TTC soon, How do I prepare myself for conception?

Hi all,
I have had a roller coaster ride over the last 2 years. But after many tears and some sleepless nights. My husband has finally agreed to prepare for TTC. 2 weeks ago he said to me it was time I started taking my pre-conception suppliments. So without further delay I was at the chemist and checking out all the products. I came home with the new Blackmores Pre-Conception Concieve well gold product. I also take Megafol 5 because I have Spina Biffida Oculta (sorry about the spelling). And I think it puts me at a higher risk.

I have stopped drinking alcohol, and I am exercising almost every day. Is there anything else I should do to pre-pare for conception. I am on the pill still, I will stay on that until we are ready to TTC. Should I get a pap test done? I had full bloods a few months ago (for unrelated reasons). And the only thing that came up was slightly high cholesterol. And the only medication besides the pill that I am on is Deralin 40mg a day. This is to help anxiety, I think it lowers my blood pressure a bit too. Its classed as a type C medication, but I am not sure if this is a huge problem, does anyone know about that? I also take buscopan regularly for IBS when it flairs up.

I just want to make sure that I pre-pare myself well, for the best chances of conceiving and a healthy pregnancy for me a bubs.

I am so excited, cant wait to get started...
Thanks
Puppies:cryinglaugh:

I wouldn't go crazy with pills and potions, just continue to exercise and maintain a healthy weight, and of course get the timing right for BD'ing (before, during and after ovulation).

Importantly, continue to take the folate supplement whilst TTC. The neural tube defect that causes spina bifida occurs very early in pregnancy (around Day 20 or somesuch) so it's important to realise that once you're pregnant it's too late to start folate - ie. you're doing the right thing now.

Thanks Slyder for your encouraging comments. I really don't want to go over the top either. i don't want to be one of those couples that has to change their lives around ovulation. I would just like to stop taking the pill and continue on with my life as I do now and see what happens. I am just scared If I obsess about it all the time then the stress of it all will stop conception from taking place, which I heard is very common.

I feel like this is a weird thing to ask, but we normally have sex (which I think you called it BD'ing) every second or third day anyway. I normally have mid cycle pain, which I have been researching and i think that may be a sign that I am ovulating. When we begin TTC do you think that its ok to continue on with that routine? I don't just want to just make love to my husband to get pregnant. I am very mindful of his feelings and I don't want him to think I am just making love with him to get pregnant. AM I being silly? Told you i felt weird asking you this question...

Hey Puppies

Welcome to the wonderful world of TTC! I too take Blackmores Conceive Well Gold & Megafol (M/fol due to 2 x m/c) although GP is best person to talk about that with, I would also check with GP about the other medications you are on too.

Exercise if of course good too, balanced diet - I even converted to organic food, it's a little more expensive but to me a healthy baby is priceless so small price to pay really.

Have you had a blood test to check if you are immuned to rubella & chicken pox? I knew I was immuned to rubella but have only just found out that I wasn't for chicken pox - vaccine means you have a 4.5 month wait before you can ttc again so if you look at all that stuff now then you shouldn't have to wait like I am at the moment.

If you are due for a pap soon then I'd probably just get it done before you ttc so it's out of the road.

Make sure your health fund covers you for what you would like to be covered for, public/private etc.

Get a basal body temperature thermometre & start keeping track of your cycle (not sure if it still works same when you're on the pill though). That way when you do start ttc you will have very clear idea of when you ovulate etc. It took us 8 months to fall pg the second time but it was the second month temping so I def. recommend temping. Can also be used in the reverse as we are not allowed to get pg again at the moment it helps us avoid the fertile time. TTC does take a little romance away sometimes.

Most important thing - stay relaxed and keep a possitive attitude. Be prepared to fall pregnant straight away & also prepare yourself that it may not happen straight away. Best of luck to you :)

Yeah, BD'ing (baby dance) - just another silly abbreviation/creation. It took me months to figure that one out.

If you're going for it every second to third day I wouldn't worry about adjusting your habits. As AJC said, it may be a good idea to chart/track your cycle so you know where you're at (and so does your doc should you ever need to seek advice), but it's certianly not compulsory. There is stacks of info on BellyBelly about charting and tracking and all sorts of stuff to do with TTC, so have a look around and see what suits you.

As for your concern that your husband might feel like a baby making machine if you do change your routine - chances are that as a bloke he really wont care but talk to him anyway. In any event it becomes a little bit mechanical I guess for some couples whilst TTC. Perfectly normal in my opinion and nothing to feel guilty about.

Hi puppies.
How long do you think it will be before you actually start TTC?? I'm asking because it might be an idea to go off the pill now and use condoms until then instead. With me and a lot of other people after going off the pill your cycles can go a bit crazy!!! So it might be good to get them back to regular now maybe if you want??
With the O pain, I don't think that would be it because the pill stops you from ovulating. But yes DTD every second day is the best way!!
good luck!

Thanks guys,
Well that throws that idea out the window, that the mid cycle pain I have every month is me ovulating! Wonder what it is then?

Might start looking at the charting then, thanks for that... (although is it any good charting when your on the pill?) I am not sure when exactly we might start TTC. I need to be taking my suppliment's for at least a couple of months before TTC. I will assume that we might start looking at TTC in the new year. I would just be happy to start TTC. I know what you saying about coming off the pill now and giving my body a chance to get its crazy cycles out of the way. I actually came off the pill 2 years ago, not because we were trying though, for other reasons. I ended up falling pregnant after 11 months off the pill, I lost the baby at 6 weeks. But when i came off the pill then (after 12 years) my cycle went straight to a 29 day cycle. It was quiet good. Is there any reason that it might NOT go to that again when I come off this time? (p.s. I am not good with condoms, the irritate me).

As for Rubella and chicken pox. I am pretty sure I had the rubella vacination when I was in high school and I thought I had chicken pox as a kid. But I think I would rather be sure. I might book in to get my pap test done next week and a blood test that checks those 2 things too. Thanks AJC.

Aggrh so much to think about!
puppies

Puppies - I would definately come off the pill a few months prior to TTC. There is quite a few women in the TTC / preTTC threads who have noticed that their cycles were different coming off the pill. Remember that you are older now than you were the first time you came off the pill, and age does impact on how long it takes your cycles to get back into a rythym after the pill. Some research (I think it is on FF) states that only 60% of cycles are ovulatory the first month after coming off the pill. Just something to think about :)

As for pregnancy / conception vitamins, i use Blackmores pregnancy & breastfeeding gold, and it has got the folate in it already. As the other women said, get your pap done if you are due, and a chicken pox & rubella immunology done ASAP, because if you find you are no longer immune, it can take up to 6 weeks to get the vaccine, give your body time to gain immunity, get the second confirmatory blood test done, then wait for the results!!! Blah... I'm sick of doctors already and I'm not even UTD.

Relax and enjoy sex!!!

Great advice guys, thanks...
I am going to talk to DH about coming off after this month. I just started a new month now, so I think I am best to finish that. And I am definatley going to get a pap test done and some blood tests for Rubella and Chicken pox next week. I pray that I don't need to wait anymore...but I know this is all up to God when all this will happen, its the one true miracle left in this world that science cant take credit for!

I will keep you all posted on my progress...
Puppies

Hi puppies,

Looks like you've been getting some great advice. No-one has addressed your medications yet so I thought I would.

The only medications that are pretty much known to be ok to take during pg and TTC are Category A. I'm in the medical field so I've got the definition of Category C for you (which your Deralin is):

Category C
Drugs that, owing to their pharmacological effects, have caused or may be suspected of causing harmful effects on the human fetus or neonate without causing malformations. These effects may be reversible.

Your Buscopan is a Category B2:

Category B2
Drugs that have been taken by only a limited number of pregnant women and women of childbearing age, without an increase in the frequency of malformation or other direct or indirect harmful effects on the human fetus having been observed. Studies in animals[1] are inadequate or may be lacking, but available data show no evidence of an increased occurrence of fetal damage. For drugs in categories B1, B2 and B3, human data are lacking or inadequate and subcategorisation is therefore based on available animal data. The allocation of a B category does not imply greater safety than the C category.

Out of interest the Category A's definition is:

Category A
Drugs which have been taken by a large number of pregnant women and women of childbearing age without any proven increase in the frequency of malformations or other direct or indirect harmful effects on the fetus having been observed.

Category A is the safest category and generally it is only drugs in this category that doctors will recommend you take during pg. Ideally though if you can avoid taking any medications then that is best. If I were you I would not be wanting to take a Category C or even a Category B2 medication during TTC or pg. The best thing for you to do is make an appt with your GP and discuss your options for stopping or changing medication. I'm an IBS sufferer too and there are plenty of things you can do to manage the condition without taking meds.

HTH :)

principessa, your above entry is very interesting! with my first little one i had no idea that i should look into medications myself (was young and trusting of my doc i guess!).... i took buscopan my whole pregnancy as the doc said it was safe. Ha! Never needed it before hand, have never needed it since. But without anything being in what i now know is category A i certainly wont be taking it next time, so thankyou!

wow!, so glad you explained all that to me and in english too! I have tried to come of my Deralin, but I find when I do, my heart feels like its beating rapidly. I was on 2 tablets a day (80mg). But I managed to get down to one a day. I take it in the morning. By the time I wake up the next day, my heart feels like its racing. I have been told by GP that If I want to come off them, I need to wean myself off slowly. Perhaps I might start taking half a tablet in the morning and see if that helps. I was given this medication to help with anxiety as I am a very nervous person, and that then effects my IBS. And to be honest this medication has been working to. I might have to try going for a walk in the mornings as well as at night. If I start my day relaxed I am usually ok.

As for buscopan, I usually take it when I am having problems relaxing my bowel. When I go in the morning, it quiet often can't relax and continues to spasm, which can be hard when I spend about 1hr in traffic every morning!

I have to say I am excited about having a baby, but so anxious about how I will handle it with my nerves and my IBS. My husband always tell me that I dont know what I am in for...so I read all about other people's experiences and I think well if they can do it so can I...but seriously how will I cope, that part worries me so much!

REally thank you SOOO MUCH for explaining the meds to me, this will be my next goal to wean myself off these meds. I know its not going to be easy, but I would rather be trying to do this now and get my body used to not having them that trying to come off them while I am TTC aswell. I just want to enjoy TTC without all these worries.

I am so thankful for your advice principessa76
Puppies

catrionalee,
So scary to know that even your Dr said it was safe to take...did it have any effect on your baby or your birth? No one really mentions what drugs etc you can and can't take before you TTC, well not to the same capacity as what suppliments ie folate etc that you should be taking before you TTC.

This is quiet scary to me actually!

principessa, can you tell me does this concept work the same for the men TTC. My DH is on horse radish and garlic everyday for his sinus problems. Will that cause any issues for us TTC?
Puppies

the (funny) thing is, whe wasnt planned, i was very young (19 when she was born) doing the normal 19 yearl old thing at the time, going out, drinking etc until i knew i was pregnant. And she turned out beautiful, perfectly healthy!3.36 kilos when she was born.
and i have lost 2 in the last 12 months, where i have done everything "right", so go figure!!!!!
i just know she is meant to be here.
but, next time we ttc i am taking it even further, getting him to take supplements, wearing boxes etc. its just so weird the first one, totally unplanned turned out so perfect and the next two dodt make it passed 9 weeks.

catrionalee,
It is weird the way things turn out... I am sorry for your heart ache over your two angel babies. They do say that the ideal age for women to fall pregnant is when you had your daughter, so maybe thats why she turned out so perfect...I hate this ticking clock, its so frustrating. I wanted to have a baby 3 years ago, but my husband wasn't ready and every month that went by i just got depressed, as I lost another egg that could have been a buby. Now I am 30 and he is 35 and he says he is ready now...what happens if its too late and we missed our window? And then you get people saying ohh you can fall pregnant all the way up till your 40! Yeah its a miracle that happens in the first place let alone at 40...and the risks of health problems...its slack when they say that, its as if they are saying you have plenty of time...but really for a safe, healthy pregnancy, birth and baby, that time is running out fast. Like I said I really hate this ticking clock.

I just cant wait to start TTC, then at least I am not wasting my eggs!

Puppies

I would reccomend accupunture to anyone TCC I wish I knew earlier

Good Luck with your journey

ah puppies,
i am now so scared that he will make me wait to try again, i think it that hardest part of losing a baby - not being sure when he will be ready!
so glad your hubby has finally agreed to start for your lil bubba, congrats! i dont think i cna endure waiting 3 years!
blowing lots and lots of baby dust your way!

Oh another thing re the medications.
You shouldn't take nurofen in pregnancy or for a couple of months before TTC. My Dr told me this. I think it's a category B drug. Panadol is fine. I always used to take nurofen for AF cramps so it's a pain (literally, lol) not being able to take it.

hi puppies,

I'm sure some meds would affect male fertility but I think things are much more relaxed for men taking meds during TTC than for women. My DH was told taking Nexium was fine during TTC and its a Category B2.

Once again I think if your DH is taking meds then best to check with your GP and make sure his fertility won't be affected. Remember too that the drugs themselves and the effects of the drugs can take a while to wear off. Sperm take 70 days to mature. So if the sperm are affected by meds it could take at least 70 days for fertility to return to normal after meds are stopped.

HTH:)

catrionalee, I know where your at right now and I think its the toughest wait of all waiting for your partner to come around. I honestly thought it would never happen, I thought he would never change his mind, but I wasn't going to give up without trying everything I could. But I had to learn to not bug him about it all the time. Instead I quietly started to find solutions for all his concerns, and it certainly helped that all his friends who are much younger were having babies and they started to push him as well. There is NO WAY I could wait 3 years either!, I don't even want to wait another month. But now that I know he is happy to begin the preparation for TTC, I am feeling so much better, now I just cant wait and the thought of it makes me the happiest I think I have ever been EVER!
Good luck, and hang in there, vent with us here so you dont feel tempted to go home and bug him about it cause it will only slow the process down.
Thanks for the baby dust! I am sending you bucket fulls of the stuff right now!....

SaraJane,
Yeah, I have a very sensitive tummy, so i have never taken nurofen. I think the worst thing I have taken for pain is Panadine (which is probably the same as nurofen, but it doesn't upset my tummy). I am seriously going to try and quit all my meds, I am going to need to toughen up for pregnancy anyway.
For period pain I usually take Naprogesic, which seems to be the best for me in this situation.

tiggerlinda,
My husband gets accupunture for his sports injuries and he says its great. We probably go and see a chinese massage therapist a couple of times a month. So I think that it will help. I guess anything that relaxes you is going to help TTC.

oscaroscar,
You will be proud of me, I took your advice and went to see Dr this morning (told you I was keen). He is going to slowly take me of Deralin (because of the problems it can have during pregnancy), also I had the rubella and chicken pox etc blood tests done. i should get the results back in 2 days. He also gave me a referal to a Gyno for my pap test etc. So I will get that all sorted out to, so I am praying that the blood tests come back all clear and we can just look forward to TTC.

Thanks for your advice on that, I would never have known to do that. Your the BEST!