After 6 months of stalking this site (thanks to everyone who has posted here before!), it's finally my turn to post :) Still not really believing my BFP because I have almost no symptoms - boobs are hardly sore, no increased sense of smell, still generally full of energy.. Earlier on I did have a few symptoms which were a little out of the ordinary, which made me take a test on DPO 9 with an early preg test (Fortel Ultra, which claims you can get positive results 7 days after day of intimacy) but got a BFN then. Thought I was out, was very depressed and called to make appointment with gynae as we had been trying for 6 months already. I only decided to test again on DPO 12 when AF did not arrive and my temps remained high (I usually have luteal phase of 10 to 12 days and temp usually falls a day before AF.) Here are my symptoms by DPO:
DPO 1 - slightly crampy
DPO 2 - a lot of milky discharge, especially in the afternoon
DPO 3 - same milky discharge in the afternoon, headache, achey around neck
DPO 4 - same milky discharge in the afternoon, crampy, slight spotting (this was strange, still don't understand it since it can't be implantation given my BFN on DPO 9)
DPO 5 - gassy (normal for me during luteal phase)
DPO 6 - gassy, bloated, crampy at night
DPO 7 - gassy, crampy, backache
DPO 8 - gassy, crampy, backache, headache
DPO 9 - gassy, crampy, backache; took test because consecutive days of crampiness was unusual for me, but BFN, thought I was out because test claims to be effective from 7 days after intimacy..
DPO 10 - slight dip in temperature (i thought AF was coming), backache, headache
DPO 11 - backache, constipation, tired
DPO 12 - decided to test again as temperature went up slightly which is unusual for me on day AF is due, got a super faint BFP on Fortel Ultra which DH insisted was an evap line; backache
DPO 13 - tested again and got a more obvious but still faint BFP on Clearblue (it almost faded entirely away after a few hours); backache
DPO 14 - tested again and finally a normal looking BFP!! (that's today!); still backache, sleepy but that could be because it's a monday morning...
Overall, the only unusual signs for me:
- Crampiness from DPO 4 to DPO 9
- Persistent backache from DPO 7 onwards (although I often get backaches from carrying my 12kg 10 month old son)
- Possibly the abundance of milky CM from DPO 2 to 4 (although it being so early on makes me doubt it was anything..)
Only thing I did differently this month (this is my 6th month or 7th cycle of trying) was to take 1000mg of Vitex every evening up to ovulation (earlier months I either took 500mg or didn't take). What seemed different this month (not sure if due to Vitex or other reasons) was I had two days of ':)' on the ClearBlue Digital OPK, instead of one day which I usually get, so maybe I had a healthier egg emerge?
Other things I have been doing every month:
- Took EPO to increase CM up to ovulation (but didn't really help, I still hardly had any EWCM)
- Use OPK and BD'ed on the two days with ':)' as well as the day after
So excited to have my #2 on the way, this time TTC was a lot harder than the first time (which was first try - on wedding night/week!). I felt I did everything right so many times, but AF never failed to rear her ugly head.. I really thought my system had been screwed up after having #1. But I guess the advice was right - don't give up and keep trying! I also have a short cycle, 22 to 25 days, with a short-ish luteal phase of 10 to 12 days, so ladies with short cycles don't despair!
Wishing for BFPs for all of you in your TWW! Hope my post is helpful to some! *hugs n kisses*