How do I stop from testing too early?

[Georgi]

Hi....

I was wondering if anyone has some tips on how to convince yourself that it's not a good idea to test too early (eg 8DPO)????

I have been getting AF like cramps for the past two days, along with having to go to the toilet every 30 mins. It eventualy slows down to hourly then every two hours as the afternoon progresses.

If I do get AF cramps they are usually the day or two before AF arrives, not a week before.

I am trying to stop myself from testing cause I know it's too early, but today bought a test that claims it can detect hCG levels at 25IU/L which is normally reached by 7 to 10 DPO. I am planning to test in the morning but would prefer not to. AF is due on the 16th (next Wednesday), and I don't know how I can wait.

This is only my 2nd month of TTC so I am new at this TWW. It sucks.......

Any tips on how I can easily stop myself from testing??????

I also wonder if you can convince your body to give you PG signs? I seem to have just about every sympton there is.......

Any advice would help...

[deni]

Georgi, beside not having a HPT in the house... hmm it's a tricky one, because I weaken too.

How about banding together and we both won't test tomorrow !!

Just think how great it would be , if the first "second line" you see is a dark, no-kidding-it's-definately-a-BFP line, rather than an "is it or isn't it " line that is torturous !!!

Other ideas i've thought of myself, are : keeping your HPT in your car, or at someone else's house, so you're not tempted, or go to the toilet as soon as you wake up so you miss the chance to use FMU ?

I've had the AF symptoms too. I was sure AF was coming, until I made the mistake of reading the pregnancy signs thread, where so many people were saying they felt AF was coming and it was a BFP !

Good luck to you hun ! Don't be too hard on yourself if you fold and test - but if you can hold out a few more days it's probably best, just imagine that nice solid dark line !

[smylie]

The power of the mind is an amazing, I just convinced myself I needed NEEDED another dessert... we all know I just wanted it but I managed to convince myself i NEEDED it.

Yes I think you can convince yourself you have pregnancy symptoms, I convince myself every week that perhaps my extreme tiredness means I am pregnant, or that the new pimple I get is to do with hormones and pregnancy not easter chocolate... and tiredness NOTHING to do with 3 month old baby...

Just tell yourself you wont be able to tell if you are pregnant until next week... because lets face it you wont really be sure and that will be torture you are going to have to wait to be sure until next week...

[satya]

Yes the mind is a very powerful thing and many women (including myself) see all sorts of "symptoms" when they are TTC. Some women even have hysterical pregnancies, which is all controlled by the mind but they are not pregnant.

Last cycle in week 3 I had all sorts of symptoms including nausea, fatigue & breast changes & then they just went away. The funny thing was they went away right after I tested and got a BFN, so I'm pretty sure it was just my mind playing tricks on me.

When I was pg recently I did not have any symptoms before I entered week 5 other than tiredness.... things only kicked in after my AF was due.

I am now 6DPO and once again am experiencing all sorts of symptoms and am hoping it's not just another repeat of last month.

As for testing early, I read a post in here recently that it really is best to test after your AF is late. This would then stop you getting excited over a chemical pregnancy that you would not have even known about had you waited until after your AF was due. That said I know it is incredibly hard during the 2WW and I'm no longer that good at waiting either.

Of course, you could be pg and it's just too early to tell.... only time will tell.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Kel, good to see I'm not alone in hoping the lack of AF is more new foetus than new baby! We aren't even TTC either!

I kept myself super-busy in the latter weeks of my cycle and refused to stress until after day 45 (~6w cycles), I baked ginger biscuits a lot (so if I was I wouldn't have to cook with morning sickness, if not I like them anyway), I alphabetised everything, bought myself a new novel, insisted on watching 6-hour long DVDs... and went to work, of course!

Convine yourself that HPTs don't exist so you can't know early... hard, but it works!

[Niamh75]

Hi Georgi,

I know exactly how you feel this two week wait is a big fat pain
last month i tested early twice before AF was due and once when they were late all negative

when i tested early the first time i kept thinking maybe im too early i nearly drove my self mad.
see if you can hold out till just the day before AF is due or the day they are due then you know for sure.

im due mine Sunday 14 two days before you here hoping Af doesn't come

[Georgi]

Thanks. They are all good tips. I found giving up smoking after 15years, easier than trying not to test.

I will try to convince myself that it's too early for symptoms and i'll try to believe that it is impossible to detect pregnancy before AF is due.

There.... I believe!!!!!

Deni, You have yourself an agreement. I've decided I won't test tomorrow. Where are you in your TWW?

[deni]

Georgie, i'm 11 dpo. My luteal phase is usually 12 days, so AF is due on Friday. But I'm not keen to test while my DH is away.. he's due back Monday night.. but I'm thinking i'm going to test on Mother's day (sunday), just coz that's a nice day to have positive news, that is if AF doesn't arrive by then.!!! Maybe that would be a good day for you too? That would make you 12 dpo ?

[Georgi]

Deni, If my calculations are correct then yeah, I will be 12dpo on Sunday.

Good Idea to test on Sunday. My mum and DF's mum are both in Sydney so maybe we can have our own celebration.

Oooo, Sunday it is...

Are you getting any symptoms?

[Georgi]

Niamh, your month sounds like my last one. How awful is it!

We need to all stand united on this one and hold out......

Go away AF, go go go.

[paradise lost]

I'm not ttc but in the days before DD when i was longing for a baby i had a trick i used when i was DESPERATE to test. Right before bed i drank 1-2 pints of water. About 5am i'd wake up BUSTING to pee. I'd stumble half-asleep into the bathroom, sit down and...ahhhhhhh, that's better. Oh wait, that's my FMU gone! LOL. It worked for me anyway.

H

[Simplicity]

I'm 10 DPO today and desperate to test too! I find charting my temps to be helpful as that is something to check each morning and temps staying high is a good sign. As others have said, i try to keep reminding myself that if I test early I will probably just get a BFN which is really depressing. I'm trying to wait until Saturday to test!

[Georgi]

It's just soooo hard. Today I've taken the day off work cause I feel like there is a constant lump in my throat and I've had a headache all day. The AF cramps have settled into occaisional sharp tugging like pains and the lower back pain has started. I constantly feel queezy. These symptoms normally come 2 days prior to AF......

I keep thinking that if these symptoms are so strong then a PG test should show +++

Heeeelppppp.....

[boo]

I think the only way to stop yourself testing is to not have any tests in the house (or get DH to hide them and only hand them over if AF is late!) We were TTCing for over two years but even towards the end if there was a HPT in the house i just couldn't help myself! Goodluck hope you get your BFP soon.

[Liz]

1. Think of the money! LOL - each test is expensive!

2. Convince yourself that the bub has only JUST implanted on like day 8 or 9 (can take up to 10 days to implant) so there wouldn't be enough HCG in your system yet. I've had a BFN at 12dpo, but then a faint BFP at 14dpo. So testing early really is pretty pointless. hehe.

I am a symptomless TWW'er. My symptoms don't kick in until I'm around 6 weeks. Any symptoms I may think I have are exactly like AF anyway, so until you're actually late, you don't know if it's pg or AF.

Good luck with all the testing on Sunday!

[deni]

I am a symptomless TWW'er. My symptoms don't kick in until I'm around 6 weeks. Any symptoms I may think I have are exactly like AF anyway, so until you're actually late, you don't know if it's pg or AF.

Liz, I hope you're right !! I have had an AF feeling for the past 3 days. AF is due between now and Saturday. Georgi - I'm still holding out from testing in Sunday ! Hang in there !!!

[Georgi]

You're right Boo. But the problem now is that I know I have 1 in the house.

Liz, i'm trying to convince myself that I have manifested these symptons but it's not working. I keep telling myself that it's too soon.

I need to get a new hobbie maybe????

[Georgi]

for us for Sunday for me holding on till then... aahhhhhhhh