Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
Pixi
Apr 16, 2001

I am loved.
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.

If the Clomid works, I can expect to ovulate in a week or so.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Aardvarklet
Aug 12, 2008

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.

If the Clomid works, I can expect to ovulate in a week or so.

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!

Pixi
Apr 16, 2001

I am loved.
Duuuuurrrr Aardvarklet, I forgot to congratulate you in my post. :downs: Congratulations!

I'm cautiously optimistic. The statistics are in our favor, seeing as we managed to get pregnant before. So at least I know my tubes (or one of them) are open and that there's no endometrial weirdness preventing conception, and my husband's sperm do what they're supposed to and don't swim backwards or anything.

If I ovulate, I'll be thrilled. Even if I don't get knocked up, just to know my ovaries respond is good enough for me.

Ebjan
Feb 20, 2004

It took a year to get pregnant. At first I tried ovulation test sticks but never got the timing right, and charting then I read about Vitex Agnus Castus on a messageboard. I found some pre-natal pills with vitex took them for two months. On May 6th I had my son. Maybe without the vitex I would have still got pregnant but I felt that it didn't hurt to try it.

I would also like to add that two weeks after my postive test I was spotting. I had spotting off and on also for a year. I went to several doctors but none did an exam. The last doctor did do an exam after he told me I had a miscarriage and he would remove the remaining tissue. He was wrong I had a polyp, removing it would have caused a miscarriage. So if you have spotting issues and one doctor can't find the cause don't give up!

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

Ebjan posted:

It took a year to get pregnant. At first I tried ovulation test sticks but never got the timing right, and charting then I read about Vitex Agnus Castus on a messageboard. I found some pre-natal pills with vitex took them for two months. On May 6th I had my son. Maybe without the vitex I would have still got pregnant but I felt that it didn't hurt to try it.

I swear I'm not a sales rep for them but http://www.supernutritionusa.com/productpages/simply_one_women.html the vitamins I mentioned earlier in the thread have 20mg of vitex in them along with red clover and dong quai.

When you get pregnant though you really should stop taking them immediately and switch to an actual prenatal since some of those herbs help you get pregnant but you shouldn't take them when you are pregnant.

Longpig
Nov 23, 2004

11 days past ovulation and I caved and did a test. Negative of course! :v: Well, I saw something that might have been a really faint line, but it was probably just the antibody strip... I'll try again on Wednesday, when my period is actually due, if I'm not bleeding yet.

TinuvielDancing
Jun 19, 2008
Hi everyone! My partner and I are planning to start trying around September and I'm super excited. I talked with my gynecologist about it--she recommended going of the birth control three months before we plan to start trying and starting on prenatals a month before I go off the birth control. That means I start taking the prenatals next month!

I'm a little nervous because I've been on birth control pretting much constantly for 11 years now because I get exploding ovarian cysts if I'm not on it. Hopefully that hasn't wonked with my reproductive system too badly, and hopefully I won't be all cysty in the months between going off the birth control and getting pregnant.


Congrats to aardvark and good luck to everyone!

qentiox
Nov 8, 2005

I like dragons.
Congrats, Aardvarklet!

I think we're tentatively going to start trying in January...

Longpig
Nov 23, 2004

OK so I know it's not Wednesday but...



I'm shaking, I can't believe it! :o It's still very early of course... I'm already worrying about 'what if it's ectopic' and all kinds of paranoid things!

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


TinuvielDancing posted:


I'm a little nervous because I've been on birth control pretting much constantly for 11 years now because I get exploding ovarian cysts if I'm not on it. Hopefully that hasn't wonked with my reproductive system too badly, and hopefully I won't be all cysty in the months between going off the birth control and getting pregnant.


You should be fine. I have always had issues with cysts even on BC (several ruptures, too) and I'm 6.5 months pregnant right now. I actually have a cyst on each ovary atm, but they're monitoring them via an ultrasound each month. Not to scare you, but I would say expect to be "all cysty" during the pregnancy. :P

We actually got pregnant before we were really ready (first try, just gone off bc, etc) because I thought "huh.. I have an issue with cysts it might take a while". I was already on prenatals at that point anyway because they're good to take. I will say one thing that accelerated our attempt was that I had a bad cold and was on antibiotics which pretty much counteracted the remaining BC in my body.

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

Hey you women out there who are thinking of getting knocked up in a year or a couple months. You should really start taking your folic acid now instead of starting a month before you plan on trying. Its really beneficial
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149787.php

TinuvielDancing
Jun 19, 2008
thanks for the encouragement bamzilla.

Pixi
Apr 16, 2001

I am loved.
Awesome, Longpig, congrats!

Sodaqui
Apr 7, 2007
Gasp! The Bunnies...

Alterian posted:

I guess I'll join in on this thread. Both me and my husband are 26 and decided it was time to start trying.

If you want really good vitamins, these are pretty awesome. I'm taking these ones now: http://www.supernutritionusa.com/productpages/simply_one_women.html

and when I get pregnant I plan on taking their prenatal. They're suppose to be really good for helping alleviate morning sickness. http://www.supernutritionusa.com/productpages/simply_one_prenatal.html


WAH! Don't take that pre natal vitamin!!!!!!

It has Vitamin A in it which is a major NO NO when you are pregnant as it causes birth defects.

There are 2 'levels' of pre natal vitamins options:
1) Plain old folate, cheap, effective and if you can't afford a pregnancy multi this is an awesome place to start to reduce the chance of spina bifida.
This should ideally be taken before pregnancy too (starting 3 months before starting trying to conceive is best but if not, don't stress, start as soon as you find out you're pregnant!)

2) Pregnancy multivitamin. Ideally take this before conception too. A good pregnancy multivitamin will contain both folate AND iodine. Recent studies have shown iodine to be almost as important as folate as iodine helps nerves and the thyroid develop

As for morning sickness...if you're looking for a natural option. Ginger is the go.

**Disclaimer: I am only a final year pharmacy student and have only done around 6 hours of multivitamin training and education so these are probably good starting guidelines but chatting to a pharmacist is advised**

But if you're going to take anything out of this post:
a) Vitamin A supplements in pregnancy are bad
b) Folate good and cheap (even before conception!)

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

Sodaqui posted:

WAH! Don't take that pre natal vitamin!!!!!!

It has Vitamin A in it which is a major NO NO when you are pregnant as it causes birth defects.

I can find some articles when I get home from work, but from what I've read, when you're pregnant you shouldn't take more than 8,000 IUs daily of retinal based vitamin a. The vitamins I plan on using have 3,000. They do have beta carotene in them as well, but its my understanding from what I've read that you have to take a poo poo ton of beta carotene before it adversely effects you because your body has to split it to use it and it only does it if it needs it.

Sally Slug
Jul 8, 2005

Ride, Sally, ride!
My prenatal and pretty much every prenatal at the drugstore has 4000 IUs of vitamin A. Wouldn't there be, uh, lots of deformed babies around if most/all over the counter prenatals multivitamins have vitamin A?

Oh and as for when to start prenatals, last time my midwife said that in a perfect world she'd get everyone to start taking prenatals with folic acid 3 months before they started trying to get pregnant.

Lannie
Nov 21, 2005

snookie snookeie snnnokeid
Sodaqui, while high amounts of vitamin A can cause fetal deformities, mental retardation and potential fetal death, it's still something that the human body needs. It will be found in just about every prenatal (and multivitamin) on the market. As long as the woman in question watches what she's eating and doesn't exceed the daily recommended value, their fetus should be fine (with respect to vitamin A).

Chickalicious
Apr 13, 2005

We are the ones we've been waiting for.
Congrats Longpig! What does the 1-2 mean on the test?



My period is due this week, and I think I can feel it coming on. When I get home from work tonight, I'm buying some of those cheapo ovulation strips from the website in the OP. Anyone have any tips or tricks or things I should be aware of when using them?

Longpig
Nov 23, 2004

1-2 weeks since conception.

Re: those ovulation strips... I *never* got a positive reading on them, although clearly I did ovulate. I even tried testing twice a day the second cycle I used them. Maybe my LH surge was just super short, but I've encountered more than a few other women who have had the same kind of experience. I'm just saying, pay attention to your other fertile signs and don't rely solely on the strips.

Lannie
Nov 21, 2005

snookie snookeie snnnokeid
Longpig, I forgot to say congrats!

Chickalicious, I have the ovulation strips from http://www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/ and they worked for me. I test my 2nd or 3rd pee of the day (usually around 11am). The luteal hormone (LH surge) shows up later in the day (for pregnancy tests, you should use first pee because it'll have the highest concentration of HCG during the course of the day), so don't use your first pee for it.

My cycles are usually 30 - 34 days, so I started testing on day 14. I'm generally very regular, (and I can usually feel myself ovulate) so I figured I'd probably have my surge on day 17 or 18. I was right (day 18), that morning I tested and I had two very clear pink lines. I started testing on day 14 just to be sure that I wouldn't miss it.

We're not trying just yet, but I want to start tracking my ovulation to be sure of my cycle for when we finally do. As Longpig mentioned, they don't work for everyone. You may want to get one of the bundle packs (Ovulation strips & pregnancy tests) that they have to start off with. If you see that they work for you, then order more. At least that's what I did.

qentiox
Nov 8, 2005

I like dragons.

Longpig posted:

OK so I know it's not Wednesday but...



I'm shaking, I can't believe it! :o It's still very early of course... I'm already worrying about 'what if it's ectopic' and all kinds of paranoid things!

Hurray, congrats!!

Ebjan
Feb 20, 2004

Congrat Longpig get your rest and relax in now while you still can.

Longpig
Nov 23, 2004

I'm already super tired all the time, so the relaxing part is easy...

Oh, remember last week when I was crying over Star Trek? I told the doctor that when I went in to get confirmed, and she said that was pretty much a positive pregnancy test right there as far as she was concerned. :v:

Aardvarklet
Aug 12, 2008
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.

Longpig
Nov 23, 2004

You're about a week ahead of me, I'm 13 dpo. I'm also afraid to post in the other thread, for the exact same reason! At least I know I'm not the only one who's paranoid. :)

Lady googooGaGa
Nov 3, 2006

Are you freaking kidding me!?
Congrats to the newly pregnant people!

Crabsurd
Dec 19, 2006
This is how my week went: peeing an awful lot, hope!, oh it actually kind of hurts, oh drat, UTI.

I hate you, body. What's up with that? :colbert:

Space Cadet
Jun 1, 2000

Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates.
Today I found out that I may be a father, my wife and I were actually not even trying. One semi-sober night on her birthday without protection and today I was at the ER thinking she may have had a fibroid cyst in her uterus (family history). The first response pee stick showed us that she was pregnant, confirmed by blood tests and tomorrow off we go for an ultrasound to ensure that it is not an ectopic pregnancy. It is suspect because of the moderate/large amount of abdominal pain with sudden onset that there is a chance it may be. What worries everyone is that the pain specifies under palpation towards the left, we are hoping it is just her body freaking out that it's pregnant and not the ectopic. The problem with me being a nurse and my wife in pharmacy is that we know just enough to be aware of all the potential problems. Now to dust off all my maternity books as I work in acute medicine.

On the whole, we are terrified, excited and happy. I was just deciding that it was time to have kids and to start trying "soon", whereas my wife had finally come to terms that she married a man with a Peter Pan complex and was going to focus on her career instead of the children that may never come. Tomorrow cannot come fast enough, I really need to know if this is a viable pregnancy or will need surgery. Her potential due date will be somewhere near the end of December, I never wanted a Christmas baby but it will be a boon for the tax return. The funniest part was we literally bought a new puppy 2 weeks ago, so we haven't been sleeping anyway as our new beagle likes to wake up twice a night to pee.

BDawg
May 19, 2004

In Full Stereo Symphony
Wish us luck. We have 2 fertility doctor trips for the month on June. The first one is an introduction and the second one is an actual testing.

Lannie
Nov 21, 2005

snookie snookeie snnnokeid

BDawg posted:

Wish us luck. We have 2 fertility doctor trips for the month on June. The first one is an introduction and the second one is an actual testing.

Good luck! Have you been trying long?

CHRISTS FOR SALE
Jan 14, 2005

"fuck you and die"
I had no idea there were websites about this kind of thing. I thought all I had to do was blow my load inside my girl when she stops taking her birth control medicine.

Chickalicious
Apr 13, 2005

We are the ones we've been waiting for.
Welp, my stupid period is back again. I ordered the ovulation tests and pregnancy tests in a little kit from that site Lannie recommended. I had them shipped to my office so they don't end up in a puddle in front of my house when the delivery man comes. As soon as I hit submit, I realized I used my home zip code and not my office zip code. :downs: I sent an email and they fixed it before it shipped out. I love that they shipped within 24 hours of my order.

Time to pee on some stuff!

Pixi
Apr 16, 2001

I am loved.
Getting to pee on things is like the only perk to this whole nonsense.

DachsieLove
Sep 19, 2005
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.

I live vicariously through you all so good luck to everyone who is trying. Also Congrats to those who are actually pregnant.

Aardvarklet
Aug 12, 2008

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.

I live vicariously through you all so good luck to everyone who is trying. Also Congrats to those who are actually pregnant.

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.

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


DachsieLove posted:

So I guess I'm wondering if you have any brilliant ideas on moving him closer to my goal.

If he's not ready, he's not ready. You can't really rush someone into this as it's a life altering/changing event. You should also ask him, in a none confrontational way, what's holding him back. Hopefully he'll be able to be honest with you.

bamzilla fucked around with this message at 03:23 on May 29, 2009

Sally Slug
Jul 8, 2005

Ride, Sally, ride!
I agree that you shouldn't push him. Talk to him about what conditions he feels need to be met before he will be ready to take the plunge. Start saving up money, cutting back on extras and maybe buy a pregnancy book and a baby's first year type of book and keep them in the bathroom or wherever so he can read about the basics that he might find intimidating right now. Honestly, unless you want a baseball team's worth of kids starting at 30 is pretty drat reasonable. If you're desperate and he's not ready all you can do is try to make him comfortable with the idea, and that takes time and conversation.

Lady googooGaGa
Nov 3, 2006

Are you freaking kidding me!?
My husband and I went through this before we were married and we had a completely unexpected pregnancy/miscarriage (I was told that my PCOS was severe enough that I was completely annovulatory and couldn't get pregnant without medical intervention by an idiot doctor, and we proceeding to think this = ok to be unprotected). After I miscarried I was desperate to try again immediately. I went from 'someday' to 'must do it NOW'. Having him balk at the idea was really, really frustrating. Then his sister bought a house, got married, got pregnant. I had to go through all the motions like I wasn't at all jealous or sad, and it was very difficult. I picked fights with him over it constantly, and would leave the house in a huff. It got to the point where our difference on the issue seemed to be tearing us apart, and it really sucked. I eventually had to back off because it was ruining us. I spent some time researching PCOS and finding a new doctor, and when the doctor was ready to try metformin to make me ovulate, my hub and I talked more and decided to try. Sometimes the urgency can be off putting. At least thats what he told me. The fact that I was pushing so hard made him feel immense pressure on a subject he already felt pressure just thinking about. Now its all I can do to keep him from playing Bob the Builder in prep for the nursery and such. Its hard when you want it so badly, but talking and not fighting is key.

Alterian
Jan 28, 2003

My husband was ready to have kids before I even was. I always caught him making silly faces and fawning from afar at babies we'd see around almost 4 years ago when we were still in college and not married yet.

My clock finally went off last summer and by winter was when I was like "baby now!"
I should ovulate in the next couple of days. I hope it happens this month. It gets so disheartening about a week after I ovulate and then I get semi depressed till I get my period and usually by then I'm more upbeat and ready to try again.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

CrispyMini
May 31, 2005
I wonder what the space baby thinks about all this.....?

My husband pushed me back on the baby issue for quite a while too. He said it was the wanting to be financially stable thing, and also to just enjoy time together pre-baby and do the things we wanted to do before that happened. I totally had to suck it up and shut up about my screaming ovaries for quite a long time before he would actually discuss a "when".

We've been together 5 years, and expecting in July. We're 29 and 31. I'm actually really glad that we waited as long as we did. We got to do a bunch of travelling, both of us made significant career progress, and from that, we were able to pay off all of our debts and buy all the toys we wanted. I've also been able to see what our life would be like if we didn't have kids, or weren't able to for whatever reason, and I know that we would still be happily married and able to enjoy life together.

My youngest sister got married at 21, and six years later, she's talking about kids (but her husband wants to wait). The two of them have just finished school and are just starting up careers, but are pretty heavily into debt and unsure about where they are putting down roots. I think they've decided to wait just based on those things, but I know that its a hard decision for my sister- that emotional wanting vs the intellectual choice, especially since I'm expecting.

The "right timing" is different for everyone, but most people I've talked to didn't regret waiting "too long", and I do know a few couples who kind of wished they'd waited a bit longer.

  • Locked thread