Desperate!!

[Bexc]

Im a 27 year old with a 6YO DD and I am trying to have a child again. We've been trying for nearly two years and keep having to go backwards and forwards to the doctors to have fertility tests but everything comes back ok apart from the fact it shows im not ovulating! Ive had three miscarriages, one which was quite late on and know this can affect my chances of having any more children.

I would like to know if there is anything i can do apart from the obvious to help me conceive? Are there any foods, drinks, supplements i can take or avoid?

As much as i do want to be a grandma one day in the distant future, i don't want it to be the only time i ever get to hold a baby again!

Also is there anyway my body lets me know when im ovulating? I really want to try and avoid spending money on tests/sticks.

By the way my partners sperm count is almost perfect apart from 4% swim the opposite way.

I feel your pain, I am 38 and have been trying for 4 months, no luck But vitex helps regulate hormones, is great you can get it at gnc. Also vitamin b6 and b12, vitamen C, all affect cervical mucus which carry sperm and help them to live longer, also, drink grapefruit juice, one glass per day from the first day of your cycle until about day 13, this increases cm and makes it more compatible for sperm. But the vitex is supposed to regulate cycles it may help with ovulation. Other than that you may want to ask the doc to put you on clomid, it stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs. Good luck and baby dust to all.

i went thru the same thing. Try getting your hands on a copy of Taking Charge of your fertility by Toni Weschler. It goes thru the obvious of basal body temp charts, cervical fluid observations, drugs, age,alcohol,antibiotics, caffeine, diet, drugs, exercise, ect ect that may effect your fertilty ect. I also didn't ovulate regular, and ended up with millions of blood tests that made me look like a junkie,taking clomid which again did not work, artifical insemination and finally IVF. I had miscarriages and ectopic pregs, lost one of my fallopian tubes and damaged the other thru numerous laparoscopys. It is a really awful time. I ended up with twins who are the light of my life and a marriage that is stronger because of it. Another good book is Fertility, Cycles and nutrition by Marilyn shannon. Don't give up hope, and remember that those who say don't stress about it have probably never been where you are. Stress is a natural response to what you are going thru. although natural therapies are good, and cheap, conventional medicine is also a wonder science. Sometimes it can also be just finding the right doctor for you. I went thru 5 doctors until i found the right one. I ended up wth a stern, no responsive, unhumorous *** who was my miracle maker.

bexc

i reread you note and don't know if you know about basal b/temp or cervical fluid. basal body temp is basically your waking temperature. A womens preovulatory waking tempatures typically range from about 97 - 97.5 degrees Fahrenheit with post ovulatory temperatures rising to about 97.6 to 98.6 degrees. After ovualtion, they will stay elevated until your next period. If you were to become preg. your temp will remain high throughout your preg. Temperatures typically rise within a day or so after ovulation, and are a result of progesterone. You need to record your temps every day before getting out of bed by an a thermometer in the mouth, vagina or anus (which ever way you chose don't swap). You will really need to chart for a few months before you can start to see a pattern. The sign that you have had a sudden increase in temp is usually a good indication that ovulation has occured. Your GP can usually explain it in more detail. Cervical fluid is to the women what seminal fluid is to the man. Cervical fluid can be sticky, creamy, lotiony but what you want is a egg white consistency. The only was to tell this is by rubbing it between your fingers. The other thing that is useful but abit harder to tell is your cervical position.. Your cervix should be soft, high and dramatically open. again if your having probs understanding this see your GP.

bexc

Are you actually under the care of a gynae at a fertility unit?. I ask this as you mention docs but not these people specifically. I am also wondering if you have had to be seen as a private patient rather than NHS.

At two years of ttc without success you are well beyond the stage of using temp charting and the like anyway. I would not therefore use these methods. If you are not ovulating this is sometimes due to hormonal imbalances - in this regard polycystic ovaries or its related syndrome called PCOS are common culprits.

Would suggest as well that if you want to try anything herbal you should seek out the advice of a medical herbalist rather than self medicate. Things like agnus castus/vitex can make problems like polycystic ovaries worse in some cases hence the above suggestion.

It does not sound like you have been diagnosed with a specific problem - I would seriously push for a diagnosis. Whilst clomid can help with some cases where ovulation is a problem it is certainly not suitable for all. You need a diagnosis first and foremost.

Referral should be sought as well given your miscarriages.