Atomic! Balance Activ?

[zanacal]

http://www.balanceactiv.com/pdf/Brochure.pdf

What do you think of this for a girl sway? It seems to be a buffered gel like Rephresh but has lactic acid in it. In the FAQ it says not to use if trying to get pregnant because the pH is so low and it might prevent pregnancy!

[zanacal]

Ingredients and pH:


Lactic Acid Glycogen Propylene Glycol Methylhydroxypropyl Cellulose Sodium Lactate Water pH3.8

[rainbowflower]

it does sound like it does much the same.,.. but RepHresh has the benefit that it stays in there for 3 days and that one doesn't?

[zanacal]

I'm not sure because it says to only use once or twice a week for maintenance of vaginal pH (as opposed to treatment of an infection).

[atomic sagebrush]

I think it looks fine but I do feel like I have more info about the RepHresh.

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm not sure because it says to only use once or twice a week for maintenance of vaginal pH (as opposed to treatment of an infection).

That is what Replens says too though and that doesn't keep working the way RepHresh does.

[zanacal]

In the interests of experimentation I bought some today to try out. I think it's probably thinner than Rephresh because there has been a little leakage and it doesn't leave me 'claggy' like Rephresh - so perhaps it would be a little easier to get pregnant with the Balance Activ because there's only the pH to slow the sperm down and not the pH/consistency combination. Complete supposition of course!

As you know, my pH is always around 5 on the strips, so I don't think I can provide too much information on that front! I did check an hour or so after I used it and the strip was orange (it's always green!) but I suspect I was just checking the gel. I'll try again later after some time has passed. I guess it's not much different to using a whole tube of Aci-jel? Perhaps it's more comparable to that than Rephresh, but better for us UK ladies because it's much cheaper and you can buy it in Boots!

[rainbowflower]

that's an interesting theory about the consistency... :)
might be worth trying some for lube for OV day BDing!

[atomic sagebrush]

In the interests of experimentation I bought some today to try out. I think it's probably thinner than Rephresh because there has been a little leakage and it doesn't leave me 'claggy' like Rephresh - so perhaps it would be a little easier to get pregnant with the Balance Activ because there's only the pH to slow the sperm down and not the pH/consistency combination. Complete supposition of course!

As you know, my pH is always around 5 on the strips, so I don't think I can provide too much information on that front! I did check an hour or so after I used it and the strip was orange (it's always green!) but I suspect I was just checking the gel. I'll try again later after some time has passed. I guess it's not much different to using a whole tube of Aci-jel? Perhaps it's more comparable to that than Rephresh, but better for us UK ladies because it's much cheaper and you can buy it in Boots!

Nice! Thanks!!!!

[zanacal]

D'you know what, I'm seriously thinking of using this!

My pH strip was orange (a first!) for 3 or 4 hours afterwards. Although it's a gel, it's quite watery and I'm slightly worried that having DTD every day for 10 days then showered the sperm in acid and dumped half of them in the toilet - it might be a bit much to expect them to swim through a whole bunch of claggy gel too iykwim? I compared the consistency to Aci-jel and it's much thinner (Aci-jel is pretty thick). Presumably that's why only a finger tip of Aci-jel is used, along with the fact that it's very low in pH and possibly doesn't contain any buffers. I'm thinking that using the Balance Activ, which is much thinner will mean it's more likely to get into all the nooks and crannies when used with the applicator. I know there's a belief on IG that Acetic Acid is the one we need and no other type of acid will do - but why is that? It doesn't make much sense to me if we're just trying to kill off a few sperm at the offset to lower count.

I do get that Rephresh is good for its 'keeps working' element, but we're only DTD unprotected a couple of times (I hope!) so it's not a big deal to me to use something each day a few hours beforehand. Of course I wouldn't want to add something every single day for ten days though (in which case I'd use Rephresh). I'm also not concerned with lowering my pH once the sperm have left the scene. Whenever I've tested Rephresh I've pulled out that horrible thick white stuff others have spoken about - and I think that's just how the gel is rather than cells shedding or anything like that - which is a bit ick and may be unpleasant for DH too. I keep thinking how it seems that some of the spermicide products potentially work by being incredibly thick gels rather than containing lots of spermicide (although the Rephresh website does say that it is sperm friendly!).

It just seems that this might be a good compromise between the gels and a douche - with a consistency which seems more akin to a lubricant and isn't too thick and can get everywhere in the vajay but without the potentially testosterone increasing palaver of mixing up a douche, which surely doesn't 'stick around' like a gel (albeit a watery gel!) can. It's also more hygenic than a douche (not that I'm considering one of these!) with the applicator.

As you can see, I'm VERY open to changing my mind if anybody else has any thoughts on this!

[rainbowflower]

would you use it before or after DTD then?

[zanacal]

I'm thinking an hour or two before, I won't use anything afterwards (but I will JAD). I compared the consistency to Sylk and it's pretty similar, Sylk probably just a little more watery. You even have me wondering about BDing through O now rainbow!

[queen-of-harts]

Rephresh is sperm friendly? Do they mean somewhat sperm friendly or totally sperm friendly?

[zanacal]

Lol - from the Rephresh website:

We are trying to become pregnant—is it OK to use RepHresh?
Yes. Unlike some lubricants, RepHresh’s patented formula will not interfere with sperm motility.

[DoulaMama]

Ah ha! So this is the new gel you were referring to? :) sounds like it'll be great, Z! Low in ph, hostile and thinner/less gunky than Rephresh. Good luck with your decision:) xo

[rainbowflower]

Lol - from the Rephresh website:

We are trying to become pregnant—is it OK to use RepHresh?
Yes. Unlike some lubricants, RepHresh’s patented formula will not interfere with sperm motility.

now that's interesting as well! I hate having to make decisions :P

[zanacal]

Oh me too! I think I'm almost there though :D

[queen-of-harts]

For some reason i thought rephresh was rough on the sperms motility....so the only reason we are using it is to keep our ph at the consistant 5 and prevent it from spiking higher? With the whole debate over if ph even matters im second guessing if i will even use rephresh now.:shrug:

[zanacal]

Well, their website says it doesn't affect the sperm's motility but I'm not convinced - it is rather thick imo! I think the benefit of Rephresh is that you only have to use it every 3 days, so with a cut-off or if you're BDing every single day for two weeks then you don't have to think of it any more often than every 3 days which is less stress.

Personally I think pH does help with a pink sway because a low pH will kill off some sperm and lower sperm count does sway girl. Likewise a 'gel' of any sort has got to kill off some sperm.

I think I have decided to use Rephresh every 3 days while we're DTD with a spermicide condom, just in case something about the spermicide makes my pH go up and makes me more prone to an infection (which I really don't want right when I'm about to O!). I think we'll DTD unprotected on the evening of my first +OPK (O-1), the following evening (O) and the following morning (O+several hours) and for those attempts I'll either use Aci-jel or this Balance Activ, just need to decide which!

[rainbowflower]

presumably to make a claim about that (keeping sperm motility) they would have had to do scientific tests on it or it would be illegal to claim that?
Even if it's a thick gel that doesn't mean that the "fibres" within it aren't aligned well for the swimmers to swim through?

[zanacal]

... and Stella got pregnant not very many hours after using a whole tube! You're right though, they can't just say without having checked it out, in which case it's working as a pH lowering tool you only have to use every 3 days. It doesn't get my pH particularly low though I don't think - I thought the strips weren't working for me because they always came out the same colour (probably around a 5) but with the Balance Activ yesterday I was getting an orange colour. I'm testing Aci-jel today!

[zanacal]

Hmm, the strip is green an hour after using 1/4 applicator of Aci-jel (ie. much more than a finger tip full!). I think I'm going to have to do the Balance Activ again tomorrow to make sure it wasn't a fluke!

[Inglewood]

I got acijel and my Ph shot up!! Got replens and it did lower ph, but u'll all know of the nasty after effects!! What does rephresh do??? My ph is around 3.5-4, which is fine, but during and after dtd it shoots up to 6 and dh and I had a combined ph of 8 once!!!

[Inglewood]

... and Stella got pregnant not very many hours after using a whole tube! You're right though, they can't just say without having checked it out, in which case it's working as a pH lowering tool you only have to use every 3 days. It doesn't get my pH particularly low though I don't think - I thought the strips weren't working for me because they always came out the same colour (probably around a 5) but with the Balance Activ yesterday I was getting an orange colour. I'm testing Aci-jel today!

GL!! sounds very interesting.... will be good to know how u got on. x

[zanacal]

purplefairy - what are the nasty after effects, I have no idea!!

The Replens website also says it doesn't affect sperm motility but I found this on the web:

One of the mistakes couples often make is to use lubricants that they didn't think were unsafe for sperm. The common notion is that "as long as the lubricant does not contain a spermicide or is water soluble, it safe to use when you want to get pregnant." Wrong! A study published in the International Journal of Fertility and Menopausal Studies found that four popular brands of vaginal lubricants (K-Y Jelly, Touch, Astroglide, and Replens) inhibited sperm motility by as much as 60-100% after an hour of incubation. Exposure to Astroglide and Replens resulted in nonviable and nonmotile sperm after incubation.

I'll have to try and find the study later ....

[DoulaMama]

Hahaha! I have the nasty after effects as well! Chunks of white globby bits coming out of me for 2 days straight! Yummy!

This is a really interesting thread! I'm excited to see what your sway ends up being!

[rainbowflower]

I'd like to see that study, and also interested in your findings zanacal. Although incubation might be different to actually being inside - who knows, within an hour maybe the sperm that would have survived would have already swum through the cervix. I wonder if those brands responded to that article.

[zanacal]

I can only find the abstract of that study but this one is similar:

http://www.pre-seed.ch/pdf/etude1.pdf

I guess it's a balancing act because for girl sways we are trying to reduce sperm count, but of course we want to get pregnant too!

I'm currently thinking that a JAD might be overkill and I also want to see the furthest away from DTD that I could use this Balance Activ and still experience the pH lowering effect. Might see if I can use less than an applicator full too.

[rainbowflower]

don't have time to read that at the moment, but even the URL makes me think that that one might be biased ;)

[zanacal]

Oh yes, pre-seed was the only one that came out as 'good for conception', however I saw the same study in several places and that was just the easiest link. It just backs up the thinking that pre-seed is the only lube/gel to sway boy!!

[rainbowflower]

that and Conceive Plus perhaps!

[zanacal]

Atomic - I'm completely lost in science here but I *think* glycogen has something to do with blood sugars? Is this relevant if you're squirting glycogen up your whatsit and you want your blood sugar levels to be low?!

Thanks x

[rainbowflower]

you could always squirt it up there at mealtimes lol

[zanacal]

Lol - I'm sure it's a silly question!!

[zanacal]

This post has become a bit of a monster! I see there are several vaginal gels designed to help with BV and with a low pH - Balance Activ, Gynofit, Bio-Fem Active Gel (in the UK) .... as well as Rephresh (and Replens to a lesser extent because that's meant as a moisturiser, though there are more of them too!). Rephresh and Replens seem to be the only ones which say they're ok to use when ttc, the others all say not to use either because the gel affects the motility of the sperm or because the pH is too low for the sperm. Is that why Rephresh and Replens are the ones chosen by swayers? Does anybody know whether any of the other products have been considered and, if so, why they were discounted? I saw a thread on IG which said Balance Activ is no good because it's not got acetic acid in it (it has lactic acid), however Aci-jel is the only product which does - Rephresh and Replens don't either and they seem to be acceptable! I wish I hadn't started looking at this so close to my sway. If only I hadn't tried out the Balance Activ and discovered that I can make a pH stick turn orange!!

[rainbowflower]

when's Atomic around next? hope she can answer the questions too

[zanacal]

Tomorrow I think, I'm sure she'll help me to decide! I just read this very cool (but rather old!) study about pH - there's some stuff in there about lowering the amount of seminal fluid by DTD lots too:

http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/33/1/69.full.pdf+html

[zanacal]

This actually makes me think that so long as my pH is reasonably low (which it may not be if I have EWCM but of course we're trying to limit that) and there isn't very much of DH's 'fluid' (because we've DTD frequently and maybe I've done a JAD) then using a gel with a very low pH might not be the best idea for getting pregnant - and the first scenario is surely how girls are 'usually' conceived (ie. without swaying).

[rainbowflower]

that's a good find - I think you're right. Frequent release with J&D seems like a good plan.... although perhaps RepHresh would further lower pH if you didn't want to J&D or if you hadn't done frequent release

[zanacal]

Oh my goodness, somebody shoot me, I'm driving myself crazy with this!! It's so odd because for ages I've had a 'plan' now suddenly I can't decide what to do!

I'm completely throwing the spermicidal condom idea out of the window now I've read so many things about people having allergies to Nonoxyl-9 and it causing yeast infections and UTIs if used more than a couple of times a month. I really don't want to risk that in the month of our attempt. 'Natural' spermicides like Contragel are based on lactic acid - the same as this Balance Activ BV treatment! Soooo, I'm now wondering (at least for the next few hours until I change my mind) about DTD every day without protection but using Balance Activ (as a spermicide after DTD) for the first 7 days. After that I'm thinking no gels so long as I don't have lots of EWCM (which hopefully I won't because I'll be taking an anti-h) and maybe just a touch of the lactic acid gel (as Aci-jel doesn't seem to lower my pH) if I find myself with lots of EWCM. If will probably do a JAD if I'm not using any gel.

[rainbowflower]

or you could just get him to release outside for the first 3-4 in the week, and then finish inside on the last few days around OV perhaps using the balance activ or rephresh then?
I don't think lots of EWCM necessarily matters providing the pH of the EWCM is low. The only reason it sways blue is because the pH is higher, but if that's not an issue in the first place because your body pH is lower due to the diet/supps then maybe having some low pH EWCM can help you get your pink BFP instead

[zanacal]

I don't think my EWCM is low in pH though - I guess it's not designed to be! I'm STILL changing my mind back and forth!!

[rainbowflower]

zana may I ask a quite personal question that you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable doing so? which of the ones you've tried so far would be best for someone who is rather dry down there? lol - once again, BF hormones are to blame! sorry!

[zanacal]

No worries :D I find both Aci-jel and Balance Activ make things very 'slippery' for quite some time after use and I would imagine they work quite well as a lubricant - I think it's best to use Aci-jel in particular a good hour before DTD because that gives it time to soak in and have that effect! With Rephresh, I guess because it sticks to the vaginal walls (and is meant to work that way), I can just pull out clumps of it whenever I check after I've used it. I haven't tried it for a while but I think that's probably the case even the next day. I have some Sylk but haven't tried it out.

I was thinking about your suggestion of having DH release without DTD for the first few days (we'd probably do a week) and I'm seriously considering it (another contender lol!). I'm certain DH would go with that idea! I would then DTD until I've ovulated and use 'something' before/during to lower pH and slow down (but hopefully not kill!) the sperm. I tried using just a finger of Balance Activ and it didn't work to lower my pH because I lost most of it at the entrance to my V (sorry if TMI!) and I wouldn't want to use lots very close to DTD because I don't think any sperm would survive it. So, if I'm going to use it at all it won't be then - and if I'm just going to use it every couple of days to lower my pH earlier in my cycle then perhaps I should use Rephresh instead as it'll work in between applications. The two options for use closer to our attempts are Aci-jel and Sylk. Aci-jel is good from the point of view that it comes with an applicator so I can get a small amount close to my cervix. It doesn't make my pH incredibly low but I don't think it makes it higher either so I'm happy with that. The other option is Sylk and I haven't tried it yet. I think Aci-jel probably has the best track record in terms of successful girl sways - can anybody confirm that?

This is so funny, I'm coming back to Rephresh every 3 days early in my cycle and Aci-jel prior to my attemps, which is what I was going to do to begin with! I am dropping the spermicidal condoms though and will talk to DH about releasing instead of DTD for the first 7 days (like I said, I don't think I'll need to persuade him!) and I think we'll DTD right through O. DS3 for sure was conceived with a 1 day cut-off so it's not like I think that particular plan sways pink for me anyway! I'll JAD too I think, unless it seems that we'll only get one attempt in before I O and who knows what my cycle will do this month!

[rainbowflower]

thank you for your reply! what about Replens then? is that quite slippery too? why can't you use Replens and RepHresh together if they're made by the same company?

so you think Balance Activ is definitely out nearer O time then? your plan now does seem very solid. I like that theory of not J&D if it's an only attempt too

if you aren't DTD unprotected earlier in the cycle perhaps you might not even need to spend that money on the RepHresh? It's not cheap is it...

[zanacal]

I've never tried Replens (thank goodness, that would be another one to choose from!). I wondered about using the Balance Activ in the mornings on the days of my attempts but by the evening my pH would have risen anyway and I was really only excited about it because it's the only time I've ever got the pH stick to turn orange - after 2 hours-ish it starts to turn back green again. Reading that study makes me wonder about getting pH too low anyway if DH isn't going to be providing much pH raising fluid!

True about the Rephresh - but I have a stash of it I may as well use! Likewise with the Aci-jel and there's no way I'm ordering a second tube of that stuff, so perhaps if I'm not pregnant by the time it's gone I'll do something with the Balance Activ!

Thanks for sticking with me through my rambling on this :D

[rainbowflower]

where did you get the aci-jel from? and why do you say you won't be buying another tube of it? I just did a quick google and it said it's been discontinued in the UK since 2005?

it does seem sensible to not go OTT if his small amount of fluid might not raise pH as much ;)

[zanacal]

I got it from Australia - I can't remember the price exactly, guessing around £20!

[rainbowflower]

ok, well I won't be getting any of that then ;) swaying is expensive enough as it is! lol

[atomic sagebrush]

Lol - from the Rephresh website:

We are trying to become pregnant—is it OK to use RepHresh?
Yes. Unlike some lubricants, RepHresh’s patented formula will not interfere with sperm motility.

RepHresh isn't sperm friendly though because of the low pH. They're saying that as a marketing gimmick.

[atomic sagebrush]

For some reason i thought rephresh was rough on the sperms motility....so the only reason we are using it is to keep our ph at the consistant 5 and prevent it from spiking higher? With the whole debate over if ph even matters im second guessing if i will even use rephresh now.:shrug:

I still think RepHresh is best for a pink sway because it keeps lowering pH. I really don't think it's great for sperm, regardless of what they're claiming on the site.

[atomic sagebrush]

I got acijel and my Ph shot up!! Got replens and it did lower ph, but u'll all know of the nasty after effects!! What does rephresh do??? My ph is around 3.5-4, which is fine, but during and after dtd it shoots up to 6 and dh and I had a combined ph of 8 once!!!

The RepHresh is similar to Replens, but RepHresh is designed to react with everything it touches to bring pH down. So it will react with your DH's semen to lower its pH and it works for 3 days after application.

[atomic sagebrush]

I can only find the abstract of that study but this one is similar:

http://www.pre-seed.ch/pdf/etude1.pdf

I guess it's a balancing act because for girl sways we are trying to reduce sperm count, but of course we want to get pregnant too!

I'm currently thinking that a JAD might be overkill and I also want to see the furthest away from DTD that I could use this Balance Activ and still experience the pH lowering effect. Might see if I can use less than an applicator full too.

That is much what I have read as well. Only Preseed was found to truly be sperm-friendly.

PS - the URL is only because it was posted on the Preseed website...it was an independent study and not done by or funded by Preseed (as far as I know.)

[atomic sagebrush]

or you could just get him to release outside for the first 3-4 in the week, and then finish inside on the last few days around OV perhaps using the balance activ or rephresh then?
I don't think lots of EWCM necessarily matters providing the pH of the EWCM is low. The only reason it sways blue is because the pH is higher, but if that's not an issue in the first place because your body pH is lower due to the diet/supps then maybe having some low pH EWCM can help you get your pink BFP instead

I don't think that's the ONLY reason it sways blue though. I think EWCM means more sperm can physically swim to the egg.

I do agree that low pH EWCM might be better for pink than high pH/

[atomic sagebrush]

Atomic - I'm completely lost in science here but I *think* glycogen has something to do with blood sugars? Is this relevant if you're squirting glycogen up your whatsit and you want your blood sugar levels to be low?!

Thanks x

Hmmm...good point. Glycogen is a sugar molecule and the uterus does use it to nourish embryos. I'm not sure it matters in lotion form, it's probably jsut what they use to hold it all together.

PS - not a silly question at all and in fact it led me to some new info that I didn't know.

[atomic sagebrush]

This post has become a bit of a monster! I see there are several vaginal gels designed to help with BV and with a low pH - Balance Activ, Gynofit, Bio-Fem Active Gel (in the UK) .... as well as Rephresh (and Replens to a lesser extent because that's meant as a moisturiser, though there are more of them too!). Rephresh and Replens seem to be the only ones which say they're ok to use when ttc, the others all say not to use either because the gel affects the motility of the sperm or because the pH is too low for the sperm. Is that why Rephresh and Replens are the ones chosen by swayers? Does anybody know whether any of the other products have been considered and, if so, why they were discounted? I saw a thread on IG which said Balance Activ is no good because it's not got acetic acid in it (it has lactic acid), however Aci-jel is the only product which does - Rephresh and Replens don't either and they seem to be acceptable! I wish I hadn't started looking at this so close to my sway. If only I hadn't tried out the Balance Activ and discovered that I can make a pH stick turn orange!!

Well, a lot of that is based on history and the order in which we found some of those things out.

1) Yes, IG is extremely hung up on the acetic acid but it's because of some studies somewhere that found acetic acid, aka VINEGAR, was linked to girl conceptions. PreShettles, but Shettles co-opted that in the early editions of his book. To my way of thinking, acid is acid, ya know??

2)The original IG info claimed that RepHresh HAD acetic acid and in fact that is in the FAQ (I have the copy of that FAQ printed out so I know this for a fact, but it may have been removed at this point.) Once I came to this site I went around swearing to everyone that it had acetic acid in it, then someone found out that it didn't. Boy was my face red haha.

3)Most of these things didn't use to be on the market, it was just Acijel, Replens, RepHresh at first. So most of the sway stuff is based around those three. Someone can and may already have invented something better at any point (sylk??)

4)At first we didn't even know about Acijel, we only HAD R and R (plus douching of course) to use.

5)For awhile a few years ago, Acijel was recalled and totally impossible to find. So people began to use R and R as replacements, not because they didn't prefer or want Acijel, but because we couldn't get it.

6)pH is such an intrenched part of swaying (due to the whole vinegar douche thing) that I think people have elevated Acijel to a pedestal, now whether it is worthy of being there or not is open to debate.

[atomic sagebrush]

Tomorrow I think, I'm sure she'll help me to decide! I just read this very cool (but rather old!) study about pH - there's some stuff in there about lowering the amount of seminal fluid by DTD lots too:

http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/33/1/69.full.pdf+html

Yes, I read this one before, I think there was a link to it on IG??? Interesting stuff but of course SO OLD.

Doubling up here because I"ve been on this thread for like 2 hours now!!!

"This actually makes me think that so long as my pH is reasonably low (which it may not be if I have EWCM but of course we're trying to limit that) and there isn't very much of DH's 'fluid' (because we've DTD frequently and maybe I've done a JAD) then using a gel with a very low pH might not be the best idea for getting pregnant - and the first scenario is surely how girls are 'usually' conceived (ie. without swaying)."

I COMPLETELY agree with you on this. First and foremost we must remember that of all the baby girls who have ever been conceived or ever will be, only the tiniest fraction were with benefit of acetic acid, RepHresh, or anything. It's MUCH more likely that the low pH of the vaginal secretions coupled with less/drier/more acidic CM and low sperm count/less semen is what REALLY does the swaying in Mother Nature's system. And these things are controlled entirely by diet, overall fertility, and BD patterns (abstinence vs. frequent release).

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh my goodness, somebody shoot me, I'm driving myself crazy with this!! It's so odd because for ages I've had a 'plan' now suddenly I can't decide what to do!

I'm completely throwing the spermicidal condom idea out of the window now I've read so many things about people having allergies to Nonoxyl-9 and it causing yeast infections and UTIs if used more than a couple of times a month. I really don't want to risk that in the month of our attempt. 'Natural' spermicides like Contragel are based on lactic acid - the same as this Balance Activ BV treatment! Soooo, I'm now wondering (at least for the next few hours until I change my mind) about DTD every day without protection but using Balance Activ (as a spermicide after DTD) for the first 7 days. After that I'm thinking no gels so long as I don't have lots of EWCM (which hopefully I won't because I'll be taking an anti-h) and maybe just a touch of the lactic acid gel (as Aci-jel doesn't seem to lower my pH) if I find myself with lots of EWCM. If will probably do a JAD if I'm not using any gel.

Can I just toss out the obsession/testosterone idea again??? :worry:

Pick something. Anything. They're all probably pretty close to the same thing anyway. And then put it totally out of your mind and forget about it. You're not doing your sway a lick of good by doing this to yourself and in fact you're running the risk of HURTING your sway a lot more than the difference between any of these jellies.

:hugs: I hope I'm not sounding bitchy, I just don't want you to wreck your sway over something that really is of so little consequence, KWIM???

[atomic sagebrush]

thank you for your reply! what about Replens then? is that quite slippery too? why can't you use Replens and RepHresh together if they're made by the same company?

so you think Balance Activ is definitely out nearer O time then? your plan now does seem very solid. I like that theory of not J&D if it's an only attempt too

if you aren't DTD unprotected earlier in the cycle perhaps you might not even need to spend that money on the RepHresh? It's not cheap is it...

I have tried using Replens as a lube and I found it to be not very effective.

You CAN use RepHresh and Replens together if you like...we've tested it enough now so we know that the concern that Replens might make the pH of RepHresh go up is unfounded.

I do think using RepHresh every three days might be a good idea even if you're not DTD because your body will be sorta used to it and won't be all like, "intruder alert, intruder alert !!!"

[rainbowflower]

thank you for all of those replies atomic, it's always fascinating to read your perspective on things


oh, and zanacal I REALLY hope you get your girl because then that will give me more hope ;) I think we are both enthusiastic researchers and personally don't think stress is the same thing as obsession! lol

[zanacal]

Thanks Atomic. Sorry you had to spend so long trawling through all of this. I hear you on the testosterone thing and I have put it out of mind now - I've had a really rubbish week with awful PMT and last minute second guessing of my plan and I guess I was just thinking out loud.

[atomic sagebrush]

No, not at all, I actually think it was a great thread and very helpful and informative, I'm just worried about YOU!!!

I sometimes find that I get more intense/obsessive when I have PMT...do you think that could be where some of this is coming from??

[atomic sagebrush]

thank you for all of those replies atomic, it's always fascinating to read your perspective on things


oh, and zanacal I REALLY hope you get your girl because then that will give me more hope ;) I think we are both enthusiastic researchers and personally don't think stress is the same thing as obsession! lol

You guys, I just want to point out that one of the most enthusiastic researchers that ever enthusiastically researched, babydust, is here on this site and she did indeed get her girl!!!

She did a lot of detail-oriented research and then before her sway with her plan in place, she just relaxed and enacted the plan and things came out just right. I think we can all take a page from her book on that.

[zanacal]

I sometimes find that I get more intense/obsessive when I have PMT...do you think that could be where some of this is coming from??

Possibly - but I don't usually suffer so I don't really know! I am very emotional at the moment and am crying at the drop of the hat, which really isn't me. I don't know if it's hormones (who knows what they're doing!) or just nerves. On the testosterone front, I honestly don't feel like this is something I can solve or a competition I can win. I feel completely overwhelmed by it all and am just second guessing the decisions I already made and have pretty much come back to after all of this. If anything, I'd say my testosterone is lower and not higher than usual. I don't feel good :( and I think my toe hair growth may finally have slowed down :cheer:

[atomic sagebrush]

:cheer: to less toe hair but BOO to not feeling good...I so wish this could be EASY, ya know??