E4D confusion

[atomic sagebrush]

Here is where the confusion lies.

You can do it EITHER way. You can do it 4 days in between or on the 4th day. There is no magic to the pattern, it is just an easy way of being in with one attempt effortlessly. The option you choose depends on what you personally want to accomplish - if you want to boost odds of conception, you have the attempt sooner, if you want better odds of pink, have it later. BOTH are still e4d method. It really isn't confusing, it isn't so much about the precise number of days, it's just having sex every 4ish days to be in with a chance of conception without having to mess around with OPK or guessing about when you're going to O.

There are a couple of reasons why people do this method. Understanding them will further shed light on what option you want to do.

One of them is for those who have been swaying a long time. They want to improve the chances they get pregnant and are ready to possibly compromise a bit in the swaying department (although this is still getting good results for pink provided people have been on diet 12 weeks or more) So they have sex every 4th day, so the worst case scenario is ending up with attempts on O-3 and O Day (you don't HAVE to or want to have attempts exactly on that day necessarily, just that this is the worst you can do, more likely it will be on O-2 or O-1)

The other is for people who are just starting off, and can't or don't want to use OPK. These people probably prefer a better chance of pink and can stretch it an additional day (or even more if they so choose) and are ok with slightly lower odds of conception to start out with. So they err on the side of fewer attempts and stretch it that one extra day in between.

There is no right or wrong way to do it. The point is NOT the magic pattern, because there is no magic pattern. The only thing that really seems to help is the one attempt. So we're trying to hit that one attempt without completely negating the odds of getting pregnant and no mattter how you do it, e4d (be it on the 4th day or with 4 full days between) is just a tool we use to accomplish the one attempt.

[atomic sagebrush]

The e4d suggestion is a less stressful way of achieving one attempt in the fertile window. Many women doing e4d do it so they don't have to do the stress of opks. Doing this means the one attempt can end up on any day in the fertile window, not necessarily the best day for conception. You may be unlucky with your one attempt not being on the best day in some months (timing had been debunked). Alternatively some women do temp or use opks and in that case you can have your one attempt at +opk.

As a blue swayer my goal would be 3 attempts at +opk.

thanks Mia, very well put!

[atomic sagebrush]

So do you wait for your fertile window and wait til you get a positive OPK, then DTD , then wait 4 days and DTD again? So if I got a positive OPK on Monday, I'd DTD that Monday then again on Thursday? Wouldn't that sway blue??? [emoji51][emoji51]

It doesn't, because most of the time that will still be in with one attempt. If you DTD on Monday, O on Tuesday (for sake of argument) that means that there's really only one viable attempt in fertile window. The attempt prior to Monday would have all died off by Tuesday's egg, the attempt Thursday would be too late.

Even in the "worst case" scenario, O-3 and O Day, there is a built in safety mechanism in that sperm take some time to capacitate. So if there was anything left from the O-3 attempt, it would have already fertilized the egg before the O Day shot could capacitate. And then if there wasn't, the O Day shot would capacitate and have a chance to fertilize the egg. This is obviously not surefire so that is why some people do want to start off with the added layer of protection and stretch it one more day (making it 4 full days between BD rounds)

But BOTH are still e4d. You pick the version that suits your needs more.

[Girlswaylondon]

Thanks, atomic. I think I'll leave it4 days in between to start with. I have pcos so I know opks can be funny (and cause me to obsess)

[atomic sagebrush]

Perfect!

[Girlswaylondon]

Sorry to bring up my old thread but this month has fell O-3 and O day, does this count as 2 attempts in fertile window? Or does it mean I don’t have much chance of concieving this month? I’ve been reading O day isn’t great for conception, is it “worst case” because of 2 attempts or because of less chance?

[atomic sagebrush]

The way that it works is this:

IF there was anything left over from the O-3 attempt, it will have fertilized the egg before the O Day shot could capacitate. If there isn't, the O Day shot will have a chance at the egg. It's "worst case" because technically kinda sorta on rare occasions it could be 2 attempts but it's also lower odds of conception. But it is what it is. I think you should probably not even COUNT when your attempts fall with e4d and just DO IT. It does nothing to help you knowing what days your attempt fell, it's giving you stress, and making you worry over probably meaningless details.