im scared,intimidated, and desperate

[BBeingpatient]

hi all,

following some tests into why myself and my DH have yet to concieve(been trying for over a year now), he has been referred for morphology tests, and ive been referred to a sub-fertility clinic.

i've had various blood tests, no PCOS but periods irregular, likely annovulatory however couldnt confirm this as periods of varying length so CD21 test was inconclusive.... im scared if im honest, and desperate.

The doctor has been as understanding as possible, she has been pleasant, and she has said that having been pg twice before, it is likely to be a problem that can be fixed.

the GP has said that in the tests done two hormones are out, however these are two hormones which are normally out as part of two different problems each as part of a pair, and ive got one from either pair out rather than the set.....

I just wondered if anyone could give me an idea of what to expect from my first appointment? Im overweight but doing something about it, but worried they would be unpleasant to me because of this?I wondered about what treatment im likely be prescribed also? ALso from a practical point of view does anyone know how often i am likely to have to attend appointments, as i currently work full-time and am relatively new, so dont want to be thought of badly for having to leave early repeatedly. I also dont want people to know we are TTC....

im just looking for help really, im feeling scared and in all truth a bit despondant, i feel like im some way its a failure, or a punishment, not being able to concieve naturally when i have in the past.

i hope there's someone out there

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

BBeingpateint

Do you know what hormone levels are awry; I ask this as with PCOS normally two hormone levels are askew. These are LH and FSH; often the level of LH is far higher than that of FSH and this is an indicator of PCOS.

Have your thyroid levels been tested?. Both thyroid problems and PCO/S are common causes of irregular periods.

I note that the GP did a day 21 test but was a day 3 done as well?. If so were LH and FSH tested then?. BTW if periods are irregular blood tests can be done according to calendar days.

With regards to your first appointment I would not go there on my own. Your man should go along there with you as he can provide support and ask questions. Write down anything you want to ask them well ahead of time - you do not want to leave there thinking, "oh I should have asked about this".

They should book you in for more tests; blood tests and ultrasounds for you, semen analyses for him.

You will need to be persistant in order to get answers.

I used to go to the hospital each week except one in the month (so I was there 3 weeks out of 4; this went on for several months). Hospitals though all operate differently. I used to go for blood tests and ultrasounds first thing then go into work afterwards. No-one took any notice although the ladies I worked with (was part of a group of 5) knew about my appointments. I did tell my manager eventually because I needed an operation; he was very nice about it all.

Please don't see yourself as a failure; you are certainly not. Many people do have trouble in ttc; secondary subfertility is not at all uncommon.

HTH, any other questions just ask

Attila x

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

You may want to look at this website as well, its UK based:-

www.infertilitynetworkuk.com

[BBeingpatient]

thanks Atilla, the doctor has been quite vague she has not discussed which hormones are unbalanced, however she said that nothing shown was indicative of PCOS and i have been assessed and tested for thyroid problems, which were shown to be negative. I suppose i just want it so much that the waiting around is killing me.

Is it quite a speedy process to get an appointment?all i have had so far is a booking reference, you have to book the appointment which i suppose is sensible.

i am hopeful that the specialist will be more knowledgeable as the GP i have seen is pleasant however she seems to have little knowledge of the things that this could be. I have read about being able to buy clomid on line and whilst i recognise it would be risky, i was wondering if anyone knew the danger of administering this yourself? also with regards to having something prescribed, am i likely to have to have several appointments to get to that point? i suppose i sound very impatient,truth be told, i am, we both are!

[MrsHappy]

Please don't buy clomid on the net.
You really need to take it under medical supervision. If not there is a danger that it could make things worse (e.g. by overstimulating your ovaries which is downright dangerous). It also will not help if there is a significant problem with your husband's sperm.

I don't know where in the country you are, but I am in London and when I needed an appointment with a consultant (at an NHS fertility clinic) I got one within a few weeks.

It might take them a while to get to the point where they will prescribe clomid, but the tests the clinic will run are important - I know you want a baby but they need the info to decide the healthiest and best course of action for you.

Re the weight, on those BMI charts am in the overweight category and none of the doctors I have seen have ever said a word. Having said that if I was going to do IVF I would probably try to drop a stone to give it the best chance of success.

I know the waiting around is awful but once you get your appointment and things get moving it will start to feel better and more under control.

Lots of luck!

[N1]

Does the OP have any objection to being forward about rather sensitive information?

My initial question would be, how irregular are the periods and has the OP been keeping a day to day diary of the cycle, the times and dates of intercourse and a record of food and drink intake?

[N1]

I meant publicly forward.

If there might be an issue with this, perhaps from the administration side of this site or sensitive nature of the post, how does a person make private contact?

[beanieb]

BBeingpatient - when is your appointment? Mine is at the end of this month.

No advice, but don't be scared. If you stick around perhaps we can compare notes and hold eachothers hand as we go through it

[BBeingpatient]

hi all,

Im not sensititve, and hae kept a record N1, they have been varying, atm on CD37 i think, havent got my diary to hand, they were regular until summer 07 when i was made redundant, had a mc and d&c, at which point i had a coil fitted. i thought they would kick selves back into touch but this didnt happen, had a few months of 65 day cycles, and then was advised in may to go onto the pill for a few months to get my cycles back down, this didnt work,however cycles seem to of been getting shorter which is possible positive, they have come down from near 80 to 60 to between 50 and 40 so i suppose that is something. Not been having a great deal of sex atm as with illness, being away for christmas etc, however have probably at least once a week, though in the previous months every other day,no period at the moment so i suppose i could already be pg but doubtful.

beanie, My appointment is 2nd, could of had it as early as 19th but awkward with work and that, al DH sperm test not until 17th of feb so i thought no real rush, would be gd to stick together and compare notes, hold hands ha ha!!

[N1]

Sperm (in optimim conditions) can survive inside a woman for up to 7 days. Getting optimim conditions, I imagine is person dependant and somewhat theoretical.

I am no good with abreviations. As bad as it sounds, the raw blunt terms that are correct help me most.

From your last post, I can figure that your cycle is moving from 60 to 80 days long to about 40 odd. Sounds like a move to the right direction.

From reading your last post, I can't figure out if you are doing anything more than writing down which day you are on, based on when you last had your period.

You might want to start includ keeping a record of the appearence and charastics of your cervical mucose. If you are into record keeping, also measure your temperature every day but use a thermometer that is acurate to 0.1 of a degree. Try to get the readings at the same time every day.

I would say that it's a god idea to document what ou eat and how you feel each day. Sometimes a person can detect a pattern in your cycl which makes you eat, feel or do something at a common time in your fertility cycle.

Trauma can cause amenorehoa (I am not on my usual computer so I can't check all the spelling).

Getting into a routine and dong phycle exersize (if the exersize is not a risk to you) would be a good idea.

The exersize should make you sweat and sweat is one of the ways that your body gets rid of body impurities.. Also you burn off body fat. You store some of the drugs you take in your body fat.

I cannot put my finger on the lnk now, but it was claimed (a few years back) that the content of "the pill" was absorbed by your body fat, so when you stopped taking the pill, the drug remained in your system for months after.

The pill is predomantly hormone, the rest of the content is unknown.

When you have a record of your cycle with cervical mucose information, the day (number) that you are on, the way you felt each day and your diet, then you are in a much better position to calculate paterns in your life which are helpful and unhelpful. You could also figure out what might need to change to help you.

[beanieb]

My appointment is about a week before yours, so will read this thread with interest and hope we can be some help to eachother

[BBeingpatient]

thanks all

Beanie will be glad to hear what's said to you.

N1 I tried temping and couldnt get on with it, was too much of a reminder everyday.

For now im going to keep a better check on which cycle day im on, and then try to as you say record mucus

thanks for all your help and look forward to hearing from you all!