[stinky17]

I have been trying for 11 months now to get pregnant. Last month is the first month I tried using the ovualtion predictor tests. It seemed liked it worked, but nothing happened. Should I start taking fertility tests? I really want to have a baby and only have one more month to try before I would have to wait a year. Please any suggestions!

[Duane in Japan]

I am an old guy with old wives tales, I was told that you should check your temperature first thing in the morning, on the two days you are ovulating, I believe your temp is a little higher, time to get busy. Make your man hold out too so he can have a higher sperm count, tell him no cheating when he's alone.

I saw a video, believe it or not, that was supposed to be the only one of its kind, it was not even rated R, a pool of sperm was just sitting there inside the woman, then the video showed when she had an orgasm and her cervix dipped down into the pool and this is when it is believed that is one of the best ways to get a better result, so you may need to break out the female home companion and spice up the mood a little after he is done??

[Synnen]

Whoa... wait a minute here.

Why would you have to wait a year? And what would be wrong with waiting that year?

I have been Trying to conceive for some time as well, and I have never been able to chart temps. Mine just doesn't change that much!

If you are that concerned, you should speak with your OB/GYN, and have them direct you from here.

[macksmom]

You are correct that most OBGYN's will not start testing fertility or start offering other options until you have been trying for a year.
Were you on any type of birth control before you started actively trying to conceive... more specifically the Depo shot? The shot can take as long as 18 months to get fully out of your system.

But you are so close to that year mark most doctors want, that you could set an appt and get started, as they will do multiple tests... like doing blood work to make sure all your hormones are at the right levels to achieve pregnancy, having your partner submit a semen sample to test him, etc.

In the meantime I would add some other things at home.

Keep in mind, ovulation predictor kits do just that, they PREDICT when you should ovulate by dectecting your LH surge which stimulates your ovaries to releasing the egg... they do not tell you if you did in fact release an egg... so while you may be getting positive LH surges, you may not be ovulating.

You could start tracking your BBT. You body has a constant waking body temp that is pretty stable (aside from being sick, or drinking alcohol etc)... why you ovulate your body produces progesterone, which is a heat-emitting hormone. This hormone causes your body temp to rise. So when you use this method in combonation with ovulation kits... you will get the positive LH surge, then you will be able to tell by charting your temps weather or not you in fact released an egg.

**(by using these methods, my husband and I figured out I wasn't ovulating every month)

If your cycles are pretty regular, you can use this site to help you narrow down your window of ovualtion to help guide you as to when to start testing.
American Pregnancy Association : Getting Pregnant: Ovulation Calendar

You could also use this chart, it's the one I use... and track everything. It is a good reference to take to your OBGYN too. (I always use the "comments" section to record when I got a positive LH surge).
http://epigee.org/f/pdf/bbtchart_f.pdf

And if you like to read, I would suggest getting the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weshler. I have the book and it is great! It tells you all the body signs you need to look for to tell when you are most fertile, it tells you great tips on how to help your chances of concieving... and it tells you much much more, such as possible problems, tests, and treatments :) I got it on Ebay for about $10 :)

But again, go ahead an set an appt with your OBGYN... they may be ready to start discussing options with you :)

Good luck!