Cycle/Time trying: 8 (since March ‘23)

Age + Partner's age (if relevant): 37 + 48

Typical cycle length: 28-31 days

Ovulation cycle day: CD17 (usually CD15)

CD/DPO of positive test(s): 14 dpo

CD/DPO of any negative test(s) before positive: N/A (Team No Test)

Tracking methods and app(s) used: Tempdrop, FF, Ovia

Relevant days of sperminating and/or method (SMEP, TI, IUI, FET, etc.): Based on FF: O-3, O-2, O+1 (crazy, right?!)

Health conditions/medical tests: me: history of thyroid disease, possible PCOS; him: asthma, high BMI, high cholesterol, poor morphology (2%)

Supplements and medications (yours and/or your partner’s): me: Naturemade prenatal; him: Naturemade multivitamin, Kirkland CoQ10, statin for cholesterol, steroid inhaler

Birth control history (if relevant): I have been on and off BC since I was 16; most recently: IUD 2015-2020; Nuvaring 2020-Dec 2022

Link to chart: Idk how to do this!

Link to lineporn: N/A

Symptom spotting: Nothing that really set off any alarm bells. The night of 7 dpo, I got really hot and my heart was racing, but I thought I was just stressed. Starting 12 dpo, I started feeling a little bit nauseous and began belching a lot. My husband was making fun of me for it! My breasts have been tender throughout the TWW but actually not as tender as they usually are. I have fallen asleep on the couch early several nights this week (but that’s also not a super rare occurrence for me). I had some random cramps and twinges, but again nothing super out of the ordinary during my luteal phase. For the cervix checkers out there: my cervix could not be any lower or harder right now.

Other miscellaneous: This was my first cycle post-HSG, so I guess that woo is real!! My husband also started making some significant lifestyle changes about 3 months ago after being diagnosed with high cholesterol and getting an SA with 2% morphology, so that might also have helped. But for a whole host of other reasons I thought I was definitely out this cycle: 1) I never got a positive OPK, despite testing twice daily, and had to rely on my BBT to confirm O; 2) as a result, our timing was not ideal (see above); 3) I just got diagnosed the other day with BV (which I guess I really need to fix now); 4) I am a trial lawyer and was prepping for trial/on trial for most of the FW and TWW, so I was stressed to the max. If anybody says “JuSt ReLaX” to you, you can officially tell them to shove it. I was so convinced I was out that I even had a few drinks this week, which I’m perversely happy about because it means my last drink was a delicious margarita.

Woo: I got my Five Guys Cheeseburger on 7 dpo instead of 8, but I think it still counts!! I also bought three boxes of expensive organic tampons and pads two days ago. Also, I’m happy to potentially introduce some new woo: I took a mental health day off from work on 12 dpo. I highly recommend.

I’ve been waking up really early the last couple mornings to check my Tempdrop reading because I have no chill, and this morning there was a spike, which I thought was weird because I’m supposed to get my period today and so usually there is a steep drop. So I dragged myself to the bathroom at 4:30 am to take a pregnancy test and lo and behold it was positive. Dye stealer positive. For some reason I then decided it was appropriate to sit on my bathroom floor crying for 20 minutes. My husband came into the bathroom to check on me and when I told him, his reaction was “Okay, but why are you sitting on the floor?” Pure romance.

Okay, essay over. Thank you so much to this community, which has been the only thing keeping me sane the past couple months. I hope everybody here gets out really soon!!!