Fertility Appointments and Beyond.... the journey continues

@Gracie2021 I’m annoyed about this second trip to the hospital lmao.

I said this on the other thread but they took the wrong bloods. I live a 15 minute walk and a 30 minute train ride away, this is super annoying but at least it’s a nice day for clocking up the steps on my Fitbit.

@magnoliasinbloom haha and I forgot we have that covered. I knew there was a tablet missing - he takes VitalDHA which is zinc and a high dose of Omega 3 from Zita West. Thank you again - I think we have everything covered. I guess it is just time now. x

@FlyOnTheWall89 no worries! Also I forgot omega 3 (we just take as a spoonful of flaxseed oil which we add into smoothies) x

thank you @magnoliasinbloom. He is taking proxeed plus as a new edition - it is really expensive but does seem to be proven. He also take Vit d, ubiquinol & floradix. I think the proxeed has vit c and zinc in it and folic acid (not sure if it is methylfoate though). x

@Mariabombia No, they were not worried at all. They said it is very normal... I think that something bursts when you realise an egg and this can contain the fluid. It was really painful to the point where I would have to hold my tummy to ease the pain in certain positions but I did then realise it was just around ovulation. I don't get it anywhere near as much now for some reason and now I know what it is, it doesn't bother me as much. Hope you get some answers - personally I would call 111 when you are next in a lot of pain - they may scan you there and then as it does sound pretty horrible xx

@FlyOnTheWall89 I'm sure all ones you've read of already but CoQ10 ubiquinol, fenugreek and methylfolate (not synthetic folic acid) As well as general b vitamins, magnesium, zinc and vitamin d if he isn't taking them already. Supplement brands I've found to be good are Solgar and Cytoplan. Good luck! x

Thank you for all your replies, it's really comforting to know others have had the scan before and it's been fine. I've had a colposcopy a few years ago so I'm wondering if it's the same thing?

What are your all your stories if you don't mind me asking? Where are you with tests etc?

@FlyOnTheWall89 so the extra fluid was causing you pain? Did you get anything to treat this pain or do you still get it? I'm Yorkshire based, really hope it won't be 8 weeks 😬

@thislittlebird thank you for the advice I'm certainly going to have to do that if it doesn't ease :( what did a fibroid feel like? Hope you're okay now.

@beckyCarlos thank you for the info, I will do then. What does two follicles on each side mean? Would that cause pain?

So sorry for all the questions !

@mariabombia definitely ask them! In my experience they're always quite happy to explain what they can see :) (even if its crushing your dreams with two folicles on each side lol) I too find trans vaginal ultrasounds fine, there's no speculum, the machine itself doesnt feel overly wide or anything, and the sonographers I've seen have all been lovely x

#ffiffi123 I only waited about 4 weeks for my hysteroscopy, probably the shortest wait I've had all process 🤣 but it does depend on the nhs trust x

@Mariabombia I would just outright ask them what they can see. You’ll usually be able to see the screen too, and in my experience they’ve told me what they’ve found (for example when I had a fibroid once) but just in case they don’t it won’t hurt to ask.

It really doesn’t sound right for you to be in so much pain so definitely chase for that scan once you know it’s requested. If it gets really bad and doesn’t subside after AF you could always speak to 111 and see what they say?

@Mariabombia I had an internal scan and honestly barely felt it. No, you'll have a follow up app to explain your results - that was my experience anyway. It's normal for them to tests loads of things in the day 2 bloods. Mine was 2 pages long. I had pain when we had sex but the doctors said had I noticed a pattern and I hadn't but then I realised it does coke and go a bit and it was all to do with the fluid left behind when you ovulate which can irritate. Sounds like you have something different - hope you get more answers when you have the scan...I'm London based and waited a good 8 weeks for mine but I did request a female as had no clue what it would be like! X

Thanks so much for your reply @thislittlebird , I thought that tbh too :/ I'm hoping when AF comes on Thursday it will subside for a bit as it has before but I will definitely push about it as it just doesn't seem right at all and has really affected me the last few days in particular.

She didn't say when the scan would be just that she'd request it ASAP and I'm having the bloods done on Friday as that should be the 2nd day of my cycle.

Re the scan, do you think the sonographer will discuss what they can see with me or will I have to wait until the results are sent to the drs?

Thanks for reassuring me about them :)

@FlyOnTheWall89 it is expensive yeah. Afaik you can get the dna fragmentation test done directly with the lab (called Examen) and it’s cheaper but obviously you might want more tests than that one if you’re trying to rule things out.

Day 4 and the stims are fine bar the unfortunate side effect I’m having. Kinda looking forward to my blood test to see what’s going on in there!

@Mariabombia hey, I haven’t had a similar problem but I’ve lots of trans vaginal ultrasounds. Honestly they’re fine, easier than a smear test IMO. They look at your uterus and ovaries with a wand camera and you can see it on the screen.

WRT the pain that doesn’t sound like something you should be having so definitely keep pushing them for answers and investigations. How long until the scan and tests?

Hi guys, I've recently posted this comment in one of the other conception threads I'm on but I'm not sure if it might be more appropriate in this group.

So since ttc I've been getting cramps in my two week window, literally from straight after O. This month the cramps have been especially bad, specifically in my left side pelvic area.

AF due on Thursday, did a FRER on Sunday and it was negative.

Pain has got incrementally worse each day so I've spoken to the drs about it & they did a urine test to check for bladder infection etc, that's come back negative!

Pain is radiating from my left pelvic area around my lower back , it's awful :(

I spoke to the doctor about this pain and my fertility concerns generally & she has requested I get my bloods done (2nd day 21 day of cycle) Massive list of things they're checking for.

She's also requested I have an ultra sound to check everything so hoping that will happen soon! I think that may be a trans Vaginal one?

Has anyone had either of these tests before? Did they show much? Did the ultrasound one hurt etc?

As for the pelvic pain I'm having she just told me to take a pain killer. Said it's most likely a cyst and said it can't be ectopic due to the time of it so that's a major relief.

Finding it very uncomfortable though :( & now I'm really concerned about why I'm getting these pains . Has anyone had a cyst before? How did it feel?

Quite shocked I'm getting these checks so soon (been ttc 4 months so far) but I'm really relieved.

If anyone has been through anything similar I would love to know more & hear about it 💕 Wishing you all the best.

Thank you so much ladies!

I'm ok, just hoping thehysteroscopy doesn't take forever, I know how busy the nhs are but I'm so anxious as I'm obviously getting older!

I keep seeing people getting pregnant too we'll keep trying, see what happens, I'm just waiting for the bloods card to come to get my 3rd day bloods taken... just feel like it'll never happen now

Hi @magnoliasinbloom oooo please give me all your supplement knowledge. I've read a lot already but we do seriously need count and morphology to improve. That is the goal now really. I'm SW London - really hope the wait isn't too long.

@thislittlebird we are ummming and arhhing. It's expensive and whilst we are in a position to pay for it, we wonder if it might be worth my partner taking a few months worth of supplements and being really strict with lifestyle things that will have had an impact. They have end of Feb availability so we are still thinking on it. THAT IS SUCH A LONG TIME - how are you coping? Interesting re job... Im so undecided about this one.

@ffiffi123 welcome! I don’t know much about polyps but other ladies here do so I’m sure they’ll be more help.

@FlyOnTheWall89 good to see you over here! Did you have any luck booking a urology appointment? I’m in SE London and the wait for me was a joke but there was also a lot of cock ups along the way before I changed GP which made everything much slower. My initial GP tests were 18 months ago and it’s been a year since my first gynaecology referral. Most people in London have had a faster and less stupid route to Ivf than I have IMO.

I regret not changing roles/jobs tbh. I’ve been here 3 years and I’m hanging in there in case I can get pregnant to use the mat leave.

@ffiffi123 missed the most important part of your question, derrailed in my own experience! You van DEFINITELY get pregnant with polyps and high FSH, its just 'harder' (so if a 'regular' couple has a 20% chance of concieving every cycle yours might be 10%) but anything is possible, and you dont know if you don't try 😊 x

@ffiffi123 hey :) high FSH (16.8!) and (ex) polyp haver here! Main thing... NO test can determine the QUALITY of your eggs! I'm assuming you're having an AMH test, this just determines how many folicles/eggs youre likely to have left, not their quality, so if this is low please dont let it get you down (mine is 2.something) and there are things you can do for egg quality (acupuncture, ubiquinol, vitamin d, eating lots of protein, avoiding perfumed products etc.) I'd highly recommend reading 'It Starts With The Egg' its really helpful and gives you good practical advice.

Polyps can definitely interfere with implantation - my ivf was delayed due to a polyp as it was right where they'd put the embryo back and their (and loads of others) research shows that implantation can rise by up to 60% after some polyp removals depending on location.

Theres a post somewhere in here where I 'reviewed' 🤣 the hysteroscopy/polypectomy, which was a 20 minute outpatient procedure and was (for me) almost totally painless and super quick recovery.

Hope this helps 😊 x

I’m here to say I’m really mad I have thrush from the stims, they are trying to wreck my week.

@Gracie2021on day 3 of IUI cycle now - I had to take a course of norethisterone for a withdrawal bleed which slowed everything down. Enjoying all the fun side effects of letrazole again after two months off it. My pre-scheduled NHS hycosy now falls on CD 22 so I can't do it - the next NHS appointments are really far away so I'm having to do it privately. Fortunately my medical insurance will cover it but it's been a faff trying to coordinate it all with my GP, the fertility clinic and my insurer!

How are you feeling? Fingers crossed that your scan goes well on Friday!!

@FlyOnTheWall89 welcome! I'm based in London too. I'm doing NHS ovulation induction and IUI so different procedures but I have found the wait times to be very quick luckily. Maybe something to consider in the interim but supplements can be really helpful when it comes to SA results - my partner's results were normal (I have PCOS and don't ovulate so all issues are with me) but I wanted us to have the best chance possible - I was told that it can be easier to work on male factor issues than female too! His count and motility have doubled in 6 months so if you have a wait time for NHS treatment it could be worth considering in the interim? I can give further details on the supplements if useful.

@ffiffi123 welcome :) I'm sorry I don't know anything about polyps or high FSH x

Hi all, I would like to join this board too. I have recently been referred so we are at the beginning of this process.

All my tests were normal although private AMH test was either low normal or low depending on where you look. DH SA was not normal and therefore rn we would require ISCI.

We are London based. Any advice / tips? I've been reading through the thread and some of you are very much in the midst of it all and much further along in the process. Any timeline expectations? It all feels like a lifetime.

Also some more specific advice... I've been keen to move jobs for some time. I wanted to step up a level. I didn't make any applications last year because I was sure I would be pregnant and didn't want to start something new pregnant. Well that didn't happen. Now we are waiting and waiting and a job app now would start in September. From what I understand, would it be better to stay in my current role which I can do with my eyes closed because of the time / mental capacity hospital appointments and this journey in general takes up or is it good to move on to a new focus etc?

Thank you xx

Hii

I just wondered if I could join? I know I'm a little late but could do with some support from others going through the same situation.

I'm 36 and have a beautiful 2 & a half year old, we've been trying since last April with no luck so was referred to gynaecologist for further investigations. Discovered a small polyp on an internal scan so I'm booked in for a hysteroscopy. No idea how long it'll take to have it done though

I also had bloods taken on day two of my period which I found out today showed high levels of FSH? So the lovely specialist explained that I'm possibly not producing enough viable eggs but wanted to redo the bloods to be sure, the GP also mentioned anovulation before so who knows!

Husband is due to give a sample in March, and we've been told we can pay to check quantity and quality of egg reserve... which we'll do as it wasn't as expensive as we'd thought!

What I wondered was, the nurse said before putting the phone down, 'and if you get pregnant before then let me know' is it still actually possible for me to get pregnant with the polyp AND high FSH??

Thank you ladies

@Gracie2021 I would be the same with lower numbers I think, but if I can grow some of these follicles I will be a tad worried about OHSS. Will depend on how many, of course, but I've read how nasty it can be so it bothers me. I'm ok with the wait for a frozen transfer if that is what happens, we'll see.

I'm in early Wednesday for bloods, then I think based on those results they choose whether to increase my meds. I have no idea when they might scan me, they haven't said. Good that you know it's happening on Friday.