PLEASE help me to conceive this month!

[starflower]

Hi Ladies, some background info on me... we have been TTC for 6 months (officially 7 but took a month off!) and swaying pink. In hindsight I feel that I wasted a few months there at the beginning trying methods that included timing (2 months... silly!) and also used Rephresh and Sylk for a few months.

For the last few months we have used no lubes, no Rephresh, no sylk, no cranberry tabs or juice. I started taking Vitex (which stretched my cycle from 25 days to 28 days, prior to commencing this I did have one very short 23 day cycle). We BD through and stopped any frequent release methods etc to sway. We usually BD daily for around 4-5 days though O... last month we BD day 8, 9. 10, 11 and 13. Not sure when I O'ed but thinking it was day 11 as I had some O pains around day 10? Also thought I felt some on day 13 so we BD again just in case!

As mentioned for the last few months we did not use any lubes etc as I did not want to hinder my chances. Last month for something different I thought we might try Canola Oil as I have heard it is neutral and doesn't sway... we used it for 3 out of 4 attempts and result = BFN.

Also, I forgot to add that our gorgeous DS was conceived in the 3rd month of trying and using Pre-Seed, I am reluctant to use Pre-Seed again as I am convinced that it sways boy heavily and as happy as I would be to have another boy I don't want that to be purely because we used pre-seed if that makes sense?

Please, Please, Please.... I need your help. What else can I do to increase my chances of conceiving? Is there another lube that I can use that might help us conceive and does not sway blue so strongly? Is there any point of using something such as olive oil or does this also hinder conception? Should I try Robutussin, Taking Omega 3 capsules or something else?

Please, any advice you have would help me a lot right now. Please help me conceive my much longed for second baby

[Hobbermittens]

I know that Robutussin and fish oil are part of the boy sway. Good luck TTC. I hope a girl swayer can chime in and give you some answers!

[Butterfly Spirit]

I used RepHresh and Sylk with Vitex these last two months of my conceptions. I will HIGHLY recommend them to anyone wanting to sway Pink!

How many cycles have you used Vitex?
Maybe it's time to go without it for results.

[PeonyPrincess]

I added vit B6 the month I ended up getting pg, but of course have no idea if that was the reason or just mother nature! You sound like you have been doing a great job. Hang in there! I was taking fish oil capsules...and could be carrying a boy, I don't know yet. GL!!

[starflower]

Good to see you again peony... WOW, 17 weeks? Time really flies hey? Can I ask, what made you decide to use the B6, just wondering as I need to start looking at different options. The fish oil is to improve the uterus lining correct? and might also help with secretions for BD'ing?

Buttefly Spirit I have only been on the Vitex for the last 2 cycles as I was very reluctant to take it at first for fear it would completely mess up my cycles and make it harder to conceive. If anything I feel it has helped my cycle as I was worried that maybe my luteal phase was not long enough?

Any recommendations on a lube that will NOT hinder my chances of conceiving (such as Sylk, Rephresh, Aci-Gel etc) I have tried those and they do not seem to help my conception (which I guess is kind if the point lol). Does anyone recommend canola oil, olive oil etc? VERY reluctant to use Pre-Seed!

Anything else i should do to increase my chances of conceiving? Thanks Ladies!

[NCBeachyGrl]

Do you use OPKs or temp? It could be that you are missing your O date. I am not TTC yet, but I am planning to BD at +OPK.

[starflower]

Thanks for the responce NCBeacyGrl... I have been using OPK's on again off again but have not found them to be all that reliable for me? I must admit though, the thought has occured to me that maybe we are missing O date and maybe I am O'ing earlier than I think? I will definitely keep a closer eye on it this month... thanks for the reply

[dramabird]

Starflower, if you're not already temping to confirm O, I'd sure recommend that. I had a friend who had short/normal cycles (27-28 days), so she figured she had to be Oing around a standard 14 days, so all of their attempts were prior to that. But if finally turned out she was Oing later than she thought and simply had a shortish LP, too. Once she figured out that and fixed her timing, she got pg the next month.

My DH and I took four cycles to get pregnant with this third baby. We used Sylk the first three months but dropped it with the thought that it was preventing conception. We did use saliva this time, though. That isn't sperm-friendly either, so therefore it does sway pink, but I wonder if it isn't as harsh as purchased lubes, either, since you don't use as much and it's not made with chemicals?? I know that Mochagirl used saliva, too, and got her DD.

Are you having the big O during your BD? Traditionally, pink swayers skip orgasm and blue swayers aim for it ... but there are def. women who have the big O and go on to conceive their DDs. Orgasm is thought to help promote conception.

It doesn't sound like you've been using Vitex so long that it probably is hindering anything yet. For me, I took it three months straight before TTC and then AF-O for three cycles ... I think my body was interpreting it as birth control, so I also dropped it just prior to this cycle, which was finally successful. You just might want to consider getting rid of the Vitex in a few months, if you're still not getting pg.

Good luck. I know it's frustrating -- but you will get there and be having nausea and sore boobs before you know it!

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, I know this isn't the answer you want to hear but I would go for the Preseed. Canola oil does not help you conceive at all and I personally believe that regardless of what they claim on the other site, Canola is not good for sperm (sperm are not made to swim through oil) and can prohibit conception by forming an oily barrier that sperm cannot penetrate ((same with olive oil). Canola oil can also linger days after you use it, so even if you used it 3 of the 4 times, it was still in there and possibly blocking sperm the other time as well. If you can't get pg, you have no chance at your DG and both boys and girls have been conceived while using Preseed. I do believe it sways blue as well for the average person, but you're in a unique situation here and I think it is worth the risk, because it's pretty clear you've lowered fertility too far and need to take a step back up the fertility continuum to where you can get pg. for you, I think the Preseed is a sound gamble to take at this stage of the game.

Robitussin is basically the same animal as Preseed; rather than emulating your natural CM, it causes your body to make more CM and rather than just staying in the VJ like the Preseed does, it makes your entire repro tract produce more sperm-friendly. To my way of thinking, it sways even more blue than the Preseed does. However, if part of the issue is that you're low in the fluids that carry sperm to egg (inside the uterus and fallopian tubes there is fluid that helps transport sperm to egg) and also that carries fertilized egg to the uterus to implant there, then the Robitussin would surely help.

Omega 3 works similarly to the Robitussin in that it can help make your body produce more CM, but it works much more slowly and when you take it, you also risk sending a message to your body that you have access to more healthy fats and your body may interpret that as improving condition and time to TTC another boy. Not a good gamble.

The other suggestion I would have is not to waste your attempts on days that cannot get you pg. Attempts on CD 8 and 9 do you no good if you don't O until CD 13 and since you're having trouble getting sperm to the egg, it may be more than your husband can manage to DTD that many days back to back. You need to focus your attempts in yoru fertile window. I think it would be a great idea to get some OPK and then have 3 attempts at or after your positive OPK - one the night of the pos OPK, one the next morning, and then one the next night. You should also have your husband release every 2-4 days starting CD 1 to make sure he has a good number of healthy sperm being formed.

Another option would be to follow the SMEP Sperm Meets Egg Plan which is a pattern of intercourse designed to improve odds of conception.

Nutshell version, my suspicion is that the 1-2 punch of too many releases back to back starting too soon in advance of ovulation, plus you not having good CM and/or fluids in uterus and tubes, is making it impossible for any swimmers to make it to the egg, and/or to survive inside your body So you need to either increase number of sperm or improve CM and fluid, or both.

If you really, really don't want to use Preseed, you have the option of changing it up a bit and doing this in phases.

Month one - Do SMEP or else 3 attempts at pos OPK. Drop canola but don't add in anything else.
Month two - if BFN, then add in either Robi or Preseed in addition to conception-friently
Month three - if BFN, then add in BOTH Robi and Preseed.

Also, if you've been on Vitex for several months, try skipping a month and seeing if that helps - a few of us (myself included) got pg the month we stopped vitex.

Above all, I don't want you to panic. I know it's scary and nervewracking, but remember, the first two months were almost throwaways because of the timing, you were using RepHresh and Sylk and all sorts of things...this WILL happen for you!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh and with the B6, unless you know you're having a luteal phase of 10 days or less, I don't recommend it. I've seen SO many opposites with the B6 that unless you really and truly need it, I personally don't think it's worth the risk. (it typically takes months to extend LP anyway, so it may be a gamble for no benefit)

PS - brilliant point Drama about the possibility of later O plus short LP. The vitex may have done nothing for your LP but jsut made your FP longer. That is TOTALLY possible and it may be that you're not ovulating until CD 15-18 and then have a 10 day LP. So you're not even DTD when you're ovulating and thus have no chance of conception.