TTC #1, cycle 13 and fed up! Whose with me?

@Rosie189 It’s a good idea to still go imo because your follicles were numerous. But as lots of people with such things can attest, you can definitely get pregnant with them, and you have.

@notyetamumbuttrying yes. Paid for it already so may as well. Also aware how long it’s taken us to get a positive and while I’m very hopeful it all works out if it doesn’t I’d like to know our options and we’ve always wanted more than one if we can too and may still need help in the future. If that was a pcos diagnosis and knowing clomid etc may help I’d like to know.

You still going to it then? @Rosie189

Only thing so far was mention of pcos at private scan although bloods previously didn’t fit with that. I do have irregular cycles. Have a private fertility consultation next week so might find out more then on if I’d fit pcos diagnosis.

@Rosie189 so amazing!! I'm 19 months next month so hoping I'll join you! Were you down as unexplained or did either of you have any issues? X

Thank you @thislittlebird and @notyetamumbuttrying trying not to get to over excited as it’s soo early (only 12dpo I think) but it’s hard not to be when this it is the first positive I’ve had after 19months of ttc.

@Rosie189 wow wee congratulations 🥳
@thislittlebird no you just have to do it before you ovulate so on cd1 I'll book it for cd6 so at least it won't intrude on FW! It'll be private so hopefully they'll have space!
I'm sure he'll have an improvement if he's made changes and taking supplements.
Glad you're period is bk to normal now and you ovulated earlier, all good signs towards that bfp!

My god that’s two BFPs on two of my threads in the last five minutes, crazy.

Congratulations @Rosie189, you’ve had two so far so seems unlikely to be defective.

What’s the deal with the hycosy @notyetamumbuttrying? Do you have to stop trying for that month? I’m wondering whether to get one done privately while I’m on all these drugs.

DH gets his results in 10 days, I’m really hoping for an improvement. Just feels like constant obstacles in the way.

It’s hard because I obviously don’t want to stop ttc, I’m not getting younger. But I need to remember this is for the best because my body will not be constantly fighting with itself at the end of this, hopefully. I also need to try to keep fit while I’m on oral steroids, I think you can put on weight and get something the nhs site describes as “moon face”

Oh and my AF is back to normal right now 💃 I’m so relieved, they’ve been so out of whack for months. Crazy symptoms, pains, light and short flow. FINALLY normal and I think it might be the acupuncture? Ovulation was also day 14/15 rather than 17/18.

Yeah, I’m really hoping it will help @CurbsideProphet. It feels like finally getting some help. Not sure when I’ll start it, maybe after my antibiotics, just in case they make me sick or anything.

100% can’t believe this is true. Sure I am seeing things or it’s a defective test.

@thislittlebird yeah we will. I'm gonna go for a hycosy next month and then if all clear try naturally for a few more months. Hopefully the nhs funding will be in by then and we can use that rather than spend on private. The hycosy will be private though, I doubt I'd be able to get nhs to do that in the next few months lol!
I hope there's an improvement for your Dh! Did they say when results would be in?
I'm glad you got your prescriptions sorted! Good idea taking a break from ttc whilst on all those. Prob do your mental health good as well! ♥️
@Rosie189 bless you! Get some frer ordered on prime and they'll come the next day! 🤞🏾

@CurbsideProphet I’ve started fertility yoga classes via zoom. I enjoy them. Everyone has a little chat on how they’re doing. So strange but I’ve found some parts quite an emotional release. Normally not into meditation etc but I’m finding it soo relaxing.

I’m currently 11dpo not started with my usual spotting and getting my hopes up was going to do a test but didn’t have any so did an opk which was massively positive and now I’m reading far too much into it. 😂

@thislittlebird definitely not weird at all! TTC is so stressful once you get past 4/5 months. Never mind if you also have other things going on. I've been on propranolol before and it really helped with the feeling that my heart is racing, which then made it easier for me to feel calm.

Yeah she was really good @CurbsideProphet. She also did a steroid injection while I was there and I don’t think she charged me for that (I didn’t notice if she did). Is it weird to be excited about anxiety meds? I’ve found the last 18 months so hard and there’s no resolution to either of these issues but hopefully will be soon. First the skin, then fingers crossed pregnancy next.

It does sound woo but if it helps that’s good, whatever stops you from sinking can only be a good thing.

@thislittlebird that dermatologist sounds like a fantastic doctor. I'm really glad for you that she came up with a good solution.

It sounds very "woo" but tonight we did a womb cleansing visualisation / meditation. It found it quite moving as ttc does feel like an internal battle. Hopefully it will all just help me stay balanced and not sink into the despair.

So I am pleased to report back that the dermatologist was more than happy to do me an NHS prescription as well as a private one @CurbsideProphet. She split them, basically, I needed a lot of stuff. She’s writing to my GP too about it all and asking them to do allergy tests amongst other things to save me paying for them privately because they’re expensive.

I’m now on oral steroids for six weeks and strong antibiotics for 9 days, then other less strong things for six weeks after that, so I think the next six weeks I’m going to count myself out of the ttc game. Have a break, get my body (hopefully) back to normal and then it’ll be the end of April and only a couple of weeks until my gynaecologist referral in mid May.

Also really pleased she’s prescribed me a low dose anti-anxiety medication which is a relief tbh. Hoping it’ll make this journey easier.

Such great news about your DH’s sperm count @notyetamumbuttrying. Are you going to continue trying naturally for a little while?

My DH is doing his second one tomorrow, really keen on seeing an improvement 😬

The online cause sounds like a great idea too, CP, exciting that everything is started!

@CurbsideProphet that will all defo help!
Wow that does sound insane!
Sounds like sensible advice, I'll check her out. One day at a time and being in the moment sounds the best way to go ♥️

@notyetamumbuttrying wow that's an amazing improvement. DH and I are both on supplements and really trying to eat a balanced diet, go for walks etc.

I'm not taking 17 tablets per day now which seems insane 😬

I'm trying to take it day at a time. I'm doing an online mindset course run by a woman who specialises in counselling women going through infertility / IVF. She's on Instagram as The Infertility Counsellor. She said recently that if you focus so much energy on the worst case scenario you'll have nothing left to support yourself if IVF doesn't go well, and you might feel like you've been through the grief twice. That made a lot of sense to me. Obviously I am worried etc, but if I start spiralling I try to just breathe and be in the present moment. Obviously I can't do that 100% of the time!

@CurbsideProphet yeah that is the one. No alcohol will defo help. It's helped my Dh, that and stopping smoking and taking supplements. The results are now all normal! Morphology is 4% but it was 2.3% before. The count and motility have tripled 🥳 we're thrilled!
How's the drugs going so far? Great you're getting started but must be nerve racking all the same!

@notyetamumbuttrying my AMH is 6.8. Ah morphology. Is that the one that should be over 4%? That's the one DH has an issue with as his is 1.5%. The other numbers were ok.
We're both on Zita West supplements and he hasn't had any alcohol since January. Hopefully that all helps.

We're starting our NHS round imminently 😬 I start Norethisterone tomorrow until 21 March. Then so long as I have a period injections start 27 March with egg collection planned for 7th April. I'm swapping between calm acceptance and pure fear 😬

@thislittlebird I think you would have to pay for a private prescription, but they should write a letter to your GP and you might then be able to have the same item prescribed by your GP as it's on the advice of a consultant. I'm sure the dermatologist will tell you whether that's possible.

Useful to know @CurbsideProphet. I’m still not sure how to approach it really, going to the private derm tomorrow and want to ask for my prescriptions to be nhs and not private but not sure how that happens.

I might book in with the private gynaecologist from the local hospital then maybe and see if I can speed things up.

Referral for fertility is in the system @notyetamumbuttrying

When is his next SA result? My DH is going on Wednesday and I don’t want to know the results 😭

@thislittlebird I agree, it doesn't seem right at all! Time is not on our side with our ageing eggs 😩 did you get your gp referral sorted?
@CurbsideProphet similar to us. I'm 35 next week and Dh is now 38. My amh is on the low side at 5.4 but was still told "normal" my Dh has major sperm issues and were waiting on repeat SA results this week! What's next steps for you two then? Will you wait for the nhs ivf?
Ah that name is morphology. That's the shape, motility is the speed. My Dh is low in both (and count) just hoping somethings improved 😬 he's had nearly 6 months on supplements and lifestyle changes etc so I really do hope so!

@thislittlebird no we didn't see the fertility doctor on the NHS at all. The NHS referral was made by our GP in October and there was a 4 month wait to be seen. We saw him privately twice in November and I had a scan and AMH blood test. DH had a SA on the NHS organised by a helpful GP. We gave the SA results to the fertility doctor so that didn't need to be redone.
The fertility doctor did the NHS referral for IVF as though we had seen him on the NHS, as there would have been no point waiting 4+ months just for him to do the referral anyway.

We have only been ttc since November 2019 which is a short time compared to some, but our test results showed that although natural conception wasn't impossible it was dependent on my AMH not reducing further. Obviously can't predict that! Plus DH has the issue where he has a lower number of the sperm that are the right shape to swim properly. I can't remember which term that is.

When I've gone privately for other things the Consultant has then asked their secretary to look for me on the NHS referral list and get me booked into the follow up clinic (rather than the new patient clinic), as obviously they don't need to assess you again once they've seen you in a private clinic. I would be quite direct and tell her you are on the NHS list, as she might be willing to do the same.

So did you see him in the nhs first? @CurbsideProphet

I manage to find the consultant dermatologist at my local hospital last week and I’m going to see her Tuesday at her private practice. I can’t work out how it gets back into the nhs system though, because I had considered how I would broach the subject with her, and then also potentially with a fertility doc.

Yeah, same here. We’ve lost six months to their errors and now another 3 or 4 where I might need clomid and am just twiddling my thumbs.

@thislittlebird if it's any help we were referred to the NHS fertility service but saw the same doctor privately rather than wait for the NHS appointment. He then did the paperwork / referral for our NHS IVF as though we had seen him via the NHS. There is only 1 consultant at our NHS fertility service so that was why there was such a long wait. Possibly the same in other areas?
I bet most fertility doctors work in the NHS and do private work on the side. It makes sense really as they could never get through all of the NHS referrals. If they do private work as well in the evenings / weekend they know that will reduce the wait on their NHS list (plus there will of course be the financial incentive).

I agree with the frustration that the system is so slow. I'm 35 and DH is 38. We found out in November that my AMH is officially classed as low (and DH has a slight issue) after we paid for private appointments. If we had waited for the NHS we would still be waiting now to have all of the tests done.

@notyetamumbuttrying the whole system just seems very unfair from what I’ve seen so far. I find the fertility referral speed just incredible really, especially when you’re dealing with people mid 30s plus, it doesn’t seem right.

Yeah fingers crossed! Will try to get my GP referral too but I forgot to call this morning.