TTC #2 But Need Advice!

I am also trying to conceive baby #2. With my first, I had 2 periods and now I have been trying for 8 months. My daughter is 2, and at this point she will be at least 3 when I do have another child. I tried the Ovulation kits, too, but have not gotten a positive, so I gave up on those; Too expensive, and it is very possible to miss the timing, unless you take at least 2 a day, every day of the month...and if you are even ovulating! Sometimes I can tell when I am getting ready to ovulate, but still, no luck. Since I am 35, my OB is sending me to an infertility specialist to see what is going on. I go there next week. You are not alone! Hang in there, and I hope it happens for the both of us very soon!! Good luck!

Stacie
I guess you don't know that you can go to the Dollar Tree and get the ovaulation kit which should be much cheap then some of the others. I will say to be encourage when it's time it will be time. Don't rush it. I believe when you stop obessing about it then it will happen. Just go about how you do things on a regular basis and that may reduce some of the stress you might be putting on your body by worry about did it happen this time or what. Relax, eat well and enjoy your 2yr old and then it will happen.

R.

buy a 25 or 50 pack of opk's on ebay. sometimes your cycles can be wakey right after going off the pill give your body 3 months to get back to normal. then see how your cycles are.

Track and chart your basal temperature. If you have no luck after a year or so, consider seeing a fertility specialist. My husband and I started trying for a child when I turned 32. We tried for four years. I really started to hate that thermometer and chart. We finally went to a fertility specialist and found we had a few problems on my side and on my husbands side, but with IVF we were pregnant a few months after I turned 36 on our first try. We've never bothered with birth control since then, but it seems we can't get pregnant without help.

it can sometimes take up to 6 mo to ovulate after coming off the pill. With my first, after about 5 months the doctor gave me a week course of Provera (it is important not to get pregnant while you are taking the provera). it somehow started me ovulating and we got pregnant the next month. good luck, and remember, the more you stress, the harder it will be to become pregnant (and as far as ovulation kits go, I used one with my second and it said not ovulating, and I got pregnant, so they aren't always accurate!)

Someone already gave you the link, but at earlypregnancytests.com, you can buy OPT strips for really cheap. When TTC #1, I didn't have a positive LH surge for six months after coming off of the pill. The first time I saw a positive result, boom! I had also been charting my BBT and cervical mucus. It just took that long to get the hormones out of my system, so give yourself some time. And don't forget the importance of romance. When I saw my first positive LH surge result, I got dolled up, made a my husband and I a couple of drinks, and seduced him. Don't underestimate the necessity of his psychological state. You both need to relax and enjoy. Try to get the pressure off of the both of you, and even if it takes a little longer to conceive, it won't seem so long if your relaxed and enjoying the practice.

Hi S.-
What worked for me both times was monitoring vaginal secretions. I was TTC for nearly a year, but just randomly and I spoke with my OB/GYN. She gave me a pamphlet and it had about three methods, basal temp, counting back 10-14 days from the start of your period and checking your vaginal secretions and having intercourse on the days that the consistency is sticky like raw egg whites. Sorry so, graphic, but it worked within two months both times. I am not patient enough to do the other methods. The theory is that the consistency changes during ovulation. It worked for me. Also, I think the idea to relax about it is good too.

My husband and I started to try for #1 when I was 37. I used home OPKs for 8 months. When the 9th month rolled around, I decided that perhaps a child for us was not meant to be and stopped thinking about it. Wouldn't you know I got pregnant that month, and now I have a joyful 5 month old baby! STOP TRYING SO HARD! The stress you are putting yourself through is working against you, I swear! Good luck!

S.:

First off - I have been in your shoes. It took us over 4 years to get pregnant - then I was pregnant for 5 years in a row!

Your body senses your stress which will then, for lack of better words, seize your hormones and will keep you from getting pregnant.

STOP TRYING! Just have fun. You need to ask yourself WHY you NEED to get pregnant RIGHT NOW. Your body will not react when it is under stress. Trust me.

There are things that you can do - go to your doctor and have your hormone levels checksd. My girlfriend, who just had twins with help - had I think it's called second child infertility. It took them 3 years and lots of treatments to get pregnant.

Since you are 34 years old - your hormones may have changed. But I will stress again - the MORE you TRY to get pregnant, the harder it will be. You cannot compare how easy it was to get pregnant the first time to how long it will be to get pregnant this time. Your body is different, your age is different and your life is different.

I hope that you get what you want - but please keep in mind that your body will pick up the stress you are putting on it by being frustrated and giving yourself some high expectations in getting pregnant again.

God Bless, take care.

Cheryl

Get a copy of a book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and start to chart. You may not be ovulating, but not every woman does every cycle. I know that I had to have been anovulatory for a good 9 months after I stopped Nuvaring. I wasn't charting, but having relations every night (almost) for 6 months and nothing until I returned from a 3 month internship and finally got pregnant was pretty telling. If you are breastfeeding at all that may also impact your fertility. This is why I recommend the above book. Everyone I know that uses it has been a satisfied customer whether TTC or TTA. I had an IUD until recently and am waiting on my copy to arrive.

I don't know if anyone suggested this, but please read the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It is a great book that will give you all kinds of different ways to track your cycles. I highly recommend that you chart your temperature first thing in the morning. Not only did it help me to predict when I ovulated, but it also told me I was pregnant without needing to test. :0)

Not trying to be pessimistic but I had my daughter in 2002. When she was 2yrs old we thought ok now it's about time to have No. 2 thinking this would be close enough together and not too far apart. We tried for 4yrs. My cycles were apparently crazy for those 4yrs. Not being able to afford tests to find out why i wasn't getting pregnant we just kept trying figuring if it was meant to be we would. Well after 4yrs i finally did but miscarried. I was crushed and my husband wanted to give up. But i told him we can't give up now. What i've heard is when you have a baby you are more fertal RIGHT after. Well your body treats a miscarriage like a full term. We got pregnate with in 2mo. of that miscarriage.
So in my opinion you should keep trying. Things do go up and down it's hard to use monitors to find out when your fertile we got to where we tried every 2 or 3 days. Just so we had a better chance and finally it happened. I believe the older you get the crazier your cycles are and unpredictable they are. Monitors can get expensive after a while since you have to use them so often.
Good luck I have faith if you just keep trying it will happen (mainly because you have one, so you can have babies)

You should try charting your temp and cervial fluid. I have never used an OPK but I have read that you can miss the surge. Try www.fertilityfriend.com if you want to chart. It is very informative and free. Good luck!

I admit that I don't have experience with ovulation kits and such, but I do have experience coming off the pill and it taking a while to get pregnant. This last time (baby #4) it took me 4 months, once off the pill, to get pregnant. What finally worked for us is just...how shall I say... frequency. We had sex every other day all month. That way we were sure not to miss the "right time". And as a bonus, hubby really enjoys it!
Good luck!

A less expensive way to monitor when you are ovulating is to take your temperature each morning, before you get out of bed or even sit up (which can affect the reading). You have to use the old fashioned mercury type thermometer, and just keep a record of it by the bed. When your temperature goes up, you are beginning to ovulate. You can then use a kit to confirm it. It is best if you track it for one month, then you have enough days to compare. I used this method successfully, and the instructions were given to me by a very reputable ob/gyn. It turned out that I was ovulating on day 9, instead of closer to 14.

Have you tried the cheaper route of doing basal body temperatures? Here is a link that give you a sample chart and info. http://www.babycenter.com/chart-basal-body-temperature-an... . It may take a few extra months for your body to be ready after stopping the pill because you are older and under more stress with already having one child. Also, check your diet and activity levels to make sure your body is as healthy as it can be.

My first son I had to take Clomid and BBTs to finally get pregnant. With my second we only had to do BBT after being off the pill for about 4 months.

If you chart your BBT's for several months and still nothing you can go to your OB/GYN armed with information that they would have sent you back home to do and delay any other course of treatments for several more months. Good luck.

I have to admit, I had a very difficult time getting pregnant the third time around. Same thing as with you, my cycles had changed, and were very irregular. I got to the point that maybe it was for the best. My girls would both be in school. I could go back to school, or work during the day. I was getting pretty happy. THAT'S when I got pregnant. (She'll be 24 in August) I think what you need to do is not be concerned and calm down. In other words, stop trying so hard.

Hi S.! TTC can be so hard & fustrating. It took me 16 months to concieve baby #2. I would try buying a basal body therometer & charting your temps. I did that & was able to concieve within 3 months of taking my temp. I used a online chart to keep track of everything & it will tell you once you have ovulated. Here is the link to what I used. Oh I bought my thermometer at walmart for under $10. Good luck sweetie

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/login.php?redirect=/tt...;

Hi S.. I am 34 and am considering having another baby. I've been doing some research and I think you might benefit from a product called Fertile-Focus Saliva Ovulation Test. www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/saliva-ovulation-test
It is a small 50x magnification microscope about the size of a lipstick tube. It has a glass slide that you put some saliva on and look at it. When you are ovulating then the estrogen in your saliva shows up as a certain pattern when you look at it through the microscope. It is reuseable. You just clean the slide in between and reuse it. It says to check like twice per day. The best part is that it only costs around $30. You do have to buy it on the internet though. I hope this helps.
Good Luck!

www.early-pregnancy-tests.com/saliva-ovulation-test

Hi S.,
The pill I think stays in your system for awhile, so don't worry it will happen. Just keep trying and before you know it you'll be blessed with a little miracle. L.

Hi S.. I was going to use the ovulation kits however; the weekend I bought them I found out I was pregnant. I know they are expensive but if you have a membership to Costco you can get them in bulk for a lot less. If you don't have a membership but know someone who does they can get them for you or you can go with them as a visitor.
Also it took me 7 months after getting off the pill to get pregnant with my second child. I was beginning to think I couldn't get pregnant. I also had very long cycles ranging from 35 days to 49 days. Just to let you know I have always had issues with my periods. I was actually told I could never have kids without IVF. Obviously the doctors were wrong.
Also, stress plays a huge role in ovulation. If you are stressed about anything it can interfere with you ovulating. I would say try to spend some time relaxing and doing something you know that really give you enjoyment around the time that you think you might ovulate. This might help you.
I hope you pregnant soon!
D.

THE best book on the subject, and an easy read is Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler. It's a MUST READ for every woman and definitely if you are TTC, it worked for us the first 'try' 2 babies :) Follow her advice!!

Good luck, S.