Hi ladies.
This is my first time adding a thread to mumsnet. I normally Google tons of questions hoping to get some answers or reassurance, but decided it was time to reach out myself to the ladies that have been or currently are in my shoes at the moment. It certainly feels a lonley place but I know I am not the only one so this may help someone else whether that be confirming their own feelings or realising they are too not alone with what's going on with themselves. I'll try my hardest to make this a short'ish ramble as much as poss!
Basically I am 38 in less than 2 months and my partner and I have been ttc for 22 months now. I have been off the contraceptive pill for 2 years and 3 months. I have used opk's and followed my bbt. None of this helped me to form a pattern and get some answers. About 7 to 8 months after coming off the pill i started getting horrendous periods which progressively got worse, not with being heavy but with incredibly painful cramps and being sick (physically) for the first 2 days of my cycle every cycle. I was so irregular i didnt know how long a cycle i was going to get. My longest was 26/27 my shortest was 19 the rest inbetween. I eventually went to the doctors about this and that's when I mentioned i was trying to conceive but i was not too concerned about that as felt my body may have been just adjusting to coming off the pill still. I started settling on a regular 21 day cycle and thats where i seem to be with that. I have just recently had a laparoscopy and was diagnosed with endometriosis. I have it in the bladder and bowel. It has really answered some questions to why I've been having the symptoms I was, especially with so much painful cramping, cramping with bowel movements and so on. I finally saw my consultant in may for the follow up after my laparoscopy and he showed me the images of what they had found and felt I was best to be referred to a specialist in chertsey. I've just now got the consultation appointment through for September. With all this going on ttc has been incredibly disheartening every month and last month a basically spotted for 25 days in total. I've had numerous 21 day progesterone tests and bloods etc. And had to push my doctor quite a bit to finally start referring me for IVF help. I'm having to do the 21 day progesterone test again but because my cycle is 21 days I've got to try get it done 7 days before I start my period. Obviously I need the surgery done but feel I'm not going to be able to fall naturally at this rate so felt I needed to push to get the ball rolling with fertility help. It's exhausting, frustrating, upsetting and has totally worn me down. I never thought trying to fall pregnant would be so hard. I have cried SO many tears over the whole thing and then getting sh**y periods every month feels a stab in the stomach and heart just so my body can remind me it's not working correctly! Anyway thank you if you read ALL this and if anyone is going through the same thing or has gone through it if you have any words of advise, help or just to say I know how you are feeling, please comment. Thanks 😊 xx