How often do you test?

[milosh]

I'm curious to know how often you ladies POAS. My husband and I have been TTC for about 2 months and so far I have tested every week.

ETA- I am talking about pregnancy tests.

[emisi]

Ditto esquirefish. Do you temp and chart? That would help you with your timing.

[milosh]

I see why my question was so stupid! No, I am not temping and charting, just going with the flow. My doc said I didn't really have to do that, just take it easy and relax about the whole process.

[emisi]

Doctors say that a lot, mostly because they don't really understand charting. I'd ignore him and start temping and charting, you'll save a lot of money on HPTs.

[milosh]

Meh, I'd rather take the relaxed approach. But thanks for the advice!

[ssmjlm]

If you're not charting and just going with it, then I would only test if you're late. At least save yourself some money that way.

You're not going to really know if you're PG before then unless you've been charting, so it's a waste to test at any other time.

[rugbywife]

I am confused...how does taking a test every week = relaxed approached? There are only certain times a month that you can get pregnant, like 6 days a cycle MAX...honestly, if only for the $ you are spending on tests...chart, it isn't hard. Andplusso, if you aren't pregnant in a year because you totally didn't have sex on the right days, you won't be so relaxed anymore.

[emisi]

Jul 13, 2012 21:43:29 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Andplusso, if you aren't pregnant in a year because you totally didn't have sex on the right days, you won't be so relaxed anymore.

This. I started charting immediately when we started TTC. I knew exactly when I ovulated, so I tested. I got 5 BFPs that ended almost immediately in chemical pregnancies. I was never late with my period. Had I not been charting, I wouldn't have known to test, so I wouldn't have known there was a problem. MIne ended up being a fibroid the size of a ping pong ball, which they removed this spring. Frankly, with the fibroid I would never have gotten pregnant, so I might have just assumed for a long time that I was simply infertile. Charting isn't just for people who "aren't taking it easy."

[milosh]

I get what everyone is saying, but after getting off of BC my periods have been crazy. That is why I have been testing so much. Maybe when things start to normalize, I will chart.

I also don't want to force sex on days we don't feel like it. Yes, we want to have a baby, but there is no rush, it will happen when it happens

[RBL]

My cycles are very regular so I only test if I am late.

I don't think I would be very relaxed/layed back about it if I was testing every week. You should definitely let your cycles normalize and stop testing every week. Maybe if your cycle seems unusually long you could test, but weekly is overkill.

We are laid back with TTC. I keep track of my cycle, but I do not temp. We also do not force sex at all. I've been pregnant twice with this approach, unfortunately both ended as miscarriages.

[Cheesecake]

The earliest you could possibly get a positive HPT is 10 days after fertilization, more likely to get a true result, 14 days (hence the 2 week wait). For those of us charting, it's obviously important to know as soon as we can (and we know exactly when we can test) so at the end of the 2WW. For you, testing weekly is obviously nonsense - a waste of money - and useless.

If you really don't want to chart or even take notice of your mucus or anything, don't test until at LEAST 3 weeks after the end of your last period, as that is about the earliest possible moment you can get a positive if you have a pretty dang short cycle.
Before that you'll never get a positive because basically, even if there's been fertilization, there hasn't been implantation yet, which effectively means you're not yet pregnant.

[amandakisser]

Actually, charting is best for those with irregular periods. It allows you to pinpoint when ovulation has occurred, and then you'll know exactly when your period will be due. Thus, you'll know when you can test, and you won't waste upwards of hundreds of dollars on tests.

Also, if you're testing every week, I don't think you're as relaxed as you think you are

[Jalapeñomel]

I only test if I am a week late. SO hardly ever.

[rugbywife]

Jul 20, 2012 19:48:46 GMT -5 amandakisser said:

Actually, charting is best for those with irregular periods. It allows you to pinpoint when ovulation has occurred, and then you'll know exactly when your period will be due. Thus, you'll know when you can test, and you won't waste upwards of hundreds of dollars on tests.

Also, if you're testing every week, I don't think you're as relaxed as you think you are

If she is testing every week she clearly has NO idea when her period is due or what a cycle is or how conception works.

Milosh...you are wasting your money using tests every week. Most of the time you can't possibly BE pregnant because of the nature of the cycle (unless you don't have a cycle at all, meaning you aren't ovulating).

Plus, you asked a question about how often people tested, and they replied: they test about 10-14 days after ovulation, because you can't only get pregnant if you have sex AROUND or DURING ovulation.

ETA: I just reread that you are just off BCP and your cycles are wonky...I still wouldn't really be testing weekly, maybe every two weeks but closer to every three. It just isn't worth the money.