TTC for First Time - Long process!

[misseskimo]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum, and not a very experienced user with all these abbreviations and acronyms, so please bare with me!

Currently TTC atm, I'm 26 and husband is 28, not been on the pill for 8yrs, married in 2011, and like alot of others, we naively thought we'd be able to conceive pretty quickly... From friends advice, we started "not protecting" a couple of months before our wedding, thinking it may take a few months to conceive, but that was nearly 2yrs ago now, and nothing yet! It's a little disheartening, particularly when very young extended-family members of ours have recently got pregnant/had children "unexpectedly" - You know how it goes! And yet we're happily married and secure, and actively trying, but nothings happening! So we did end up "taking a break" for a good few months this year as I was feeling quite depressed about it all, but are now starting again this month with the charting etc. and fingers crossed this time something will happen!

My sister is a regular here and told me to sign up as she's had a lot of support from everyone, and has made some good friends over the years, so here I am!

Also just going to start a blog (starting today, once I figure out how to use the thing!) to try and track things, would love it if any like-minded people wanted to chat, or send me their blogs to keep me motivated to try! :) eskimoblogger.wordpress.com

thanks champagnebubble!

silly question though.. what's the monthly buses? sorry I am completely new to all this!

Hi misseskimo and welcome to Mumsnet!

Have you been to your GP about this yet? I know you've not been actively trying for the full 2 years, but it might be worth making an appointment to have some tests done.

My advice is to ask lots of questions, and have lots of sex! There are lots of very knowledgeable people on here so someone can usually help you out.

misseskimo,

I read your post on another thread and I would have to state that you've been fobbed off. The powers that be asking you to take preconception vits indeed, that was certainly poor counsel. At nearly 2 years of ttc without success there is likely to be a problem with either one or equally both of you. You both need to be tested and to have up to date test results; there could well be male factor issues present.

Forget charting and such like now as you're well beyond that initial stage.

I would start insisting now that they refer you to a subfertility unit.

Hi frankelly/atilla, thanks for your comments!
yes weve seen the drs twice now once at 12m and they said we were too young to worry about children, and again a few weeks ago where we were told we hadn't been 'actively TTC for 12m' by their guidelines. so they sent us away to start over and take pregnacare supplements (which gave me terrible migraines so I had to stop!), they've also put me forward for counselling as they think the reason why I can't conceive is that I'm depressed... So going to try this OPK approach for a couple of months and fill out their million page form on my 'feelings' then will go back and try to get a referral to see a specialist if they wont help

I'm inclined to agree with Atilla, you sound like you are being fobbed off. Physical reasons stop you conceiving, not mental ones. I speak as someone who has been actively TTC for 3 years.

If your GP is not being helpful then I would consider changing Dr.

misseskimo,

Would change GP practice as of now. This bunch you've seen sound absolutely awful.

2nd opinion! Threaten contacting pals if they keep fobbing you off.

The requirement to be ttc for over 12 months is pretty standard if you are under 35, but the ridiculously high definition they have attached to it in this case is not.

They expect you to have been having regular unprotected sex for 12 months. This doesn't mean every day, but regularly throughout the cycle so you can be sure that there is sperm hanging around at the right time. Two or three times a week is sufficient. If you have been doing this then don't let them fob you off. You should be taking folic acid, because that's very important for preventing spina bifida but the requirement to take pregnacare us nonsense unless the dr thought you were deficient in certain vitamins or minerals. I suggest you see a different GP.

Thanks for all your advice ladies, I'm gonna give it a go for a few more months, this time using the OPK's and see what happens, we're hoping to buy our first house this autumn (fingers-crossed!) and so as that's a completely new area, we'll have to change surgerys then anyway, so my thoughts are that I'll wait to then, and if nothings happened by then, we will have hopefully moved, I'll be another year older, we would have been "trying" for over 2yrs, and we can change surgerys with a clean slate and ask for fertility tests! Otherwise we have all the hassle of changing surgerys only for a few months before we'd need to change again, and atm. The surgery is conveniently located (and their usually OK DR. Wise in every other aspect bar this! The receptionists are useless, but aren't they at most surgerys??) so if one of us is ever off sick, it is literally a 2 minute walk to our surgery, whereas where I used to live years ago it was a 20min drive to my nearest surgery! So it's handy if your really ill and can just about crawl to the Dr's down the road!

I think I might try Folic Acid on it's own though, as I said, the Pregnacare gave me really bad migraines... I tried Boots Conception Support for a little while last summer, but I can't remember now whether they made me ill/headaches or not, and not keen on spending money to waste again if they screw with my head! :(