Has any1 been ttc for 18 months now?

[alysmama04]

Me and my hubby been trying for 18 months now, I already have a daughter. Tests have been carried out on me and dh but all normal, doctor cant understand it. I've been referred for further tests. I'm really scared. What sort of tests will they do and what should I expect?x

[Piffle]

Gosh I'm a bit in the same boat, have 2 kids already, have been trying since dd was born 3.5 years ago - well since 6 mths after she was born.
I conceived literally overnight with both my others and have had one ectopic and one tube removed because of that - I have also had some early miscarriages or chemical pregnancies.
They will most likely offer you a lap and dye which is when they put dye through your fallopian tubes to rule out blockages - they do blood tests at 5 and 21 days (usually but will depend on the length of your cycle) to see that you're ovulating.
Thre is a a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, that is an awesome insight into how your body works and how you can chart it. I really recommend it to anyone like you and me, with the lovely term "secondary infertility"

Good luck - there is very active and supportive ttc bunch on mumsnet

[liath]

What tests have you had so far? I took 3 years to conceive dd - had blood tests off GP & DH had sperm analysis then we saw a specialist & I had an x-ray of my tubes to check they weren't blocked (a bit uncomfortable, not too bad) then we went on the IVF waiting list.

Luckily I got pregnant before we had IVF - I had reflexology which seemed to do the trick.

[alysmama04]

:(, lap and dye test sounds really horrible. I have had blood tests and 2 scans, all normal. Hubby has had sperm analysis too. If we cant get preg normally then think we will look into ivf. x

[Piffle]

there are other options too like assisted sperm deposits and stuff ivf is pretty gruelling not to mention expensive :(

[notasheep]

dp and i tried to conceive for 2 years,had tests all were normal.then 3 months later i was pregnant-and didnt even know when i had conceived.

Do you have to have tests/want to have them?

You havent mentioned how old you are or your daughter.

I thought i would only ever have one child..life is full of surprises.
hope it works out for you

[alysmama04]

I'm scared of having tests but if theres something wrong I want to know about is. Alyssa is nearly 2 yrs old.x

[FeelingOld]

Lap and dye not so scary.
Done under general anaesthetic (not under long though and usually done as day surgery so don't have to stay in overnight) and there will be a small incision on bikini line and small incision in belly button. They do pump gas into you so shoulders may ache for a couple of days but as long as you keep the wounds clean and dry you should have not probs and be back to normal after 3/4 days.

Good luck and although finding out if something is wrong seems worrying at least then a decision can be made as to the best course of action.

[alysmama04]

Thanx hunni.x

[coggy]

I had a lap and dye.....was totall ypetrified of the whole general anesthetic thing and found it was no problem at all.

Took nearly 5 years for ds and now another year and still ttc.
I used opk several months ago and realised that I had lpd - where the second part of my cycle (after ov) was too short for an egg to implant. The fertility clinic did no tests for this and I only found out through my own trial and error - this is the reason for my "unexplained infertility" !!!!

[alysmama04]

We've tried everything, its just sooo annoying when you dont know whats wrong.x

[indignatio]

Please don't give up hope. I'm just preg for the second time. So both pregs have taken approx 4 years of ttc. I would second the Toni Weschler book - mucus watching is so much fun(not) but I believe more reliable than counting days.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

alysmama04

AT 18 months plus ttc without luck there is likely to be a problem with either one or both of you. You are well beyond the stage of temp charting and the like so I would give all of that a wide berth.
Concentrate instead on making sure you are adequately investigated as a couple.

No I don't think the hospital have tried everything and to my mind you have barely been investigated at all. Small wonder therefore that they don't know what is wrong. Of course you are scared and that's natural but it is in your itnerests to find out what is wrong so this problem can be addressed.

What tests have been done to date and when were they carried out?. I ask this as any test result over six months old should be discounted.

With regards to a blood test for you the LH and FSH levels should be compared. If this was not done then the test result could be misleading.

One semen analysis is by no means fully indicative of there being a problem or not. Such tests should be repeated.

The most common tests that tend to be omitted are:-
Adequate x-rays of the uterus which may show abnormalities not seen at laparoscopy in either the tubes or uterine cavity.
Hysteroscopy - telescope inspection of the inside of the uterus which may occasionally show abnormalities not otherwise seen.
Carefully timed post coital testing to see if sperms are surviving in the cervix
Repeated sperm counts over several weeks and months to make certain there is no subtle abnormality
Testing the sperm in special media - such as swim tests or velocity testing. When this is done it can sometimes uncover a hidden cause for the supposed "unexplained" problem.
Thorough hormone tests to detect abnormalities of male hormone or early falls in progesterone.
Scanning of the ovaries to see if follicles really are developing and there is no sign of polycystic ovaries.

If not all of the above tests have been carried out then you have not been investigated properly to date.

[alysmama04]

I've only had two internal scans and blood tests, last scan I had was in January I think. Hubby's sperm was tested a month ago.x

[DebbsyandBibby]

we tried for 2 years before getting our bfp on mHope no one minds me dropping this in for you,seems to have been a while that i have seen any.¸.·´¨) .´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´

.·´ ¸.·´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨) .´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´

.·´ ¸.·´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨)
.·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ .·´
( ¸.´¯<strong>·´¯· ´¨) .·´ ¸.·´¨) ¸.·*¨)

wishing BFPs to you all xxx Babydust to you all. others day had all the tests the hsg everything.