What Nobody Told You About Trying to Conceive...

Taken from Two Week Wait Which BTW is a very nice board full of interesting info and chats. Check it out! I just selected a few, but you can read them all if you click on the link.

What Nobody Told You About Trying to Conceive...

That your sex life would start to resemble a science experiment.

That one day you wouldn't mind checking your CM or CP to see if it is your fertile period.

That I would splash urine on my face while taking apart an hpt in the hopes there really was a 2nd pink line hiding in it.

That I would know more about the female reproductive system and menstrual cycle than most of the doctors I go to.

That it is insensitive to ask people when they are having a baby!

That I would be happy to see abundant cervial fluid and tell my DH about it.

That a group of "strangers" who I will probably never meet, have now become my "best friends" when it comes to ttc.

That I would resent someone who has been trying less time than me telling me "I know how you feel..."

That people would pity you and feel sorry for you.

That having AF show up makes you cry, no matter who's bathroom you are in

That talking about sex with fellow TTCers would be so easy.

Do you have any more you would like to add?

Taking Supplements (or any TTC advice)

I think the one thing that irritates me about TTC is that people tend to only look for a quick fix. They read about a product or a technique and figure they will give it a shot and hopefully fall pregnant too. I’m just as guilty of trying certain supplements once or taking someone's advice for one cycle. Only to throw it out the window the day AF arrives. Cursing that it never worked for me that month.

But the reality is…. With all supplements you need to give your body at least 3 months before giving up on it and moving on. You can compare it to taking antibiotics. You know your doctor insists that you finish the course of meds. You take the meds for the whole duration, otherwise it's not going to make you better.

It’s the same with TTC supplements or products. I was reading an International based TTC forum yesterday and noticed how many people were just giving up after one cycle. You can’t just start taking a supplement and then just because you haven’t noticed anything different or pregnancy achieved decide that it isn’t going to work for you. You need to keep at it. Tone your body and let the supplements work for you. Even if it does take 3 months! (Not that it’s guaranteed to work in 3 months either, could take a little bit longer. Sorry had to throw that disclaimer in there before I get bombarded with emails.)

It's the same with taking your Basal Body Temperature (BBT). You can't give up after one month of charting. You need a few charting months to get to know your body. I remember when I started charting way back when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth. I seriously thought I was PG the first month charting. Everything pointed to being PG. Only after a few cycles charting, did I realize that my body was going through it's own pattern. Every month without fail. I could rely on my charts to ease my heart towards the end of the 2ww.

I get frustrated when people give up after one month on a certain "plan of action". Yes I understand your frustration because you want to be PG right now. But you really need to give your body time to absorb the supplements and WORK. I have had clients fall pregnant the first month using supplements, but the general trend is only after a few cycles once their bodies have adjusted.

Especially the men supplements. Remember sperm take 70 days (or so) to produce. Any changes (positive or negative) you make today will only affect the boys who come into play in 2-3 months time. You can’t really do anything about the sperm that is already waiting in the side lines. They have already matured and getting ready for action.

Now, if you have been taking supplements for 6 months or more. We need to start looking for reasons why it isn't working. Are you timing your ovulation and BD correctly? Have you had your partner's sperm tested? Have you investigated the possibility that you could have blocked tubes? Go see your doctor. :)

I apologize for the sort of vent session. But I just don’t want people giving up. Don’t GIVE UP. I see so much heart ache daily, but when someone gets their BFP, we all rejoice and bounce up and down. I want to be excited for each and every one of you.

Fertivor Review

(Sorry everyone, I'm having major internet connection issues. Wanted to do some interesting research for you all, but with this connection it's impossible.)

Strangely enough I have been getting quite a few requests about how to improve cervical mucus. (CM). Weird how I get these "waves" of questions. One week it's all about sperm issues, then there will be three days of Fertile Focus microscopes.... and now today almost every email or call is about CM.

The more "natural ways" to improve your CM are:

Drink lots of water (through out your cycle)

A cup or two of Green tea from day 1 to ovulation day. If you are like me and cant drink the Green tea. It makes me want to gag, then consider taking it in a pill form.

Evening Primrose Oil – EPO Taken from day 1 to ovulation. (1500mg to 3000mg per day.) Do not use EPO after ovulation since it can cause uterine contractions. Some woman have reported having bad headaches and an upset stomach while taking the EPO.

Eating raw baby carrots. I don’t have a recommended dosage, but I’m sure a handful twice a day will do the trick. If you start turning orange, I suggest you stop. LOL

Grapefruit Juice. Two cups a day up until O day. This one I’ve actually tried myself and it does work! Although it always just made my CM more watery and actually EWCM (egg white cm)

Guaifenesin, this is found in cough syrup. If you want to go this route, then make sure you get a cough syrup that only contains guaifenesin. You don’t want it to contain any other ingredients since that will dry up your mucus. Guaifenesin thins out your mucus. Benylin Wet Cough Syrup contains 200mg of guaifenesin. This is usually taken twice a day with a glass of water from CD8/10 up until O date. Remember this doesn’t help produce CM, just helps with thinning it out.

I have tried all the above methods. There is one product that I'm able to say 100% worked to help my body to produce that all important EWCM. The super fertile cervical mucus. Ask any of my forum girls, how proud I was of the EWCM I got while using the Fertivor. So proud I almost took photos for all to see. LOL

FERTIVOR



FERTIVOR is a nutritional fertility supplement integrating several key ingredients that safely and naturally promote the production of cervical fluids, support the ‘thinning’ of mucus, increase hydration of the mucin, as well as promote proper mucus alkalinity. In addition, the same ingredient that supports CM production (L-Arginine as nitric oxide precursor) has also been shown to induce endometrial secretion (creating a healthy uterus lining) during implantation time.

I absolutely love this product. Visit my website for more info and ordering :)

Luteal Phase Defect (LPD)

Your luteal phase (LP) is the time between ovulation and when your next period (AF) is due. Your LP should be between 12-16 days, with the average being 14 days. Although there is some sites that say anything between 10-17 days is normal. Some doctors believe that if the luteal phase falls under 12 days, then it could cause a problem falling pregnant.

If you think about it, implantation occurs anything between 6-10 days past ovulation (dpo). Now if you have a LPD, and your LP is less than 10 days. Your body isn’t giving the fertilized egg enough time to successfully implant. Your uterine lining will start to break down causing AF to unpack her bags and make you miserable at another failed cycle.

So what causes this LPD?

Mostly LPD is due to low progesterone. There are three main causes however; all are linked to the lack of progesterone. Poor follicle(egg) production leads to the premature break down of the corpus luteum (after ovulation). The corpus luteum in turn produces low levels of progesterone which then causes your uterine lining to not prepare itself for implantation.

How do you know if you have a LPD?

You need to monitor your cycle. Determine when ovulation occurs and count the days between O and AF. The easiest way to do this is confirm your ovulation by charting your Basal Body Temperature.

How to treat LPD?

1) Vitamin B6 can be taken daily for your whole cycle
2) Progesterone Supplement, which is then given after ovulation has been confirmed. (Remember that if you are on a Prog Supp that you continue taking it if you fall PG, until your doctor says it’s safe to stop.)
3) The use of Clomid. Clomid will in turn produce better quality eggs which will kick off the cycle of better corpus luteum and better progesterone levels.

So treating a LPD is pretty straight forward, and should definitely be looked into if you suspect your luteal phase is too short!

Great Special on Arouse 24 Caps and Gel

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Getting The Swimmers Where They Need To Go!

After ejaculation, sperm have to be able to swim through the cervix to reach the Fallopian Tube where fertilization of the egg occurs. However, the interactions of sperm and cervical mucus that allow this migration are often disrupted in fertility patients. It is thought that at least a third (if not more) of subfertile couples have some disruption of sperm-cervical mucus interactions that limit sperm transport to the tubes.

There are a few ways that you can ensure that your cervical mucus is friendly towards sperm. You can make use of either Conceive Plus or Pre~Seed lubricant. Both of these lubricants are sperm friendly and actually aid in helping the sperm’s motility and survival in getting to where they need to go.



The Conception Kit is another awesome product that actually places the sperm right over the cervix opening. This way the sperm won’t have to travel that distance to the opening. The Conception Kit is designed for couples who want to enhance their opportunity to conceive in the privacy of their own home.

The corner stone of the Kit is the cervical cap. The cap is placed right there at the cervix opening, enabling the sperm to come in direct contact with the opening. The cap can be left in for up to 8 hours. Then the sperm swims up to the fallopian tubes to that awaiting egg for hopeful conception.

The kit is specifically made for women who have the following issues:

1) Tilted Cervix
2) Hostile Vaginal pH

Obviously the kit will not help if the female has blocked fallopian tubes or having ovulation issues like non ovulation or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (unless Fertility drugs are being used to induce ovulation). If you are ovulating every month and can track ovulation (using the Ovulation Predictor Kits that are in the Kit) you can time when you will need to BD and use the Cervical Cap.

The Kit for men addresses the following:

1) Low sperm count
2) Low sperm motility

Since the sperm is place directly at the cervical opening, it lessens the “stress” put on the sperm that would normally have to “swim” up to the cervix opening. Of course healthy sperm will even better your chances.

See our website on how to order The Conception Kit, or your Conceive Plus/Pre~Seed

Sleep: The Key to Conceiving?

** It's fun trying something new. So please bare with me while I figure out how to keep business and personal stuff separate. I opened my personal blog, so feel free to go read (follow) there: Picking up the pieces **


Sleep: The Key to Conceiving?

I read an interesting article the other day with regards to sleep and making a baby. You can read the full article here on Conceive Online

But what it basically boils down to is that a lack of sleep disrupts a woman’s circadian rhythm. (I didn’t even know we had one LOL). It’s the 24 hour internal clock that helps regulate all the bodies systems. Studies suggest a link between sleep and fertility. Research has also shown that 80 – 90 percent of ovulation occurs between Midnight and 4am.

So technically you should be sleeping while your body is trying to ovulate? If you aren’t sleeping well, does that mean that you are preventing your body from ovulating like it should, thus hindering your chances at conception? You see, if you aren’t sleeping well your body is rather going to use the energy it has to take care of the necessary functions like supporting your immune system. Than popping out an egg. Selfish circadian rhythm.

Remember if you are stressed out from lack of sleep, you are going to cause stress on your cycles. Which in turn is going to delay your ovulation, which can totally throw off your timing when you thought you were going to O. So don’t miss the O boat, get enough possible shut eye in!