Struggling to conceive please please help

[infertilemertyl]

Hello,

I'm really struggling to conceive. I've had a laparoscopy and hysteroscopy to remove adhesions. The surgery went successfully however I do have one completely blocked tube. Other than that my doctor says I'm good to continue ttc.

My biggest concern however is that I have spotting before my period which lasts 5-7 days. Sometimes it's quite significant - others it's barely anything. My doctor was not concerned about this at all.....

I'm really concerned and fed up of my body not working properly.

I'm wondering if this is likely to be low progesterone?

If so, is this easy to sort out? Can it be done naturally?

I should add - I suffer greatly with stress :( my life is quite stressful and I don't know how much of this could be from that too? I started having spotting 5-7 days before my period a few years after I was in a bad car accident which made me think it was stress related.

Can anyone advise please? I feel like giving up

If you can you should see a private fertility doctor. First appointment will probably be about £200 and you can ask them about the spotting and they'll probably do a blood test and possibly prescribe progesterone suppositories from after ovulation. Alternatively you could do your own finger prick blood test through a company like medichecks, but that might not help you get a prescription.

If you only recently had your adhesions removed you could give it 6 months and just see how it goes. I had adhesions removed and was pregnant the next month (sadly I miscarried and again 2 months later) after years of nothing. I don't have spotting though.

I think those saying go for ivf are jumping the gun a bit. I say that as someone who's had 3 surgeries and 6 rounds of ivf. Good luck

Feeling your angst.Subfertility is so,so difficult emotionally,mentally and physically.
With regards to Progesterone hormone levels there is a huge fluctuation throughout your normal menstrual cycle.
It is usual practice to have a progesterone hormone level check on day 21( or 7 days prior to next period) as this is when progesterone levels peak.
If you are not pregnant progesterone levels naturally drop which then causes your menstrual bleed.
If you are pregnant progesterone levels continue to rise.
As you have had laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy I'm presuming that fibroids,uterine polyps ,cervical issues have been ruled out as these may cause intermenstrual bleeding.
Your local CCG website should give you information with regards to criteria for NHS funded IVF.
Is there a fertility service in your local NHS Trust?

@infertilemertyl you can book a fertility MOT via private clinic, maybe they can help with answers re: spotting

How long have you been trying since having the surgery? Sorry if this has been asked / answered but could you be pregnant? I spotted before getting the BFP with my second DS and some women do experience implantation bleeding.

If not and if you have experienced spotting before due to the car accident (which you said was stress related) could it be this again? The weight of possible infertility, the surgery and work has upset your cycles.

Maybe try some techniques to reduce your stress (which can only be a positive thing anyways!)

Could the spotting be the result of the surgery?

I think it’s good to be proactive and have a bit of a plan. Remember you are in control and you have a right to ask questions and explain to your consultant what YOU want. I was given this freedom before my surgery. We talked through all possible outcomes and treatment and I made the decision ultimately. Follow the advice from these lovely ladies, do some research and take control :).

Coincidence most probably.

Hi OP, I would echo much of the advice of others on here. Get an appointment for some basic tests for you and your partner privately. It will probably cost a few hundred pounds but much cheaper than IVF, should it come to that. Stay in the NHS system in the meantime. Read “It Starts with an Egg” and take the relevant vitamins. I also had a hysteroscopy - mine was to remove a polyp which my consultant said was hindering implantation - and I also had spotting - and I got pregnant shortly after. I had spotting in the cycle I got pregnant too.

@Dinosaurus86

Thank you - I'm going to start reading that book.

My hysteroscopy results came back clear - I had a normal biopsy too. I often wondered if I had a polyp causing the spotting but apparently not! Thanks again xx

I had 4 rounds of ICSI before it worked and I had twins. Stress was undoubtedly the deciding factor in success for me.
Try everything you can to reduce your stress.
Good luck OP.

@NestingSparrow

Thank you - I am taking in everything on this thread and I'm going to alter as much as humanly possible. Xx

It’s not that trying for a year now you’ve had surgery is necessarily the wrong advice. It’s the lack of clarity about how long it would take to get to NHS IVF if you don’t get pregnant.
eg when the 12 months is up, does your GP refer you to an IVF clinic, or do you have to wait another 3 months to be seen by the surgeon again? Are there likely to be any other delays? The surgeon has mentioned further surgery, but if there’s no fluid I don’t see the reason for this. He sounds a bit egotistical to me and minimising the difficulties you could still face.

It may be worth you looking at local fertility forums to see what other people’s experiences have been. But basically if there are waiting lists, you’re better off getting on them sooner rather than later.

@Shelby2010

This is exactly how I felt about him in the end - egotistical. Admittedly I did sit there crying - but I did feel like he was minimising the fact that I was upset by my results. I understand you only need one tube to get pregnant but having the other tube completely closed with adhesions and finding out about the other adhesions I had with no medical explanation I found incredibly hard to take in.

I waited a long time for this surgeon as he answered all of my questions to a level I found acceptable (I genuinely had 30+ questions that I asked prior to the surgery). I did so so much research on my own regarding all of the potential outcomes so I do feel like my concerns aren't being taken seriously. Yes I may be able to conceive naturally with one blocked tube - but there was little empathy or answers there if I couldn't. I asked why the tube would need removing prior to ivf and he said it's not worth getting into - I tried to push this but he was getting a bit wound up. This was after the surgery not prior or I would have questioned my decision to to with him. He was positive I had no hydrosalpinx though - this was suspected prior to the surgery via a scan but this was actually fluid on my ovary within a cyst.

In all he was genuinely extremely optimistic for me - he said how he was so positive and it's me who is being unreasonably negative. I do feel silly and patronising to doubt my surgeon (especially given he is the top one in the area) but I'm just very cautious - hence me posting on here to try find other women who have actually experienced this.

Sorry that's a huge response. Thank you for replying xx

Hello, well I did have a large cyst on my ovary which they thought has caused some trauma in that area and was why the adhesions occur, but alert may be mild endometriosis. How long ago did you have your surgery? I was 38 at the time, so time wasn’t on my side & we had been trying a long long time, defo worth trying the sperm meets egg method again xxx

@namechange143

That's interesting - I wonder if that's similar for me...
My surgery was only a couple of months ago so I know it is probably early days still. It's the spotting and lack of a medical explanation that's concerning me.

Thank you for replying ♥️

I also used ovusense for ovulation tracking and although expensive, I found it extremely useful for tracking my cycle and much more accurate than ovulation sticks and ensured that we were DTD at optimal times. They have a Facebook support group too.

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I really don't understand why people like you need to post such unhelpful rubbish.