to that day was enough, I guess. All this obsessing from a person who could barely be bothered to remember a birth control pill once a day for 7 years.
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May 18, 2009 14:53
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e: ^^^^I had that same thought when I first got the book--why doesn't somebody teach us this stuff when we're younger?! Then I realized it's probably because a lot of adults don't even know it. I'm planning to do the same thing if we have a daughter. Glad you got good news, Papaya! I think I would love a job where I got to hang out with dogs all day. In other news, I'm pregnant. Got two positive tests yesterday at different times of day and another one this morning. It hasn't really sunk in yet, and it's still so early (only 12 days past ovulation), but I think right now we're most excited that our stuff officially works. I was always kind of surprised that in 8 years of mostly remembering to take my birth control pills, we never once had an "oops," so I'm just glad everything's functioning. Now we're hoping it sticks.
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May 20, 2009 14:55
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Thanks everyone! So far so good. I keep peeing on sticks every day just to be sure, haha. Keep the faith, ladies--I felt absolutely nothing, and I still really don't feel anything except a lot of energy. And that just started yesterday. I feel like I'm back in high school popping my friend's Adderall. Other than that, no sore boobs, no nausea, nothing. It's pretty early though.
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May 21, 2009 16:04
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Pixi posted:Clomid isn't bad, so far. 12 hours after the first one my ovaries went nuts, but they seem to have calmed down. No other side-effects -- I had heard hot flashes are common, and I'm relieved I haven't had any. Good luck with everything. My sister-in-law did Clomid (with IUI) and had success. I don't think her side effects were too terrible, but she has always dealt with issues from PCOS so the Clomid probably seemed like no big deal. Go ovaries!
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May 22, 2009 00:32
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Longpig! Congrats! We're going to be due date buddies; I'm super excited. I haven't posted in the preg thread for awhile, and not at all since I got my positive test--I guess I feel like I'm going to jinx myself or something. And I feel you on the worrying part. I'm 19 days past ovulation right now, and still taking my temperature every morning to make sure I'm not about to miscarry. I'm also strongly considering grabbing a few more tests at the drug store today since I was away all weekend and haven't peed on anything since Thursday. Your Star Trek teariness is the best pregnancy symptom I've heard of to date. I also want to add, with the ovulation predictor strips...I only got one positive, and I'm fairly certain I could have easily missed the hormone surge if I hadn't tested at exactly the right time of day. Seconding Longpig that it's a good idea to pay close attention to your body's fertile signs.
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May 27, 2009 15:19
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DachsieLove posted:Well my husband and I have been married 7 years. He still is not on the baby bandwagon, much to my dismay. I've been ready for about five. He keeps saying 6 months for him to ok it, but he's been doing that for at least 3 years. Now he says sometime before he's 30 (he's 27 now). So I guess I'm wondering if you have any brilliant ideas on moving him closer to my goal. No I won't go off the b/c without him knowing because that is just wrong, and not a good start to having children together. Hmm, that is a tough situation. Has he said why he's not ready? I know for my husband it was finances--he wanted to be out of debt and financially stable first, which was smart, even though my ovaries shrieked in protest. Honestly if it's been going on for that long and he won't say why, I would really consider some kind of counseling so you can figure out what's up. Granted you're still pretty young (or at least he is)...but I think it's good to have some kind of set goal so there is no confusion. And yeah, the whole going off b/c thing is just wrong in so many ways.
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May 29, 2009 03:11
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Longpig posted:I'm sorry it turned out that way Space Cadet... I've been having this fear the last few days myself. I have weird twinges now and then, almost like menstrual cramps but not "painful," I guess? I think it might be round ligament pain. The other night I woke up at 2 AM with a horrible stomach ache, got up, and puked. So far it was just a one time deal, though. I wonder if everyone goes through a stage of fear about ectopic pregnancies.
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May 30, 2009 20:15
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Longpig posted:Agreed, TCOYF basically got me pregnant. I got knocked up in my third cycle off the pill (the first was anovulatory and the second one was really wacky still), which I think is pretty darn good. Me too, can't say enough about this book and the method it teaches. I went off the pill in December and my following cycles were 28 days, 30 days, 31 days...not that that's a huge variance, but if we had been going by the standard "I probably ovulate on day 14" schedule I probably wouldn't be pregnant already.
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Jun 8, 2009 22:16
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