e4d vs one attempt conception odds

[lad]

Hi all,

We're coming up on our third month TTC, and I'm trying to decide whether to loosen our sway a little bit. My first two pregnancies I conceived on the first try, so I definitely seem to have lowered my fertility, and this whole waiting business is new to me!

The last two months we've done one attempt with jump and dump. This month, I was thinking we'd drop the jump and dump, and instead do just one attempt. And then I was thinking if we don't get pregnant this month, maybe we should move to E4D? If E4D gives much better odds of getting pregnant, I'd be tempted to jump right to that this month--I would really, really love an October baby.

I have a really clear OPK pattern each month, and I know I'm catching the beginning of my LH surge because I test twice per day, which makes me feel like in ways, one attempt at first positive OPK might be a better bet for us than E4D anyway, because we can make sure that we're DTD within 24-48 hours of ovulation. Any thoughts or advice?

We also might skip TTC in February if we don't get pregnant this month because we already have three birthdays in November, along with Thanksgiving and Halloween. If I were to get pregnant in February, I'd be due right in that period in November, which would be crazy! Knowing our luck, that's probably when we'll actually end up getting pregnant :)

Edited to add -- I noticed several other posts about faint positives on FRER tests -- I've had them this month too, on two of them! Super annoying. They really got my hopes up this month, and now I'm hesitant to use them next month.

[atomic sagebrush]

The reason why e4d works better is because firstly, you never know when you will O sooner or later than you expect to and people do often miss their pos OPK by having a bad expectation of when it will come. But more than that, it is because we don't technically KNOW that everyone will have a good chance of conception at positive OPK every month. We assume that, but it is entirely possible that for some people or in some months, they'dve been better off having sex the day before the OPK, or the day after, and if we always aim at positive OPK, it may be we end up shooting ourselves in the foot that way. The e4d introduces an element of random chance if you happen to be in that group that is best off having sex on a different day, plus it guards in case of early or late O.

My belief is that e4d is ALWAYS gonna be better chances than one attempt at positive. Yes, it's possible that we could end up with some situation where it isn't (like O-3 and O Day, which is sort of the worst case scenario, otherwise it will be O-1 or O-2 and either of those is going to be in line with your chances at pos OPK) but even then O-3 and O Day is still a good chance of conception. It is MUCH more likely to aim at pos OPK and miss it than it is to somehow end up missing the month due to O-3 and O Day attempts.

The other option, of course, is to still do OPK and then if it's coming down to it you can just say "heck, I had O-3 attempt and now it's pos OPK on what I think will be O-1, I can hit it again if I want" That's an option too, or to aim at EARLY on O Day instead of late that night. Totally possible.

Thanks for letting me know about the FRER! That keeps happening! I wonder what happened, if they started doing something different!

[lad]

Thanks so much, Atomic!!

I talked to my husband, and we're going to do E4D this cycle. Next cycle, if I haven't conceived, we'll go back to one attempt at positive OPK (potentially even with jump and dump) -- that way if it's meant to be that we have another birthday in November, there's still a chance for things to happen. I feel good about skipping the OPKs this month -- I think they feed too much into my control freak side :). If, after February we still haven't conceived, it'll be back to E4D.

And the FRER tests really are so weird!!! There was a definitive line that showed up within five minutes for me both times, but it was so, so faint, and didn't get darker for the second test, so I didn't trust it. Turns out I was right not to! Next month, I'm just going to wait for my period to be late, and if it hasn't shown up for a few days then I'll take a digital!

[atomic sagebrush]

GREAT plan!!!

[Pinkbow]

@atomic sagebrush I am just piggy backing off this above comment from you.
"The other option, of course, is to still do OPK and then if it's coming down to it you can just say "heck, I had O-3 attempt and now it's pos OPK on what I think will be O-1, I can hit it again if I want" That's an option too, or to aim at EARLY on O Day instead of late that night. Totally possible."

I am working against dates for due dates...in which I mean I am a wedding photographer and do not want to have to break a brides heart to cancel her wedding because I'm too close to birth or post birth.
We have been doing the 1 attempt lately and unsuccessful. We have blocked out a window of no weddings to have the baby but that window is closing fast!

Going off your above comment.....if we try e4d, you're saying we can do e4d and still track o using OPK's and if we get a + OPK we can do another attempt? Is that correct? Then do we contine doing e4d or stop after the one attempt?

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[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, you can add an attempt at first positive OPK in addition to the e4d. Keep going with the e4d before and after the OPK. This may be somewhat less pink friendly than just e4d though.

[Pinkbow]

Thank you @atomic sagebrush. So you'd suggest just sticking to the e4d. I want to get pregnant quicker but don't want to wreck my chances of a girl.
It looks like on stat's that e4d has been pretty successful, is this correct?

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[Pinkbow]

Also @atomic sagebrush I was doing an hour cardio (excercise bike everday) then had to take about 5 days off due to medical reasons. I am about to ovulate again in a few weeks. Will this wreck my chances of a girl?

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[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you @atomic sagebrush. So you'd suggest just sticking to the e4d. I want to get pregnant quicker but don't want to wreck my chances of a girl.
It looks like on stat's that e4d has been pretty successful, is this correct?

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It's all about what YOU need to do for your own purposes though. While I do think e4d is better than e4d plus one, it may be you need to do the e4d plus 1 to get pregnant sooner.

E4d is new, but it's been getting good results so far. It may go down over time as more people use it. But it is def. not swaying blue at any rate.

[Pinkbow]

@atomic sagebrush I think this is the last question!

I'm about to start AF and we have decided to do e4d.
I tracked back and noticed I was getting peak on my OPK basically every 14 days (after first day of AF)
Is there a particular pattern you suggest we do for e4d?

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[Pinkbow]

.....so my AF should start this Thurs (4th) then end Tues

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[atomic sagebrush]

@atomic sagebrush I think this is the last question!

I'm about to start AF and we have decided to do e4d.
I tracked back and noticed I was getting peak on my OPK basically every 14 days (after first day of AF)
Is there a particular pattern you suggest we do for e4d?

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Just start it when your period ends and continue on past till when you think you've ovulated. I don't want you to try to make it come out a particular day. Part of why the e4d works is the randomness - people sometimes assume they will be fertile on a certain day and so try to have sex that day month after month, when really they would have been better off the day before or after. By doing e4d it means we can luck our way into having an attempt on a day we didn't plan to that may be better.

[lad]

Just wanted to reply to this thread and say that E4D worked for us—we did a pattern of Mondays and Fridays, and I think I ovulated on Saturday evening (I was curious and took an OPK just to see, and it came out positive Friday night).

We got our BFP two days ago. Now comes the long wait until we can see the heartbeat and then finally find out gender. Fingers crossed this little baby sticks around!!! I wrote my sway out so that I don’t forget anything, but will probably wait to post it until we have seen the heartbeat and the chance of miscarriage drops.

[Pinkbow]

@atomic sagebrush thank you!

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[Pinkbow]

Thank you @lad and congrats on bub!!!!! All the best x

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[Sallystutt]

Bump/following (hope that's okay!) I ended up with O-3 and O-1 this month by doing every 4 days and BD a few hours after positive OPK and freaking out bit that I've messed up my sway but I've been trying for 6 months with single BDs at O-3 and O-2...!

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, I would have suggested trying O-1 and then e4d before going to e4d plus one more at positive OPK but it's done now. You can still get a girl that way and our results with 2 attempts are not much worse than 1 (it's three attempts that has been uber boy friendly)

[Pinkbow]

@atomic sagebrush I clearly didn't think I was pregnant this time around but just had a BFP!!!!

I was going pretty hard core sticking to my diet, excercise and did the one attempt I think the only thing that may have harmed my chances were these Nexba drinks!
I would have 1 daily I didn't realise until the other day they are loaded with probiotics! (But no salt or sugar) would this have hurt my girl sway?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210201/3e793ec7001f5c3b12eb7983fa7a3134.jpg

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[atomic sagebrush]

Huge congrats lad!