The "Pee-on-a-stick" Phase (June to September)

Hi, my name is Alyssa and I am addicted to peeing on sticks. It's been 7 days since my last ovulation test. Anyone who's been TTC for a while now has this addiction. Don't believe me? Just Google "pee on a stick". (safe-search on, of course)

The stick I am referring to comes in two varieties. The first and most common are ovulation tests or OKPs (Ovulation Predictor Kits). Ovulation tests monitor the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in urine. The LH surge, precedes ovulation by 24 to 36 hours. So basically you need to start POAS (Peeing on a stick) about 5-7 days after the last day of your last period and then squint at parallel lines until the test line becomes equal to or darker than the base line. Women basically become crazy chemists lining up their little experiments.

So why do women do this? As I said before, even with perfect timing there is only a 20% chance of conceiving each cycle, so getting that timing right is imperative. Since the LH surge happens about 24 - 36 hours BEFORE ovulation, a positive ovulation test is your cue to get busy! Ovulation can be inconsistent and can vary from woman to woman based on multiple factors. One factor is the length of each cycle. (The average women is about 28 days.) Other factors can be your health, a late start to your cycle, medications you are taking, etc. Because of these uncertainties, the addiction to POAS begins.

Remember that cool App, PeriodTracker, which estimates when you will ovulated? (roughly 14 days before the start of you next cycle) It's exactly that- an ESTIMATION. So you can not rely on counting days alone. Don't believe me? Remember back to sex-ed when they told you about the "Rhythm Method"? This is the same exact method, but you would avoid sex on the fertile days instead of focusing on them. Ah the Rhythm Method, loved by Catholic Grandmas everywhere.

Hey, you know what you call a woman who uses the Rhythm Method?  MOM, HA!....it's an oldy, but a goodie. It's also proof that the Counting Method/The Rhythm Method should really be paired with another method such as BC or OPKs (depending on which outcome you are after). Below is a handy chart, if you are a visual learner like me.

The other type of stick is, of course, the Pregnancy Test. There are sooooo many types of tests. In the beginning I bought  EPT because I couldn't wait the full two weeks from ovulation to the next cycle. This time period is referred to as the "two-week-wait" and it is brutal. I actually schedule a massage in the middle of my TWW so I have something else to look forward to/think about. The truth is that, after a few months, I realized that fancy pregnancy tests are just a waste of money. (especially if you are testing multiple times like a crazy POAS addict) Go to the dollar store. You pee on it for goodness sake! The dollar store tests aren't any less accurate and I can get 7 for the price I'd pay for 1 EPT.

So for me personally, after nearly half a year of trying, I had to buckle down and begin testing ovulation. I needed to know what was going on with my body. I know there are other methods such as Basil Body Temping (which requires commitment, a chunk of your morning routine, and a special thermometer). This method just doesn't fit in with my schedule and my life. Ovulation testing is pretty easy and you can even buy some kits to get you started. Try amazon and look for Wondoflo. They are super cheap and easy to use.

So what's next? You've read all the books, you are tracking ovulation, and still no baby? Well if you are over 30 and its been more than 6th months, you should see your OBGYN or consult with a fertility clinic. If you are under 30 (like me) these places won't even begin talking about infertility until you've tried for a year. For me, the next step was getting support from my sister and my friends. It was also time to hit the internet and see what the modern moms have tried. Ever heard of Preseed or Softcups? I hadn't either. Next entry is "You want me to try what?!" - October to December.

Crusade to Conception (January to May)

Remember in High School when you thought you could get pregnant at any moment? It felt like simply looking at a boy would lead you straight to the maternity ward! Here is my favorite example.

Anywho...... the truth is that for some of us it isn't enough to just toss out the BC. We are conditioned to think that this process is almost instant, when really even if you time everything perfectly you only have a 20% chance of (as the Brit's say) "falling pregnant".

So for this entry, let's back up to those happy days over a year ago when Hubby and I anticipated the end of each cycle with fingers-crossed and smiles-on.

Hubby and I were married in February and we thought it would be a wonderful surprise for our families if we could immediately announce that we were expanding our family. We actually tossed out the BC well before the wedding, and figured that I'd announce a month or so after the wedding. We began actively TTC (Trying To Conceive) in January.

I began my Crusade very humbly. I didn't buy any ovulation tests or special thermometers. I figured we were young and healthy, we would have no troubles. So I use a regular old app to get us started.

This is next month's PeriodTracker- great little app! If you are just starting your own crusade, I recommend this as a great place to start. There is also a social tab where you can chat with people all over the world. Even now I use this app to track ovulation and "intimate" days. The app is supposed to help you pinpoint fertile days based simply on the dates of your cycle. (I now know that this isn't the most accurate method...more on that next time).

Then the turning point came. By the end of May I received a positive home pregnancy test while on vacation. It was early and faint, so I kept it to myself.  6 days later a two-week long period began. (Thank goodness I kept it to myself!).  I don't have a clear answer as to what happened, but this was the moment that I started to panic.

So what happens when you start panicking? Well for me, you start reading. I read anything and EVERYTHING that I could. I read everything from blogs to the Mayo Clinic books. Finally an amazing friend (who now has a beautiful baby of her own) recommended The Impatient Women's Guide to Getting Pregnant. BUY THIS BOOK. It is light-hearted, scientific, and true to all ages of women TTC.

So get reading and find a friend to talk to! Avoid Panicking at all costs!

Next entry I will cover June - September and how my methods changed.  I like to call the next phase the "Pee on a Stick Phase".

Thanks for reading!

Who is Adelyn, and why are you waiting?

What a wonderful question!

The only way to answer this question is to give you a bit of background on myself and my life.

My name is Alyssa and I am a recently married woman in my late 20's. Hubby and I have been busy busy busy trying to expand our little family, which currently consists of Me, Hubby, and little Blake.

Yup, Blake's a dog.

When Hubby and I began the journey to expand our family we were highly optimistic and assumed that a new addition was right around the corner. Let me start off by saying, we are young (30 and under), healthy, and no I don't have PCOS or any other issues that might raise red flags.

After over a year of trying, I began looking for help and advice. What I found was this... unless you are over 30, have PCOS, and/or another fertility issue, there isn't really a good place for advice and especially support. Well, this is that place (hopefully).

So who/what is Adelyn? Adelyn (or Archer, if we have a boy) is what keeps us trying. You may think it's crazy to name the children you don't (or maybe even can't) have, but it really helps get me through all those blood tests, ultra sounds, and drugs that made me bloated, irritable, and hot (Read: Clomid).

So where do we go from here? Well, I hope to back-track a bit into what brought me to this place. The next few entries will be about our "crusade to conception" and all the bumps in the road along the way.

Thanks for reading!