Newbie - scared and confused...please help!

[Piglet's Mama]

Hi everyone,

I'm brand new to this. I'm Jen, I'm 24 and hubby and I have very recently decided to try for our first baby. I'm slightly apprehensive and I am naturally a worrier (sometimes get quite bad anxiety) and my periods in recent months (probably the last 6) have been a bit all over the place. My last two cycles have been 50 days apart and I keep reading horror stories about anovulation because of my cycles being so far apart, and I am already getting myself worked up and thinking the worst.

I am trying to stay level headed (as we haven't been trying very long at all) and I am going to buy an ovulation test (are they worth it?) and start really looking at my cycles and working out the best time for us to try.

If anyone can offer any advice, support I would really appreciate it.

Thank you,

Jen x

 

[Roo3]

Hi Jen

Welcome to the forum. Everyone here is lovely and very supportive.

I would definitely suggest using OPK's. You can get them from Ebay really cheaply. I started using them last month and got my BFP so I think they are worth their weight in gold!!

Good luck hun. Sending lots of baby dust your way.

xxx

 

[Samsgirl]

Hello

Welcome......I am new too and have just decided with my other half to try for a baby. So I know how you are feeling. It's my first month off the pill so am yet to find out if I have regular cycles....

I have been advised to test for ovulation...I am going to do it at the start, just so I know I am actually ovulating and roughly how many days past my period I start to ovulate. Just so for future months I know when it's best to grab my other half! he he

I don't want it to become clinical....I want to keep it relaxed, so thats why i want to work out over next couple of months when it's best to 'do it' ....Good luck

Clare xx

 

[Nurse 26]

hello and welcome, don't worry about your cycles being all over the place, in the 6 months before me and my hubby started trying my cycles were all over the place too lasting from 30-55 days and we had no problem at all so i'm sure you wont either.

I also used ovulation tests and found they helped (just the ebay cheap ones).

Good luck and looking forward to you posting ur BFP soon!!! x

 

[Piglet's Mama]

OMG thank you sooooo much for your replies! You have put my mind at rest already. Have been looking on eBay at the tests (so cheap!) so am going to stock up and get on it!
Think I am going to become best friends with this forum Thanks again x

 

[kizzibea]

Hi, welcome to the board. I'm 24 & trying for my first as well.

I've just started using the OPKs as well and although I've not had a positive surge (I started using them late in this cycle), they've been getting lighter so I might have started using them a little bit late.

I'm fairly certain that I've had one anovulatory cycle. Have you thought about temping? I use fertilityfriend.com for keeping track of temperatures (though I'm not always good about getting up to do it).

Good luck. ^_^

 

[Piglet's Mama]

Hi,
I actually don't really know how to use the Ovulation tests, I am sure there a million threads on this so I will have to look but my knowledge at the mo of how to use, when to use, what they mean is v. limited...! Such a newbie! How do I go about recording my temperature then?
Thanks,
Jen x

 

[kizzibea]

With ovulation tests I think there are two kinds, the ones that you pee on and the ones where you dip them in a cup. I've only ever used the cup ones. They're little sticks with a marker on them, you pee in a cup then dip them up to the marker (you can also get the Clear Blue fertility monitor, but I've not got much experience with them).

The ones I get recommend testing in the middle of the day, I try to do it around 2pm or early evening, because that's when you get the LH surge that they're testing for. You get a control line come up and then within ten minutes another line may come up. If it's as dark as or darker than the control line then you're in your fertile period. If you look in the OPK gallery you'll see examples.

All you need to temp is a basal body thermometer (one that goes to two decimal points). You take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed or do anything (you can do it orally or vaginally, I do it orally). Then just record the temperature. I bought a little kit from Boots for about £13 which comes with a chart book for recording the temperatures and the thermometer with instructions for what to do. Fertilityfriend.com also explains it all.

I like to use FF.com for keeping track of my temps because it tells you when you've ovulated so you don't have to work out things like coverlines and ov days yourself, though once you get the hang of it, it's not so hard. FF.com is free but for the first 30 days you get access to a lot more features.

I don't temp every month. I started way back at about February/March time but then stopped because I was having to get up at all different times so I wasn't getting accurate temperature results. Now I'm back to a more regular schedule so I've started temping again - but I keep sleeping through the alarm, hopefully by next cycle I'll be on track properly.

Other options to try are checking your cervical position and your cervical mucus but I don't know as much about that.

 

[Piglet's Mama]

Thank you so much, it's starting to make sense now and have also been looking at the OPK tests in the gallery too so I know what to look for!

Have you been trying for long Kizzibea? x

 

[kizzibea]

No problem, I've only just started using the OPKs recently but I first bought them ages ago so I've had plenty of time to read up on them. Once you start using them it all starts making sense, and there's plenty of people on here to help answer questions.

We started trying in December last year and this is about our tenth cycle.

 

[Spinneygirl]

Hi Jen, welcome to the forum.

Everyone is really freindly and helpful, hope your not here too long and you get your BFP soon xxx

 

[star fish]

Hiya. I found temp charting really inconsistant, so would recommend the ones you pee on, so easy to use!

Stock up because if you are anything like the rest of us you will get through at least 5 each cycle and stock up on cheap pg tests too as we all start testing far too early and get through loads of them as well! lol

x

 

[Piglet's Mama]

Thanks again everyone - can't tell you how useful and fabulous this forum is x