Thread for anyone TTC with a bit of medical help!

[ChandlersFarang]

Hello ladies! I'm looking to start something like one of the normal TTC 'busses' but for any of us that are on the journey with a bit of medical assistance (but not full IVF, as there's already an established thread for that!). I'm talking: assisted ovulation, clomid, metformin, IUI, Femara, injections, all those helpful little pushes from the doctors as we may not quite get there on our own! Post your story below and let's cross fingers for lots of BFPs over the coming months - would love to hear from you

Keeponjuggling that does sound a bit premature to be giving you IVF leaflets if they are still taking bloods?! What's the rationale for saying that you can't conceive naturally? What do high FSH levels point to as an issue? I'm so sorry to hear you've had a tearful week, I can well imagine that you have, you poor thing!! Don't forget that it will get easier once you know and understand more about your situation. Hopefully there are other avenues than just IVF for you (but to be fair IVF is pretty a amazing bit of science, if you do end up there!).

Donttellmetorelax do you mean 14DPO...? CD14 would mean a super short cycle for you, no? X x

Keeponjuggling - sorry I didn't answer your last question. When you sat an internal scan I assume you mean an ultrasound? If so then you should see the screen yourself too - ask them to point things out to you (if they don't automatically) on the screen and what they mean. They will be able to look at your ovaries and follicles, cervix, and see the thickness of your endometrial lining on an ultrasound - I've had about 4 now! They will mad notes - best advice from me is to ask for a copy of all their findings so you can have a thorough read up about it all later. I got a photocopy of my scan pictures and their notes which said how thin in mm my endometrial lining was, how many follicles they could see (and cysts on my ovaries given the PCOS...). It also told me about my cervix size, position and appearance (normal!). But they didn't tell me all those things verbally, I looked them up myself from what was on the page. It's not to say that they needed to tell me about my cervix, as frankly it was normal, but it was good to know I got the most information possible out of the appointment! It also is good to have the facts yourself as I was told "your endometrial lining is a bit thin"... I found out from the print out that it was 4.9mm, when it should be 10mm to be able to sustain a bean!! Ie., quite a long trek to get it up to scratch, lol.

Oops, yes, 14 dpo.

Well I hope the old sow didn't get you donttellmetorelax...

Is BrickPhone back from hols and in China again yet?

How are you finding Indonesia as a place to live, NewLeaf?

Not a lot to report here. AF is fucking off slowly - I don't ever really suffer much, even with my new longer LP this cycle there wasn't much change to my usual one. Am wondering if that's a bad thing! Taking Femara today and for the next 4 days to stimulate the ovaries, then in for a scan on CD13 to see how it's worked. Here we go again! Lol

just had my second ever session of acupuncture and managed to stay calm with 31 needles in me incl one at the top of my head!!

still waiting for AF on day 40-something...

indo as a place to live Is a bit strange, one of those us and them places where you are always an outsider but on the whole most people are very friendly!

how are u finding the acupuncture chandlersfarang or any one else who has tried it?

my first session after they stabbed me up and left me I had a mini stress for a minute of omg I have needles stuck into my skin and I can't move or itch my face what the actual fuck am I doing.

I am hoping AF will make an appearance soon... after acupuncture on Wednesday I had loads of CM (sorry tmi). so hoping it's doing SOMETHING in there.

Ha ha you made me laugh NewLeaf , great review of acupuncture!! 31 needles in one go? That sounds pretty thorough!! I think the most I've had is probably 20, inc top of the head. I don't find it hurts really, apart from the occasional one (like in between thumb and forefinger for some reason!). Have you had electric currents run through the needles? I've read about that but my acupuncturist says he doesn't like that for fertility as it's quite 'intense' on the body. Although I've read a lot of stuff saying it's good for stimulating the ovaries, so who knows?

I really enjoy my sessions as my acupuncturist is really knowledgeable about fertility, so it's nice to be able to chat to someone outside the medical profession about things, and someone who has alternative ideas and suggestions. I might ask more about herbs and teas as I've not been prescribed any of those yet.

As to whether it works or not - I started doing it alongside my medication so it's hard to tell. But I really like going, I like the chat we have, and I find it really relaxing. The stats say women have more success getting preg having acupuncture than not having it, so am happy to feel in doing all I can. It's also a good thing to do when living in asia - very asian medicine!! And I bet it's really cheap compared to the UK...!

The first time I had acupuncture they used about 26 needles I think.. I counted, last time was definitely 31!

You're right the thumb/finger one hurts, pulse point/wrist hurts and elbow hurts, the rest aren't painful. I guess it's the idea and the fact I'm "stuck" which freaks me out a bit!

I'm not having my needles supercharged with the electricity, but I am having some sort of heat lamp directed at my belly while I relax with the needles in which feels nice and warming!

they had made me five days of traditional Chinese medicine which thankfully is all finished now, it tasted disgusting! back for a session tomorrow and followup.

Sooooo on the more western medical front, yesterdsy at cd47 I went to doctors, had my trans vag usg and "diagnosed pcos" and endo lining at 4.8....

He's given me cyclo progynova (HRT!) and some Indonesian medication called Inlacin which upon research looks harmless herbal flower extract and cinnamon.

At the moment I am not sure whether I'm going to take the pills or not. They do say "not to be used as contraception" but I have just been off the pill for 8 months allowing my body to produce hormones itself. I don't see how one month of this is going to help!

I'm going to do some research and think about it a bit. I feel like I want to give myself another go of things "my way" first (still...again...).

Google breeds and feeds us self diagnosers... Must be such a pain in the doctors necks nowadays!

Anyway apologies this is so long! I hope the rest of u have more faith in your doctors. its such a complicated, frustrating and emotional thing...

Ah NewLeaf I'm sorry to hear you're more confused than reassured by your appointment!! Looking into it and getting clued up, then doing it your way is very wise.

Just to clarify - the doctor diagnosed you with PCOS yesterday on the basis of your ultrasound? Did he do a blood test?

And your endo lining measured 4.8mm? (mine was measured at 4.9mm, I win )

Is the Progynova a progesterone tablet? If so, it's usually given from 1DPO until 14DPO to thicken the lining, and keep AF away for a decent amount of time for implantation to happen. I just took Duphaston progesterone pills at the end of my cycle that just finished for exactly those reasons.

Do you know where you are in your cycle?

no blood test just based on ultrasound. I remember reading your message about there should be a blood test so another reason I'm doubting.

the cyclo progynova is 11 estrogen tablets followed by 10 estrogen&progesterone usually given as hrt to menopausal women or for osteoporosis.

upon reading the leaflet it does say it is used to induce AF but actually I just don't see how that helps me at all.

the reason I don't want to take it is that I want my body to wake up and make hormones after ten years on the pill, not give it another month of laziness/confusion.

anyway I'm waiting for DH to return from his trip,... he works away a lot so hardly helpful for baby making haha! will discuss with him and do some research!

Aha I see. Your doctor knows you want to get pregnant though right? As one treatment for PCOS is to go on the pill. Clearly not ideal for TTC!!

How do you feel about the diagnosis? I'd ask to have blood tests done to confirm. Usually they are done at the start of your cycle (CD2-3) with hormones at 'resting' levels. You should be able to tell based on the results whether you have PCOS - this won't be affected by how long you've been off the pill. How long has it been, in fact?

Hope you're OK without DH around to process all of this, I know first hand it's not easy

Hi! I've been off the pill since January so quite a while! And the doctor definitely knows we are TTC I made that quite clear, I asked about ovulation and showed my disappointment at his suggestion of taking these pills as I want to get pregnant etc etc.

I feel super depressed by the whole thing if I think about it too much but I did know all along something's not 100% (although aware it's not as bad as could be) just feel despondent, frustrated, annoyed, sad, irritated etc. Hard not to be able to chat to anyone about it but aware that also doesn't speed along time or create some magic baby.

Same as everyone on here I guess. I feel 95% confident I'll definitely fall pg within the next year or two (already trying 8 months) but if only someone would say, sit back, relax, forget about it, you will be pregnant on XX date. It's the impatience and unknown that gets you!

Interestingly one of the pills they gave me which I AM taking, "inlacin" I see is being used in a double blind study alongside metformin.... Hard to research it coz it's mostly in Indonesian :p

How are u doing this cycle having now started from CD1?

Firstly on the medical front that new drug/metformin substitute sounds interesting, just googled it myself! I've been taking met since I got back from England last month - not sure if I can tell what it's doing yet tho. Will ask hospital about it. From my perspective I'm happy with where I'm at now.

Regarding your doctor I wonder if you could see someone else for a second opinion? You're paying for it after all. I'm assuming you're in Jakarta, so there's more than one option? Worth exploring..? Now you know that you want some kind of fertility treatment could you google where the most recommended places are? You won't be the first person there to look into it!

On your feelings about the whole thing, I could have written exactly what you put there!! It's the uncertainty isn't it, it's a killer. I think keeping busy is key - do you guys get to go away much? We always make sure we've either got guests or travel plans every other weekend!! I always forget about TTC when we're distracted.

I'm glad you're positive though - 95% certain is good!! I feel like that too, it's just a matter of time. My acupuncturist told me that having PCOS may slow things down but treated it doesn't really have much impact on your chances of a baby, just the time it takes to get there! He also said that his other PCOS patient has just got her BFP after three treated cycles, which is fab.

I'm currently on cycle 5, but only my second on Femara and metformin. So it's really still early days for me!

I should add, I had an email from my mum yesterday mentioning my sister was having some health issues, something to do with her blood sugar.

PCOS runs in families - I've read that you're much more likely to have it if your mum, sister, aunt have it too. Weirdly nobody in my family has it that I've yet identified, although it can also come down the male line, symptoms being baldness and diabetes (again, none of that in my direct family either!). Despite this I didn't tell my sister anything about my PCOS diagnosis - we get on but aren't that close. She's also on the pill and not TTC so didn't want to worry her for no reason.

Anyway I decided to give her a ring and tell her about my PCOS, because she's been having tests for diabetes. I told her not to worry and wished her luck etc but it's a bit of a concern. Fx she's ok and doesn't have it but sounds suspicious!

Just posting this in case it triggers anything for any of you re: your close family.

X x

hi chandlers thats sweet of you. I hope your sister is ok. I think caught early these things can be managed fairly well if not too severe.

so cycle 5 for you and 2nd with the femara and metformin... thats is to encourage ovulation, right? What did the doc say to you about the thin endo lining and how to get that nice and plush for a little bean to settle into?

my fingers are crossed for you!

Yeah the femara makes my ovaries get on with growing eggs quickly/at a normal cycle speed - left to their own devices, this takes WEEKS! lol.

I then go for a scan around CD12 to see whagwan in there - hopefully there'll be big follicles ready to ovulate! The hospital then gives me an HCG injection ('trigger shot') to make me ovulate - I think of they didn't do this then my body might wait too long to do it itself, which might mean the egg gets over mature and loses quality. (I've worked this out myself from google!!).

So for my endo lining, the doc prescribed me estrogen patches (google Climara 50). I stick these on weekly as they release more estrogen into my system. The doc said it would be better than popping more pills! Then immediately after ovulation I take the progesterone tablets to boost what meagre amounts my body creates on it's own - this lengthens my LP and also builds the endo lining.

I can't tell you this has worked yet as I haven't had a scan since last ovulation, and I wasn't using either drug then, but am having a scan on Monday so will let you know if it's any thicker! I have a feeling it might have improved as my AF was slightly heavier this time, which would make sense!!

What do you reckon you're gonna do now then? Are you gonna try for a different doctor? X x

hi ladies, chandlers

I don't think I'm going to try a different doctor (at this stage), much to my husbands disappointment.

i know this process has barely even started, but feel like i've had enough! everything takes time and can't be rushed, even on meds it takes time. so theres the argument that the sooner you start the sooner you'll get that bfp.

but personally i don't have faith in the doctors here and that too much intervention is just going to mess up my cycles even more and who's to say I won't conceive naturally without help. i don't want to take something for one problem, only for it to cause or worsen another problem!

so, i have a plan I'm going to try for 2-3 months, and then reassess where i'm at. some friends just announced on thursday they have 20 weeks to go and weren't even trying, great. bit of an emotional meltdown day

my plan is to use the meds the doctor prescribed (1 months worth), alongside my once or twice weekly acupuncture, daily meditation, less running/extreme cardio, green tea drank while sitting in some sunshine, prenatal vitamins...

I have a work trip to Singapore this week and am going to stock up on prenatal vitamins & might look at what herbal teas they have to regulate AF. anyway so i'm going to try this until mid-oct/november and then go back to doctors on DH's orders! Hopefully by then we'll all have positive news and that won't happen!

also, let us know how you get on tomorrow

I'm so concentrating hard on growing my endo lining haha!

Hey all, hey NewLeaf,

So my scan yesterday at CD15 showed that I'm nowhere near ovulating yet - my biggest follicles were about 6mm. Normally a follicle gets to 18-21mm and then you ovulate, so still have a while to wait!! Have gone away and upped my protein intake to try to help them along.

Annoyingly have also read that I shouldn't do too much hardcore exercise as it diverts the blood away from the ovaries - bah. That was my one consolation prize after getting a BFN each month - hitting the gym properly!! (And boozing... Lol..!!). So will just stick to yoga, massage and acupuncture to keep the blood flowing everywhere as it should.

Got another scan on Monday to see where I'm at then. One bit of relatively good news was that my endo lining had increased to 5.1mm... Apparently for the stage I'm at in my cycle, that's quite normal!! Whaaaa!! will see if it's gone up again by Monday, fingers crossed.

How did you get on in Singapore? Totally get your rationale for holding off on too much medicating of your cycle for a bit by the way. Give it time for all the latest news to sink in, and see how you get on.

Awesome chandlers 5.1mm - amazing. Im not going for another scan but hoping mine is increasing, I'm sure it is.

i really want to try bikram yoga, that will certainly get the blood flowing. but haven't had the time yet. now I'm still in SG and managed to get some womens tonic or some tea for regulating AF, also tonight after work I'm on a mission to go find somewhere that sells raspberry leaf tea. it apparently works the uterine muscles so hoping that will improve bloodflow there.

i bought some prenatal vitamins and now considering getting some chasteberry/vitex from GNC but i don't know if thats meddling a bit too much in the herbs and might disrupt things further...??

Hey NewLeaf! Sorry for the delayed reply, was in no man's land until today. Had my scan and my lining's looking much better now, yay!! So pleased. Putting it down to my diet, acupuncture, oestrogen patches and lots of yoga to get the blood really flowing. I used to do Bikram by the way - it's awesome, but it's not good if you're pregnant so I stopped, just in case I was... It's the same as using saunas, the heat is bad for the foetus. Totally fine before the brain develops tho apparently. Google it!

I had one 11.2mm follicle and some other growing ones at the scan today so had an FSH injection again to help them grow. Scarily the nurse gave me injections to do at home this week myself!!!!!! Never done that before, yikes. Hoping to ovulate this weekend... Fingers crossed!!!

I really want to get some of the fertility tea and herb stuff too but it's so hard to find in Bangkok!!! Did you get everything you needed in Singapore?? Xx

Hey chandlers that sounds promising, I envy you ovulating this weekend. I am on the HRT and have approx 8 estrogen/progesterone pills to take before my chemical AF arrives (whilst on holiday, great)...

hoping that after that my cycles will regulate again as thats what i've been told!

Alternative therapy wise at the moment i'm doing:
@ my weekly acupuncture (need to get down there this afternoon)
@ 1 hot green tea a day which is supposedly good for ECWM and I have had success with this in the past....
@ raspberry leaf tea/fertility tea/rooibos tea (i make a pot of all three bags mixed together, let it brew ages and then cool). supposedly good for bloodflow to uterus and balancing hormones
@ less intense cardio exercise, sob... bloodflow issue..
@ i also bought the vitex/chasteberry in SG and I'm taking it every second day. i don't want it to interfere with the HRT but apparently it needs a month or so to kick in so may as well start now. supposedly good for correcting hormonal imbalances.

giving yourself injections sounds freaky, not sure i'd cope with that. for some reason I've become a bit wimpy lately when i never have been in the past. saw a guy at the airport injecting i assume insulin into his belly... not sure i could do that to myself!

hi chandlers just checking in hope everything is ok for you x