Things you didn't know before TTC!

[travelmumma]

Thought it might be interesting and fun to see some of the things we didn't know before TTC- wether specific or general, personal or funny! And it might enlighten some of us too!

I will start-

-I didn't know it was only really possible to conceive a few days a month/cycle!

Your turn!! Add as many as you like 

[crystal_buffaloe]

- I didn't know that there were such things as OPK's
- I didn't know that the eggwhite cervical fluid was the fertile kind
- I didn't know until after I got my 1st BFP that you were already considered 2 weeks pregnant at conception (we started TTC August 15th because our schedules - DH was a law student, I'm a teacher - would make a May 15th or later baby ideal -- got pregnant right off the bat and was SHOCKED that my due date was May 8th! May 1st by LMP! I had just counted forward 9 months and thought that was it)

[buko]

Mom's a doctor and I thought I knew a fair bit...

But I had no idea about any of the cervical fluid-- maybe a vague notion of EWCM at most-- and certainly no clue about charting temps.

I don't know what I was thinking, but I had no idea until a few months ago that it might be hard to TTC (short luteal phase in particular) after coming off BCP.  I am kind of embarrassed, but I thought you could just go off BCP and get pregnant the very next month!  Of course, it might be possible, but it can often take at least 2-3 months for your cycle to be "hospitable" and sometimes up to 8 or more.  I wanted to start to TTC in January, so as soon as I read this (November), I said, Duh!  Let me go off BCP ASAP!  But I'm kicking myself for not going off sooner.  Especially since I was on them for 13 years!

I've known this for a while (maybe 10 years), but I wasn't 100% clear until I was in my 20s that BCP have no way of producing a false BFP-- that HCG is only made by a fetus (or certain, VERY specific drugs), so the fact that BCP "make your body think it's pregnant" won't cause a BFP, IYKWIM.

[newtoTTC]

I did not know what a LP was, or that it needed to be a certain length.  Also didnt know your basal temperature is different from your temp the rest of the day. 

[lilacvioletiris]

I didn't know that low BBT and long patches of EWCM could mean hypothyroidism.  My BBT charts showed this and someone on MDC pointed it out.  Turns out I am hypothyroid.

My mom has always told me "Have sex when you are "slippery" if you want to get a boy" but so far no pregnancy from all of the "slippery" (meaning EWCM) DTD.