Oh yeah.... I knew too. It was just obvious to me, something had changed.

It's so totally different from person to person though - personally I didn't have any pregnancy symptoms at all - no sickness, no sore boobs, no funny taste, no cravings, no "weird" feeling. Nothing. Without the test and the missing period I would have had no clue I was PG. In fact I had so few symptoms that I was completely paranoid that it wouldn't be a successful pregnancy because it seemed that everyone else "just knew".

And I had sooooo many symptoms that..... I was completely paranoid that it wouldn't be a successful pregnancy ......

Maybe the egg got fertilized hence a faint positive line but then the nidation did not happen hence a negative blood test. It did happen with trying with my second. I was so happy that the test show a faint + line but 2 day later my periods came. This is the problem when we are in such a hurry and so impatient. I would not have even known if I had not done the test so early. THe good news is that I did got pregnant the following month.

I used the website Fertility Friend for my second.It's a great website but it 's quite strenuous. I did my temperature chart, learnt how my cervix works, the different stage of my cervical glare which changes as you approach ovulation + the ovulation test. I have very irregular periods so relying on ovulation tests only would not have helped at all.

Now if after 6 months of trying I'd go to a doctor. IN France you have to wait 12 months but so many of my friends who actually tried did have a problem so if they had come to a doc earlier, they could have done something about it much earlier.

People say stress is a factor but I don't believe it and there is no point telling this to couples who are really keen for a baby. It's easier say than done. But it can cause trouble in the couple.
Good luck!

Intercourse must occur a few days BEFORE ovulation because it takes the sperm some time to travel all the way into the fallopian tubes where they are meant to fertilize the egg. My doctor made that very clear to me when I went for a preconception visit and she reiterated several times that once ovulation has occurred, IT'S TOO LATE to conceive!! The sperm must already be there!!!

Another resource like Fertility Friend is the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Order HERE with FREE SHIPPING! My husband and I used it 100% successfully as birth control for 8 years!! In fact, when we decided to turn the tables and start trying, I secretly feared I was infertile and that was why it had been so effective! But that was not the case. We conceived on our first try! We were so very pleasantly surprised!!

TCOYF has a website, but I really REALLY recommend getting the book. I read it cover to cover once eight years ago, and once 8 months ago. But having it on hand throughout was really helpful as a reference tool. My recommendation would be to chart as instructed in the book for 3 or 4 months (don't worry you can continue trying while you chart) and if you see a pattern that is the same from month to month, then STOP charting. Yes, stop. If you have a pattern that is reliable and includes a rise and fall of temperature, then you know your ovulation day in your wife's cycle and you can start scheduling sex around that. My doctor told me not to bother charting at all when we decided we were ready to start trying because I already knew my ovulation day and there was NO reason to ADD STRESS. So leave it out! Stress is your worst enemy.

Just remember to have sex a few days before - if you find out your wife ovulates around day 11, have sex on days 6, 8 and 10. It's usually a good idea to skip a day for optimum sperm count on the sex days. And did you know those little swimming champs can live in the vagina for up to FIVE days?! Wow! The thing that gets in the way is the cervix, which ripens and softens and opens ever so slightly for easy access to the uterus so the sperm can swim through to the fallopian tubes just before ovulation. It's a beautifully orchestrated process.

And as Olympe said, along with not stressing, try to be patient. Wait until your wife has MISSED her period to test. Early testing is so tempting, but can also mean added STRESS and unnecessary heartache for you both!

BEST OF LUCK! And enjoy and relax and focus on the romance!!! When you do get a positive, wait until the first 12 weeks are finished and you've got a green light from the doctor to shout it from the rooftops. MUCH easier said than done, I know!

Sadly, doctors here will often ignore you until it's been at least a year. That was my experience, anyway. In fact, one obgyn knew it had been over a year for us. She did one blood test, then said I should come back in another 6 months or she could just give me "hormones" (progesterone, which is effectively birth control in the way she was prescribing it) for 3 months.

So, for infertility help I suggest REs (reproductive endocrinologists), who specialize in infertility testing/treatment, rather than a regular obgyn. Beware: they often have long waiting lists (a few months' wait until you can even do a first consultation).

And I agree about fertility friend. It's a great way to track your cycles, and they have a free version which is perfectly usable without paying for all the extra features of the paid version.