TTC Girl Advice Needed and Much Appreciated

[KraizyDaizy]

Hello ladies! So glad to find this forum! I have been on IG site, but this site seems to have more information on this one and I hope some of you ladies can share you wisdom with me.

Here is my situation:
I am 37 and my DH is 40. We have 4 sons who are 12, 10, 5 & 3, so a DD is my pink dream! We have been TTC for over a year and a half, swaying most of the time but not strictly. I have Graves disease and had my thyroid taken out in 2003, so I am currently on 175mcg of Synthroid per day. Thinking my levels were off I had blood drawn a few weeks ago and I am extremely anemic with a 7.9, Vit D deficient with a level of 4 and my TSH was a 1. So my level of Synthroid was adjusted to 188mcg on the 7th day of the week, on 50,000ui of Vit D twice a week (100,000ui), and on Folitab 500 which has Vit C and Follic Acid in it as well.

I am extremely tired of course and sickly, so my question is, sickness is supposed to sway girl right? Should these levels sway girl or no? Should the levels get back to normal before we can even get pregnant?

Should I be adding the magnesium and calcium citrates, and other minerals on top of all the meds I am already on?

Since I am 37 and DH is 40 which should we try frequent DTD or a cut off or both or 0+12?

How does an Ovulation Monitor fit in to the girl swaying? I have a CBE that I just got last cycle that showed my surge at cd20, when I thought I was getting +OPKS at cd14 or cd 15. We are BDing too early I think and stopping before I got close to O maybe. Anyways, any advice on how to incorporate the monitor would be helpful since it was very expensive. I think there might be a thread, but I have searched and not found it yet?

I am BBT charting, checking my CM and cervix, just bought a Diva cup size 2 and have also purchases the Replens to lower PH. I have a PH in the 4-5 range already or I did last time I checked it.

I was thinking we would DTD through O using the Replens and the diva cup, but maybe that is a bad idea? I am on CD15 now, so if you can help me figure out any information on all these items or questions, I would greatly appreciate it!!!

I know this is a long post and so am thankful you took a moment to read it. Please respond if you can. I am so confused....

[rainbowflower]

welcome!

CBE = is that the same as the fertility monitor? does it tell you "high" or "peak" days? would you be doing a cut off? abstaining/FR/compressed FR?
where did your temps say you OVed? CD20 or CD14/15?

yes, sickness is supposed to sway pink

are you doing one of the diets? if you're doing the LE diet, you might not even need the calc/mag supps

I don't think you need the diva cup

[KraizyDaizy]

Rainbowflower,
Thanks so much for replying!

CBE = is that the same as the fertility monitor? Yes, it is the ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor
does it tell you "high" or "peak" days? yes, it does show these days
would you be doing a cut off? I am not sure what to do. What do you think I should do in my situation with our ages and so forth. Also, my DH has been on hydrocodone for a back injury in a car wreck two years ago, maybe this would sway girl?

abstaining/FR/compressed FR? I don't know. I have read many things and I am guessing it depends on your situation. Like mine now I am CD15, with an expected O date around cd21 and abstaining would not be enough time I think? or FR or DTD straight through? no baby in over a year and a half so maybe he has a lower sperm count with all his pain meds?

where did your temps say you OVed? CD20 my last FF chart said my temp was 97.85 HIGH on cd19, 97.57 PEAK on cd20 and 97.78 PEAK cd 21. FF says I Oed on cd21, but if you change FF from advanced to monitor method, it says CD20. I did not use OPK's because I thought the monitor was supposed to do that, but it measures the surge differently.

or CD14/15? the cycle I did get a +OPK was a couple cycles back and my temp on cd15 was 98.16 and FF also confirmed that my O was on cd15 as well. I was on Femara that month, so not sure if that helps you. Not taking Femara now.

yes, sickness is supposed to sway pink Is my low levels considered a sickness pink sway?

are you doing one of the diets? I have lowered all salt, hardly ever eat sweets, don't eat meat other than a little chicken. I am a pasta girl. I live on plain rice cakes.

if you're doing the LE diet, you might not even need the calc/mag supps The LE diet, I have been trying the one on IG, but it is way too strict and my body cannot do it at times since I am so weak with the anemia and low VitD.

I don't think you need the diva cup How come, they are supposed to sway girls and Instead cups sway boys? what should I do then. Just BD normally?

So sorry for so many questions, but I am not getting any younger....

[rainbowflower]

aha, I use one of those too then but not sure it's marketed with the "Easy" in the name here

I don't believe cut offs sway given all the controlled studies done and the inconclusive results, and I think when you're older it might be more difficult to get pregnant anyway so you might have to DTD closer to OV if not BD through OV in order to catch the egg

I haven't heard anything about a back injury swaying before, unless because of medication for it? I don't know much about medications or how they sway

If you're so close to OV abstaining might not be quite long enough, and maybe more DTD would get more swimmers in there and give more chances to catch the egg for you.

You've been TTC for the whole year previously? what was your sway or were you NTNP?

the LE diet could be good for you then - you can add in other foods (banned on other diets) in small amounts as long as you keep within certain limits

the sperm are only in the vagina for 5-15 mins after DTD anyway, it doesn't take them long to head into the cervix on the way to the egg

[zanacal]

I believe the Diva cup is recommended with an IG style sway to be able to control the pH better? However, the theory many of us run with is that anything which lowers sperm count sways pink. Having a low pH may very well lower sperm count by killing some of the swimmers (both XX and XY) but using something to hold more of the sperm closer to your cervix and for longer does the opposite!

Taking in to consideration your ages I wouldn't abstain. As you've been ttc for some time now it's likely, as you say, that your DH already has a low sperm count - but if you want to do something to lower it as part of your sway then I would consider a compressed frequent release (have DH release once or twice in a short time frame before having your first attempt) and I would DTD 2 or 3 times close to ovulation - maybe the day of your +OPK and the next 2 days (so potentially O-1, O and O+1). I honestly don't think I'd go over the top with any of this in your situation though. Your fertility is obviously lowered already for whatever reasons and if you can't get pregnant you can't get a girl OR a boy! Are you currently doing anything in terms of acid jellies/lime/antihistimines etc?

If you don't get pregnant this cycle I would definitely consider switching to the LE diet - it's easier to stick to in the long term and also safer, there's no need to take a break from it for health reasons and you can adapt it to suit your own circumstances.

[zanacal]

We posted at the same time rainbow - good job we said much the same thing

[KraizyDaizy]

aha, I use one of those too then but not sure it's marketed with the "Easy" in the name here

I don't believe cut offs sway given all the controlled studies done and the inconclusive results, and I think when you're older it might be more difficult to get pregnant anyway so you might have to DTD closer to OV if not BD through OV in order to catch the egg

I haven't heard anything about a back injury swaying before, unless because of medication for it? I don't know much about medications or how they sway

If you're so close to OV abstaining might not be quite long enough, and maybe more DTD would get more swimmers in there and give more chances to catch the egg for you. I am thinking more towards DTD through O, but maybe use Replens or Rephresh? do you recommend that?

You've been TTC for the whole year previously? what was your sway or were you NTNP? what was my sway, well at first the IG diet really strict. I used Hannah PH tester to test PH and I found it difficult, but my PH was in the lower girly range. I tried the lime douches, the lime tampon, used replens, but it is hard to read my CM and reading from the posts I used replens after or before DTD so it killed the swimmers I am sure. I have been taking supplements like magnesium and calcium citrate, follic acid, BBT charting, ferning scope and been reading but on IG it is totally different than this site. I am finally understanding a little of what I have been doing wrong. Like with my CBE fertility monitor, I must have been so off thinking I Oed earlier with what I thought were positive OPK's to have my last cycle show my LH surge on CD 19. I just need to straightened out I think casue IG has me totally wrong!

the LE diet could be good for you then - you can add in other foods (banned on other diets) in small amounts as long as you keep within certain limits

the sperm are only in the vagina for 5-15 mins after DTD anyway, it doesn't take them long to head into the cervix on the way to the egg

really I never knew this! so using a cup to help keep them in there longer does not work, cause they have already left the cm or the liquid the sperm is in from DH and all that is left after 15 minutes is just waste or something??????

This is such good information! I feel so enlightened! Keep the info coming!!!!

[KraizyDaizy]

I believe the Diva cup is recommended with an IG style sway to be able to control the pH better? However, the theory many of us run with is that anything which lowers sperm count sways pink. Having a low pH may very well lower sperm count by killing some of the swimmers (both XX and XY) but using something to hold more of the sperm closer to your cervix and for longer does the opposite!

Simply amazing!!!!! I never would have thought that, so that is how I had my last two boys!!!! I used the Instead cup which I later found out was for boys and not girls, but even then the pooling of sperm give more of the boys sperm a chance duh...feel so stupid! but just bought the diva cup for $40, what do I do with it now?

Taking in to consideration your ages I wouldn't abstain. As you've been ttc for some time now it's likely, as you say, that your DH already has a low sperm count - but if you want to do something to lower it as part of your sway then I would consider a compressed frequent release (have DH release once or twice in a short time frame before having your first attempt) and I would DTD 2 or 3 times close to ovulation - maybe the day of your +OPK and the next 2 days (so potentially O-1, O and O+1). I honestly don't think I'd go over the top with any of this in your situation though. Your fertility is obviously lowered already for whatever reasons and if you can't get pregnant you can't get a girl OR a boy! Are you currently doing anything in terms of acid jellies/lime/antihistimines etc?

I tried lime early on and I could never get the PH right, and I ended up irritating my VG. Also tried the lime tampon and it was a disaster!!! I have used the replens, but my CM is like cottage cheese afterwards and from what I just read, you have to use it before DTD like days in advance or hours and I was using it with DTD!!! grrrrrh!!! the stupid replens finger killed my swimmers I guess! I even heard you can put it in the Diva cup which I was going to do, but now I am sure that is out of the question?

If you don't get pregnant this cycle I would definitely consider switching to the LE diet - it's easier to stick to in the long term and also safer, there's no need to take a break from it for health reasons and you can adapt it to suit your own circumstances.

Where is the LE diet located? Also is there a thread on using the fertility monitor in correlation to the O+12? I saw where sagebrush said it was in a post all in itself, but where?

[rainbowflower]

you can find the details of the LE diet in the private section for dream members

fascinating the things you learn while swaying, isn't it?

[Out of the Blue]

Simply amazing!!!!! I never would have thought that, so that is how I had my last two boys!!!! I used the Instead cup which I later found out was for boys and not girls, but even then the pooling of sperm give more of the boys sperm a chance duh...feel so stupid! but just bought the diva cup for $40, what do I do with it now?
[/B]

Ha! I did the same thing...Instead cups got me both my boys! I was studying up on IG before I found this site and had purchased a Diva Cup for TTC purposes as well. Never used it to TTC and turns out it works great for it's original purpose...AF! I actually don't think I'll ever need to use tampons/pads again.