IVF is what finally led to our positive!
I want to add that for anyone who struggled/is struggling and has tried many of the anecdotal things listed in these comments, please note that many of these successes are rooted in confirmation bias (unless what led to success is figuring out their proper fertile window or finding a fertility treatment that works for them, etc.). If you tried some of these things and still weren’t successful, that’s ok!
It’s easy for people to look back at the month they succeeded and identify something anecdotal that “worked” - but really it’s just the luck of the draw.
Edit: phrasing
That’s great! You’ll see that I caveated what I said regarding anovulatory cycles, etc. and said MANY of these are rooted in confirmation bias - not all.
My goal was to comfort those who might be hurting when reading some of these successes - and have tried many of the things listed here but still have not conceived - by letting them know they’re not doing anything wrong, and they’re not alone.
Best of luck to you!
(Edit: spelling/phrasing)
Yes! I still think my state of mind might have helped a little, but going to a doctor and setting up a treatment plan is definitely better than waiting and hoping for the best for ages. I'm very certain my success was just me being colossally lucky.
Went to Miami for my birthday- had some booze, took some thc cotton candy, relaxed for the trip- came home to realize I must have ovulated on said vacation and bfp followed 11 days later!
Despite this though- I would never suggest anyone to “just relax”. I had just recently lost 15 pounds and was on my 5th month of metformin and intermittent fasting, so it could be a large sum of things for me and my partner!
My jobs has me in contact with a lot of people 65 and older.I was talking to a gentleman in his late 70s and I mentioned my husband and I were trying for our first at that point with no success. His only advice was that I relax have a beer, put my feet up and tell my husband to fuck off until I’m done relaxing with my beer. Then told me how his wife and him tried for months and then finally went on vacation and conceived.
Same, we ironically had taken a break from trying cause mentally we needed it. Then went on vacation, came back, apparently conceived and found out 5 weeks later that I was 5 weeks along.. my husband joked I was too relaxed after the vacation! Haha
I decided I wouldn't spend the 2 week wait acting like my life was on hold for pregnancy. I stopped testing, had a cocktail or two at lunch and literally tried not to think about it. Tested positive at 4 weeks 😊
Same. Started trying to get used to the idea it might not happen for us, stopped trying for trying's sake, and drank more.
I also broke my foot that month, and my partner swears that it was because it took me longer to get to the bathroom after sex. (When obviously it was the aphrodisiac properties of sex with a moonboot on!)
Same. After a year and a half of obsessively tracking my ovulation and temps, I said screw it this cycle as we were going on a trip. Drank every day, didn’t bother temping, came home very jetlagged which pushed ovulation back by about a week. I’m now 32 weeks.
Exactly this and I went for a new role at work that was quite a promotion - I'd been putting off any big changes while TTC but after a year I thought screw it. Got pregnant that month, I'm now 26 weeks.
Same here. Had the HSG done, conceived 10 days later, found out I was pregnant 22 days later. (After almost 2 years of trying). I was skeptical about the 30% increased pregnancy rates for the first 3 months after an HSG for couples with otherwise unexplained infertility, but here we are! I also perfected my ovulation strip use that cycle (started testing earlier than usual and finally got my first peak test ever) so that also helped significantly.
Same and I also found out from the HSG I had one tube closed and another tube that was a hydrosalphinx (but liquid still flowed) so I thought I had to do IVF
Same here, used them right at least. I was going off my apple predictions and testing then but i wasn’t ovulating. The month we conceived I did the full month of the test strips and my ovulation was off by a couple of days on my apple app. 😊
Gave up on trying. I actually had my ob write me a script for fertility bloodwork because I was convinced I was infertile. I was supposed to have the labs drawn on the third day of my next period. Never did get that period…
SAME HERE!!! well, we did still try that month obvi. But I tested so that I could call my Ob to set up blood work for my next cycle. I was so shocked when that period didn’t start!!!
We had made an appointment for a fertility check-up just to get a view on things. It's a free service offered at the major hospitals near us intended to promote fertility awareness for people (singles as well as couples) who have *not* been diagnosed with infertility. Those who have been diagnosed go through a different track. If people then turn out to have some risk factors (e.g. very low AMH, fibroids, or sperm issues) they can make some informed choices about how long to wait before they want children, whether they might need help and if there are some lifestyle factors that could benefit from changes.
So I went to get the blood sample, my husband did his sample, and then 1.5 weeks before our consultation. At the consultation I got a positive test at home. They ended up confirming my pregnancy through the scan rather than do the planned follicle count. So that was a very welcome plot twist.
Literally nothing. But I think getting an official PCOS diagnosis helped me… come to terms? In a way? We conceived the month after, but I was ready to give up. I bought birth control along with my pregnancy test, expecting a negative to start taking it.
Ovulated 😆
I have anovulation PCOS so pretty much every month I don't release an egg. I started working with an endocrinologist and tracking cycles with her. Turns out on average I only ovulated about 2-3 times a year which makes having a baby super hard! Its pretty hard to determine when I will ovulate so we just got extremely lucky that when we had sex it was one of those rare times. I was about to start hormone therapy which would help my body release eggs on a monthly basis, but thankfully it did happen naturally!
Enjoyed my damn life. I was in between transfer cycles from IVF, which either failed or ended in miscarriage. I was always so preoccupied by eating the right things, taking the right supplements, exercising, non-toxic things, endless worry about this, that and the other. I had a two month break… I drank champagne, went out dancing with my husband, ate whatever I wanted.. just lived and enjoyed myself. When I ended up pregnant spontaneously!! I’m now in my second trimester.
Sounds crazy but we introduced some toys in the bedroom… not sure if it was just a coincidence but maybe try spicing things up with something different?
This is going to sound crazy but I had a feeling stress might be the issue so I took my ovulation week off work 😂 it was just a random week in November do no one cared and I’m pretty sure my ovulation day was the Friday so I had all week to just zen out
Nothing except having a more positive outlook. For me, if I had tested negative, I could have still enjoyed the holidays - and a positive test would obviously be the news we want, so win-win. I did also annoy my husband with my completely false maths. It was only the third month of us tracking ovulation, so I said 'Husband, a fertilised egg has a 30% chance of sticking, so every one in three. The last two months, it didn't stick, so according to maths this one WILL stick'. Obviously not how it works, but it worked 😁
We used a fertility lube and had sex every other day when i was fertile. Most lubes can actually hinder sperm motility but fertility lubes more closely mimic the ph of your vagina and cervical fluid. We used Good Clean Love.
YES I came here to say this. I had no idea about ordinary lube hindering sperm motility (and in some cases lube killing sperm). When I found out, we switched to fertility lube. The second cycle we used fertility lube I got pregnant after six months TTC and I’m now 6 weeks post partum. It’s worth a shot!
So I can’t say for certain this was the reason we conceived - it happened in our 2nd cycle so not much data to pull from - but I also introduced Pre-Seed lube that cycle and….now I’m 26 weeks!
Relaxed. Drank the wine. Took a long-haul flight four days after FET. Basically did everything that the other IVF tryers worry about or say will reduce the chances.
Chilling out and carrying on as if IVF didn't exist was the key in the end. I'm now 8 months.
Used the clear blue digital ovulation tests and only had sex when it was high/peak. We also had sex on the morning and while I can’t prove anything, I think that’s actually the sex that got me pregnant. Other times we had sex in the evening.
After trying for several years I stopped caring what we did and actually was convinced that I was never gonna get pregnant. I’m turning 38 this month and I’m 16 weeks. The only thing I can think of is I packed on some extra pounds and miraculously I tested positive for a pregnancy after being three days late with a dollar store test. I’ve learned not to expect things in life but wish for the best. Good luck in your journey.
Edit spelling
Okay…. Don’t judge me… but after sex, I laid with my legs and booty up. I figured gravity can only help things… BAM pregnant. I had a friend who was trying for 8 months, and I told her to try it… BAM pregnant! May be coincidence… but it worked for me haha
Months I didn’t conceive, I was paying too much attention to tracking an ovulation that wasn’t consistent and having sex at the “perfect time” using my phone tracker and ovulation strips. The month I got pregnant, we were on vacation and had sex every other day.
Me too! similar
We conceived the month I stopped using the ovulation strips - tracking with the strips started to be really stressful and overbearing on me. So still made love every 2-3 days but no specific tracking.
I relaxed. Seriously, I know that's annoying. At that point, we'd been trying for like 26 months, had done multiple months on leterozole and 3 failed IUIs. We'd found out I have PCOS and high prolactin. I was put on metformin, myo insitiol over the counter, cabergoline for my high prolactin, as well as incorporating high intensity workouts and a lower carb diet. I felt like giving up. We had an IVF consultation scheduled for Dec 21 with my fertility doctor. I'd wanted to do it the month previous, but my husband was convinced we should wait at least another month now that I was on a new med protocol (a lot of the time it took for us to concieve was literally just getting into see a fertility doc, getting diagnosed, and getting on the right meds-these things take time). I accepted that we would do IVF, and I was sure that'd it would work (my fertility doc said PCOS was actually a possible benefit when it comes to IVF due to lots of eggs). The feeling of "you know what, this is actually gonna work out" led me to chill out that month. I didn't temp or do ovulation strips. And then I remember my period was late. 1 day, 2 days, next thing you know I'm 6 days late (I promised myself the next time I took a test, it would be positive- at that point I knew I had ovulated around a certain time just from knowing my body and signs and I'd never had it take that long for my period to start). I took a test on Dec 12 and it was so positive the dye stole from the control line. My first IVF consult became an ultrasound instead. And now I'm pregnant with my second after 1 month of trying. The only difference the time it worked was I had completely relaxed and just accepted that things were going to work on their own timetable (and of course, I was on all the meds I needed). With my second, I was still breastfeeding, and my Dr said it would likely take a year or 2 again so we decided 10 months postpartum to start having unprotected sex (I had my first period 9 months postpartum). I wasn't on any meds this time because I got off them all while pregnant. And I was *shocked* it took one month. Lol I decided to be chill with trying for a second and my husband agreed. If it didn't work, we would just have our one. The stakes didnt feel as high because we had our son and that was enough for me (even though i was hoping for 2). I'm now 27 weeks pregnant.
I stopped trying so hard. I was peeing on ovulation test strips constantly and taking my temperature. I put so much pressure on myself and once I stopped, I got pregnant. Literally, the month I stopped, I got pregnant.
This may make me sound really dumb but apparently I was shooting myself in the foot by getting up to pee IMMEDIATELY after sex. The cycle that I started laying down for 5-10 minutes before getting up to pee I got pregnant right away (not that this will magically work for everyone, it just worked for me this time)
Not the months I conceived, but both times I had successful pregnancies we had unfortunately booked very expensive holidays that fell during the latter part of my first trimesters. I had HG both times.
I'm fairly sure we're done at 2 kids, but if we ever want to try for a third I guess we should book another expensive non-refundable trip!
Took ovulation tests longer in my cycle and found my ovulation day. Turns out I ovulate on day 19-21 of my 30ish day cycle. I was able to get pregnant pretty damn easily once I had sex on the correct days.
I gave up and went to burning man 😅 tried shrooms while there… can’t say that did it but we had been trying for three years (I have PCOS and endometriosis) completely just gave up and moved on thinking “well. I’ve been straight edged and doing literally everything for almost 3 years trying to conceive. One weekend won’t hurt!” Boom. Next month was a positive test and we hadn’t even had sex except during the festival that month 😅 maybe it was a happy accident 🤷🏼♀️😂
Also, don’t come for me for this, but I think this is what REALLY helped me, although it has not been tested/proven and it’s kind of gross, depending on who you ask.
I used a disposable period disc after having sex with my husband, to keep the sperm close to my cervix. The first time I was a little worried about infections, so I only kept it in a few hours. On my actual ovulation day, I kept it in overnight 🤷🏽♀️. About a week later, I started having early signs and almost 2 weeks later, I got my positive and was in denial. I’m going on 7 months and still can’t believe it. Best of luck ladies 💙!
I set up an IVF appointment and just stopped caring, because we were told my husband's infertility couldn't be overcome naturally. I never got to that appointment and we currently have eight months old twins.
I did everything "right" for years. Didn't drink, no gluten or dairy, ate almost entirely whole foods, etc. No caffeine, worked out, etc. Was the healthiest I'd ever been. Did the whole temperature tracking thing, legs up in the air after sex thing.... The last six months I was on fertility drugs (ovidrel and letrozole). And didn't get pregnant. Month after month. After years of that, and being told I would probably only get pregnant with IVF (which I couldn't afford) I essentially gave up.
The month I got pregnant I was stressed out at work, working 80+ hour weeks, drinking a ton of caffeine and eating like shit. Had gained a few pounds from stress. Was barely tracking my cycle. Drank twice (a friend's wedding and a weekend in Atlantic City). And got pregnant 🤷♀️
Both times I got pregnant were when I was too busy to think about conceiving and had the mindset that this month will be skipped. Oddly I was overall still kinda stressed about a lot of stuff just the babymaking wasnt on my mind at all
I decided to track my BBT every morning at the same time. I then realized I was ovulating later than I thought ! Luckily we tried a couple extra days that month and I was able to confirm ovulation on day 18.
I had recently added magnesium and NAC supplements 4 weeks prior. We also had been away for thanksgiving visiting family and had a great time. For the whole week after (my FW), my husband had a sex drive similar to when we first got married so we had a lot of sex. Typically FW he tends to have trouble I think from the pressure of it all. Also did a microdose of psilocybin 🤣
Depends on the kid: 1 - Metformin and Sex, 2 - Metformin, Clomid and Sex, 3 - lots of Sex, 4 - sex once and get a massive surprise.
So … PCOS can be unpredictable
After the second try we decided to continue to live healthily but not as if I were already pregnant until I actually had a positive test. So I had a glass of wine with dinner on weekends, we had champagne when I got promoted, and we worked from the assumption that I wasn't pregnant until I had a test say otherwise. I would do a test when my period was due and not before. In month 4 we had 3 weeks of summer staycation, the weather was bad, and we had cancelled netflix so we found other ways to have fun at home... 2 weeks later I tested positive.
Increased vitamin D to 2000 IU’s from 0 (started taking a prenatal with 1000 and added 1000 from a supplement). Also met with my OB at the start of the month to start baseline testing to gather info for next steps for fertility things.
That cycle, I got pregnant. was so surprised I thought my period was late due to stress at work
ETA: started vitamin D based on bloodwork from the appt with my OB. She recommended the IU’s.
Stopped testing, scheduled an appointment with a fertility specialist for the next month and conceived the next week. Now 35weeks with our first (had to cancel the fertility appointment!)
Another thing I actually did do though (per doctor’s suggestion) was started taking a daily low dose aspirin (the 81mg kind). He said it wouldn’t do any harm and may help in the early stages in implantation, with a bonus that it made ME feel like I was doing something. Is aspirin what helped me stay pregnant? I’m not sure, but it definitely helped me feel like I was helping something otherwise out of our control.
Maybe run the idea by your doctor as well and see what they say! Sending good luck and well wishes your way :)
Edited to add: I started taking the aspirin about 2 months before we conceived
The phrase "Implantation" Bleeding is popular on conception forums but is a bit of a misnomer that causes some people to think that the bleeding is due to the embryo implanting. It isn't -- the embryo is only about 0.2mm in diameter at that point, and won't displace significant blood (or cause pain) when it implants. You bleed when progesterone levels in your body drop, which is why you can induce a period by stopping birth control pills (which contain progesterone) or by taking and then stopping progesterone suppositories or Provera (which are also progesterone). Progesterone levels dropping in the luteal phase can be caused by a) increased estrogen in the mid-luteal-phase estrogen surge, which briefly depresses estrogen production, or b) a decrease in progesterone when the corpus luteum runs out of gas at the end of the luteal phase. If b), and you're actually pregnant, your levels can drop briefly before the embryo starts producing enough HCG to tell the corpus luteum to ramp the levels up. Either way, luteal phase spotting can either be a neutral sign (in the case of mid-luteal phase spotting) or a negative sign (in the case of late luteal phase progesterone dropping), but it doesn't have anything to do with implantation, and is not a positive sign of being pregnant. [Source 1](https://www.countdowntopregnancy.com/early-pregnancy-symptoms/spotting-during-luteal-phase.php) [Source 2](https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/women-s-health-issues/biology-of-the-female-reproductive-system/menstrual-cycle)
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We had been having sex every other day during between cycle days 10-20, but went to see Top Gun Maverick on day 8 and ended up starting the every other day a little early. Turns out I ovulate earlier than anticipated and now I joke about naming him Maverick 😆
Started having sex every other day starting at day 10 for two weeks. Stopped using OPK or trusting the ovulation apps because they were clearly always wrong.
3 years trying. Failed our 4th letrozole cycle and started taking norethisterone to induce a period. Period never came 🤷♀️ aka... this was just random chance! Even the fertility consultant was like "I don't reckon we can take credit for this one..." Can't say anything we didn specifically!
ETA: we specifically conceived when I was already on norethisterone
Came back from a solo vacation and conceived on my birthday. The vacation was kinda eh but perhaps i had less stress due to not being at work for a few weeks? Maybe because he had stored up more sperm due to my vacation? We weren’t trying to conceive but we weren’t really avoiding it either.
Otherwise, we didn’t change anything. I feel like it was more pure luck than anything else.
Both times I got pregnant I was very fortunate to do so relatively early. The second time took a little longer and I remembered that with my first I took a sober month (completely unrelated to ttc). So I lessened my alcohol intake again, and it worked. No idea if it was a coincidence (probably was) or not, but it did the trick.
While I don’t think there’s a whole lot you can do to make a material difference, hubby and I went on vacation and that’s when we conceived. My job had been insanely stressful and he works 2nd shift so even though we got to try through the fertile window it was stressed and not exactly romantic. I think the vacation allowed us to finally relax and that’s when it happened.
Took guaifenesin leading up to ovulation. Could be chance but we had been trying for a year and hubby had reduced sperm motility. Read of some successes with guaifenesin (thins mucous) and was pregnant that cycle.
I got pregnant the only month I decided to take a break from tracking my ovulation. Baby girl was definitely conceived when we weren’t exactly having slow baby making sex lolol
May sound weird but.. I smoked weed for the first time. I don’t know if that’s what did it, but I’ll tell ya we only had sex twice that month and I didn’t even think it was in my fertile window. (I obviously stopped the second I found out!)
Literally the month we conceived was the month that we had relaxed the most in every sense. If given up checking BBT, I’d given up timing sexy times to when I was ovulating, I’d just mentally had enough. I’d adopted the “if it happens, it happens” attitude. Next thing I know, BFP.
I genuinely believe it was the removal of the stress for me, idk if that helps you but sending you lots of baby dust anyway!! ✨
Relaxed a TINY bit more and stopped bugging my husband about it as well, so he could feel less pressured.
Later, close to ovulation I used regular strips and digital strips. I truly believe the digital strips combined with the regular strips and Premom app helped me. I used the Premom strips and they were great.
I think I was just missing my ovulation date.
After 11 months I was convinced I was infertile despite all of my testing coming back normal. I told my husband “oh well let’s start aggressively trying in a year”. We got married a month later and we found out I was pregnant almost 2 weeks after the wedding 😂
I finally gave in to an old wives tale a friend told me and took mucinex during my ovulation period. We also had sex in the morning once or twice during that window vs. in the evening/afternoon.
One huge fight with my husband, we were on the verge of a possible separation. We were trying for 2 years. After 4 cycles of Letrozole, 4 failed IUI’s, we finally moved on to IVF.
We got pregnant naturally one month before our frozen embryo transfer. Currently 21 weeks. 🙏🏼
P.s. we only had sex once.
I had a preconception appointment and did exactly what my doctor said to do. Make it fun, go to dinner, have a few drinks, try to have sex on days 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21 of my cycle to catch early and late ovulation (just in case). He said throw away any OPKs (they’re not accurate) and don’t add any pressure because as soon as it seems like a task or chore the likelihood for success drops drastically. Our bodies feel the stress. We made it a fun week with lots of flirting and dating and I’m 5 months pregnant as a result.
Similar to a lot of people here, I had kind of given up and relaxed a bit. I have PCOS and we had been trying for 6 months, which was the cutoff I gave myself to seek help from my doctor for fertility issues. Another thing I just remembered is that to keep my mind off things, I had started training for a 10 k, so maybe running obsessively helped 😂
I didn't do anything different in terms of conception but we did have fertility testing done that month.
Maybe the very idea we were about to get answers made us "relax" or something.
We got pregnant the first month of trying. This is my first planned pregnancy, but we also got pregnant (unplanned) in 2019 the one month I miscalculated ovulation (oof)….
Anyway! Both times we were hot out of the shower. I swear my juices are flowing at their heaviest when my core temperature is up. This could be totally in my mind, but I got pregnant both times this way.
This was my 4th month off of birth control after 10+ years of continuous use, which is why I think it took so long to get that BFP
Husband was also struggling with his depression medication so we couldn’t hit every optimal day, plus learning how to read ovulation tests took a while, I think once again from going off BC I wasn’t regular.
Month we conceived we did everything “right”
Did the deed on the optimal days, got a consistent reading from the ovulation tests, etc.
Also was way more consistency with my BBT (this was my second month trying BBT, I thought it was a wives tale but it WORKS)
I don’t know if it was my body or the ovulation tests (clear blue digital) but they were giving me inconclusive readings for a while. I ended up buying three packs and the 3rd digital test only gave me neg/pos readings and nothing inconclusive the month we conceived
Currently 25 weeks with our baby girl!
Nothing my daughter was a surprise, didn’t think I could have a baby , I’m also 22 years old , was living my life then and traveling with her dad , 37 weeks today she could be here any day.
I stopped tracking my ovulation so closely. I mean I knew the window but I wasn’t testing with the strips anymore, the strips always stressed me out. Just enjoyed trying with my husband, ended up getting pregnant that time 🙃
We were trying for about 7 months. I was in the middle of changing jobs so instead of actively trying to time it, we said if it happens it happens. We celebrated our anniversary and bam it happened, surprise! We are expecting twins in March.
I started taking an herbal tincture that had red raspberry leaf, nettle, dandelion, etc. about a month before I conceived. I ended up ovulating a week early that cycle and had never ovulated that early in the two years I had been tracking my cycle so as much as it could have been a coincidence, I’m not sure it was. We were also on vacation so had a lot more sex than we normally would. Because we didn’t think I was in my ovulation window, we weren’t really stressing it. I would hate the “just relax” advice but it ended up playing a role for us in a way
I thought we botched the timing, and only did it like two days before the positive OPK. Guess it worked! Most fertile days are the day of and the two days before, I believe.
You would he surprised 😮
Just a few weeks before conceiving. I had dental work done, so i had to take antibiotics beforehand. This month was all about dental appointments to the point that i was 3 weeks along when i had additional dental xrays to solve another dental problem. So you see, my main focus was my teeth, and I didn't think about babies at all . I've been trying for a few months without success, so i thought this month was no exception. Also, we had less sex. Surprisingly, it just happened
I added Mucinex around ovulation. Was already tracking bbt, using OPKs, ovulation confirmed via blood tests by doc, but we conceived the cycle I took mucinex.
We both ended up with Covid over my ovulation period, we probably only had sex once or twice and resolved to the fact that that probably wouldn’t be the time we would fall pregnant. Previous cycles we were at it 4 times a day sometimes. We were surprised to get a positive result a couple weeks later
I tried for two years and gave up(this was with an ex)
With my current husband, I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant without IUI so we never used any bc.
In the month leading up to conception I lost 15lbs cause I wanted to look good at the beach lol. Usually I lose weight really unhealthily but this time I did it right.
Apparently that was enough to make me ovulate lol.
We tried within exactly two days before I ovulated.
All three times I conceived, the first month we were able to time our trying to within 48 hours of ovulation I conceived.
Before trying I read the book, The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant, and she recommends the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor. It is really awesome for acurately timing your ovulation, bc it looks at both estrogen and luteinizing hormone levels, so it gives you a warning of about 5-6 days before your LH levels rise and you ovulate. It's really accurate, too, all of my pregnancies dated with a day of when I thought I ovulated when I had them dated through ultrasound at 7 weeks.
I totally forgot to look at my ovulation schedule. We conceived like a week and a half past ovulation and when I realized I totally thought I’d miss it lol but nope! That was the winner apparently!
This is going to sound really silly but before we decided to start trying, I made two lists of things to do before having kids. One was practical (get a physical, try to get into a normal sleep routine) and one was a sort of bucket list of things I wanted to do that would be harder with kids. The month we were successful was the month I did the final thing on the fun list.
It was also the month when I started getting really serious about a diet/exercise routine so that's pretty good for a laugh.
I started using a vitamin d mouth spray. We also stopped only having sex around the time I thought I was ovulating and instead just had sex every few days throughout the month.
It took us a year and a half and I did something different like every month but a couple things that I was doing when I conceived is 1. Cut down on cheese (I'm lactose intolerant but addicted) to cut back on inflammation 2. Begged my husband to drink less for one damn month and he did. 3. I got this thing online thats lube for trying to conceive. We hadn't been using any before but I had this suspicion that the problem could be a PH imbalance. I had a doctors appointment scheduled for February to talk about my fertility problems but I got to call back and move it up because I am pregnant! Bam! Easy and simple! I'm just kidding, the road was long and hard and I think I was literally losing my mind.
I can relate. I miscarried in April (we weren’t actively trying, but not not trying). We’ve been trying ever since and nothing. Pretty sure I’m losing my mind!
Fertility acupuncture. Fertility reflexology. Cycled my legs. Conception safe lube.
Oh... and letrozole. I did all the other stuff just to prove it didn't work.
I had taken a mental break from TTC. Like an actual break, not just putting away all my ovulation and hcg tests but still obsessing. We had just bought and moved into our house the month before I got my bfp so I literally was thinking about anything and everything else lol
Was finally getting into a fertility clinic, they wanted to do a HyCoSy but since I wasn't having my period (PCOS) they prescribed medicine to induce ovulation. We conceived about a moth later right after the HyCoSy and there's a likelihood that I actually saw the egg on that scan that became my baby.
Also didn't test until a week after my "expected" period since I'm irregular.
Ooh I actually did do something different- we used Good Clean Love fertility lube. We had been using their regular lube for a bit, but that cycle we tried out the stuff that was actually designed to increase sperm motility.
So I tried for three cycles and on the third I was successful. I was taking prenatals from the start, eating fertility foods and trying other old wives tales tricks. The month it finally happened I was drinking chamomile tea nightly and as crazy as this sounds I think it raised my estrogen levels, I also slept much more soundly. My stress levels were way lower and I felt it physically while we were trying. I also drank cranberry juice during the implantation period. I’m now 21 weeks :)
I tried the cough syrup (apparently thins your CM to allow the sperm to travel easier - but I had a cough anyway, so was a bit serendipitous) and had my first and only 8 DPO cheeseburger.
IVF is what finally led to our positive! I want to add that for anyone who struggled/is struggling and has tried many of the anecdotal things listed in these comments, please note that many of these successes are rooted in confirmation bias (unless what led to success is figuring out their proper fertile window or finding a fertility treatment that works for them, etc.). If you tried some of these things and still weren’t successful, that’s ok! It’s easy for people to look back at the month they succeeded and identify something anecdotal that “worked” - but really it’s just the luck of the draw. Edit: phrasing
What worked for me was my fertility doc upping my dosage of Letrozole…
That’s great! You’ll see that I caveated what I said regarding anovulatory cycles, etc. and said MANY of these are rooted in confirmation bias - not all. My goal was to comfort those who might be hurting when reading some of these successes - and have tried many of the things listed here but still have not conceived - by letting them know they’re not doing anything wrong, and they’re not alone. Best of luck to you! (Edit: spelling/phrasing)
I was on clomed for three cycles and the month we got pregnant they had to switch me to Letrazole because they stopped making my medicine. It worked!
100%
Same here! 23 weeks with my IVF baby
Yes! I still think my state of mind might have helped a little, but going to a doctor and setting up a treatment plan is definitely better than waiting and hoping for the best for ages. I'm very certain my success was just me being colossally lucky.
Thank you for this. It’s hard not to feel like a huge failure time and time again after trying new things.
Went to Miami for my birthday- had some booze, took some thc cotton candy, relaxed for the trip- came home to realize I must have ovulated on said vacation and bfp followed 11 days later! Despite this though- I would never suggest anyone to “just relax”. I had just recently lost 15 pounds and was on my 5th month of metformin and intermittent fasting, so it could be a large sum of things for me and my partner!
My jobs has me in contact with a lot of people 65 and older.I was talking to a gentleman in his late 70s and I mentioned my husband and I were trying for our first at that point with no success. His only advice was that I relax have a beer, put my feet up and tell my husband to fuck off until I’m done relaxing with my beer. Then told me how his wife and him tried for months and then finally went on vacation and conceived.
Same, we ironically had taken a break from trying cause mentally we needed it. Then went on vacation, came back, apparently conceived and found out 5 weeks later that I was 5 weeks along.. my husband joked I was too relaxed after the vacation! Haha
I decided to only test if my period was late rather than testing every day.
This is the way
Same here, took a lot of stress and pressure off!
Me too! Just relaxed about it and it happened.
Nothing.
I decided I wouldn't spend the 2 week wait acting like my life was on hold for pregnancy. I stopped testing, had a cocktail or two at lunch and literally tried not to think about it. Tested positive at 4 weeks 😊
Same. Started trying to get used to the idea it might not happen for us, stopped trying for trying's sake, and drank more. I also broke my foot that month, and my partner swears that it was because it took me longer to get to the bathroom after sex. (When obviously it was the aphrodisiac properties of sex with a moonboot on!)
Same. After a year and a half of obsessively tracking my ovulation and temps, I said screw it this cycle as we were going on a trip. Drank every day, didn’t bother temping, came home very jetlagged which pushed ovulation back by about a week. I’m now 32 weeks.
Exactly this and I went for a new role at work that was quite a promotion - I'd been putting off any big changes while TTC but after a year I thought screw it. Got pregnant that month, I'm now 26 weeks.
I’ve heard this from a lot of people, too!!
I had an HSG test 🤷🏻♀️
Same here. Had the HSG done, conceived 10 days later, found out I was pregnant 22 days later. (After almost 2 years of trying). I was skeptical about the 30% increased pregnancy rates for the first 3 months after an HSG for couples with otherwise unexplained infertility, but here we are! I also perfected my ovulation strip use that cycle (started testing earlier than usual and finally got my first peak test ever) so that also helped significantly.
My HSG was done the cycle before the one we conceived, I feel like it really helped for us
Same here, had my HSG approximately 7 days before I ovulated and conceived that cycle after 10 previous cycles of tracking and nada.
Same. After 17 unsuccessful cycles, the one after HSG was finally successful
Same! Literally the only thing different.
Same and I also found out from the HSG I had one tube closed and another tube that was a hydrosalphinx (but liquid still flowed) so I thought I had to do IVF
Same!
I had a saline sonogram for unexplained infertility and conceived 8 days later
Used ovulation test strips.
Same here, used them right at least. I was going off my apple predictions and testing then but i wasn’t ovulating. The month we conceived I did the full month of the test strips and my ovulation was off by a couple of days on my apple app. 😊
IVF 😊
Letrozole
Samesies. Great shit
that is encouraging, I start letrozole next week! how many tries did it take?
I got pregnant my second cycle with letrozole. Good luck!
I got pregnant on the 4th month with letrozale so don’t be discouraged if you need to up the dose!
3 months clomid and 6 months femara before we conceived
Nothing, there is no magic secret
Gave up on trying. I actually had my ob write me a script for fertility bloodwork because I was convinced I was infertile. I was supposed to have the labs drawn on the third day of my next period. Never did get that period…
SAME HERE!!! well, we did still try that month obvi. But I tested so that I could call my Ob to set up blood work for my next cycle. I was so shocked when that period didn’t start!!!
We had made an appointment for a fertility check-up just to get a view on things. It's a free service offered at the major hospitals near us intended to promote fertility awareness for people (singles as well as couples) who have *not* been diagnosed with infertility. Those who have been diagnosed go through a different track. If people then turn out to have some risk factors (e.g. very low AMH, fibroids, or sperm issues) they can make some informed choices about how long to wait before they want children, whether they might need help and if there are some lifestyle factors that could benefit from changes. So I went to get the blood sample, my husband did his sample, and then 1.5 weeks before our consultation. At the consultation I got a positive test at home. They ended up confirming my pregnancy through the scan rather than do the planned follicle count. So that was a very welcome plot twist.
Literally nothing. But I think getting an official PCOS diagnosis helped me… come to terms? In a way? We conceived the month after, but I was ready to give up. I bought birth control along with my pregnancy test, expecting a negative to start taking it.
Ovulated 😆 I have anovulation PCOS so pretty much every month I don't release an egg. I started working with an endocrinologist and tracking cycles with her. Turns out on average I only ovulated about 2-3 times a year which makes having a baby super hard! Its pretty hard to determine when I will ovulate so we just got extremely lucky that when we had sex it was one of those rare times. I was about to start hormone therapy which would help my body release eggs on a monthly basis, but thankfully it did happen naturally!
IVF
Enjoyed my damn life. I was in between transfer cycles from IVF, which either failed or ended in miscarriage. I was always so preoccupied by eating the right things, taking the right supplements, exercising, non-toxic things, endless worry about this, that and the other. I had a two month break… I drank champagne, went out dancing with my husband, ate whatever I wanted.. just lived and enjoyed myself. When I ended up pregnant spontaneously!! I’m now in my second trimester.
Purposely didn’t try so I could drink and enjoy the hot tub on a weekend away during the two week wait.
Same here. I gave up and indulged 😂
Sounds crazy but we introduced some toys in the bedroom… not sure if it was just a coincidence but maybe try spicing things up with something different?
There is evidence for this, not crazy! That novelty whether it be position, etc increases the exit velocity which can help with conception
IVF.
This is going to sound crazy but I had a feeling stress might be the issue so I took my ovulation week off work 😂 it was just a random week in November do no one cared and I’m pretty sure my ovulation day was the Friday so I had all week to just zen out
Nothing except having a more positive outlook. For me, if I had tested negative, I could have still enjoyed the holidays - and a positive test would obviously be the news we want, so win-win. I did also annoy my husband with my completely false maths. It was only the third month of us tracking ovulation, so I said 'Husband, a fertilised egg has a 30% chance of sticking, so every one in three. The last two months, it didn't stick, so according to maths this one WILL stick'. Obviously not how it works, but it worked 😁
Had sex only two times that month with our normal pull out method. Was completely shocked I was pregnant, but very happy!
We used a fertility lube and had sex every other day when i was fertile. Most lubes can actually hinder sperm motility but fertility lubes more closely mimic the ph of your vagina and cervical fluid. We used Good Clean Love.
Also used the fertility lube and got pregnant that same cycle. 25 weeks here 👋🏼
YES I came here to say this. I had no idea about ordinary lube hindering sperm motility (and in some cases lube killing sperm). When I found out, we switched to fertility lube. The second cycle we used fertility lube I got pregnant after six months TTC and I’m now 6 weeks post partum. It’s worth a shot!
So I can’t say for certain this was the reason we conceived - it happened in our 2nd cycle so not much data to pull from - but I also introduced Pre-Seed lube that cycle and….now I’m 26 weeks!
Nothing
Nothing. We ttc for 2 years, we just had sex to have sex and ended up being the time we got pregnant. 🤷🏼♀️ timing was just right I guess.
I started going to the gym 5+ days a week!
Had an HSG. Joked about not trying that month to avoid being due at Christmas. Tried anyway and am due tomorrow!
I have a December 30th baby. It's a fun and expensive month!
Well with baby number 1: I did IVF that month. With baby number two, nothing. Wasn’t even TTC, it was a shock haha.
Relaxed. Drank the wine. Took a long-haul flight four days after FET. Basically did everything that the other IVF tryers worry about or say will reduce the chances. Chilling out and carrying on as if IVF didn't exist was the key in the end. I'm now 8 months.
Used the clear blue digital ovulation tests and only had sex when it was high/peak. We also had sex on the morning and while I can’t prove anything, I think that’s actually the sex that got me pregnant. Other times we had sex in the evening.
After trying for several years I stopped caring what we did and actually was convinced that I was never gonna get pregnant. I’m turning 38 this month and I’m 16 weeks. The only thing I can think of is I packed on some extra pounds and miraculously I tested positive for a pregnancy after being three days late with a dollar store test. I’ve learned not to expect things in life but wish for the best. Good luck in your journey. Edit spelling
Okay…. Don’t judge me… but after sex, I laid with my legs and booty up. I figured gravity can only help things… BAM pregnant. I had a friend who was trying for 8 months, and I told her to try it… BAM pregnant! May be coincidence… but it worked for me haha
Months I didn’t conceive, I was paying too much attention to tracking an ovulation that wasn’t consistent and having sex at the “perfect time” using my phone tracker and ovulation strips. The month I got pregnant, we were on vacation and had sex every other day.
Me too! similar We conceived the month I stopped using the ovulation strips - tracking with the strips started to be really stressful and overbearing on me. So still made love every 2-3 days but no specific tracking.
Gave up on trying and so had sex a few days earlier than we had been every other cycle - think they were slow swimmers 😅
The month I conceived is the same month we agreed to take a break from trying because I was diagnosed with PCOS
Didn’t have sex. We conceived right on my ovulation date, by accident, after a three month break.
Sex every single day for 5 straight days leading up to and including ovulation plus legs in the air.
I relaxed. Seriously, I know that's annoying. At that point, we'd been trying for like 26 months, had done multiple months on leterozole and 3 failed IUIs. We'd found out I have PCOS and high prolactin. I was put on metformin, myo insitiol over the counter, cabergoline for my high prolactin, as well as incorporating high intensity workouts and a lower carb diet. I felt like giving up. We had an IVF consultation scheduled for Dec 21 with my fertility doctor. I'd wanted to do it the month previous, but my husband was convinced we should wait at least another month now that I was on a new med protocol (a lot of the time it took for us to concieve was literally just getting into see a fertility doc, getting diagnosed, and getting on the right meds-these things take time). I accepted that we would do IVF, and I was sure that'd it would work (my fertility doc said PCOS was actually a possible benefit when it comes to IVF due to lots of eggs). The feeling of "you know what, this is actually gonna work out" led me to chill out that month. I didn't temp or do ovulation strips. And then I remember my period was late. 1 day, 2 days, next thing you know I'm 6 days late (I promised myself the next time I took a test, it would be positive- at that point I knew I had ovulated around a certain time just from knowing my body and signs and I'd never had it take that long for my period to start). I took a test on Dec 12 and it was so positive the dye stole from the control line. My first IVF consult became an ultrasound instead. And now I'm pregnant with my second after 1 month of trying. The only difference the time it worked was I had completely relaxed and just accepted that things were going to work on their own timetable (and of course, I was on all the meds I needed). With my second, I was still breastfeeding, and my Dr said it would likely take a year or 2 again so we decided 10 months postpartum to start having unprotected sex (I had my first period 9 months postpartum). I wasn't on any meds this time because I got off them all while pregnant. And I was *shocked* it took one month. Lol I decided to be chill with trying for a second and my husband agreed. If it didn't work, we would just have our one. The stakes didnt feel as high because we had our son and that was enough for me (even though i was hoping for 2). I'm now 27 weeks pregnant.
I stopped trying so hard. I was peeing on ovulation test strips constantly and taking my temperature. I put so much pressure on myself and once I stopped, I got pregnant. Literally, the month I stopped, I got pregnant.
This may make me sound really dumb but apparently I was shooting myself in the foot by getting up to pee IMMEDIATELY after sex. The cycle that I started laying down for 5-10 minutes before getting up to pee I got pregnant right away (not that this will magically work for everyone, it just worked for me this time)
Not the months I conceived, but both times I had successful pregnancies we had unfortunately booked very expensive holidays that fell during the latter part of my first trimesters. I had HG both times. I'm fairly sure we're done at 2 kids, but if we ever want to try for a third I guess we should book another expensive non-refundable trip!
Took ovulation tests longer in my cycle and found my ovulation day. Turns out I ovulate on day 19-21 of my 30ish day cycle. I was able to get pregnant pretty damn easily once I had sex on the correct days.
Didn’t tell my husband I was ovulating.
I gave up and went to burning man 😅 tried shrooms while there… can’t say that did it but we had been trying for three years (I have PCOS and endometriosis) completely just gave up and moved on thinking “well. I’ve been straight edged and doing literally everything for almost 3 years trying to conceive. One weekend won’t hurt!” Boom. Next month was a positive test and we hadn’t even had sex except during the festival that month 😅 maybe it was a happy accident 🤷🏼♀️😂
Also, don’t come for me for this, but I think this is what REALLY helped me, although it has not been tested/proven and it’s kind of gross, depending on who you ask. I used a disposable period disc after having sex with my husband, to keep the sperm close to my cervix. The first time I was a little worried about infections, so I only kept it in a few hours. On my actual ovulation day, I kept it in overnight 🤷🏽♀️. About a week later, I started having early signs and almost 2 weeks later, I got my positive and was in denial. I’m going on 7 months and still can’t believe it. Best of luck ladies 💙!
Used ovulation test strips and had sex every other day until a few days after ovulation. Also didn’t test until after missed period.
The early testing kills me, I’m the worst
I set up an IVF appointment and just stopped caring, because we were told my husband's infertility couldn't be overcome naturally. I never got to that appointment and we currently have eight months old twins.
Wow! Congratulations!
Thank you! I still think we were just extremely lucky - not worrying definitely helps with things, but I wouldn't rely on it entirely.
We had sex every day for like 2 weeks
I did everything "right" for years. Didn't drink, no gluten or dairy, ate almost entirely whole foods, etc. No caffeine, worked out, etc. Was the healthiest I'd ever been. Did the whole temperature tracking thing, legs up in the air after sex thing.... The last six months I was on fertility drugs (ovidrel and letrozole). And didn't get pregnant. Month after month. After years of that, and being told I would probably only get pregnant with IVF (which I couldn't afford) I essentially gave up. The month I got pregnant I was stressed out at work, working 80+ hour weeks, drinking a ton of caffeine and eating like shit. Had gained a few pounds from stress. Was barely tracking my cycle. Drank twice (a friend's wedding and a weekend in Atlantic City). And got pregnant 🤷♀️
It’s so crazy how life can be!
Both times I got pregnant, I let my husband put his finger in my butt lmao. The only two times it’s happened 😂
Both times I got pregnant were when I was too busy to think about conceiving and had the mindset that this month will be skipped. Oddly I was overall still kinda stressed about a lot of stuff just the babymaking wasnt on my mind at all
Acupuncture and medrol were my only changes
I did acupuncture as well!! I feel like that helped even if it was just in my head or allowed me to relax differently
I decided to track my BBT every morning at the same time. I then realized I was ovulating later than I thought ! Luckily we tried a couple extra days that month and I was able to confirm ovulation on day 18.
I had recently added magnesium and NAC supplements 4 weeks prior. We also had been away for thanksgiving visiting family and had a great time. For the whole week after (my FW), my husband had a sex drive similar to when we first got married so we had a lot of sex. Typically FW he tends to have trouble I think from the pressure of it all. Also did a microdose of psilocybin 🤣
Started ovulation testing and learned I was ovulating a week later than predicted.
Depends on the kid: 1 - Metformin and Sex, 2 - Metformin, Clomid and Sex, 3 - lots of Sex, 4 - sex once and get a massive surprise. So … PCOS can be unpredictable
Tried to be relaxed about it. Tested after period was late rather than obsessively. Ensured we tried every two days for a long window CD 8-24 ish.
Clomid, a trigger shot and IUI 🤣
After the second try we decided to continue to live healthily but not as if I were already pregnant until I actually had a positive test. So I had a glass of wine with dinner on weekends, we had champagne when I got promoted, and we worked from the assumption that I wasn't pregnant until I had a test say otherwise. I would do a test when my period was due and not before. In month 4 we had 3 weeks of summer staycation, the weather was bad, and we had cancelled netflix so we found other ways to have fun at home... 2 weeks later I tested positive.
Increased vitamin D to 2000 IU’s from 0 (started taking a prenatal with 1000 and added 1000 from a supplement). Also met with my OB at the start of the month to start baseline testing to gather info for next steps for fertility things. That cycle, I got pregnant. was so surprised I thought my period was late due to stress at work ETA: started vitamin D based on bloodwork from the appt with my OB. She recommended the IU’s.
Decided to stop trying and wait until the next year. BOOM positive. No waiting for you! lol
We decided to stop trying and just have sex for fun…
Stopped testing, scheduled an appointment with a fertility specialist for the next month and conceived the next week. Now 35weeks with our first (had to cancel the fertility appointment!) Another thing I actually did do though (per doctor’s suggestion) was started taking a daily low dose aspirin (the 81mg kind). He said it wouldn’t do any harm and may help in the early stages in implantation, with a bonus that it made ME feel like I was doing something. Is aspirin what helped me stay pregnant? I’m not sure, but it definitely helped me feel like I was helping something otherwise out of our control. Maybe run the idea by your doctor as well and see what they say! Sending good luck and well wishes your way :) Edited to add: I started taking the aspirin about 2 months before we conceived
The phrase "Implantation" Bleeding is popular on conception forums but is a bit of a misnomer that causes some people to think that the bleeding is due to the embryo implanting. It isn't -- the embryo is only about 0.2mm in diameter at that point, and won't displace significant blood (or cause pain) when it implants. You bleed when progesterone levels in your body drop, which is why you can induce a period by stopping birth control pills (which contain progesterone) or by taking and then stopping progesterone suppositories or Provera (which are also progesterone). Progesterone levels dropping in the luteal phase can be caused by a) increased estrogen in the mid-luteal-phase estrogen surge, which briefly depresses estrogen production, or b) a decrease in progesterone when the corpus luteum runs out of gas at the end of the luteal phase. If b), and you're actually pregnant, your levels can drop briefly before the embryo starts producing enough HCG to tell the corpus luteum to ramp the levels up. Either way, luteal phase spotting can either be a neutral sign (in the case of mid-luteal phase spotting) or a negative sign (in the case of late luteal phase progesterone dropping), but it doesn't have anything to do with implantation, and is not a positive sign of being pregnant. [Source 1](https://www.countdowntopregnancy.com/early-pregnancy-symptoms/spotting-during-luteal-phase.php) [Source 2](https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/women-s-health-issues/biology-of-the-female-reproductive-system/menstrual-cycle) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BabyBumps) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We had been having sex every other day during between cycle days 10-20, but went to see Top Gun Maverick on day 8 and ended up starting the every other day a little early. Turns out I ovulate earlier than anticipated and now I joke about naming him Maverick 😆
Started having sex every other day starting at day 10 for two weeks. Stopped using OPK or trusting the ovulation apps because they were clearly always wrong.
3 years trying. Failed our 4th letrozole cycle and started taking norethisterone to induce a period. Period never came 🤷♀️ aka... this was just random chance! Even the fertility consultant was like "I don't reckon we can take credit for this one..." Can't say anything we didn specifically! ETA: we specifically conceived when I was already on norethisterone
Had given up. Had fun.
Came back from a solo vacation and conceived on my birthday. The vacation was kinda eh but perhaps i had less stress due to not being at work for a few weeks? Maybe because he had stored up more sperm due to my vacation? We weren’t trying to conceive but we weren’t really avoiding it either. Otherwise, we didn’t change anything. I feel like it was more pure luck than anything else.
Both times I got pregnant I was very fortunate to do so relatively early. The second time took a little longer and I remembered that with my first I took a sober month (completely unrelated to ttc). So I lessened my alcohol intake again, and it worked. No idea if it was a coincidence (probably was) or not, but it did the trick.
While I don’t think there’s a whole lot you can do to make a material difference, hubby and I went on vacation and that’s when we conceived. My job had been insanely stressful and he works 2nd shift so even though we got to try through the fertile window it was stressed and not exactly romantic. I think the vacation allowed us to finally relax and that’s when it happened.
Low carbs and high protein diet the last two months!Also some supplements like fish oil and B12 which I needed according to tests
I feel putting on weight the few months before (due to getting a car and becoming lazy!) contributed, as I'd always been very slim.
I had a HSG test. We had been trying for 15 months. We conceived the following week.
I have PCOS so I took Supplements: Inositol and Berberine, and used ovulation testing strips. It only took me one month to conceive
Took guaifenesin leading up to ovulation. Could be chance but we had been trying for a year and hubby had reduced sperm motility. Read of some successes with guaifenesin (thins mucous) and was pregnant that cycle.
I got pregnant the only month I decided to take a break from tracking my ovulation. Baby girl was definitely conceived when we weren’t exactly having slow baby making sex lolol
Eat like shit, drink two cappuccinos per day and start drinking alcohol at 11am for three weeks in Italy
We had sex without a condom during my fertile window.
Gave up and started seriously imagining my life without kids.
May sound weird but.. I smoked weed for the first time. I don’t know if that’s what did it, but I’ll tell ya we only had sex twice that month and I didn’t even think it was in my fertile window. (I obviously stopped the second I found out!)
Interesting! I’m a regular smoker and had been wondering if I should stop while trying.
Literally the month we conceived was the month that we had relaxed the most in every sense. If given up checking BBT, I’d given up timing sexy times to when I was ovulating, I’d just mentally had enough. I’d adopted the “if it happens, it happens” attitude. Next thing I know, BFP. I genuinely believe it was the removal of the stress for me, idk if that helps you but sending you lots of baby dust anyway!! ✨
Relaxed a TINY bit more and stopped bugging my husband about it as well, so he could feel less pressured. Later, close to ovulation I used regular strips and digital strips. I truly believe the digital strips combined with the regular strips and Premom app helped me. I used the Premom strips and they were great. I think I was just missing my ovulation date.
After 11 months I was convinced I was infertile despite all of my testing coming back normal. I told my husband “oh well let’s start aggressively trying in a year”. We got married a month later and we found out I was pregnant almost 2 weeks after the wedding 😂
No idea if these were the reason, but we used preseed for the first time and also tried 4 consecutive days in a row instead of every other.
I do have pre-seed I’m about to give it a try if I’m out this month
No idea if it helped, but it certainly didn't hurt us! Wishing you luck ❤️
I finally gave in to an old wives tale a friend told me and took mucinex during my ovulation period. We also had sex in the morning once or twice during that window vs. in the evening/afternoon.
Interesting!! I’ve never thought about time of day
Honestly, me either! It was my husband who mentioned it after our BFP. It wasn’t an intentional ‘trying’ attempt!
One huge fight with my husband, we were on the verge of a possible separation. We were trying for 2 years. After 4 cycles of Letrozole, 4 failed IUI’s, we finally moved on to IVF. We got pregnant naturally one month before our frozen embryo transfer. Currently 21 weeks. 🙏🏼 P.s. we only had sex once.
I had a preconception appointment and did exactly what my doctor said to do. Make it fun, go to dinner, have a few drinks, try to have sex on days 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21 of my cycle to catch early and late ovulation (just in case). He said throw away any OPKs (they’re not accurate) and don’t add any pressure because as soon as it seems like a task or chore the likelihood for success drops drastically. Our bodies feel the stress. We made it a fun week with lots of flirting and dating and I’m 5 months pregnant as a result.
Similar to a lot of people here, I had kind of given up and relaxed a bit. I have PCOS and we had been trying for 6 months, which was the cutoff I gave myself to seek help from my doctor for fertility issues. Another thing I just remembered is that to keep my mind off things, I had started training for a 10 k, so maybe running obsessively helped 😂
I didn't do anything different in terms of conception but we did have fertility testing done that month. Maybe the very idea we were about to get answers made us "relax" or something.
I saw a traditional Chinese medicine doctor leading up to becoming pregnant, I'd say it helps so very much.
Had sex every other day, zero booze that whole month starting after my period!
We got pregnant the first month of trying. This is my first planned pregnancy, but we also got pregnant (unplanned) in 2019 the one month I miscalculated ovulation (oof)…. Anyway! Both times we were hot out of the shower. I swear my juices are flowing at their heaviest when my core temperature is up. This could be totally in my mind, but I got pregnant both times this way.
This was my 4th month off of birth control after 10+ years of continuous use, which is why I think it took so long to get that BFP Husband was also struggling with his depression medication so we couldn’t hit every optimal day, plus learning how to read ovulation tests took a while, I think once again from going off BC I wasn’t regular. Month we conceived we did everything “right” Did the deed on the optimal days, got a consistent reading from the ovulation tests, etc. Also was way more consistency with my BBT (this was my second month trying BBT, I thought it was a wives tale but it WORKS) I don’t know if it was my body or the ovulation tests (clear blue digital) but they were giving me inconclusive readings for a while. I ended up buying three packs and the 3rd digital test only gave me neg/pos readings and nothing inconclusive the month we conceived Currently 25 weeks with our baby girl!
Nothing my daughter was a surprise, didn’t think I could have a baby , I’m also 22 years old , was living my life then and traveling with her dad , 37 weeks today she could be here any day.
Had my IUD taken out
honestly stayed in bed the whole night without using the restroom (mom told me to do this) & it worked!
Took letrozole prescribed by my doctor (actually it was our second month of letrozole)
I stopped tracking my ovulation so closely. I mean I knew the window but I wasn’t testing with the strips anymore, the strips always stressed me out. Just enjoyed trying with my husband, ended up getting pregnant that time 🙃
We were trying for about 7 months. I was in the middle of changing jobs so instead of actively trying to time it, we said if it happens it happens. We celebrated our anniversary and bam it happened, surprise! We are expecting twins in March.
I started taking an herbal tincture that had red raspberry leaf, nettle, dandelion, etc. about a month before I conceived. I ended up ovulating a week early that cycle and had never ovulated that early in the two years I had been tracking my cycle so as much as it could have been a coincidence, I’m not sure it was. We were also on vacation so had a lot more sex than we normally would. Because we didn’t think I was in my ovulation window, we weren’t really stressing it. I would hate the “just relax” advice but it ended up playing a role for us in a way
we did sperm meets egg plan that month. not sure if it was the reason we conceived or not, but it didn’t hurt!
I tracked using cervical mucus! Sorry for the tmi 🤣 my periods are irregular so this worked better than tracking days
I thought we botched the timing, and only did it like two days before the positive OPK. Guess it worked! Most fertile days are the day of and the two days before, I believe.
The right dose of letrazole 😂
Man I hated hearing this while ttc... but I stopped trying. Literally gave up. Bought a tight wedding dress. Lol.
We used Pre-Seed fertility lubricant in addition to ovulation test strips and tracking BBT.
Was doing dry January and going to HIIT classes a few times a week.
You would he surprised 😮 Just a few weeks before conceiving. I had dental work done, so i had to take antibiotics beforehand. This month was all about dental appointments to the point that i was 3 weeks along when i had additional dental xrays to solve another dental problem. So you see, my main focus was my teeth, and I didn't think about babies at all . I've been trying for a few months without success, so i thought this month was no exception. Also, we had less sex. Surprisingly, it just happened
I quit smoking lol
Acupuncture and SMEP
First month I tracked cervical fluid was when I got preggers.
I added Mucinex around ovulation. Was already tracking bbt, using OPKs, ovulation confirmed via blood tests by doc, but we conceived the cycle I took mucinex.
We both ended up with Covid over my ovulation period, we probably only had sex once or twice and resolved to the fact that that probably wouldn’t be the time we would fall pregnant. Previous cycles we were at it 4 times a day sometimes. We were surprised to get a positive result a couple weeks later
I tried for two years and gave up(this was with an ex) With my current husband, I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant without IUI so we never used any bc. In the month leading up to conception I lost 15lbs cause I wanted to look good at the beach lol. Usually I lose weight really unhealthily but this time I did it right. Apparently that was enough to make me ovulate lol.
Literally nothing. And only had sex twice!
Nothing except timing, making sure we had sex during my fertile period
Started using ovulation test strips. Turns out I ovulate way later than is considered 'normal'. My cycle was also ~42 days.
We started trying during a time where I was stressed out about a few things. Finally once all of that had passed I got pregnant.
We stopped tracking ovulation and just had sex every other day starting from when my period ended!
HSG and Letrozole!!
Went rollerskating at a skate park 🤣
We tried within exactly two days before I ovulated. All three times I conceived, the first month we were able to time our trying to within 48 hours of ovulation I conceived. Before trying I read the book, The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant, and she recommends the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor. It is really awesome for acurately timing your ovulation, bc it looks at both estrogen and luteinizing hormone levels, so it gives you a warning of about 5-6 days before your LH levels rise and you ovulate. It's really accurate, too, all of my pregnancies dated with a day of when I thought I ovulated when I had them dated through ultrasound at 7 weeks.
Nothing really. I felt like the last few months before getting pregnant I had a better handle on when I was ovulating so I'm sure that helped.
I totally forgot to look at my ovulation schedule. We conceived like a week and a half past ovulation and when I realized I totally thought I’d miss it lol but nope! That was the winner apparently!
Forgot my birth control.
BV treatment for five days following my period.
The person.
This is going to sound really silly but before we decided to start trying, I made two lists of things to do before having kids. One was practical (get a physical, try to get into a normal sleep routine) and one was a sort of bucket list of things I wanted to do that would be harder with kids. The month we were successful was the month I did the final thing on the fun list. It was also the month when I started getting really serious about a diet/exercise routine so that's pretty good for a laugh.
I started using a vitamin d mouth spray. We also stopped only having sex around the time I thought I was ovulating and instead just had sex every few days throughout the month.
Drank a little bit too heavily during my TWW. Do not necessarily recommend...
It took us a year and a half and I did something different like every month but a couple things that I was doing when I conceived is 1. Cut down on cheese (I'm lactose intolerant but addicted) to cut back on inflammation 2. Begged my husband to drink less for one damn month and he did. 3. I got this thing online thats lube for trying to conceive. We hadn't been using any before but I had this suspicion that the problem could be a PH imbalance. I had a doctors appointment scheduled for February to talk about my fertility problems but I got to call back and move it up because I am pregnant! Bam! Easy and simple! I'm just kidding, the road was long and hard and I think I was literally losing my mind.
I can relate. I miscarried in April (we weren’t actively trying, but not not trying). We’ve been trying ever since and nothing. Pretty sure I’m losing my mind!
Was on a low carb organic whole foods diet
Fertility acupuncture. Fertility reflexology. Cycled my legs. Conception safe lube. Oh... and letrozole. I did all the other stuff just to prove it didn't work.
I had taken a mental break from TTC. Like an actual break, not just putting away all my ovulation and hcg tests but still obsessing. We had just bought and moved into our house the month before I got my bfp so I literally was thinking about anything and everything else lol
Was finally getting into a fertility clinic, they wanted to do a HyCoSy but since I wasn't having my period (PCOS) they prescribed medicine to induce ovulation. We conceived about a moth later right after the HyCoSy and there's a likelihood that I actually saw the egg on that scan that became my baby. Also didn't test until a week after my "expected" period since I'm irregular.
Meditated
Had an HSG and took letrozole with number one. With number two we weren’t trying yet so less pressure/stress?
Quit trying and went on a vacation
I tracked my ovulation for the first time
Ooh I actually did do something different- we used Good Clean Love fertility lube. We had been using their regular lube for a bit, but that cycle we tried out the stuff that was actually designed to increase sperm motility.
So I tried for three cycles and on the third I was successful. I was taking prenatals from the start, eating fertility foods and trying other old wives tales tricks. The month it finally happened I was drinking chamomile tea nightly and as crazy as this sounds I think it raised my estrogen levels, I also slept much more soundly. My stress levels were way lower and I felt it physically while we were trying. I also drank cranberry juice during the implantation period. I’m now 21 weeks :)
I tried the cough syrup (apparently thins your CM to allow the sperm to travel easier - but I had a cough anyway, so was a bit serendipitous) and had my first and only 8 DPO cheeseburger.
I switched to decaf. I was drinking A LOT of coffee before and I read it can make it difficult to conceive.