TTC May/June - may the eggs be ever in your favour

Hi @CycloGoose, thanks for checking in and hope you don’t get too overwhelmed with the paperwork tomorrow. Your boss sounds a bit like my friend’s boss who is being very funny about my friend trying to drop to four days a week (like all the other female teachers!) when she goes back to teaching.

I’m currently 6dpo and this is my first month using better OPKs so was nice to see an LH surge and of course trying to resist the urge to test until at least Saturday. I have a feeling that this isn’t my month and have ordered a bbt thermometer for next month in case I get a bfp. So if I get a BFP, I can at least look forward to trying that out.

Sorry to hear about your in-laws @kaylsd. People don’t understand the gravity of their words sometime and it sucks having to recover from that xx

Hi @kaylsd I hope returning to work yesterday wasn't as bad as you had been imagining! Do you work in the NHS? If so IT are always such a pain, getting through always takes hours! I'm sorry to hear you didn't have the best weekend, it's so horrible when people but especially family aren't supportive. When they say they will talk about it when it's here do they mean a baby or your wedding? If they are talking about a baby that's an awful thing to say 😒 ☹ try not to let their negativity affect you, but that's easier said than done I know xx

@Bookbug92 don't worry about it I find it quite fitting that I can speak openly about it to many people both in my personal life and on here! I'd be tempted to persuade the GP to do a repeat SA exactly to the 3 month when he had his last one so your next appointment you can have the review of both for them to make the decision more factual for them for you both?

Hope everyone's okay and having a lovely weekend so far.. Today I've found it hard in fairness my inlaws are suffocating about how my SIL has bounced back so well in her post part figure how she weighs 10 pound less pre baby.. on about their wedding next year and how they are going to be trying for another baby after the wedding... when we had no recognition of ours and was told "we will talk about it when it's here" ah sucks to feel like this way today and I return to work tomorrow after 17 days off and non of my computer passwords work so I'm already set to a bad start tomorrow and it's not even here yet.. 😔

@kaylsd little Mabel is actually the cutest! 😍 I can't believe we're in July already, your appointment will be here before you know it! I'll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they are able to give you some answers and a solid plan, and that your DH's SA has improved (which seems a strange thing to say to a stranger over the internet, in a way 🙈🤣)

@PaleGreenAndBrightOrange that's amazing that you're booked in for a HyCoSy so quickly! I'm sure your tubes aren't blocked at all but I think it's definitely a good idea to get them checked as otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy wondering! Please will you keep us posted?

Our plan is just more waiting 😩 so because I had this 28 day cycle the consultant wants to see if my body is trying to regulate itself naturally, but if I'm still having irregular cycles in 3 months time they're going to consider clomid. And then a repeat SA for my DP in 3 months time, part of me wants him just to be tested now as his original analysis was back in March, but I guess at least he can take all the vitamins and see if a solid 3 months makes a difference!

Sounds like you’ll be looked after either way! So good to have someone take charge of the situation isn’t it?? I was starting to lose the will with months and months of negative pregnancy tests.

@PaleGreenAndBrightOrange that's fabulous news hunny let us know how you get on with it as I feel like that's something what I may have to have further down the line! And no sweetheart it's just been referred into infertility clinic after my diagnosis of PCOS where I don't ovulate and my hub had a boarder line normal SA which meant we was aloud to be referred into the clinic before 1 year TTC, we've been trying since august 2020 and not a sniff of a BFP! I think if my hubs SA improves (they've requested it to be repeated next month) we will be a candidate for clomid/letrozole for 6 month but I think if it's the same SA or worse (god forbid) we will be a candidate for ICSI from what I can read into! In accordance to the pathway of the trust im under xx

@kaylsd I raised this with the consultant and have a HyCoSy booked for next Thursday - so glad as I’m now convinced my tubes are blocked

Congrats to be so close to your appointment! Is that for IVF? So exciting!

@PaleGreenAndBrightOrange I think it would be more beneficial to check tubes before IUI as mentioned before it'll be pointless as if they are blocked it may not work, I don't think any scan can indicate other than the suggested hycosy for patency of your tubes being open or blocked! From what I've gathered before on dr google they are expensive tests if you were to pay private so maybe push for it on nhs if you can by your dr :)!

@Bookbug92 what's your next step in relation to things then sweetheart? Are you happy your care has been transferred over to a different hospital? GPS are the worst can't wait to battle it out with them if the fertility clinic want anything in particular from them as they are different hospitals trusts as the one linked towards my GP has a 58 week waiting list to start treatment!

Hope everyone is okay! Loving the weather just currently out in the garden with the pooch after walking 5 mile with her, starting to get back into exercise again trying to lower that BMI for the clinic in 27 days wooooo happy July as it's finally the month my first appointment is after waiting all this time!! Our mabes is loving the sun most dogs sit out of the way in the shade but not mine 🙈

@kaylsd thank you! And I completely agree, GPs seem so clueless and also uncaring when it comes to fertility. I've only had my hycosy and bloods etc because I work in a hospital in a neighbouring county and they've taken over my care! My GP told me to contact a gynaecologist and arrange my own laparoscopy back in March time and that was our last communication 🤣

I think my DPs SA was the opposite to your DHs - he only.. abstained for 2 days rather than the 3-5 they suggest as I got peak on my opk 😂😂 his count was good at 51 mil per ml but obviously the 1% morphology is a worry. Thanks so much for sending that link @PaleGreenAndBrightOrange, I'm def gonna look into the root supplement! Did AF arrive in the end? It's so disheartening to see that BFN, especially when you know you DTD as much as possible around ovulation, it's so frustrating. I'm not sure if they can see how your tubes are just by regular ultrasound, have you asked Dr Google? 🤔😅 but I think I would request a hycosy prior to IUI as like you say you wouldn't want to spend all that time and effort to then find you have blocked tubes!

@Bookbug92 I’m 33 now. So great to hear about your hycosy going well! Suggestions for improving sperm: I googled this and found a great article with all the options. We opted for the ashwaganda root supplement as it’s been proven to increase sperm count by 170% or something. Not sure how to improve morphology. FWIW my DPs results came back as 3% morphology which is under the desired 4% but they said it’s not a concern as his count makes up for it. So I’m wondering if your DP can increase his concentration the morphology would be less of a concern?

Here’s the link: www.healthline.com/health/boost-male-fertility-sperm-count

My period is due today - month 10 TTC - and I KNOW we DTD loads around ovulation because I saw my ovulating ovary on the scan ready to go! So I was super disappointed to get a BFN today.

Does anyone know if they can get any indication at all of the health of your tubes from a regular scan? I’m just wondering why no one from the fertility clinic mentioned at what point you’d try a HyCoSy. I mean there’s no way I’d want to pay for IUI with blocked tubes! Totally pointless. But maybe they could see that the tubes are showing no signs of being blocked and that’s why they didn’t mention it? Private clinic in case that’s relevant.

@PaleGreenAndBrightOrange that sounds so good and structured for you guys to have abit of a roadmap to where you guys are at and what can be helped at the end of it if things don't work your way with the new treatment regimes ❤️ fingers and toes crossed it doesn't come to IUI for you guys 🤞🏻😘

@Bookbug92 I'm so glad to hear everything went well with your procedure sweetheart! GPS lack of understanding when it comes to fertility really annoys me as the insight can be misleading so I'm sorry to hear you had mix communication with the results, in terms of the what to take my hub has been taking proxceed the last month which is meant to be really good to improve parameters for SA however I'm wondering if my hubs sample was inaccurate in first place as we didn't have sex in 3 week as I was bleeding constantly and we wasn't informed from the doctors that he should have how to put it 🤔 emptied prior to the analysis at between 3-5 days before for most accuracy.. did your partner do this also? Sending hugs over, what's the next step for you guys?

@PaleGreenAndBrightOrange wow your appointment sounds really positive! 🙌🏻 And you've come away with a solid plan in place. I'm afraid I have no experience with progesterone pressures, but do you mind me asking how old you are?

I had my hycosy yesterday and it went well, the only uncomfortable bit was when they did a saline flush prior to the dye, they didn't give me any warning and just whooshed the whole lot in! (Or that's what it felt like!!) But my tubes were all clear so that's very good news 😊 however DP's SA wasn't as good as our GP told us, as despite having a great count the morphology was only 1%. He's been taking Proceive for men for the past couple of months (the SA was in March) and he's scheduled for another SA in 3 months time. Has anyone got any other suggestions for how he can improve this?

Lovely holiday pics @kaylsd! So jealous - would love a holiday round about now!

How was your midwife appointment @CycloGoose?

I had my consultation today to discuss results from my scans and blood test and DP’s SA. It was super interesting. She said we have excellent results. I have 41 follicles according to scan and amh which is apparently really good. DP has lots of sperm and it looks healthy. I told her I ovulate around cd18 giving me only 10 days of LP, and she said that it’s very common for people who have lots of follicles to ovulate later. She doesn’t think the length of my LP would be a problem, but she’s sending me a prescription for progesterone pessary that you use in your LP to lengthen it. I’m pleased to have something to try because I just can’t square up having excellent fertility with still not being pregnant after 10 months TTC! But anyway she said try for 2 months with the pessary then if we have no joy she’ll do some IUI with some light hormone stimulation to make implantation more likely. Feels good to have a roadmap ahead.

Has anyone tried the progesterone pessary? Any good??

Have a lovely Friday night all xx

@CycloGoose good luck for this afternoon sweetheart 🥰 can only imagine how much of a nice feeling it will be coming across your first midwife appointment! I hope everything goes well for you xxx

No worries @CycloGoose :) i have a feeling I don't either but as was my first month really tracking I don't fully know yet so will keep tracking if AF arrives. I'll have a look into OvuSense as well.

Oh I know I don't want to get my hopes up either, I do get spotting sometimes before a period but its usually heavier and different colour and not really got bad cramps either which is unusual for me as I usually get a day or 2 of bad ones.

Good luck with the appointment this afternoon!!😁😁😁 xxx

And @kaylsd those pics are fab! Glad you had a nice time and got some good weather. I'm glad you're enjoying time off TTC and focusing on everything ahead that's great :) our bodies are the worst but they're ours haha! Xxx

@Bookbug92 wooop good timing for you with AF least that's one less thing for you to worry about!

@aries491 happy Friday back to you too! Doing well plodding along no changes with my long cycle life, actually enjoying abit of time out with the TTC things but looking forward for things ahead :) our bodies are the worst for giving us mixed signals all the time not working when they should behave themselves 🤣🤣🤣 fingers crossed you was an late ovulation 🥺🤞🏻

@cyclogoose hope your okay sweetheart and everything’s going smoothly for you so far 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Hope everyone else is doing okay! Just got back from caravan with the inlaws.. didn’t kill them surprisingly but that’s because me and hub and mable did our own thing apart from one night with a bbq with them.. the weather was beautiful for 3 days like being away and I’ve gone a lovely brown colour now :) mable loved the attention from kind strangers and even some gave her treats and the chip shop gave her free sausage! In her element, attached pics for show 💁🏼‍♀️ excuse my cheesy smile but I was in ore with our family photos together, it shows abit of my personality than a username now and again 🥰❤️

Thanks @CycloGoose how are you doing?
I never used opks before so this was my first month, apps predicted cd16 so was surprised it was later but least now i know! Hopefully she doesn't rear her head lol, this spotting seems to have dried up (bad choice of words lol) as well so who knows what that was x