14DPO with BFN's - Could I still be pregnant?

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

Hello everyone, I am new to this website and it's so nice to see that I am not alone in this ttc boat. My husband and I are trying for our second baby as well. We have a 2 year old little boy, who is the most precious gift from God. We are hoping to give him a sibling. I ovulated on the 25th of January and have been taking tests since 10dpo. I am now at 14dpo and still getting negative results. AF still has yet to show herself, maybe tomorrow. Do I still have a chance of being pregnant? I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 18 years of age. I have never had a normal cycle until after I had my son. I have been able to track my cycles now but not sure if I will have to take clomid again(took this to get pregnant with my little boy). I am praying that I won't have to seeing as how it makes me completely crazy!!! I know my poor husband suffers from my mood swings while I'm on it but I can't even stand myself sometimes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Jaimee]

Welcome to MDC!! 

First, how are you tracking ovulation?  Do you chart your basal body temperature and cervical fluid?  If so, can you share your chart?  Many people use www.fertilityfriend.com (it's free!).  If you're going by the calendar or using OPK's, it's entirely possible that you did not ovulate when you think you did.  Many common things delay O like stress, travel, injury, illness, diet and exercise changes, etc.  O could be delayed by a few days or even weeks- especially in someone with PCOS.  Delayed O would account for delayed AF with BFN's.  When was your last patch of fertile cervical fluid- creamy or eggwhite in consistency? 

If you have accurately pinpointed O to the 25th of January then you are 15dpo today and should be getting accurate HPT results.  Only 1% of women take longer to test positive or "fail" HPT's all together. What tests have you used?  Some require higher levels of hCG than others.  Did it take a while for you to test positive with your first?  If not, then it becomes even more unlikely that you're getting inaccurate results at 15dpo.  However, if implantation occurred on the late end (12ish dpo) and some combination of a slow hCG producing embryo or slow to metabolize hCG into your urine situation is occurring, then this could result in an inaccurate BFN.  Unfortunately, this also increases the chances of an non-viable embryo.  Lastly, you could be dealing with a cyst.  Considering your history of PCOS, this may be even more likely than usual.  A corpus luteum cyst can delay AF for weeks while giving you BFN's.  They are benign and usually resolve themselves on their own in a couple of weeks.

If AF still hasn't shown in a week and you're still getting BFN's, I might go into your care provider for a blood test.  Often they can also palpate your ovaries to determine if there is a cyst or send you for an u/s to confirm.   Charting can really help clear up mysteries like this.  So if you aren't charting and are interested in starting, just post for more information!  You might find some added support in the Clomid thread and other TTC threads in this forum. Just jump in!  There is also an Infertility subforum where you might find additional support.  Good luck and keep us posted!

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

Jaimee, thanks for your reply. I have not tracked my cycles by temp. I tried to use OPK's but they weren't very helpful. I knew I ovulated by my cm and the mittelschmerz pain(O pain). It was very sharp twinges on my left side. I had this pain starting on the 25th and lasted until the 27th. So if anything I may have O'ed after the pain. Other than that I don't really chart, I probably should start. I tested pregnant with my son at 4 weeks. I am not sure if it would be different since I have not taken clomid. I will check out the link you posted though. I used First Response 6 days sooner. I bought two boxes from two different stores and they were all the same result - The control line would appear then a very bright white line would show up where the test line is and it had a grey line in the middle of the white. It was really weird because I have never had that kind of result from a Frist Response before.  If AF doesn't arrive by the end of this week I will make an appt with the doc for a blood test. DH and I are really wanting another      All in God's timing though. I just get so impatient as I am sure alot of us do when we are ttc. Thanks again for the input. I will definitely take a look at the fertility website. I will keep you updated!

[Jaimee]

Yes, O pains can show up before, during or after O, so pinpointing the exact day is difficult.  Did your fertile CF dry up on the 26th or after that?  So you could be more like 13dpo.  Sounds like you got some evap lines.  I really think it's just a bit early to test.  I'll be anxious to hear your results later this weekend! 

As for charting... this post I wrote for another member can help you get started (if you don't get a BFP, that is!):

Start as soon as you can since the first day of red blood is cycle day 1.  Pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler at the library (or buy it).  You don't need to read it cover to cover to get started, but it really is an excellent resource.

You can pick up a basal body thermometer (BBT) at your local drug store.  Some are better than others.  I prefer ones that take longer than 30 seconds (they seem more accurate to me) and can hold two temperatures in memory (this is especially handy when you wake up, temp, and go back to sleep- you can look at and record the temp later).  The Walgreens thermometer gets generally bad reviews.  BD gets good reviews. 

When temping you want to focus on a few things: taking it at the same time each morning (within 30 minutes); taking it after a solid block of sleep (3 hours is usually recommended); and making sure that you don't get out of bed, sit up, drink water, or fall asleep before or while temping.  So basically you just wake up, roll over, temp, and go back to sleep or get up. 

Some women are really sensitive to changes in sleep patterns or ambient temperature (like if your room is hot one morning and not the next or you wake up snuggled under a warm blanket and the next are out of the covers).  But other women find that they can see their pattern despite numerous night wakings, not getting a 3 hour block of sleep prior to temping, or environmental changes.  Other things that can affect temp- pretty much the same things that can delay ovulation: travel, stress, diet changes, injury, illness, and strenuous exercise.

Next, cervical fluid (CF) is something you can observe throughout the day- whenever you feel it, whenever you see it (while wiping, on your panties), etc.  Here is my general guide to CF:

Dry: you'll feel dry all day and there is nothing on your panties

Sticky: you'll generally feel dry and there will be a bit of staining- usually yellow- on your panties.  It might be a bit crumbly or clumpy.

Creamy: generally you'll feel a little wet, lotiony in texture, could be slippery when you wipe, often it will stand up on your panties

Wet: you'll feel wet and your panties will likely be wet- maybe even soak through, may look like skim milk (I rarely get this)

Eggwhite: you might actually feel it slipping out of you throughout the day and it might fall out of you while using the bathroom, stretchy- it may stretch from you to the TP for several inches- and usually clear or yellow tinted, often quite profuse

Temp and CF are the two basic fertility signs you need to chart.  There are other signs you can record like cervical position (CP), but it's not necessary unless your temps and CF are not showing a clear pattern.

So what you're going to see is a group of low temps from the start of AF, which is cycle day 1 (CD 1) until the day after ovulation (O) when you should see a spike in temp or steady climb to a higher group of temps.  The days between O and AF are called your luteal phase (LP).  Generally it is said that you need at least 10 days to sustain a pregnancy.  The average length is 12-14 days.  Your LP will not vary much- usually just by one or two days cycle to cycle.  But your O day could vary considerably.  So when you see O on your chart you can then predict when AF should show based on your average LP length.  If you go 3 days past your longest LP length then that is an excellent sign of pregnancy.  If you get 18 high temps after O that is 99% accurate- just like an HPT.

Likewise your CF will go from dry just after AF to sticky, to creamy, to EW as O approaches.  You may or may not go through all the different types of CF prior to O or you could skip from dry to creamy or dry to EW.  You might have many days of creamy and one or two of EW or you might have 3 or 4 days of EW with hardly any creamy.  It all depends on the woman and that particular cycle.  But after O you will dry up.  It could be instantaneous- like the day of the spike you're dry.  Or it could decrease slower- EW to creamy to stick to dry.  But usually you will dry up within a few days and then may or may not experience a few more days of creamy or even wet/EW later in your LP, just prior to AF.

Anyway, that should get you started!  Post if you have questions and use www.fertilityfriend.com to share your chart!  Good luck!

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

I dried up pretty much around the time the pains ended. I had a large glob of CM(which was rather thick and creamy) at the begining of the 25th when the pain started. After that it was pretty much here and there very little(more egg-white consistency). I have had a little bit of CM today and yesterday but egg-white cons. I also got a horrible yeast infection a day or two after the pain. Not sure how that affects things. I will definitely be purchasing a BBT soon. Thanks for explaining the LP, I totally didn't understand that. What does EW stand for? I am still getting used to all these abbreviations. Found the book online at my local library, I will go check it out tomorrow. I am  for a BFP!

[Jaimee]

EW=eggwhite so EWCF=eggwhite cervical fluid

So if you dried up on the 27th or the 28th, then I would say it's pretty likely that you didn't O until the 26th or 27th, making you less dpo and that BFN not so certain!  Just post if you have some charting questions!

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

Ok, thanks so much!

[dakiddo311]

Holy Cow!! This was soo sooo helpful! I too am new to this site, just found it this morning. Mommy 2 Jacob, sounds like we are both testing BFN at dpo 14. I tested this AM, with DH by my side. It was very disappointing to see the BFN. I also don't chart, but thought I knew when I ovulated. Jaimee, your posts were so informative! Think if I get AF, I will start to chart!

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

 dakiddo311!  I feel your pain.  Hopefully once we begin charting we can figure out the optimal time to try. I highly recommend you read the book that Jaimee referred to me. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, it helped me to understand so much. Baby dust to you!!!

Jaimee - I checked out that book at the library. WOW was it informative. I was amazed at how little I knew about my cycles and what my body was trying to tell me. Thanks so much for referring this to me. I can't wait to get started on tracking!!!!

[Jaimee]

So glad the post and the book were helpful to you ladies! 

Mommy 2 Jacob... no AF?  FX for a BFP for you this weekend!

dakiddo311... welcome to MDC!    I'm just down in Champaign-Urbana, IL... we're practically neighbors!    Just post if you have some questions!  And jump into some of the other TTC threads in this forum for different age groups, different points in the TTC journey, the ONE thread, etc.  It can be really fun and supportive to just chit chat with other women going through the same thing as you at the same time.  Good luck!

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

Jaimee - No AF yet  I honestly think it is due to the fact that I still struggle with PCOS symptoms. I was also diagnosed with Hypothyroidism recently. I have been on meds and my levels are now normal. I know that there is a link between PCOS and Hypo, I am just a little fuzzy on the details. I have done some research on the subject I just need to do more. I did test today but got a  I will keep you posted on what happens throughout the remainder of this weekend.

[tiqa]

I'm not a charting queen, but I've had one pregnancy that didn't show up on a test for like two weeks after my period was late...

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

Wow tiqa, that's crazy! I hope that's the case with me. Only time will tell.

Jaimee - No AF yet! So I think it's safe to say that I'm not prego.  We are gonna keep trying and see what happens. It's all in God's hands anyways! Thanks for your support and info on charting!

[Jaimee]

I wouldn't say that yet... I think it's safe to say that you O'd later than you thought.  If you still got some BDing in there after the 25th then you still have a chance!   You might be around 16DPO today... yesterday's HPT at 15DPO really should have been accurate if you O'd on the 27th.  So you may not have O'd then either b/c AF should be here by now unless you have a pretty long LP.  So again, you probably O'd even later than that or may not have O'd yet at all!  I would definitely be DTD every day you have creamy or eggwhite just in case O has not yet happened.  I would also start charting now.  Just enter CD1 as your last period and start up now just in case you still haven't O'd and this turns in to a long cycle.  No harm in trying to see what's going on!  And cf course, there is still the slim possibility that you did O around the time you think and you're just taking longer to test positive.  You can always request a blood test if AF has still not shown up in a week.

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

I am hoping with all my heart that this is the case, that I O'd later than I thought. We have been continuing to try to so we shall see. I will test again in a couple of days. I probably will get a blood test if AF doesn't show within this week. What does BDing mean? I almost have all the abbreviations down,  . Hope you had a great weekend!

[Jaimee]

BD= baby dance    This will help: http://www.mothering.com/community/a/abbreviations-and-acronyms

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

Oh, lol. Thanks!

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

So sorry it's taken me so long to get back on here. I have been busy with Jacob and other things. Just wanted to give a quick update...Still no AF and still getting negative pregnancy tests. I do realize that this is more than likely just my PCOS flaring up again. I will be going to the doc if I don't see her within the next two weeks. This is not unusual for me to miss a period, all thanks to PCOS.  Well, I hope ya'll had a wonderful week ~ Enjoy your weekend.

[Jaimee]

Well, looks like the original thought was correct: that you hadn't yet O'd.  PCOS is so frustrating in that regard.  Are you thinking of starting to chart?

[Mommy 2 Jacob]

I will start charting once AF arrives. Sunday I noticed light spotting(which sometimes happens for me when AF is about to arrive). I had spotting for a couple of hours then it was gone. Monday - no spotting at all. Today - I noticed the spotting got heavier with a mixture of brown, pink, and red. Not heavy like a normal period though. Usually once this happens AF comes full force. The spotting today was only in the morning and then gone for the rest of the day. Not sure what's going on. Could it be implantation bleeding? I think I may have actually ovulated on the 16th of this month because I had cm that was very stretchy and long, DH and I BD'ed that day. Not sure so I will test in a few days if AF is not in full force. Here's hoping