Not that easy to get pregnant

[destinys_mom]

Hi Ladies,

I'm back again .. so I'm reading the postings and seems like its not that easy to get pregnant - I have a 5 year old which I unintentionally conceived .. at 21..

Now ready for my second baby - I stopped using birth control but no pregnancy yet .. I havent timed anything and dont know when I ovulate - but I cant help worrying if something is wrong .. so many women I know get pregnant so easy , without even trying..

How do I know if something is wrong or not ?

[ni]

Have you tried using a OPK?

[Screamer69]

Don't worry, if you think about it, the egg drops only once a month and can only live for 12 to 24 hours...the sperm can live up to 36 hours if I remember correctly, so really, it's not that easy to get pregnant. There are a lot of lucky people out there, and that is why it is such a merical to concieve! there are only about 3 days a month that you are going to have a chance to get pregnant. If you are trying, charting you cycle and figuring out when you ovulate may help a little bit. I am now 4 weeks late, but have had three negative pregnancy tests. My husband and I ahve been trying for 7 months and still nothing, so it isn't as easy as it may seems. Stay positive and let nature run it's course! GOOD LUCK, and let us know what's happening!

[greenpixie]

Without knowing a) if you OV and b) when it actually happens, then conceiving is going to be a guessing game for you.  My DH and I have been BBT charting for 3 months so I know that I OV and I know that I'm BDing at the right times and it STILL hasn't happened!  Even the most fertile couples have only a 20% to 25% chance of conceiving each month. Not very good odds, huh? Go to your library or order from Amazon "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler.  It is such a valuable resource for women that are TTC.  You can also try FertilityFriend.Com, but I personally think the book is more useful.  If you start charting you're are going to have a good record of what is going on with your body if and when you ever have to see a fertility DR.  Best of luck to you.  Know that you are not the only one discouraged with this whole baby-making thing.  Who knew it would be such work!

[Stacie30]

how long have you been trying?

[ni]

first time using the kit it worked.  I was trying only a few months but I knew that my cylces were so off and had i wanted to know when I was ovulating.  I would say I was really trying for a month.  Good luck to you!!!!!!  :-)

Gina

[ni]

I was told that the BBT method was the hardest and took the longest.  Took my friend a year to conceive that way.  her second child she was not really tracking anything and she got pregnant right away.

[greenpixie]

I'm going to buy OPKs this upcoming cycle just to be on the safe side.  I'm hoping that using them w/ charts and everything else will up my odds.  How long did you ttc before you succeeded?

[ni]

cervical mucus is a great tool to use when tracking ovulation.  That along with the OPK got me preggo.  

My dr just basically said that the OPK would probably work the quickest...so thats what I chose.  

[greenpixie]

BBT is pretty easy of you do it right.  Actually, a lot of people call it BBT (myself included) when the mean FAM (Fertility Awareness Method).  The reason people find BBT/ FAM to be hard is b/c they try to use it to tell them when to BD.  It's not meant for that.  It's meant to confirm OV and determine the length of your luteal phase.  It can also tell you when you're pregnant, show if you are miscarrying, and tell you when to avoid intersourse if you don't want to get pregnant.  It's more than just charting temps though.  You have to pay attention to your CM and other fertility sings too.  It's not for everyone b/c it takes some patience and time to figure out what you are really doing.  And if you are relying on temps only, then yes, it's not really that effective.  Since I've started using FAM I've learned quite a bit about my body and it's pretty empowering.  I think it's a shame that a DR would discourage a woman from using it.

[ni]

To give some hope on the thyroid issue.

My cousin has a very bad thyroid condition and has concevied 3 times...one time on the pill and another 3 months after having her second child and breastfeeding.

I also know someone else with five kids and she suffers from a thyroid condition as well.  I believe her symptom was a fast heart beat.

what I recommend is that you purchase a ovulation predictor kit.  It could only help  you.  I had a tough time finding out when I ovulated due to my periods coming every 28-36 days.  It worked first try and I have a healthy 14 month old.  Keep track of your cervical mucus (gross, I know) but that definately helped as well.  Good luck!

Gina

[ArmourGal]

A big cause of infertility is a low thyroid condition.  
If you go to Mary Shoman's (national thyroid patient advocate) site and search "infertility", there is more information and it will tell you what your TSH should best be to conceive.

I hate I missed out on another child because of my own then undiagnosed Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease).  But anyone having difficulty, should always have this checked.

[ateague]

Amen sister, it's not that easy getting pregnant when you're actually trying!  Just a thought, what kind of bc were you using.  I know hormonal birth control can take a while to get out of your system.  From what I've read, alot of women don't have infertility problems, but rather timing problems.  I would encourage you to look through these archives and get to know your own cycle.  Find out when you ovulate and when would be the peak time to BD.  It is always smart to go for a pre-conception visit and have the doc do an exam, especially if you're worried about something being wrong with your fetility.  Good Luck and baby dust********