Hey all,
I'm new! Been reading this board for a while now but this is my first post! Me and hubby been TTC now for 7 months with no luck. It seems pointless worrying at such an early stage... course thats easier said than done and i have been reading this board and constantly googling TTC and fertility websites for the last 6 months!!
Previous to TTC i had been on the pill for 10 years. Since coming off the pill i now feel every single twinge down there! Its weird! Every month i now get ovulation pain that lasts about 3 or 4 days. Although it can be uncomfortable at times, its not unbearable in any way and i have always thought it was probably a good sign, as at least i know when its time to BD every month!
My question is this though... having just got AF this morning and found out yet again i am not preggers this month () am i wrong to think that OV pain means i definitely ovulate? Could you have OV pain and not ovulate? Am starting to wonder if having been on the pill so long my ovaries need a kick start into dropping those eggs?
Thanks in advance for any help! (BTW - I haven't used OPK sticks or anything like that yet - think DH would pass out if he thought i was that baby hungry!!).

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not really sure about the OV stuff, I never experienced OV pains myself, but I'm sure some of the other girls can help you out

As for coming off BCP, it takes some women's bodies longer to regulate and start OVing again than it does others.

Hey Coffee, just saw your other post then so you alreayd know im in same sort of boat as you but just wanted to welcome you to ttc forum. Its made my life pass a lot quicker and easier since i discovered theres somewhere that i can chat, with other people going thru same stuff so i know in not a COMPLETE mental case!!!
I have to admit any ov sort of feelings were masked by being on the pill to be honest as i never noticed them til i came off the pill but i never have mega painful ov just uncomfortable twinges and feleings. If they are really painful and it worries you maybe ask your doc??If you are confused as to when you ov maybe try using a clear blue ovulation kit one month, at least that pin points it for you a bit, theyve worked for me. x

Thanks guys, you are lovely, lovely people!
Fran - Yes- kinda been feeling like a mentalist last few months! When DH and i decided to start "trying" we agreed we would take things easy, not become obsessive in any way, no charts, no OPKs etc, just chill out, act normal and see what happens and if nothing happened in a year then think again.
It all sounds good in theory, but in practise i think about it every flipping day! Also, its ok for him to say "take it easy, not worry" blah blah, but when you feel every single flipping twinge and its your body its happening to it's slightly different!!
I worry if i start on the OPK's i will be more obsessive than ever! I think maybe i need to give it some more time before i go down that path...
Its just weird how some people only have to look and they get preggers, while other happily and in love couples struggle on through every month, trying to act like it doesnt bother them, when it so does!!!

Hi Coffee, and welcome!!

I have always had ov pain but i read on the web that altho its uselful in ttc i also read its not good at pinpointing ovulation.

" About 20% of women experience mittelschmerz, or pain associated with ovulation. The pain may occur just before, during, or after ovulation."

"There are several explanations for the cause of this pain. Just prior to ovulation, follicle growth may stretch the surface of the ovary, causing pain. At the time of ovulation, fluid or blood is released from the ruptured egg follicle and may cause irritation of the abdominal lining. Mittelschmerz may be felt on one side one month, then switch to the opposite side the next month, or it may be felt on the same side for several months in succession."

Also, it is possible to have signs of ovulation and not actually release an egg, apparently, very annoying this info.. but i would go with the general idea that if you feel this every month id conclude you are ovulating unless you're proven or suspect otherwise.

..... hope this helps! And the best of luck ttc, hun!

Hi Coffee, I am 31 next week and we have been ttc for 8 months now and I was on BCP for 14 years. I went to the docs at 6 months just to chat and they did blood tests to check I was ovulating which I was. I told my GP that I get pain around O time and she said that was a very good sign! I get bad cramps and quite bad back pain. My skin also breaks out in acne. I do use opks now but am starting to think we have been BD'ing too early. Its a nightmare isn't it but this site is great. BTW I also think about it far too much and over analyse in the 2ww!!

Good luck

Hey guys,
Thankyou so, so much. You've really made me feel a whole lot better! I am so glad i joined this site now!
Bonfloss - we sound in a very similar position and it was really useful to hear what your Dr had to say. I am nearly 30 (eek!) and i think having been on the pill for so long i have forgotten / don't realise how painful AF can be so i am thinking something must be wrong with me, when actually its all perfectly normal!
I really wish GP's would warn you a bit more about how BCP can mess with your body. I remember questioning my Dr a few times over the years about whether it was potentially doing any damage and the Dr denied every time and said there was no need to take a break or anything. Now i really feel being on BCP for so long is what is causing me not to conceive.

Hi Coffee, this site keeps me sane so sure you will be the same! I agree with you that lengthy use of bcp is delaying conceiving but my GP wouldn't really give me a straight answer. I just get so down as we BD at the right time and still nothing so what else can you do. Good luck to you this month.

I think the problem is GP's don't have a clue! They always seem to know a little bit about not a lot in my opinion!
Thanks again and good luck to you too! I know just how you feel - i am on CD2 today so feels like i got ages and ages before i can start getting excited and wondering again! Every month when AF comes i obsessively think / check back to see if we BD-ed exactly 14 days earlier! As you say, what can you do though? I am sure it will come for us soon - reading about Cheryl getting her BFP today really gave me strength actually and i am strong believer that if you want something badly enough, you will get it in the end.
to you x