Just started trying and feel so lost....

[Anonymous]

I am recently married and we have been TTC for about 4 months now with no luck. We are both be 30 this year and desire to have a big family. I am having a hard time figuring out when I'm ovulating. I tried the OTC test the last two cycles and still nothing. I am not sure what other "tricks" we can try or how long should we try ourselves before consulting a doctor? Any advice??

TYIA

[Anonymous]

Get the book Take Charge of Your Fertility. At your age they are going to tell you a year before seeking treatment.

[Anonymous]

Chart your temperature. I would wait at least 6 months before going to a dr.

[Anonymous]

Three words for you: BBT and cervical mucous.

Get a calendar and start writing your observations daily. I even included things like "broke out in zits" and "really emotional".

Give it at least 3 months and you'll begin to see a pattern.

Check out the book Taking control of your Fertility from the library. Incredibly helpful.

[Anonymous]

And know that 4 months isn't that long at all. Most insurance won't even cover your infertility treatment and diagnosis unless you've been trying to conceive for a year.

[Anonymous]

Definitely start charting. I like fertilityfriend.com but there are others out there I'm sure. Also, some people make the expense of having too much sex. Every other day is plenty, more than once a day actually hurts your chances.

[Anonymous]

:27 -- Not sure I agree with your statement that every other day is plenty. I have heard from quite a few sources including my RE that if your DH has no issues, then every day during key period (say the day of positive OPK and following two days) is recommended. OP if you use OPK's (ovulation predictor kits) then try testing twice a day - once around 10 am and once around 5 pm. Last cycle I got a positive at 11:30 pm which is really rare for me and it was just a fluke I caught it. Sometimes your LH surge can be really short and it's easy to miss. So doing that in conjunction with bbt and other methods discussed in TCOYF are helpful. 4 months isn't long at all. If you follow the above advice and still aren't pregnant by 9-12 months, then you can always have tests run

[Anonymous]

OP here

thanks for all the input, it has been a huge help. I never realized it could be so complicated. Hopefully in a few months I will see these patterns and have some success

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]OP here

thanks for all the input, it has been a huge help.[b] I never realized it could be so complicated[/b]. Hopefully in a few months I will see these patterns and have some success [/quote]

Ha ha! This is EXACTLY what I thought too when we started TTC. All those years of sex education in school and then zealous use of birth control in my twenties -- I guess I had internalized the idea that it was shockingly easy to get pregnant. Turns out it's way more complicated for some of us.

My best advice is to remember the sex part -- not just the TTC part. Make it fun and enjoy the ride for as long as it takes. It's way too easy to get caught up in the results part (seeing the month as a "failure" if you don't conceive), so do what you can to hold on to the joy, too!! Finally, I agree with the many posters above who recommended Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I got it from the library when we were starting out. Very, very helpful!!