7th month TTC

@LondonladyTTC I'm glad your appointment went well - sounds like alot to take in but at least you've now got a plan and you should get answers quite quickly! I hope your relaxing tonight and putting your feet up I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you that your results all come back okay xxx
Oh yes, I've literally just come into my fertile week - I got my flashing smiley face this morning on my clearblue ovulation test but I'm not feeling that positive this month, just feels like we've been trying for so long so what will make this month any different to the rest... I know it's the wrong attitude to have but it is just so frustrating at times I'm really looking forward to having our tests and finding out if there is anything wrong!
@friendlyBadger I hope your feeling more positive than me this month how are you? Is your appointment this month or next?xxx

Hi @hopefully2021 and @friendlyBadger , the appointment went well! He wants to essentially track my cycle before trying any treatments (makes sense). He also was a bit concern about my long term egg reserve given how short my cycles are and said that knowing my long term fertility prospects will be helpful for family planning for future as I may have more limited time. I didn't realise that long term egg reserve could be checked by a simple blood test, sitting in the waiting room to get the test today, so it's all very efficient! I am also 7 dpo today so getting a progesterone test.
Another interesting thing is that he was very sceptical about the accuracy of home ovulation tracking .

Plan:
Progesterone and egg reserve results will be back Tuesday, if low progesterone I will get suppositories but to be honest no doubt AF will have arrived due to my short LP.
Assuming I get bfn this cycle and progesterone ok, I need to call the clinic on CD1.
Start tracking ovulation as usual from CD9.
I will get a scan CD 10-12 to check the short term egg reserves (the eggs which have started maturing for the next 12 ish months and the one which is ready to be released). This will very accurately tell him when I will ovulate and my shorter term viable egg count.
He said if not the corpus thingymajij, it will be the lining that they have to support.
Basically egg reserve blood test will tell me how 'urgently' I will want to get pregnant..
He was very friendly and explained everything thoroughly so you have a lot to look forward to! Just lovely to feel a bit more supported now, by a professional. 

@friendlyBadger I wish I had used the Ava bracelet before now to be honest- I also found temping so stressful and with the Ava you can totally forget about it! It is a bit different though as monitors average skin temperature- the fluctuations aren't to extreme and it's hard to compare with bbt charts. Way prefer the less stress though! I actually bought mine second hand from eBay so paid about 150 less than the retail price and works perfectly.

Hope you both have a great weekend, and wishing you lots of luck this cycle- am I right in thinking you will both be approaching fertile week?

Oops I never replied! Thinking of you and your appointment today @LondonladyTTC. Also how are you finding your Ava bracelet? I've been toying with getting one because of finding BBT so stressful!

Good luck @hopefully2021 also I hope this is your month :)

Hi @hopefully2021 hope all is well with you. My appointment is tomorrow. I am quite excited, but also not too sure what to expect! It is just an initial consultation so I expect he will want to do some tests. Tomorrow is CD 20 and I will be 6dpo so maybe I can get the day 21 bloods (havnt had any tests at all).

This cycle I have felt the most relaxed- I think having the appointment booked has made me obsess and stress less which has been bliss!

Hope you have a lovely weekend! I will send an update tomorrow after my appointment to let you know how it went and what his recommendations are

Hi @LondonladyTTC how did your appointment with Dr Gudi go? I hope it went well xx

@LondonladyTTC thats good news about your positive OPK! Fingers crossed that its a good sign that this month is your month , how long did you have the implant in for?
I do wonder if stress affects our bodies more than we know, since lockdown has hit I've never worked so hard in my life - it has been non stop but I'm hoping my work stress will calm back down as I am finally getting my full team back from Monday with no further furloughing in the pipeline so I should be able to massively reduce my workload
Is it just an initial consultation you have booked with Mr Gudi? I said to my husband it will just be our luck that we fork out £450 then fall pregnant - our testing is booked for 2 days before my period so I'm hoping a FRER will be able to pick up if I'm pregnant before we go for the testing so it's not wasted money xx

Hi both!
@hopefully2021 glad you managed to get your appointment booked, it feels so nice having that milestone to look forward to, which isn't very far away.
I have been doing well thanks, I actually bought an Ava bracket this week as wanted to temp but found it far too stressful. Really like it so far, it is so easy to use.
I got a positive OPK yesterday (CD 12) which is oddly early for me, so think I will ovulate today or tomorrow. My last cycle was two days longer than normal too so I am a little optimistic that my body is finally getting back to normal after the implant. I have been far less stressed at work recently so also wondering what impact my usual stressed state has on fertility... ☺️ Means I will be 6/7 dpo when I see Mr Gudi next week. It will be Sod's law if this month is our month (but lovely of course!)

Hope you both have a great weekend!

@LondonladyTTC @friendlyBadger - officially month 8 for us but cycle 7! Gosh time is going so quick

@LondonladyTTC @friendlyBadger
Hi Ladies, how are you both this week? Hope your both feeling okay & staying positive
I've booked my appointment at Fertility plus for early March, I'm actually quite excited as the reviews are just so good - I'm hopefully everything comes back okay for us but if something doesn't look right at least I know we will get the right advice etc there
So one more shot for us this month before our appointment - lets hope its a lucky month I'm just finishing AF now & ovulation currently predicted to be around 10/11th Feb
xxx

@LondonladyTTC maybe you should just approach the question and say your thinking to start trying this year and see what she says? She could offer some valuable advice or at least give you reassurance if it did just naturally take her a bit longer to conceive xx
I’ve woken up in pain to AF right on time as expected today so looks like I’ll be making my appointment today hopefully they still have some March slots available!

@hopefully2021 my mum had me at 31 and she has mentioned before that she was ready for kids earlier so makes me think she was trying for a while. I know that she had a miscarriage before me as well. I agree, if I have to go down the IVF route I will probably speak to her for support.

Sorry to hear that you feel rubbish today, Mondays are bad at the best of times! It is a lovely bright day though so maybe a lunchtime walk would help.

@friendlyBadger - thats really good news Maybe your tubes could be blocked, I keep reading stories of that being quite a common cause too!
Have you had any sign of AF yet? Mine is due tomorrow and I just feel crap so I know it's definitely on it's way - I get lower back pain a few days before which I had yesterday so I'm just waiting now xxx

Yeah they were normal @hopefully2021 :)

All my tests so far have been normal too (apart from slightly thin lining but nothing really bad) .. I guess these things can just take longer than we think!

@LondonladyTTC - I feel the same and constantly get asked when are you having a baby or told 'will you hurry up and have a baby' by my mum and mother in law which is so frustrating, sometimes I have to fight back the tears and just laugh it off. Sometimes I regret not telling my mum and I will if it gets to the point where we need say IVF or something but she suffers from mental health issues so I don't want to add any additional worry onto her mind & my mother in law can't keep a secret if her life depended on it! How old was your mum when she had you? Mine was 18 and I am the second child so she definately had no issues - I was apparently an accident lol xxx

@hopefully2021 Yes not telling people is difficult, it feels like I am not truly close to anyone as I am holding back the most important/ exciting thing going on in my life at the moment! Definitely glad to have the pressure off though and not to have to tell the world that we are spending lockdown having lots of sex and feel like they are on the edge of their seat waiting for good news just for me to tel them AF has begun. I am regretting not asking my mum how long it took her to conceive- really interested to know now.

@friendlyBadger I am seeing Dr Gudi. What about you? We haven't booked any tests, only the initial consultation. To be honest I didn't have a clue what to book at the time so going to see what he suggests. Kind of wishing I had booked one of the packages including the egg count now though!

@LondonladyTTC It's horrible not being able to talk to anyone isn't it? I made the decision at the start to keep it to ourselves as I didn't want the pressure of people asking me every month or family/friends with children feeling guilty or sorry for me and keeping distance etc but at the same time I would love to just have a good cry to my mum or certain family/friends sometimes especially when AF arrives every month!
Even the thought of attending any type of fertility appointment and not telling anyone makes me feel like we are hiding secrets but at the same time I do think some things are best kept private until we know if we do have any major issues xx

@friendlyBadger did they all come back normal? Yes I’m going to do the couples package I don’t think my husband is looking forward to it at all, as chilled as he is I think he is quite nervous at the fact of having to do his business into a cup 😂
I already know I have PCOS I had a private scan a few months ago to check on how they were looking and was told mine is mild now and she couldn’t see no issues on why I wouldn’t conceive (just based on my ovaries) she also said I had a good thick lining so no idea why it’s taking us this long to conceive xxx

@hopefully2021 my OH has already had tests so just me! What about you?

Thanks @LondonladyTTC! Are you seeing Dr Shah or Gudi? Let us know how the appointment goes! So exciting it's so soon for you! Are you getting any tests done?

So sorry you both feel like AF are coming and have tested BFN. I completely admire your willpower to wait until so near AF due date though. I am usually using cheapies from 7 dpo which is just ridiculous. Going to take a leaf out of your book this cycle and hope that it causes less stress so havnt even bought any. I have also seen a few people not getting bfp until after af due date so don't completely rule it out yet- fingers crossed af stays away.

I too am so looking forward to speaking to an expert about it and seeing what they recommend. Reading through the reviews now it is so encouraging. It has been really hard not being able to speak to anyone apart from DH this whole time and DH is a lot more chilled than I am, he has more of the it will happen when it happens attitude whereas I am a bit more of a control freak 😂

Sadly my appointment will be when I am about 4 dpo so probably too late for any kind of treatment this cycle (unless he thinks it looks like a progesterone issue which is causing my short luteal phase). It will be very interesting to see how we all get on and if we are all successful, a great testimony to this clinic!

Enjoy your Sunday both! 🍳

@friendlyBadger it sure is, every time I get a BFN it just makes me want a baby even more ☹️
Don’t worry March will be here before you know it! Are you just getting yourself checked out or have you booked in your other half too?xx

@hopefully2021 so sorry to hear! It's so rubbish isn't it?

Reading the reviews of the clinic made me feel positive though because their reviews are SO GOOD! 2 months just feels so far away atm...

@friendlyBadger I’ve tested this morning & complete BFN too - now just a waiting game for AF to show & I’ll be booking my appointment with the clinic too l, this journey is just so frustrating! ☹️

No I'm not @hopefully2021 :)

Feeling super crampy this morning so am 99% sure AF is coming today or tomorrow.

Baby dust to you!

@friendlyBadger your not out until AF does arrive are you going to test again today?
Thank you was so tempted to test today but I've resisted and will hold out until tomorrow xx