10 Commandments of TTC

I saw this on the bump and had to repost this to my blog. It is really cute, I hope you enjoy.




Commandment 1
Thou shall not pee in vain.
Just because you have a gazillion HPT (Home Pregnancy Test) in your bathroom does not always mean you should pee on all of them.  Check out the HPT accuracy chart.


Commandment 2
Thou shall not ask in vain
Go ahead and break Commandment 1 before asking strangers on the internet if you are pregnant.


Commandment 3
For 2 weeks thy shall wait; on the 14^th day thy shall test.
If you are POAS (Pee on a Stick) at 8 days past ovulation AND complaining about the 2 week wait you have failed to fully understand the ‘wait’ part of the 2 week wait. What you are participating in is the 1 week wait. Testing at the end of the 1 week wait almost always results in a BFN (Big Fat Negative) which may or may not turn into a BFP (Big Fat Positive), you just have to wait to find that out. If you are really struggling with the 2 week wait, waiting 38+ weeks on a baby will be difficult.


Commandment 4
Thou are unique, but most likely not that rare.
No two people have the exact same TTC (Trying to Conceive) journey. While experiences may be similar, just because something happened to you or didn’t happen to you is not indicative of pregnancy. That being said, implantation spotting is rare, most likely you are not experiencing it. The first and most common symptom of pregnancy is a missed period, but you have to know when you Ovulated (by charting or ultrasound) and the average length of your LP (Luteal Phase) to know for sure you are experiencing a missed period versus late ovulation.


Commandment 5
Thou shall know thy body
If you want to have a baby emerge from your body the best advice is to take some time to learn how it gets there in the first place. (http://www.tcoyf.com/) Here are some hints; it doesn’t involve a stork, the 14^th day after your last period guarantee, or having your legs up in the air after sex.


Commandment 6
Thou shall not covet a pretty chart
A pretty chart does not always equal a BFP (Big Fat Positive) and making your chart prettier by changing data will not make the egg and sperm reappear and meet up.


Commandment 7
Thou shall not worships clocks
Your cycle can change for a variety of different reasons so it is not always like clockwork, otherwise it would be called your menstrual clock as opposed to your menstrual cycle.


Commandment 8
Thou shall not give into phantom symptoms
Those symptoms you are having are either your period, or a baby and there is no way to know which one until your periods starts or you test positive.


Commandment 9
Thou shall not self diagnose infertility.
So apparently you are not the fertile myrtle your Mom told you that you were when you were 16. Mothers don’t ever lie, so you can rest assured that this was not a scare tactic—or was it? It can take a healthy couple a year to conceive. Most infertility issues are not hereditary, so just because your mother or grandmother or Aunt Lou or 2^nd cousin twice removed had issues conceiving doesn’t mean that you will have trouble.  Being a RE means that after four years of training in Obstetrics and Gynecology in medical school, a candidate also completed a three-year approved fellowship. Then, to become board certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, that candidate completed board certification in obstetrics and gynecology (written and oral exams), and then certify in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (written, oral, and thesis exams). That is who you should see if you have concerns regarding your infertility.


Commandment 10
Thou shall know what thy is getting into.
Everyone knows someone who got pregnant the first month they tried or they were on industrial strength birth control and got pregnant. I hope you do get pregnant on your first try, but just in case know that TTC (Trying to Conceive) can be a frustrating, aggravating, infuriating, confusing, devastating, heartbreaking, nerve-wracking journey. Sometimes it will be about as much fun as a throat punch and you might yell at your body, yell at your chart, yell at your husband, yell at your insensitive friends, yell at strangers and pregnant teenagers on T.V. Even if you temporarily lose it, and most people will, keep in mind what you are doing this for, try to stay positive and hopeful and above all else, be patient.