TTC No 2, secondary infertility

[Roobedoo]

We have a DS, 9m, and have been ttc for 7 months. After several months of peeing on sticks to get timing right I got the Taking Charge of Your Fertility book as recommended by someone on here. I started taking temp and using a saliva tester and have self diagnosed that I'm not ovulating. GP was very nice and has referred me to sub-fertility consultant and arranged for me to have blood tests done. We have an appointment in a few weeks with the consultant. Friends have told me I'm worrying about nothing and that my body will sort itself out - is this possible? Is there anyone with a similar experience out there? Do you think I'll be given chlomid or have I got that wrong and chlomid isn't for my condition? Just feel the need for a few opinions as friends making me feel like I'm being ridiculous for even going to GP.

[mancmum]

I had secondary infertility so I know how hard it can be... I would say given you have only been ging for 7 months it is still very early days ..

But even so, if you are b/fing that could be stopping ovulation -- it took me over a year to return to normal ovulation after my DS and I only b/f for 7 months...

Chlomid is for women who don't ovulate but I would not rush into taking it... it has loads of side effects emotional and physical.... has an increased rate of miscarriage and can make you less fertile in certain cases... make sure that you get to see a consultant don't let GP put you on chlomid without lots of discussion and tests to make sure it is appropriate -- it can only be taken for 1 year max so it is not a good idea to use it without full set of fertiity tests...

Good luck...

[katierocket]

check out the TTC threads, you'll see you are very much not alone!
I've been TTC no 2 for 12 months, it's a nightmare.

[milesysgirl]

hi there every 1 ive been ttc no 2 for nearly 9 months now and its horrible ,just like a waiting game i also had to come of depo as well and havnt had a period yet ..... good luck everyone!!!

[Roobedoo]

Thanks for the responses. I'm not bf and haven't been for ages so don't know why I'm not ovulating. Anyone managed to kick start ovulation without chlomid (it sounds pretty horrendous)? Seeing the consultant in a couple of weeks - just hope he doesn't tell me to go away and stop fussing!

[katierocket]

just wanted to resurrect this thread. Has anyone else had secondary inferility? I really need some positive stories. Am very incredibly down at the moment (TTC #2 for 14 months).

[katierocket]

bump (in desperation)

[niceglasses]

Robedoo, just to say after my 2nd son was born (and I only bf him for about 7 weeks) my periods did not return for 8months!! Then I must have got pg the 1st time I ovulated without ever having a bleed. I miscarried that baby, but about 5 mnths later got pg again (after 1 period) and had my daughter who is now 13 months. I never asked about why it took so long for my periods to return....this time they did and I'm still bf, but just to give you some hope. All the best.

[katierocket]

bump again
anyone experienced this?

[Twiglett]

roobedo ... well done for getting the ball rolling

the way my consultant described it pregnancy throws your hormones up in the air and the way they land after the pregnancy is anyone's guess

maybe you will need a little help to kick-start your system again .. but until you have the tests you'll not know

clomid might be advised, but there might be a whole raft of other drugs or even alternative treatments

[Twiglett]

katierocket .. have you charted?

[katierocket]

I haven't twiglett. I have used OPKs and persona plus monitoried EWCM but I'm a bit loath to get into the whole temping thing. I just know with my personality type that it will obsess me. I'm pretty regular with cervial mucus stuff on day 9. However one of the reasons I originally went to the GP is because I'd never got a positive result on OPKs or egg symbol on persona.

does anyone know can you get egg white CM and not be ovulating?

[Twiglett]

sorry KR .. charting to me doesn't mean the whole temping thing .. just every cycle writing down first day of period, when you ovulate (OPK), when you have sex and doing that for at least 3 months (that's what my consultant made me do anyway)

that way you can identify any obvious issues (for me the length of time between ovulating and next period was too short to conceive)

yes you can have egg-white without ovulating .. you should have blood tests to check you are ovulating

[Twiglett]

supplements that a woman can take that are 'supposed' to be helpful in optimising conception on top of the standard pre-natal vitamins:

Baby aspirin (less than 81mg) daily throughout cycle

Vitex Agnus Castus from period to ovulation (although some theories that can be taken throughout cycle but should be stopped when pregnancy established)

Evening Primrose Oil (1500mg to 3000mg per day) from period to ovulation (do not take past ovulation)

Vitamin B6 (100mg to 200mg) most B6 supplements have a lot less so should ask specifically for this

HTH

[Roobedoo]

Hello again. Well, the latest for me is that having seen the consultant and having a pelvic scan he diagnosed me the PCOS and prescribed clomid which I am currently taking (no side effects so far thank goodness). I am just grateful that my GP was happy to refer me otherwise we would have carried on trying and probably failing for many more months (it's been 9 now)and getting more and more down about it all. At least now I feel like something is being done.

[Littlefish]

Hi Roobedoo

I'm in a slightly different position in that we had primary infertility. I wasn't ovulating every month (blood tests confirmed low progesterone plus self diagnosis due to ovulation sticks). (My dh also had a very low sperm count so we were really on a hiding to nothing!!!!)

I started having acupuncture and three months later when I was tested again, my hormone levels were all normal and I was ovulating.
There has been quite a lot of research done into the effect of acupuncture on hormone levels so it might be worth doing a search on the internet.

I don't know anything about the book you refer to, but if you're looking for more reading, we followed a book by Dr Marilyn Glenville called "Natural solutions to infertility". It basically suggests you cut out caffeine, alcohol, smoking and red meat. It suggests a range of supplements and alternative therapies. We followed most of the advice because it made us feel like we were at least doing something positive, rather than just waiting, month after month.

The good news is that after ttc for 2.5 years, and two months before we were due to start IVF, I found out I was pregnant. DD is now nearly 9 months old.

I know how lonely and desperate any kind of infertility can be and just wanted to wish you well.

[katierocket]

thanks twig, yes I've been doing all of that.
can't wait to see the consultant now, so hopefully we can get some answers. I'm interested to try and found out how many others have experienced secondary infertility.

[jane313]

can you have periods but not ovulate? I'm new to all this. I have a salivia test ovuliser which says I am ovulating. I haven't used the stick yets as its very early days but I am a bit of a complusive doom merchant so am always thinking of the worse case scenario.

[Littlefish]

My periods were always very regular, but blood tests showed that I wasn't always ovulating.

Jane 313 - if your saliva test thingy says you are ovulating, then just try to forget about it - have sex when you fancy it (lots of it hopefully) as there is nothing worse than sex to order!

[jane313]

Thanks, thats weird isn't it though. You would have thought no periods too. Baby making is a very odd thing

[HandbagAddiction]

Katierocket - I've been refered for secondary infertility even though the doctor thinks I really haven't got a problem - if that makes sense. Been TCC #2 for only 4 months but my issue was that it's only been since properly TTC and therefore monitoring my cycle properly that I'd noticed how irregular it had become since the arrival of dd - having always been 28 days before dd. Coupled with that I now suffer almost 2 weeks of PMT before every period - so bad sometimes that on two occasions, I have been convinced that I was actually pregnant.

GP thinks I'm not ovulating all the time, the cause of which is probably due to stress but recommended that I have some tests and a scan done. Had the pelvic scan done last week - cost £185 to get done privately - which was completely clear. I've also had day 21 and day 1-5 blood tests done to check hormone levels - the results of which I don't know yet. Had an internal exam by my GP too which again was all normal.

So....GP just needs to put all the info together and come up with something...which no doubt will tell me to stop being so stressed. but at least for me, the psychological benefit of knowing that nothing is physically wrong is immense.

[katierocket]

thanks handbag.
your comments " I now suffer almost 2 weeks of PMT before every period - so bad sometimes that on two occasions," really struck a cord with me. Before DS i was regular as clockwork, 28 day cycle with OV on day 13/14 but now, hell knows. I get period pains for a week before though and it's grim.

[Moomin]

gosh katierocket I really feel for you - as you know, I know exactly how you're feeling. All I can say is keep hanging on in there and do all the positive things that were recommended on the other thread (about ttc for ages then getting pg). I felt absolutely hopeless when I was at your stage, I couldn't imagine how it would feel to be pg again and thought it would never happen. I'll say it again - STRESS is a huge factor in not conceiving (when there are no other big fertility/health issues) and I'm positive that it impaired my fertility.

Please try not to wish your life away - keep up the stress-busting stuff like acupuncture and/or reflexology and eating well (but try not to obsess about every little thing that passes your lips!) Try to enjoy what you've got and put your energies into a channel you know you can do well at, whether that be a project at work or a holiday to plan, or house improvements, etc.

Ttc can take over your life and it's not healthy. I know people will read this and think 'huh it's easy for her to say now she's pg' but do a search on my name on the ttc boards over the last 2.5 years and see how 'easy' I found it then! TRY to live your life as if it's not the most important thing in the world. I don't know - imagine you've been given 6m to live and do the things you want to do that will make your and your family's life better and see what happens. Please also feel free to CAT me if you like.

[throckenholt]

have you been test for underactive thyroid ? A friend had that after her first baby - took here ages before a gp suggested it (apparently the levels were borderline for treatment, but her gp treated her anyway), about a month after treatment started she conceived.

[katierocket]

oh thank you SO much moomin, your post has made me want to cry (in a good way), it means a lot to know someone else out there understands.
I do try to stay positive but you know how it is..some days are better than others. Have started Clomid today and I am surprised how scared I am about it (keep waiting for head to spin round!) There is possibly a problem with DH's sperm so he has to do a third test. If it comes back bad then only option is ICSI but if it's OK then Clomid, then IUI.

throcken - don't think so, what would be symptoms, I think I'm pretty healthy.