TTC - 1st Attempt - Advice Welcomed

2HopefulMommies

This is our first attempt at TTC. We are going to be using 2 ICI vials of Donor 4677. We had planned to start charting and tracking with OPK this month and aimed to start our first cycle in April, but need to start sooner than later so we are going in somewhat blind this month. We will inseminate once with the syringe/propped up/soft cup and once with the Stork OTC. We plan to use PreSeed with both. My wife has started taking prenatal vitamins, FertileCM, and Evening Primrose Oil. She started temping as well, but that probably will be useless for this cycle.

My wife is on CD4, so we shouldn’t have started testing with the OPK yet – but we did. Last night she got a Low and this morning was a High. We are going to test again later this evening. She was supposed to start testing on Tuesday according to the information that came with the ClearBlue Connected OPK. Based off of the app, My Days, that she has been using to track for years – she is not due to ovulate until 30/31 January.
Update: Today is CD5. She got a High when testing again last night and this morning.

Should she be testing high at this point in her cycle?? We are trying to gauge when to have the sperm delivered to have the best chance at success. Originally, on CD1 we thought having it delivered on CD10 would be a safe bet since it would be on a Friday and give us the weekend and the whole next week to try to catch it but with her testing High this morning, it made us question that.

She is 34 years old, which we’ve read affects timing as to when to inseminate once getting the LH Surge/Peak OPK.

We have done a lot of research but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

yogibaby

Hi.
Is she getting a high with the clearblue opk? I usually confirm with those.
Once I got a darker second line on a wondfo two days before the legit surge. But it was an anomaly and the clearblue was negative.
Is she taking clomid? That can make you test high fertility sooner. I got lots of days of high fertility on clomid.

Anyways the high fertility days aren't as important as actually showing your positive lh surge or your peak (non blinking smiley) . I would use the wondfo opk starting a few days before I thought I would need them and then I would use a the clear blue digital and had a Clear Blue fertility monitor for the actual confirmation of a smiley and the old fertility monitory would show the egg icon. I would test at least twice a day when it was close to ovulation.
How are her other signs? Egg White Mucus? Cervical Position and open/closed ness if she or you can feel it? How long are her cycles usually?
The dewar will keep for 14 days.

Does any of that help?

2HopefulMommies

We are using the Clearblue OPK. And she is getting a High on that. We've stopped doing the twice a day testing, as we only did it to confirm the first High. Once we get a little closer, around CD9/10 we will start back with testing twice a day.

She is not on Clomid. We are trying unmedicated cycles first.

Neither of us have felt for the CM or cervical position yet, as AF is still here and she has been a little tender after using a soft cup a couple of days ago. We wanted to experiment with using one since neither of us had used one before and we plan to use it the day we use a syringe as a backup to keep it all in. They are so big though, I'm not sure how long she's going to be able to leave it in.

I know that the number of High days is different for everyone, I was just shocked she was testing high so early and I didn't want us to miss her peak. But after researching, some people have high days for 7+ days so I think we might be okay??

New-mama?

When I was testing I would get anywhere from 1 day of high to up to 6-7 days I think before getting a peak. Although my average was 2-3 days

yogibaby

I wouldn't worry about the high days. You certainly haven't missed it if AF is still here. Lots of women get a lot of high days. Before clomid I would usually just get two or so. One time I didn't get one at all but might have been due to not using first morning urine. On clomid once I started testing I was getting high days.
Just watch for the peak or lh surge.
I always have the dewar there 2-3 days before I need it. The last time I ordered it it had to sit at UPS due to non weekend delivery and Christmas holidays. It stayed frozen and it had already been out a week before I used it everything was still nice and frozen.
I think I thought was going to need it CD12 and had it there by CD10. So maybe have it there at least two days before you think she might ovulate?
Hope all goes well. :-)

2HopefulMommies

We just ordered it last night for delivery on Thursday, CD9. We are expecting between 12-15 that she will ovulate but wanted to have it a little earlier just incase and since CD12 falls on Sunday, we wanted to have it before the weekend.

Thanks for all of your input!

How many hours post LH surge have you tried?

yogibaby

With my two bfps- First ended in miscarriage - about 2 hours after very dark positive OPK in early am (I think a first positive happened while I was sleeping) then about 6 hours post opk. and then about 15 hours after opk. That cycle I had a short LH surge it only was in my system for less than 12 hours.

With this last one( praying it continues to go well) I had the trigger shot so it was different. I had four vials to play with. I didn't want to pay storage fees and wasn't sure on when I would try again.
One vial ici 12 hours before trigger cause I wasn't sure if I would get the trigger shot. ( Dr. said said if my follicle wasn't the right size he wouldn't give it)
One vial iui about 10 hours post trigger
One vial iui 24 hour post trigger
One vial ici 33 hours post trigger
If I only had 2 vials I would have done 12 and 24 hours. The other timings were because I had the vials.

myoung96

We just went though our first cycle of trying and are nearing the end of the TWW.

I also had positive OPK’s during AF, I had tested early instead of listening to the instructions. It had me stressed out but it was all fine, it was false and I hit my first flashing smiley several days later, CD 10 or 11, and then solid smiley on CD 13, inseminated that evening and following evening.

We were so nervous that we actually wasted one of our 3 ici vials this month by using one before my surge, thinking I was going to miss it... don’t waste vials, just use cheapie tests twice a day, not with FMU, and your clear blue once a day and you’ll catch it.

2HopefulMommies

I am at home today waiting for our shipment. It's so hard not to get excited!

We are only testing with the Clearblue once a day until tonight. We will start twice a day, since we are getting closer and want to have as much information as possible for the next cycles. We don't expect a solid smiley until after the weekend, but since we went in pretty blind this month we want to be sure.

Depending on when we get the solid, I'm thinking since she is 34 and we need to be a little closer to O, we will try at 16 and 30 hours post OPK. Thoughts???

OkayBaby

Just wanted to throw out my personal 2 cents .. once I knew time was nearing in for the LH surge I would test EVERY SINGLE time I used the restroom. When inseminating with frozen sperm timing is pretty critical... I want to be as close to the LH surge as possible to start the clock, so to speak. I second the comment to order some wondfos OPKs (and pregnancy tests!!), you can get them on amazon pretty cheap and they're pretty reliable. Since they are cheap you can use them every pee. Then, when you think those lines look pretty close to positive- THEN bring out the big guns Clearblue, and confirm with that- since they're a little more pricey. IF I were you- I would amazon 2 day some cheapies STAT, or just burn through some clearblues this cycle and know for next time. I'm a big fan of 12 and 24 past positive OPK- worked for me 3 out of 4 times!
I can sense ya'lls excitement in your posts - fingers crossed for you! It defiantly can happen on the first try!! The TWW is brutal though Good luck!!

yogibaby

I usually would use the Wondfos like OkayBaby suggested. Wondfos every time I peed and Clear Blue to confirm.
I think the first time trying I didn't have wondfos and I was burning through just clearblues. It was pretty expensive. Careful drinking too much water while testing for that lh surge. But after you get it drink like crazy cause it helps your cervical mucus.

If you like your timing go for it.
If I only had two vials I would do 12 and 24 if I was sure I caught the beginning of my surge but that is just me.
If you are temping this cycle ,you can see when your temp starts to rise and between the +OPK and temp shift get a better idea of when you ovulated from the temp shift. (Temping is a pain and there can be variations based on sleep and etc. I do it, but a lot of women find it too tedious.
My non medicated cycle right before this bfp, it looked like I ovulated within 24 hours between cramping and a temperature shift. I am 32 if that helps.
Whatever you decide, it is an exciting time and I hope the end of the tww brings you a positive! :-)

2HopefulMommies

Well, still waiting for her peak. She's been testing High this whole time. We are shipping the dewar back Thursday morning so fingers crossed we get a solid smiley tonight.
If not, I guess we will go ahead and inseminate anyway tomorrow morning and tomorrow night and hope for the best.. Definitely don't want to let it go to waste!

Opnions?

yogibaby

Keep testing multiple times a day and make sure she isn't drinking too much...
My first time ovulation was a day late. I got the smiley a day later than I expected. Wonder if it had something to do with ordering over a grand worth of swimmers? lol.
I think they only charge $15 extra for each day you hold on to the dewar. I would hold onto it and keep testing.

2HopefulMommies

We got the solid smiley this morning!!! So this evening and tomorrow morning will be our first attempts.
And I definitely think it had something to do with the pressure of NEEDING her little eggy to be ready.

2HopefulMommies

We tested 3 or 4 times yesterday. We were sure it would happen last night, but this morning is even better. It works out better for us to do our first attempt at night since we don’t know EXACTLY what to expect and we don’t want to be rushed before work.

yogibaby

Yay! Smiley! Sending baby dust thoughts your way!

2HopefulMommies

Here we go - TWW!!
We inseminated last night with preseed in her, a little bit of preseed in the syringe, and just elevated hips with an O after.
This morning we did preseed in, a little preseed in the syringe to transfer to the Stork, put the Stork in, elevated for a few and then O.

She's having a little leakage this morning after using the Stork - but it's still in there for a few more hours. Hopefully we aren't losing any precious swimmers.
Fingers crossed!!!!!!!

yogibaby

Fingers crossed for you! Wishing you two the best! Baby dust I hope you get a bfp! :-)