So many questions

[hermesgoddess]

I don't even know where to start...

Basically my husband & I have just started trying this cycle. I don't know all that much about my "normal" cycle other than it really doesn't follow any apparent normal schedule. I have been off of birth control for a year and a month. My periods range from 29 days to 44 days (most seem to be closest to 34 - but I really have been kind of all over the place). Sometimes my ovulation is obvious (pain on the left), other times I never knew it happened. I just started actually paying attention to my CF this month as well (after I found some articles online that actually told me what to look for). But this month my CF didn't seem to follow any pattern either. In looking back, I remember cycles with a very obvious "Egg white" phase. This month it almost seemed to me that I had 2 possible "Egg white" phases (is that even possible?). About mid-cycle I also started tracking my cervix height, but that is certainly not an exact science yet for me since I have nothing to compare with.

My real basis of this question ultimately drills down to can I be pregnant...

Husband & I pretty much had sex every day since the day after my last day of my period (Nov 11). There were only a total of 7 days without sex (not all together) since then.We had sex every day leading up to and including all days of my "first" set of "Egg white" days (at day 13-14 of cycle and very light) and a few days after. Then took a 2 day rest. Had sex for 3 more days consecutive which included the "second" set of "egg white" days (days 19-20 of cycle and again very light). And then have been "off" for the past 4 days. On Sunday, I felt VERY frisky (almost painfully so - if that makes sense). On Monday I was still a bit frisky-feeling but also nauseous for a good part of the day. Just before mid-day I had pretty significant sharp pain on the left side of my uterus and had very low abdominal cramps the rest of the day. They felt like period cramps, but way worse and much lower than I normally have cramps. I also do not normally have cramps before my period, only usually starting on day 2. The cramps stuck around for 2 days. And I have been woken up overnight for the past 2 nights feeling nauseous. No vomiting for any of the nausea-feeling, just queezy. My breasts have also been sensitive for the past 2 days (no pain, just sensitive), and headachy.And today my lower back has been very achy.

Based on the "first" "egg white" timing, I would have my period on Dec 4. This would be only a 28 day cycle for me. If I go off of the "second" "Egg white" phase, my period would start Dec 10. I have no idea what to be following to determine when I can actually know when to test to to watch for symptoms.

Sorry for the long post (and I'm new here). But I just have so much going on in my head & I don't know too much (shame on me at 34 YO),

[oliversmommy329]

Welcome :-)  It's hard to say if you could be pregnant or not because your ovulation date isn't very clear. Have you considered taking your BBT to help you pinpoint ovulation? That is going to give you the best picture of what your body is doing during your cycle. I found the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility to be a very helpful resource. Another thing that may help you is taking OPK's. I liked the Wondfo brand. I bought them on Amazon. They were very cheap. That helped me figure out when I was getting close to ovulating so we were making sure we were catching things on the right day. It sounds like a pain to do all of that work but it becomes second nature after a while...or you will get pregnant right away hopefully and only have to do it for a month or two.

I had cramps around the time of implantation. Implantation can happen anywhere from 6 days past ovulation to 12 days past ovulation. I have found that when you're trying to get pregnant you notice every little thing going on with your body, so while you think you didn't have cramps before you may have just not been paying close enough attention. It took me 12 cycles to conceive and I had pregnancy symptoms every single month. So it is hard to know if what you are feeling is related to pregnancy or if it is just your body gearing up for a period. I would wait until December 4 to take a test. If it is negative I would wait to take another one on December 10th. Actually, that's a lie, I never wait to test so I would waste a bunch of pregnancy tests testing every day until I got my positive or my period because I'm a testaholic and can't control myself. But waiting is what you SHOULD do.

Good luck! Fingers crossed that this is your month.

[kcwells28]

Hi, I'm in the same boat as you, hermesgoddess. My period was irregular up until this fall, and my husband and I have started TTC last month. I've been tracking my O and we had sex 3 nights in a row a little over a week ago. This morning I woke up with tender breasts, feeling foggy and really really tired. I'm not expecting AF for at least another 2 weeks and I have a dr's appt. in 3. Is this normal?

[hermesgoddess]

Yeah... this whole irregular thing is pretty annoying... My husband's theory is that if we just have sex every night, we'd be sure to "time" it right then. :)  I'm not arguing.

[hermesgoddess]

I didn't think of the fact that I might just be more aware of every little feeling going on. That makes a lot of sense...

I can try to do BBT... I have my reservations on that because I also have Hasimotos Thyroiditis (usually under-active, but can also swing hyper every now and again when my antibodies are attacking). This usually results in a very unpredictable temperature - sometimes lower than usual. I used to track my temps to see how my thyroid was performing. But I am now much more regulated (which is good because that under-active thyroid could be a problem otherwise with the whole TTC thing) and might be more predictable now.

I think if AF doesn't come tomorrow, I'll take a test... and then wait until next week if Neg. I have also been mastering my virtue of patience lately... Those tests are awful expensive to be taking all the time (I wonder if it is covered by my flex account).

I have to be honest... I'd laugh pretty good if I did get preggers this quick as I was convinced for years that I will have trouble because of my thyroid issues... We'll see...

[oliversmommy329]

Fingers crossed. Word of advice.... Get cheap Internet pregnancy tests! Wondfo worked well for me and they come out to be less than a dollar apiece. I got a positive with a Wondfo at 8dpo. The next day I had my blood drawn and my hcg was only 17 so the Wondfo must have picked up a really low number! The dollar store pregnancy tests actually work well also. Then you don't have to feel guilty about taking a test.

[hermesgoddess]

OK... So this AM I tested and got a VERY faint blue line... I used the Rite Aid Brand that I had for a little while (tested a few months ago before we were trying when I had a 52 day cycle). I don't want to get my hopes up (did I mention *very* faint?). I think i may retest either Thursday or next Tuesday (just haven decided how impatient or patient I may be)...

*sigh*... I love how the instructions tell you that the only way you could possibly be pregnant with their test is if the blue line in the circle EXACTLY matched the control blue line (which didn't even show up that great).

[dahlia810]

My fingers are crossed for you!!

[oliversmommy329]

Stay away from blue dye tests! Stick to pink dye. Blue dye tests are notorious for giving false positives. I got a VERY CLEAR positive on a blue dye two weeks ago. We were preventing but my period was a week late. We were thrilled but I wanted a blood test to confirm so I went in that day... My number was ZERO. We were upset. It was a whole lot of excitement for nothing! Stick to pink dye. First Response Early Result is good.

[hermesgoddess]

Thanks for the tip... I just bought myself a new test (will wait to take it though); one of the digital ones. I hope I can be patient enough to wait until Thursday to take it... I have been crampy today... VERY nauseous yesterday (still somewhat today). And everything I eat doesn't taste right; and some makes me feel more nauseous (things that i normally love) - this is enough to drive a girl crazy.
 

[hermesgoddess]

I took my second test this AM. I am so excited right now I am shaking... I got a positive result... {squeal}. It was a pretty quick positive too - the positive showed up before the control did. Now, I need to calm down, get my blood work done and actually get some work done today. This will be challenging because I simply cannot think now.
 

[dahlia810]

   Congrats!!! That's amazing news! I'm so so so happy for you!

[dahlia810]

hermes, we must seriously be twins, because I just took a frer and there is a faint pink positive line......!! I am trying really really hard not to get too excited, but honestly I'm giddy right now.

Is anyone good at photo adjustments?? The line is so faint that I can't get a good picture of it with my phone to upload

[hermesgoddess]

OMG!  It takes 3-5 days to get the blood results?!?! 

I was so not convinced of the first result being accurate (even though it popped up positive pretty quick) that i retested with a digital test this afternoon... and that too was positive. Can I put my mind at ease now that I *really* am pregnant? I am so still in denial, yet so excited I keep crying & shaking.

I wish I would have ordered my baby announcement gift to DH earlier... Because now I have to wait for it to arrive, but I want to tell him so bad!!!!  I *should* wait until my blood result comes back though - and the gift should be here by then.
 

Edited by hermesgoddess - 12/6/12 at 10:39am

[hermesgoddess]

I have PhotoShop on my computer (I am a graphic artist)... I can certainly give a go at the photo to see if I can make the line pop.  I am giddy for you!!!!!!!!! 

[dahlia810]

Ok here's the pic. Trust me, in person there is a faint pink line there. My phone is the only camera I have right now, and it's a POS.. please don't laugh if you can't find the line

Edited by dahlia810 - 12/20/12 at 5:50pm

[dahlia810]

Keep in mind that it is sooo faint, but it's definitely something!

[hermesgoddess]

I hear you on a POS camera on the phone... I took my photo with my blackberry camera. I don't have a flash & there are probably like 1 megapixels, the quality is so bad...

On your photo... it looks like your camera didn't pick up any of the faint pink. With all of the adjustments I can so, I couldn't get anything to come up. I trust you that it is there... It's probably what my first test looked like on Tuesday... That blue line was so faint that if I looked at the test on an angle I couldn't see the line anymore...

I will keep my fingers crossed for you that the line just keeps getting brighter & brighter (or darker & darker, whichever is most accurate). 
 

[dahlia810]

Thanks for trying! I'm so excited for you right now! What are you getting your husband as a gift? I'm not sure how I'll tell mine yet, if this line keeps getting darker :) I was thinking of telling him I have an early Christmas gift for him and making him unwrap it lol.. but that may be a little gross, I dunno haha.

I just took another test (stupid, i know) and the line is still there!

[hermesgoddess]

LOL! Not gross... I thought of something very similar...

I bought the little "Gift for Dopey" Figurine from Lennox. I am going to leave it in a little gift bag with a bunch of paint swatches & ask him what color we should make the nursery & where we should put Dopey. But I just ordered Dopey yesterday & expected delivery is 5-7 business days... And I was debating leaving the test in the bag with everything (so no, not gross in my book). If I don't have Dopey by Tuesday (or whenever I get my blood results, which I expect Tuesday), I might run out and get a Baby's First Christmas ornament & tell him he is going to need this "gift" for next year's Christmas Tree... It all depends on if I can be patient enough with the news...