Ask Me Help Desk - Pregnancy confusion

right I know I have posted a lot of posts on this subject but I really need to clear a few things up sorry to keep buggin u all :) but I need to get everythen clear in my head.
As most of you may know am 19 years old and me and my partner have been trying for a baby for 7 months now still with no success now I no it takes a healthy couple up to a year to conceive.But what I need to be clear on is ,my last menstrual period was on the 4th July my menstrual cycle is 30 days long therefore my next period is due 3rd August I ovulated around the 20th July if I worked it out right I used the ovulation calender on baby hopes.I put 30 days in as my length of cycle because my last period before this months was June 5th therefore it was 30 days until my next one however the number of days in my cycle before this 1 was 28 does it affect you trying to conceive if your menstrual cycle is not the same all the time.Also with me ovulating on the 20th me and my partner had sex the 19th 20th 21st 23rd 25th and 27th.did we do it on the right dates? And are my chances higher of concievin? I also put a little pillow underneath me after sex so I was on an angle as I am aware this helps the sperm?However even now I am still producing a white mucus which dries yellow and sometimes can smell like sweat does this mean I am still ovulating or do you think I may have an infection?The other thing I would like to know is for the past 2 days I have been getting very light cramping on one side of my tummy which goes after about 15 minutes but then it will come back.I also seem to have gained a little bit of weight these past 2 days now do you think this could be water retention due to my period coming? As it is only 5 days until I am due on?I really hope this isn't what it is as me and my partner want a child more then anything else in this world and we feel so unlucky that it doesn't seem to be happening for us at the moment I am currently taking pregnancare tablets and me and my partner do not drink or smoke is there anythn else we could be doing and also does anyone have any tips on dealing with coming on when you desperately want to conceive because I seem to get myself in a state every time.Any advice greatly appreciated and thanks for listening x x x x

You generally ovulate with in 13 to 15 days after the 1st day of your period. So, you could have missed this month. And I have actually heard that it is better not to do it everyday. Maybe every other when you are trying to conceive. I don't know if the swimmers are faster because they are built up? Just what I have heard.
In the pills that you are taking - is there at least 400mg of folic acid? If not - you want to take that much each day.

The BEST thing I can tell you to do is to RELAX (easier said than done - I know). But, you can freak yourself out and the stress can hinder your attempts - so just take a breath and try to relax. It will happen when it is supposed to.

Good Luck.

I feel you girl. I had a misscarriage last year, and me and my husbacnd have recently decided to try again. But this time I am finding it more difficult to get pregnant. I haven't seen my period for the month yet, but I still get negative results for HPT. Someone told me ovualtion kits are good, so you can track when exactly you will be ovulating. And also its good that you are taking prenatals.

I used to go through this I hope I'm pregnant every month for 4 years. I know it is very hard. My husband had his fertility test done and everything looked good. I was told to cut back on caffenine, eat healthy, use a pillow to raise my hips slightly, and to set my schedule for sex two days before I ovulate and everyday until I had stopped. My husband and I finally said forget it and boom I was pregnant. LOL. I wish I could give you some better advice but when it is time it will happen.

I would go and get checked for infection. Discharge is not supposed to smell. I used this site to help me conceive. Ovulation Calendar and Ovulation Chart - FertilityFriend.com They cater to the women that have irregular cycles and explain a lot on their site. I hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myth

I would go and get checked for infection. Discharge is not supposed to smell. I used this site to help me conceive. Ovulation Calendar and Ovulation Chart - FertilityFriend.com They cater to the women that have irregular cycles and explain alot on their site. I hope this helps.

There are normal smells and abnormal smells. She said that it "sometimes can smell like sweat", this might sound a little gross but check out info before posting stuff... I found this on a website...

"Girls may start to notice that there is a small amount of clear, milky white, or yellowish secretion that might come out of their vaginas. These secretions might be heavier around the time of ovulation, and may have a stringy consistency. These secretions might also make a yellow stain on your underwear. These secretions have a slight smell, but it is not a bad smell. This is perfectly normal and a sign that your body is maturing.

What is not normal is a vaginal discharge that is brownish or greenish, looks like cottage cheese, or has an unpleasant smell. These symptoms might mean you have an infection, and you should see a gynecologist or family physician."

But, it also depends on how often or how long this smell lasts. Since it could be associated with the normal discharge that occurs during ovulation, there's really no worry. But she also said that she has slight cramping. The cramping and odor could be a sign that something's not right. But also, slight cramping, discharge and weight gain are very common before the menstrual cycle.

Can I make a suggestion? When my husband and I conceived our first child we were completely unsure about fertile dates ovulation dates etc. So we thought we would just have unprotected sex every night for two weeks, starting around 1 week after periods end. And first try we got pregnant! For our second child we did the saem and three months later we were pregnant! I realise it lowers sperm count. But it worked for us, and I figure if you've been trying for 7 months maybe a new tactic might help.

You could possibly be pregnant but it seems to me that you missed having intercourse on your most fertile days which are the days before ovulation and the day of ovulation. My doctor told me that as long as your partner's sperm count is not low it is okay to have sex everyday if you wanted to. If pregnancy doesn't happen for you this time I would advise having sex every other day throughout your entire cycle and try using OPK's. Good luck! My cycle started on July 6th and I was suppose to start today :o; so if we both end up pregnant this month we will be on the same path at the same time! I also want to let you know that I too have been experiencing more than normal vaginal discharge( very creamy and white). I think the sweat smell is normal; just from sitting in your undies all day but it would be best to check with the doctor just in case. I've been experiencing some mild cramping as well!

Not trying to be judgemental here OK!

Some couples find it stressful when trying and thus creating there own infertility problems. Anotherwords you are trying too hard. Go to ob and see if they could help you determine your ovulation chart. Then you can precede from there. At the current time you have some issues with your vagina that needs to be addressed by your gyno. Not to mention the vaginal environment sometimes can hinder those little buggers in there journey and I feel that this may be part of your prob.

Lets not forget, it is not ONLY THE Woman's PROBLEM, when it does not happen right away.
A mans diet and lifestyle as well as his own personal health play allot into many problems couples have. Also as other members have said. Limit intercourse to those calculated fertile days until you get a sense of your own rhythms you should continue charting.

Just talking from experience(being the old fart that I am) what is wrong with giving that little bundle of joy a stable home environment (I know that is no guarantee). Educated parents, who are sometimes married, older and more financially stable can provide for the young one in many ways that you are unable to understand at this time (due to maturity, experience and education). I know love is the only thing that you think that matters, but there is a whole lot more you should start think about now.

Lets start at the beginning. You said that your last cycle was 30 days long. But the cycle before that was 28, you wanted to know if it affected your chances of concieving if you cycles were not always the same. Seeings as you are 19, your body/hormoens are still changing a lot. Its not uncommon to have irregular cycles like that. However, using an ovulation calculator in your circumstances is not the best idea, as you can not estimate the exact amount of time for each cycle. Not to mention every woman ovulates at different times, and the calculators are just the average ovulation time for a woman who runs on a strict 28 day cycle. So, in your case, I would suggest using opks(ovulation predictor kits) as well as basal body temp charting. (Ovulation Calendar and Ovulation Chart - FertilityFriend.com) as these can help you better determine your time of ovulation. Having sex every other day before(remember that sperm can live inside in favorable conditions for several days) and during ovulation is the usual advice, as this will help sperm levels to be higher.using a pillow under your hips is a good idea, just make sure that it is not too high, as this can cause it to be too angled, so the sperm pools to the back of cervical opening, so a smaller pillow is best. Laying in bed for 20-30 minutes like this after having sex is also helpful, as it helps to keep it in longer, giving it more time to get to where it needs to go.don't douche as this will wash it all away. As far as discharge goes, so long as it is not discolored(green, dark crusty yellow, etc) and foul smelling (fishy smelling etc) then it most likely isn't an infection. But if you have concerns, be sure to talk to your doctor. An increase in white/clear discharge usually occurs at the time of ovulation, as well as when pregnant. Some people just naturally have a larger amount then most. Cramping could be due to ovulation, pms, pulled muscle,or pregnancy related.(if the pain is by the belly button, becomes severe and you have pain in your shoulder/back consult your doctor as this could be signs of an ectopic pregnancy) since you are five days away from your expected period, these could all be due to pms, pregnancy, or other things. Unfortunately, most of the pregnancy symptoms can be signs of other things then pregnancy. Since you want to be pregnant so badly, this could all be stress as well. Just give it time. Many times, then moment you stop trying to conceive, you get pregnant right away. Good luck hun