Preparing to TTC girl, history of HG

[MommaW]

We successfully conceived our girl 2.5 years ago. My cycles have been regularly 29 days apart for the past 5 months, and we would like to begin TTC in 2-3 months. DS1 was a surprise baby, DS2 took 12 months to conceive, DD1 took 11 months but we had a miscarriage at 9 weeks 2 months prior, and DD2 took (surprisingly) 5 months and I was doing the LE diet.

With all four, I had HG. I've been reading up on recommendations to take magnesium, b vitamins, vitamin d, liquid probiotics, and milk thistle prior and during TTC in hopes of lessening the severity of HG. Would adding these supplements sway one way or the other?

I'm petite: 5'1", 104lb. Also breastfeeding multiple times a day/night still (have been for almost 8 years). I don't consume dairy or red meat currently, but am open to altering diet if need be.

[atomic sagebrush]

All those supplements have a strong potential to sway blue and I cannot recommend them for anyone who wants a girl.

I would follow the type of diet you were on when you got your last girl!

[MommaW]

Okay, thank you for the advice!

I have a couple more questions.

As far as FR + 1 attempt goes (this is the most recommended to sway girl, yes?), can it either be husband releases on his own or we DTD together without attempting? We got impatient with our girl sways in the past and ended up doing 8 days in a row, most in fertile window, and ended up pregnant with baby girl #2.

Are fruit + water/oat milk smoothies too nutrient dense for the LE diet? I honestly don't recall what my diet looked like last time. I eat a primarily fruit + veggie + whole grain diet currently, limited dairy and meats.

[atomic sagebrush]

FR has not been effective. It's fine to start off with it if you want but the real heavy hitter is the one attempt.

You can absolutely do the FR with hubby releasing on his own or with you, with protection.

Having unprotected sex many days in a row starting before the fertile window opens can in fact sway pink but it's just not the most reliable way, that's all.

No those smoothies are fine provided the oat milk is not heavily fortified.

[MommaW]

Should we try something other than the FR with the one attempt? Is abstaining and then 1 attempt "better"?

Also, thoughts on maca and/or ashwaganda in smoothies? They've been a staple for me, but would like to be as "pink positive" as possible.


I have info from an app I used to track fertility and ttc attempts. Could I show you screenshots of these and get your take on if we were truly swaying girl, or if we were just lucky? Have this info for both DD1&2. 427564275742758

[atomic sagebrush]

Neither FR nor abstain has worked. Only the one attempt really seems to do anything. Most people want to start off trying one or the other of the FR/abstain, with the one attempt, to see if they can get pregnant that way.

I would discontinue maca and ashwaganda in smoothies.

I can't really see the apps very clearly. When I try to enlarge them on my screen they're getting blurry. I doubt they are telling me anything too important though. My advice would be very unlikely to change. If you feel the need you can send them to my email at atomicsagebrush@gmail.com (but this is not ever the best way to get ahold of me!)

[MommaW]

Okay, I guess I'm just confused what we/my husband should aim for in regards to releases prior to that one attempt (from the time of end of AF to before one attempt).

I will send them to your email. I appreciate the feedback!

[atomic sagebrush]

I have them and I'll take a peek and get back to you.

[MommaW]

Hi! Were you going to get back to me about them on my email, or here? Just curious as to where I need to check. :)

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm sorry. Emails are really hard for me as it's out of my norm so they can slip thru the cracks since they aren't in my daily schedule.

I'll answer you there.

[atomic sagebrush]

Okay, I guess I'm just confused what we/my husband should aim for in regards to releases prior to that one attempt (from the time of end of AF to before one attempt).

I will send them to your email. I appreciate the feedback!

No, I think you guys likely just got lucky and had other things swaying pink for you.

if your husband is 35 or younger you would have him abstain for 7-10 days before one attempt, if he's over 35 have him release on his own or with you, with a condom 7-10 days before one attempt. If neither has appeal have him release every 2-4 days or just "do what he does" provided you keep one attempt.

[MommaW]

Okay. We got both our girls with that type of pattern, so wasn't sure if it was a girl friendly pattern or just luck both times. I was breastfeeding regularly during both, and following a vegetarian diet. With both, we had been trying awhile and getting antsy (our first daughter was conceived three months after a miscarriage that was 10 weeks along). We had used a smidge of preseed during our attempts with both girls. I was also drinking fertilitea and taking folic acid.


Are chickpea, brown rice, or lentil noodles "okay" or are white flour products preferred? Also, are there any recommendations as far as water intake goes? All I drink is water and we have a reverse osmosis filtration system for our well water, but remineralize it before drinking. I'm probably thinking way too much on diet and attempts, we just want our last bub to be a successful sway.

I know my husband (33) would not want to abstain for 7-10 days, so will have to try differently. Is every 2 days the same as every other day? I was thinking 2-4 days was boy for some reason. So basically, any release pattern prior but only one attempt at positive opk?

[atomic sagebrush]

For reasons we don't understand, couples that just inexplicably take a while to conceive seem to have more girls.

:agree: Breastfeeding, vegetarian diets, trying after a loss, and fertilitea all may sway somewhat pink (though I don't normally recommend Fertilitea, since it's worked for you in the past I'm open to you using it this time as well)

Yes all that stuff is allowed. We have moved away from the "white flour only" stuff and are getting good resutls with whole grains as welll. The limits seem to be what matter - you have freedom within the limits.

I have not found water to be swaying. It just doesn't fit in with the maternal condition idea really that somehow it boils down to the water coming out of your tap, nor does it make sense when people have BG twins, BG or GB pairs, that kind of thing. If you're worried about it you can always buy Perrier and Evian (both of which supposedly sway pink) for a couple months but I don't think it's at all necessary.

When we originally started this little experiment we thought frequency patterns did sway. We believed that abstain and daily release would sway pink, and every 2-4 days swayed blue. But over time we learned that it's really the number of attempts swaying and the frequency patterns really don't seem to do a whole lot. We then started to play around with regular release with one attempt and have gotten good results with that, and also the e4d method (which by design is releasing in the 2-4 day pattern) and have gotten good results with that. The frequency just doesn't seem to add anything beyond what the one attempt is adding.

[MommaW]

You've been a wealth of information, thank you!

We were originally doing every 4 days, I think, with both girls before becoming a bit impatient. TTC can be so stressful, that I think we were willing to just take the chances of unsuccessful sways with adding more attempts + preseed. A quicker conception with DD2 was a surprise though, since it took 11+ months with my other children, other than our surprise first baby.

[MommaW]

Is a luteal phase of 10 days okay? I got a positive opk on cd18&19 in the evenings, put felt cervix the absolute highest (and felt overall crummy etc) on CD20 and got my period the morning of what would've been CD30.


Also, after the one attempt, should I be laying flat, elevated, jump and dump, what should I do immediately following release?

[atomic sagebrush]

10 day LP is a tad short but still long enough to get pregnant with.

Are you eating enough fat??? We may want to drop fiber and up fat to 50-60 g (including a serving of full fat dairy daily and 4-6 eggs per week) till this normalizes, or at the least to ensure it doesn't get worse.

[MommaW]

Perhaps not. I'll try to up my fat.

I read on possibly low progesterone, and some recommending b6 and/or vitex, but I didn't really want to take something that may be a strong swayer for boy.

[atomic sagebrush]

Please do not take vitex and B6. Those have actually made matters far far worse for the vast majority of people who took them, with people ending up not only with a short LP but with a delayed ovulation as well.

[MommaW]

Okay, I won't add those. Does this mean I should avoid fertilitea as well? I had incorporated that regularly when I was breastfeeding and ttc (both times my girls were conceived and was nursing a 2 year old).


Also, after the one attempt, should I be laying flat, elevated, jump and dump, what should I do immediately following release? (We don't use an ph adjusting stuff, jellies, etc---though did resort to using preseed for TTC my girls after trying for several months.

[atomic sagebrush]

yes, I would leave out the Fertilitea. I have never recommended that.

I would do a jump and dump to start with of about 5 minutes. For reasons we don't know that has made a small difference in our results.

[MommaW]

Okay. Regarding lubrication, is there anything I should go for/avoid? I prefer organic, natural lubricants, like aloe vera based ones but wasn't sure if it was "girl friendly".

[atomic sagebrush]

The only ones to avoid for pink sways are "sperm safe, conception friendly" ones.

If you give me a brand name Il'll look it up for you to be sure it's ok.

[MommaW]

Aloe Cadabra, Good Clean Love, Sliquid, and Organic Glide are the ones I was looking at.

Regarding frequency of release: my husband is a more of an every day kind of release fella (himself or with me). Is this "okay" alongside the one attempt at positive opk? I don't want to demand too much of him in terms of a "schedule" or "rules" since it took a lot of convincing to try again.

Edited to add:
If we are hoping to conceive as quickly as possible (if blessed with another, obviously----it took 5 months for DD2,11 months DD1 after a miscarriage a few months prior, 12 months with DS2, and DS1 was a complete surprise), when would you suggest to add more attempts and/or possibly preseed? With my daughters, we added many more attempts and preseed as well as fertilitea for 2-3 months before getting a bfp after previously trying without those. I only do LE diet + folate. I unfortunately don't follow the exercise recommendation. We do the one attempt (not shallow release) and J&D after 5-15 minutes, and whatever release flow my husband decides prior to that. I am breastfeeding my two year old. My husband also smokes 10-15 cigarettes a week, and MJ once an evening. We don't do the jellies or dh supplements, etc just LE diet and one attempt.

I had a positive opk 7pm CD15 and DTD 9am CD16. Today's CD17 and though my ovulation tests were both negative yesterday and very negative today, I feel my cervix is higher and I'm a bit crampy.

I also wanted to ask about eating sugary snacks (candy, mostly, and ice cream). Are these "allowed" as long as eaten with a meal and within the calorie/fat/protein limit?

Edited to add: today is CD18. I'm feeling much more crampy and cervix is very high. Were my opks off? Should we DTD again to catch ovulation, or would I be swaying blue? My opks yesterday were all negative, but my body feels like it's ovulating or really close to.

[atomic sagebrush]

Any of those lubes are fine if you like them.

Yes, daily release is fine with the one attempt. :agree: just let him "do what he does" as none of the frequency stuff has worked anyway.

Just because you took a while in the past, doesn't mean it will again this time. Again and again I have people who are so sure they'll take forever to get pregnant they end up shooting themselves in the foot, not swaying as hard as they might have otherwise. So you may end up surprised if it happens fast!

I would have you do 1 attempt for 2 months, e4d (in the 72hour pattern for two months) and then go to e4d plus one more attempt at positive OPK from there on in. Re the Preseed, I'd wait and see if you need it before adding it. Generally I'd have people drop the harsher lubes, then use the barest minimum of Preseed for a lube instead, but I think you mean "using Preseed to conceive" and I generally don't do that for at least the first 6-9 months.

You can't tell when specifically you ovulate based on when your OPK go negative. You can have ovulated while the test is still positive, or it can go negative before you have ovulated. having attempt at the first positive ensures you're in with an attempt before o no matter what.

Sugar with meals. Unless you're on the alternate diet, in which case you should avoid or limit sugar as much as possible.

If your last attempt was CD 15 and it's CD 18 now I'd have another attempt. That still counts as one attempt because they're far enough apart.

[MommaW]

Thank you for all the info!

Our last attempt was CD16 at 9 am, so should we go for CD19 at 9 am? I got confused on e4d whether it was one day, then skip three, then attempt again on the fourth, then skip three again, etc. So if it takes longer than the two months, you want us to do e4d from AF, then once opk positive have one attempt even if it's before 72hrs and resume with e4d?

Regarding the lube, the ones I listed aren't considered "harsh", correct? If I don't have a lot of cm, would a smidge of preseed or any of these be helpful for conceiving, but not sway boy?

Ideally we'd conceive within the next six months (including this month) due to my husband's work demands.


Edited to add: we had an attempt this morning 9am, cd19. My opk was negative last night and at 3pm this afternoon. Just had an obviously positive opk at 640pm. Our attempt this morning okay, or would you say try again tonight/tomorrow since just received positive opk a full half day after attempt? (My kit says 24-48 hours will be ovulation.)

[atomic sagebrush]

"e4d" just means the idea of having regular unprotected attempts far enough out so they qualify as one attempt (about every 4 days). Most people do this in the "every 72 hour" pattern meaning 1 (attempt) 2 (skip) 3 (skip) 4 attempt but some stretch this to "every 96" instead. There is nothing special about the number of hours, that is just how you count the days. I want you to have your next attempt CD 19 and it does not matter what time of day it is.

RE e4d plus one, yes exactly. Have the e4d pattern going (and don't deviate from it) then have an additional attempt at pos OPK whenever that may fall. But KEEP GOING with the e4d even after that. Don't start a new pattern based on the pos OPK attempt, just carry on with the e4d 7you were already doing.

The lubes you listed would kill sperm. (even saliva kills sperm) I don't know if that's how you're defining harsh, but they aren't made to allow sperm to swim through. Only lubes marked "conception safe, sperm friendly" (or vice versa, sperm safe, conception friendly) are not going to kill sperm. To start with, use those lubes and see if you can get pregnant. If not, then we'll switch to a small amount of Preseed or similar product.

I would have your next attempt CD 22. I wouldn't add the pos OPK attempt yet.

[MommaW]

Thank you for clearing that up, I'm much less confused by the "e4d" term!

I know they say fertility is best when you're eating a nutritious diet and that improves implantation odds as well. Do you feel the LE diet isn't as beneficial for implantation, perhaps makes it harder, or am I just overthinking this like everything else, lol.

[atomic sagebrush]

We have the same amount of time to conception as people who are not swaying - about 3 months. So no, I don't think LE Diet harms chances of implantation in any way.

the LE Diet is still normal range of nutrient intake as recommended by reproductive endocrinologists and the World Health Organization. It is a balanced diet and safe for women in childbearing age, it's just the lower range of normal. So I do not think it's an unsafe diet in any way (and if I did, trust me, I'd not be recommending it. :))

[MommaW]

I'm so confused. Today is cd22, and tonight I got another positive opk. I'm attaching my opk stats from the past week. I'd love any insight. 42842

[atomic sagebrush]

I can't see the pic very clearly, but there are two things that could be happening. One is that the first positive oPK was a false positive and you're now about to ovulate. BUT it can also be that you ovulated already and this positive OPK is indicating the secondary estrogen surge - which is when your body releases a burst of estrogen (very similar hormonal profile to ovulation) to maintain the uterine lining a bit longer to give a fertilized egg time to implant. So sometimes people end up getting a pos OPK at that point in time, about a week after they'd actually ovulated.

Have attempt just to hedge your best and then see what happens!!

[MommaW]

Okay, I had the positive opk last night at 7, a negative today at noon, would tomorrow morning be too late for attempt?

Edited to add: We ended up having an attempt this morning just in case first positive was incorrect.

However, I got another positive today at noon. This is what my opk app has determined this cycle:
Cd14 negative 0.5
CD15 0.84
Cd 15 1.12--high positive
Cd16 .78
Cd17 .27
Cd18 .76
Cd19 .87
Cd 19 1.27--peak
Cd 20 .85
Cd21 .62
Cd22 .91
Cd23 .38
Cd23 .68
Cd24 (today) 1.18--high positive

App reads those above .8 as positive. Typically my cycle is very regular with ovulation occuring cd19/20 and af arriving ten days later, so cycle length of 29/30.

I'm so very confused. I don't want to not attempt and miss out on actual ovulation, but I don't want to DTD too often in the fertile window and sway heavily boy.

[atomic sagebrush]

The apps are not that great TBH. They get too misleading.

I suspect (but we won't know till period arrives) that CD 19 was the true peak,. then the positives you're getting today are from the secondary estrogen surge.

All those attempts would be far enough apart to count as one attempt. no worries for the sake of your sway.

[MommaW]

Okay.
I had a negative later CD24, but a positive again today CD25. Last attempt was morning of CD24. My cervix has remained consistently high this past week. It's especially high today, but I'm not having that tell tale ewcm so I'm just so confused.

[atomic sagebrush]

It may be the secondary surge now or you may need to have another attempt!

[MommaW]

I have a typically 10 day LP. For pregnancy tests that say on the day of missed period, would I instead have to wait until 14DPO to test instead of my 10DPO?

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes. Pregnancy tests have nothing to do with your LP, they have to do with how many days along you are, so you need to wait till a certain number of days past ovulation even if it doesn't coincide with when your period is due

[MommaW]

Is there anything I can be doing during the tww to encourage implantation?

[atomic sagebrush]

no. Your body has everything it needs to implant a baby. The stuff people recommend to "aid implantation" is often dangerous and actually may cause chemical pregnancy in large amounts because it thins the blood too much. Just let nature take its course!

[MommaW]

Glad I asked! I had been told to eat fresh pineapple + core everyday and incorporate lots of warm soups/broths.

[atomic sagebrush]

If you want to eat some soup and pineapple that is fine. Do not take supplements that claim to "aid implantation" because they cause more harm than good.

[MommaW]

I'm fairly certain my positive opk at cd19 wasn't a true surge---I am 4 days late for AF (with LH of 10 days) and all FRER have been very negative. Perhaps my true surge was CD25. I'm on cd34 right now. I have been crampy, backaches, widely changing cm and cervix position for two weeks. My cervix is so high, I cannot feel it. I do have some ewcm, as well as thicker (globby?) yellowish cm with that. I'm so confused. Have no opks right now, so haven't tested again. For several months, I was consistently having cycles of 29 days with ovulation occuring around cd19. First month TTC, and it's been completely different.

[atomic sagebrush]

That happens so often, it's incredibly irritating. It's entirely possible you are ovulating NOW. I would have an attempt even though you don't have OPK.

[MommaW]

We had an attempt this afternoon. I hope this wasn't ovulation and my cycles don't continue to be unpredictable and long as February is the latest we can try to conceive before having to take a break for 5-6 months due to husband's work responsibilities when babe would be due. 😩

[atomic sagebrush]

All you need to do if cycles are unpredictable is to go to the e4d method and you'll always be covered in that case. I believe if we take some steps here you will be pregnant by February.

[MommaW]

Okay, I will do e4d (we've been doing every 72 hours---just works out that way). It makes me nervous since it took longer with my other children--a year for two of them (one three months after a miscarriage), and surprisingly only 5 months with my last babe but we were DTD every day in the fertile window, and twice a day for two days once got a positive opk, with preseed almost every time.

[atomic sagebrush]

Every 72 hours IS every 4 days. Just keep doing that.

If you want we can add an attempt at positive OPK to the e4d.

[MommaW]

Okay, we will continue e4d and add in an attempt at positive opk. What are the thoughts on sex/orgasm during the TWW?


Oh my, just plugged in my tentative ovulation dates for this cycle if I don't get AF and if the most recent high cervix + ewcm was actual ovulation, babe would be due on my 30th birthday!! So now I'm praying that I did in fact ovulate way late and will be blessed with another babe who arrives on their due date!

[atomic sagebrush]

Great!!! FXFXFX!

Sex and orgasm in 2WW are at your discretion. I think they're fine both for your sway and your conception (some people worry sex during the 2WW prevents conception - it doesn't) so I leave that choice up to you.

[MommaW]

Still no AF, and BFNs so far. Nipples have been increasingly sensitive past couple days, cervix is still very high.

On 9/21, CD28, I had two pea sized light pink spots on TP after using the bathroom. I never have spotting in between cycles, what could this have been?

[atomic sagebrush]

It could be anything. I know you're probably hoping that I'll say it's implantation, and that's one of many possibilities, but the truth is that 99 times out of 100 when people ask me this question it isn't implantation so I don't want to lead you down a path of getting your hopes up for it till we know more. FXFXFX!!!

[MommaW]

Today is cd37. A couple hours ago, I had mucusy (seemed thick, almost gelatinous, but a smidge stretchy, I don't really know how to explain it) cm with a few streaks of pink/light brown. Nothing since. I usually don't spot before AF, but maybe this month is just out of the normal for me.

[atomic sagebrush]

Hmm, that's interesting, if you hadn't tested negative I'd start getting my hopes up! Let's just keep waiting and see what develops.

[MommaW]

I thought perhaps it could've been implantation spotting and therefore hcg levels were not nearly high enough for a bfp. Tested bfn yesterday morning (9/30). In the afternoon, had the streaking. Had positive opks 9/18 and 9/19. Peak test was late afternoon of 9/19. Had slight pink spotting on 9/21.

As of today, no AF or further spotting. Feel constantly wet, but no cm on panties, just occasionally on TP. Cervix still feels very high. Frequent urination---always feel like I have to go. Slightly snsitive nipples, especially when breastfeeding, and areolas seem a smidge darker. Morning nausea before/during breakfast. Mild cramping in uterus/groin/upper thighs/sides of hips. Who knows! I'll continue impatiently waiting for AF or continued signs to try to test again.

[atomic sagebrush]

Have you continued having attempts?

[MommaW]

Yes, though they haven't all been in the e4d pattern due to husband not being available---kinda need him, ha.

Still quite sore nipples. They never are typically unless it's a single day around ovulation, or if daughter bites too hard. To go from very regular 29 day cycles to this chaotic cycle our first month TTC is stressful, so I'm just trying to remain optimistic.

[atomic sagebrush]

Ah, gotcha. just do your best as we don't want to miss an opportunity!

[MommaW]

AF finally showed this morning after 46 days. Such a confusing cycle.

[atomic sagebrush]

Can you think back about 2 weeks ago?? Did you have any ovulation symptoms at that time?

[MommaW]

The past few weeks have really been similar, crampy, ovary pains, high cervix, nipple tenderness. I think I can remember a bit of ewcm two-ish weeks ago, but not as prominent as it usually is. Very weird cycle. This period is very light compared to my typically heavy period days.

[atomic sagebrush]

If your period was late due to delayed O from lower estrogen it's not unusual to have a lighter period. The good news is this will be a reset and on to a whole new month!

[MommaW]

Is that a cause for concern when TTC? Is there something I should (or shouldn't) be doing to make sure my levels of estrogen are ideal for ovulating and conception?


Also, what are the thoughts on collagen powder, coffee, and maca powder in one's diet for a girl sway?

[atomic sagebrush]

We WANT your estrogen to be a bit lower as that is likely part and parcel of how swaying pink works. We aim at estrogen being lower but still being high enough to conceive. A delayed O is super common when swaying pink and is not a big deal as long as it doesn't keep getting longer and longer.

Go ahead and drop fiber if you were taking it, add in a serving of full fat dairy daily, 4-6 eggs a week, and salmon if you like it, red meat if you don't 1x a week. That works for most people to ensure you continue ovulating and in the majority of cases will bring your ovulation back to closer to normal range.

No collagen powder, that has components in it that may grow muscle and possibly sway blue.

No Maca, we do not know how it sways, and it has delayed and even stopped ovulation for several people - not in the good way that helps our pink sway, but by possibly raising male sex hormones which would sway blue. Additionally we've had some really weird side effects on Maca.

Coffee is good for pink, I highly recommend it. I got my girl with coffee after 4 boys with tea.

[MommaW]

Okay. That makes sense. My acne flares up SO BAD with dairy. Is there anything I could replace dairy with to supply enough calories/fat?

Can I also get your insights on liver support when TTC a girl? Things like lemon water, dandelion tea, sauna use, milk thistle tea, chlorella, etc?

[atomic sagebrush]

Lemon water sways blue. Dandelion tea and milk thistle, we do not know if they sway in either direction. Chlorella I cannot recommend in anything but the most occasional use because the blue green algaes have been linked to the development of motor neuron disease like ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).

Sauna is fine for pink if you want to do that.

[MommaW]

Okay, all good to know.

Is there anything I can substitute for full fat dairy? I do struggle to hit my calorie/fat intake, especially while breastfeeding, but dairy flares up my acne (especially hormonal chin and cheek acne) SO BAD.

[atomic sagebrush]

Coconut oil 1 serving a day

[MommaW]

I've received my BFP!!!!! 10dpo, but very clear positive! I've been take 1400mcg folate (1000mcg + 400mcg). What should I take now that I've received my BFP?

[atomic sagebrush]

Continue that amount of folate all thru the entire first trimester of pregnancy, then gradually wean off by spacing doses further and further out till down to just the amount in the prenatal. Don't drop folate levels suddenly, don't suddenly switch from folate to folic acid, and don't continue the higher dose much beyond the first trimester (just enough time to wean off it) as the higher amount may be harmful in the third trimester

[MommaW]

I've always had breast/nipple soreness for the first several weeks after getting a bfp. I had it two days this pregnancy, the couple days prior to bfp. None since, today I'm 4 weeks 2 days. I have a lot of bloating, morning nausea, abdominal cramping, some backaches, leg cramps, and fatigue. Do you ever find the lack of nipple soreness a concern this early, or am I just imagining the worst?

[atomic sagebrush]

Symptoms vary with each pregnancy. I have been pregnant seven times and had different symptoms (and no symptoms) with each one. (in fact, the two pregnancies that I lost both had massive symptoms and two of the pregnancies that worked out I had very few symptoms early on). I would not read anything into that.

[MommaW]

At 5weeks2days, I had a miscarriage. I very much felt pregnant when I received my BFPs, about a week later though, symptoms started to fade. Breast tenderness and nausea faded, though i still was experiencing fatigue, hot flashes on and off all day and night, significantly decreased breastmilk production, and a lot of bloated.

I'm super gutted. Is there anything I can do moving forward to perhaps help prevent another miscarriage? Do you think it sounds like low progesterone is an issue for a sustainable pregnancy? Or does this sound more like the egg wasn't healthy? I was taking both my regular folate and added in a prenatal for those weeks after bfp, and began eating a lot differently than my girl diet. Will this impact sway moving forward?

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear this. :heart:

If there was anything out there on Planet Earth that really worked to prevent miscarriage I would already have you guys take it.

Low progesterone is CAUSED by an unhealthy egg. Low progesterone is no longer really believed to cause losses. Progesterone dropping is how your body ends pregnancies that it detects aren't right (something about the signal the fertilized egg sends is off if it's not developing normally, and your body notices that and reduces progesterone to end the pregnancy, NOT the other way around). So the most likely cause of all losses is simply that something wasn't quite there with the egg, the sperm, or the way they combined and grew early on. Many doctors and researchers no longer even believe that "low progesterone" is the cause of any losses, a few others believe that a few recurrent losses may be caused by low progesterone but that most aren't. I'm always ok with you guys using progesterone if you want to, as long as you understand it's not a miracle cure, and that you may be artificially extending a pregnancy that wasn't going to work out.

Just go back to the diet and exercise now. Wean off the prenatal. The loss may help your sway, and most people want to try the first month after an early loss like this.

[MommaW]

Wow, thank you for sharing that info. I'll take your advice moving forward with our sway. We are going to try again as soon as possible, and pray that ovulation isn't messed up by this miscarriage moving forward. My breastmilk production has significantly decreased since BFP, so daughter is now nursing only about 6 times a day/night, so hopefully that'll be in our favor fertility-wise. Our first daughter, third child, is a rainbow baby, conceived 3 months after a loss, so we are trying to focus on how wonderful a rainbow baby is versus only focusing on the heartbreak of an early loss.

[atomic sagebrush]

Let me know how I can help. :heart:

[MommaW]

I have another bfp! Super nervous though as our last positive turned into a miscarriage. I've been taking 1600mcg folate (not folic acid). Do I continue this or can I wean down to the recommended 600mcg? I've read a few articles that suggest excessive folate supplementation can possible contribute to asthma, autism, and later cancer. That makes me super worried because my first daughter who I did this sway with and stuck to higher folate for first trimester was diagnosed with leukemia at age 2.

[atomic sagebrush]

I like you guys to take the additional folate (which is safe - these studies are referring to folic acid, not folate which is better utilized by the body) till the end of the first trimester and then wean off of it. At the end of the first trimester wean back to the amount in a prenatal. The baby's neural tube will be closed by then.

I am fully aware of all that research and the potential link to asthma was when taken after the first trimester. The autism link was not in women TAKING folic acid or folate, it was that their bodies saved up huge amounts of it for some reason that no one knows.

And as for cancer it may cause some kinds of cancer to grow more quickly but is not believed to CAUSE cancer.

Many of us, myself included, are prescribed up to 4000-5000 mcg folate or folic acid to prevent neural tube defects. The 1600 is barely more than recommended in pregnancy and many prenatals have 1000 mcg in them just as a matter of course.

If you feel you must wean off before the end of the first tri please do so gradually, VERY gradually, since you are not out of the danger zone for neural tube defects.

[MommaW]

If I wanted to scale back from 1600 to the recommended 600mcg, how would I go about doing this?

[atomic sagebrush]

Just start gradually spacing the doses further and further out till you are taking the amount you want to be taking. You're just making yourself go a little longer and a little longer between doses.

[MommaW]

So there's no harm in going back down to 600mcg in the first trimester, just so long as I do it gradually?

[atomic sagebrush]

I personally think it's risky because the baby's neural tube is forming and that is why I have you guys take it all through the first trimester. If I did not think it was best for you guys to continue all thru the first tri until the neural tube has closed, I would not suggest it that way. But people are going to do what they think is best regardless of what I say, so I am simply giving you the best way to drop back on the folic acid if you feel you need to do that.