The Good, The Bad and The Yams!

We’ve had all the tests including HyCoSy and NHS have now given up on us, so I’m going to try what else I can.

@SparkwoodAnd21 I can't remember if you/your partner have had any tests etc? I take a fertility supplement by viridian, ep until ovulation and cod liver oil. Then also b complex and agnus castus to keep my cycle nice and regular and extend my lp. Went through a stage of taking baby aspirin but it didn't make me pregnant and I just bruised more easily so I stopped!

Which vitamins and supplements are you all taking? I’m taking a conception vitamin and EP (up till ovulation). I’m getting desperate now after 30+ cycles and turning 41 recently. My cycles are now pretty regularly 26 days, pretty light and last 4 dayor so with a bit of spotting for 2-3 days after that.

Oh no @Rubberduckies, that's awful! Hope they got it sorted for you.

I tried to call the gyn department the other day just to get some info on what to expect at the referral. First time I was cut off, then no answer at all. It's so frustrating!

@OrcinusOrca - I hear you with the age. Me and Dh are 26 and 27 and the GP told us not to worry for another 10 years.... I think the b6 can take a few months to have an effect, are you taking the complex too to keep you all balanced? I think that agnus castus (400mg) has helped me a bit with spotting after ov. Not stopped it completely but helped.

@bridget33 - my Dh has had 3 SAs which have all been different. All low, but some worse than others. Was it the same amount of time since you had sex? We found that the longer he abstained, the higher the count but lower the quality. The lab tech told him how the motility in particular is very sensitive and can vary the most - so if his diet or alcohol intake was worse, if they got very hot, if he was under the weather or if the sample wasn’t looked after before it was analysed would all affect motility and might both affect other stuff. He advised loose boxers and I did some research and got him taking high dose vit c, antioxidants, omega 3, coq10 as well as the fertility ones and that doubled his count and motile ones (morphology still shit though...)

@Countrygirl94 - I’ve been getting the odd well meaning “are you thinking of having children soon” and I’ve just been honest, saying that unfortunately it’s taking a while longer for us. I think the more people open up about infertility the better - rather than everyone bumbling along thinking it’s as easy to get pregnant as we were taught in school...I definitely had no idea it was so bloody difficult!! Re. Going to Dr we went after about 8months but said it had been a year, mostly for our own sanity. By the time we got initial tests done, and then repeated after 3 months for Dh it was over a year - we’re at 14 months now and still haven’t been seen by the fertility clinic so I don’t feel that bad for starting the process early.

FairyAnn - how frustrating! At least you have a date to work towards and you haven’t been lost in the system. It’s so unhelpful for it to drag on and on though. I phoned up our nhs clinic and they hadn’t actually had our referral from the Gp....from April....

@nearlysummer2018 - I use fertility friend. I actually paid for the subscription part of it for a year when it was half price at some point - I like all the numbers and graph and statistics lol!! Sorry about your Fp - that sucks!!

Ladies. What's the bear app for monitoring fertility? I deleted all mine because I started to think they were jinxing me 🤦🏼‍♀️

Oh heck. When FP comes it comes crazy. I swear an actual part of me just dropped out my vaj 🤦🏼‍♀️ this is payback for me going two cycles with only a half day bleed inbetween!

Hiya yammers! Sounds like a lot of frustrating possible FP symptoms, I hope it’s not for at least some of you!

I’m in full holiday mode- sticking two fingers up to TTC: coffee every day, plenty of drinking and sex when we bloody well feel like it!! Although I did pretend not to notice my OH wistfully watching a dad and his small children today. Stupid barren me.
@rubberduckies I think we’re in the same place, resigned to ivf being the only way forward.

Bit more spotting today but no way near last night's volume. Thought FP was showing up (only CD26 today) but currently nada. Few crampy sessions but nothing has materialised. Not sure whether to be annoyed at the spotting and hope FP holds off in that at least my LP isn't crazy short, or whether to want FP to just show itself so I can go onto the next cycle  only 8DPO. Stupid body!!

@Countrygirl94 we only moved here last July and this is a new GP, I do feel very lucky! Hopefully yours will be lovely too.

@BGDino I can't imagine how frustrating that must be, hope all of your tests go OK. It turns out to be a teeny tiny world sometimes with links like that doesn't it!

@Owlpatrol boooooo. Sounds like we are sat in the same camp right now ☹️

@OrcinusOrca I want a GP like yours. I don't even know my GP, I moved surgery just before getting married, fingers crossed they are as nice as yours.

@BGDino would have been awful if you'd had to wait a year with no periods. Hope all the tests come back quickly and it's an easy solution. Would it not be your body tricking you as you've seen a specialist now to give you a period. My body likes to do that but with sex, "oh you've just had amazing sex well bam here's your period to ruin your mood"

So DH and I went to see the fertility specialist for the first time today. Basically he isn’t sure what’s going on based on my history and previous tests, it could be a PCOS problem, as I fulfil 2/3 criteria (too many follicles on ultrasound and no periods) but he said he’s not convinced as most women with PCOS have elevated levels of LH and mine is very very low. So both of us have to go away and do lots of blood tests and an SA for DH and depending on the results either he’ll start ovulation induction or he’ll have to investigate more. Funnily enough he is friends with the Ob/Gyn who referred me (that’s not surprising) but what is interesting is that both know DH’s mentor - fertility specialist worked with him when they were training, and the first Ob/Gyn operates on endometriosis with him. And if that wasn’t enough, DH co-authored some research with the first Ob/Gyn, and his mentor is married to my GP!!!

I’d been having some very light bleeding yesterday but tonight in the shower I had a 20 pence sized clot of old brown blood and what looked like tissue? with cramping before and after. DH got all excited suggesting that maybe I was having a period but somehow I doubt it. I think my body is trying to screw with my mind!

@Countrygirl94 we went to the GP in March this year after starting TTC in December last year, but l hadn’t had any periods since stopping the Pill in October so they got the ball rolling faster. Also I’m in Australia so playing by different rules!

@Countrygirl94 If you tell your GP you have been trying a year they can't realistically verify if it is a year/10 month's etc. My GP told me to say we have been TTC one year if anyone asks and referred me sooner

@mellp @soozC Thank you for explaining.

@SoozC oooh that's good to hear

Baby bombs galore! Bog off!

I feel so un pregnant today I'm trying to deny my mild cramps starting and my headache I've had plus insomnia last night. Everything pointing to af next week. I've also dried up early down there which isn't a good sign.

Day 21 blood check progesterone as it rises after ov. Ideally done a week after ov but I have them done on CD 20, 22 and 24 to catch it properly.

Nearly, DH's SA came back showing about 3% morphology and we managed to get lucky. So it doesn't necessarily mean no conception. Fx for you.

@Countrygirl94 day 21 bloods check to see if you have ovulated (can't remember the name of the hormone it detects). You have it done on day 21 based on a 28 day cycle, so basically a week before period. I have slightly irregular cycles though, so last time it ended up being 2 weeks before period started, therefore I need to repeat it and just hope the timings better!

@nearlysummer2018 that seems such a long time to have waited. I'm glad you managed to annoy them to get surgery quicker. Sorry fp has arrived but at least you can get on with the next cycle.

@Mellp sorry if I sound totally stupid but 21 day bloods is that cycle day 21? And what does that look for? Getting DH to agree to get a SA may be more difficult.

Well FP has shown up at one day late. I wish there was a way to improve morphology from 3% but I think we are destined to never have a chance again.

@nearlysummer2018 sorry about the bfn. Hopefully fp will come soon so you can crack on with the next cycle.

@Countrygirl94 we went to the gp after 12 months of trying in February. We already have DC so GP will only carry out initial test. DH had a SA which came back normal, after being done twice. I had day 21 bloods which was badly timed so having to redo them next week, and I believe he wants me to have another blood test once I have the results of the day 21. So it's happened fairly quickly for us. I guess it depends on your local gp

@Countrygirl94 we started ttc March 2015 and I went to the dr in January 2016. Had my 1st appointment with the consultant for discussing the issue in October 2016, tests ordered and second appointment in July 2017. Surgery April 2018 (although was scheduled for January 2019 but got a cancellation because I annoyed them by ringing every week) and my next appointment is July 2018. We've been ttc just over three years and it seems it's a slow process j less you can afford to go private. We have a dc already though so are very low priority

@nearlysummer2018 I can't imagine receiving that baby bomb. Think I'd have a hard time being around them.

can I ask you ladies when you went to the doctors, I know the advice is a year. That seems a long way off and if there is a problem I'd rather find out now but I'm frightened they'll just brush me off also don't know what to ask.

@Mellp hope yours comes soon too. I'm cd 27 but my digital said BFN this morning and they're meant to be super accurate so I'm out again I expect. Hopefully doing a hpt means my fp will
Start now 😆

@nearlysummer2018 wow that must be hard. I can't imagine how that must make you feel! I must admit, when my DH told me about his brother last night I laughed, hysterically. I guess it's the old 'if you don't laugh, you'll cry.' This is all just so unfair! I really hope you get your BFP soon

@Mellp my dad and his 24yr old girlfriend are having a baby and that hurts! Not sure if it's because I'm 12yrs older than her and I think it's gross or because even my 64yr old father is impregnating women and my 38yr old husband isn't!

@SparkwoodAnd21 I know exactly how you feel!!

We got baby bombed yesterday. DHs brother and his 18 year old girlfriend are expecting. They have been together 4 months. Neither have a job and both living with their parents. It's just so unfair. How can it be so easy for some yet we're all going through this awful torment? Really struggling today.