[pumpkinpatch]

Hello everyone, my husband and I have been trying to conceive ever since we lost our first baby on may 17 of this year at 6 weeks, 3 days, and with no luck so far. We got pregnant on the first try when we did conceive our angel baby, which a understand wasn't exactly the most common thing when trying for a baby, and I understand that it may take longer this time, but I can't help but be concerned. I'm doing more than ever now to optimize my health and chances of conception, but nothing seems to be working.

I just started using ovulation predictiors this time around, and I'm very confused at this point. I started using them on Thursday the 26th and got a very very faint, almost nonexistant second line, the next day it was a little darker, and the next was pretty dark, but not as dark as the control line. And today the line went down to being almost non existent again... if my cycle is spot on I would have ovulated yesterday, but the line just wasn't dark enough.. could that have been my day, or are my levels just fluxuating and I'm still in the game? Any advise on this would really really be appreciated.

Another thing I am very concerned about, my (1) cat recently got a bad case of fleas, and as a result our house is infested. ( I seriously don't know how, as she NEVER leaves the house) we've had to bomb the house twice, once last month, before my fertile time, I came into a little bit of contact with it, and am convinced that's why I didn't conceive that month. And once today, in which I didn't come near it. My husband bombed while I was at work. How safe is it after the bombing? And what do I need to do about being around other flea killing products? I don't want to do anything that could potentially harm me or any little passengers I may or may not have abord.

Any advise on anything would really help me out. We're devastated about our loss, and would love nothing more than to fill our empty arms. ( our hearts will never be empty, we will hold on to the love of our first forever.) thank you all so much.

-an angel's mommy


An angel opened the book of life,
To plan our baby's birth,
But then she whispered,
As she closed the book,
Too beautiful for earth.

[lickemlolly]

Well I have tried the whole ovulation predictors when trying to conceive the second time.. remember that conceiving is not always going to happen the first go round.. sometimes it may take months... and ovulation predictors are kind of like pregnancy tests.. the line doesn't have to be the same color as the control line.. if you see two lines that means you are ovulating... which means you probably missed your window if you waited... 1 line means no... 2 lines means GO! And don't be upset if you don't get it on the first couple of tries... there are a lot of things that go into factor with conception.. good luck

[DoulaLC]

Hi pumpkinpatch... :)

Are your cycles pretty regular? How long are they usually? How did you decide to start on the 26th?

It can take some women a few cycles to see a pattern when using OPKs... and some just find them too confusing. A few things to remember:

*best to avoid using the toilet for several hours before testing
*unlike pregnancy tests where first morning urine can be helpful, test with the opk later in the day when the LH will be at higher levels in your urine and try to test the same time each day.
*the test line needs to be as dark or darker than the control line to be positive... you may see a gradual darkening each day as the level of LH rises as you get closer to ovulation.
*if you find the line getting darker and then the next day you test it goes light again without ever reaching the same as the control line, you may need to test twice a day... a set time in the afternoon and a set time in the evening. (again refrain from using the toilet several hours before taking each test)
This is because some women will get a positive for only a single day, while others may have it for a couple of days.
It may also be that you just had a slight surge but not due to ovulation just yet. We have the LH in our system throughout a cycle so some fluctuating levels may get picked up on some tests and an actual surge just hasn't happened yet.

Once you get a good idea of when you are most likely ovulating (again remember OPKs tell you that you are preparing to ovulate, not that you actually are), start having sex a few days before you suspect the rise, through expected ovulation, and a few days afterwards. Roughly the week you are thought to be most fertile, you should have sex several times.

Of course the last thing you want is for sex to become a chore or on demand... so certainly partake and enjoy the rest of the month as well... :)

[pumpkinpatch]

Yes, the 26th was when I started using them, and also when we started trying this cycle. The brand of predictor I got said that two dark, similar lines meant ovulation, anything else meant I wasn't.. my cycles are more regular now, they were spot on time until after I had my miscarriage. My first period was exactly to the day that I could have started again, which was hope giving to me considering I had been told that it could have taken two more weeks to a month until I had my first. But my second was 4 days late, my next was 3, and this one, my fourth was only one.. if my cycle is completely normal I should have ovulated yesterday, but if it's the same as the last one I should ovulate tomorrow, and I'm thinking I will because when I took my ovulation test today it was much darker. Still not just as dark as the control, but the darkest I've had. Is it possibole to have a surge after you've already ovulated, assuming that I have. My husband and I haven't missed a day with the baby making however. I'm hoping that alone should increase my chances. We're both just so paranoid about missing the day that we haven't given ourselves the chance to. But thank you so much for your advice..

[lickemlolly]

Kind of makes me wonder if I used my own opks the right way... then again... this was a few years back..

[DoulaLC]

yes, the 26th was when i started using them, and also when we started trying this cycle. the brand of predictor i got said that two dark, similar lines meant ovulation, anything else meant i wasn't.. my cycles are more regular now, they were spot on time until after i had my miscarriage. my first period was exactly to the day that i could have started again, which was hope giving to me considering i had been told that it could have taken two more weeks to a month until i had my first. but my second was 4 days late, my next was 3, and this one, my fourth was only one.. if my cycle is completely normal i should have ovulated yesterday, but if it's the same as the last one i should ovulate tomorrow, and i'm thinking i will because when i took my ovulation test today it was much darker. still not just as dark as the control, but the darkest i've had. is it possibole to have a surge after you've already ovulated, assuming that i have. my husband and i havn't missed a day with the baby making however. i'm hoping that alone should increase my chances. we're both just so paranoid about missing the day that we haven't given ourselves the chance to. but thank you so much for your advice..

While most women do probably ovulate about 12-16 days before their next period is due, many others will ovulate a bit sooner or later being the norm for them. Have you determined your likely ovulation date from online calendars or from temping and charting? When using an OPK, I would start testing a few days before they suggest and for a couple of days afterwards if you don't see a surge in case you happen to ovulate sooner or later than the average (which is what the tests are designed for).. obviously to have an average, some will naturally be sooner and some later on a regular basis.

It can get costly, but some women will use one kit and part of a second for one cycle of testing for a few months just to get a better idea of when their ovulation might be. Counting days in a cycle is just a starting place... the OPK and/or temping and charting can help you narrow it down.

You may have been off a bit on when you would ovulate so perhaps it hasn't happened just yet and you are catching the build up. Again, it can take a few months of using the tests to get a better idea of when you are most likely ovulating.

Sounds like you have your basis covered in regard to how frequently you are trying! For most couples every day is fine, every other day can sometimes be even better, so don't worry if you happen to skip a day here and there. It's when there is a known issue of low sperm count that you would want to be more careful of having sex too frequently.

Remember too that it can take several months of active trying, even with good timing, to become pregnant, and while most couples will become pregnant within a year of trying, it can be perfectly normal for it to take a bit longer than that.

[pumpkinpatch]

I started testing 3 days before the expected day, and am going to continue for 3 days after. And thanks, I'll pick up another kit today and continue testing a few days after that.. and if this isn't our month, I'll start testing early next time. Hopefully we won't have to worry about that. = ) and do you think I should space our days out a little bit? I was always told that doing it more often was good in that it ensured replenished healthy sperms were being used, and the longer you waited, the sperms had decreased motility and such because of them being older. I hope it won't affect anything! Thanks again sweetie. I really do appreciate it.

[DoulaLC]

Frequent sex is ideal right around the time of suspected ovulation for the exact reason you stated.

While ejaculations, when close together, may result in fewer sperm, the numbers are not diminished enough to be a problem for most couples. The benefit is often a greater number of healthier sperm versus those with mortility or morphology defects.

If you enjoy the frequent sex, continue. If it seems to be a bit of a chore to keep up the pace, focus your more frequent attempts the several days before you think ovulation is likely right through to a few days after suspected ovulation and enjoy a little slower pace at other times.