TTC for 1 year +

[FlapJackered]

Does anyone want to join?

I have been TTC #1 for 15 months and had a MC at 8 weeks in February.
I am off to the GP tomorrow to try and get a referral to a reproductive endocrinologist.
Tried every trick and tip and old wives tale in the book to get a bfp!
It would be good to have a group of longer term ttcers to chat to.

@starkid sorry your DH is the same. It is frustrating as he is quite happy to pay thousands for a bike but for a baby its too much 🤷🏼‍♀️ He has since apologised and said he just felt overwhelmed, but I just feel like I am treading on eggshells when I want to talk about it all.

@Lj02 Rant away! That is what this thread is for! I am in a similar situation to you, in that I miscarried in February and no one wants to help us because of that. It's so hard.

@Mrs71 He apologised last night and said he would do more, he was just feeling overwhelmed by it all. I can understand that but it does worry me a bit if he is overwhelmed already and ivf hasn't even been out on the table yet.

So I had some spotting today 12dpo. Which I have only ever had on the cycle I got pregnant. Trying not to get excited as we only did it once this fertile week and I have no veiny or sore boobs like last time. Also we all know how our body's like to screw with us. It could just be from the cyst.

@FlapJackered - fx for you xx

Oh man this has been such a horrid day - AF started, and I had to book my hycosy. They offered me an appt in 14 days time (kinda ok for ttc) but I'm presenting a full day conference that day, so next available appt is 21 days from now. It's just so disheartening to be out this month before it's even started. Literally been crying most of the day (So now have a headache too 😅).

@FlapJackered sorry you are feeling like that xx It must be really difficult. I am kinda in the opposite position - I want a baby, but my DH REALLY wants a baby so I feel every month like I am letting him down. He is trying his hardest to be fine, but there's always a little flicker of disappointment every time i get AF which breaks my heart.

Sorry for the depressing post, this just gets tougher each month! Xx

@FlapJackered fingers crossed for you! My body only wants to play tricks on me. I had spotting on 12 DPO, and all that was for nothing. AF arrived today with full vengeance, not even the usual spotting for a few hours to warn me. Good thing it happened when I just woke up.
I really hope your DH doesn't give up, yours too @starkid.

@PineappleC I'm surprised they scheduled your hycosy on CD14, that's far too late in the cycle and they literally ruin your chance to get pregnant this month because they'd flush out the egg. My clinic absolutely refused to do it even on cd12 and I had to wait until the next cycle.

@KatBeCool yeah I know, that's the issue. They said we can't now have any sex until after it because they can't have any chance of me being pregnant when they do it. Literally worst moment of TTC so far!

@PineappleC are you able to schedule for your next cycle before ovulation? For HSG, they told me they do it strictly on days 6-11. I'd assume hycosy is on the same schedule. They need to do it when your lining is still thin so it has to be on your schedule not on theirs. Did you mention your time in cycle on the dates they offered you?

I hate my body. BFN. I feel so stupid for getting my hopes up. I just feel like staying in bed all day. Sometimes I wish I could just skip this part each cycle and go straight into the next cycle.

@PineappleC sorry that you have to take a month off, I know how hard that is to do.
It's frustrating they couldn't have timed it better.

@KatBeCool I am sorry af turned up. Why are our bodies so against us! Will you be doing another iui this cycle?

@FlapJackered sorry your feeling like that I also feeling really shit and sorry for myself today. I think we all have days like that! I keep thinking what's the point of taking this thyroid medication will it even work am I just wasting my time etc etc. I know I shouldn't but I can't help it.

@KatBeCool sorry your iui cycle didn't work out this month either. We will get there one way or another!!

@FlapJackered you're not out until AF shows, still keeping my hopes up for you. I am doing another IUI cycle, got my medications, and doing a CD3 scan and bloods today.

So I was reading some research studies and it was talking about lining thickness and success rates, it said that there's close to no chance if it's under 7mm on the day of the trigger, and ideally you want it over 8mm. Well mine was 5.61mm as I found out yesterday so even though they had me start taking estradiol, it wasn't gonna get to that 7mm in one day. I'm going to ask if I should start taking estradiol sooner because it sounds like I need it. Also planning on more gym time than once a week. I repeatedly keep seeing that exercise helps producing better eggs.

@Mrs71 thyroid meditation is extremely successful, if there's anything that's guaranteed to work, it's that. Even in the absolute worst case, there's incredibly effective medication. Don't even worry. Most people respond in just a month, and within three month there are results. Definitely keep faith in that.

Sorry for my monthly depressed rant yesterday! 😂 Feeling much better today. New cycle and another chance. 🤷🏼‍♀️

@KatBeCool AF turned up yesterday pm 👎🏻. My gp is going to try and expedite my surgery so fingers crossed that it happens soon (and that it doesn't fall on my holiday in October!)
That sounds like you have done some good research. That is really frustrating if they hadn't realised your lining wasn't think enough last time?
Be careful not to overdo the exercise after the iui as I know my sister is doing ivf and has been told to avoid running after the transfer and stick to walking and gentle exercise.

@Mrs71 i am with you! it is so hard to know if anything we do is going to make a difference. We just have to keep throwing everything at it and hope something sticks. X

@FlapJackered oh I meant gym before the IUI, I'd be too scared after.
I'm sorry AF turned up, that bitch is ruthless. Hopefully they can do your surgery sooner, preferably before the holiday.
They realised my lining was too thin on my cd10 scan but by then I already grew two good follicles and was ready for the trigger. So it's probably best to be proactive this time.

@KatBeCool thank you, that makes me feel so much better. I have another blood test in a couple weeks to do so hopefully levels would have changed on that.

@FlapJackered glad your feeling better today. We all have those days. We need to make another thread soon.

@KatBeCool no that's what I tried to do this cycle. Last cycle they offered me one on cd21 too but they said they typically have availability between cd10 and cd21, so I've already delayed it one month and just want to get things moving now. It's a complete pain. I'm surprised because everything else has been followed up really quickly.

That's a real pain about them not measuring your lining before the first one! Re gym, exercise is good but i'd be cautious about over-doing it. I looked into this massively because i ran a marathon in April and a lot of studies seem to say that too much exercise makes your body think that you're "on the run" (think cavemen days!) so it's not a "safe" time to reproduce. So, as always, it's a balancing act!

@Mrs71 I'm on thyroid medication and feeling the same about it 🤷🏼‍♀️
What medicine are you on? How were your levels?
I'm on levothyroxine - my level was a little low but not enough to make much of a difference I think.

Anyway, I'm booked in to the fertility clinic to have my scan and bloods re-done at the end of sept. Then have another appointment at end of Oct to discuss.
Just entering the FW, tempted to use digital Opk again, I find them so much easier!

@FlapJackered That must be hard - 3 of your best friends! My partner and I have 3 friends with due dates in October, all within a week or two. None of them know we're trying so it was really hard when we were visiting one of the couples and she brought up the pregnancy and her symptoms a lot. Sometimes I think it might be easier to tell everyone we're having trouble conceiving because it could stop pregnant women from telling me how much they dislike being pregnant. If I don't tell them it's hard for me to hear, I can't really expect them to assume that, can I? Also, @FlapJackered, about your husband - I can relate to how difficult it is to talk about these things. I always thought that if you're just close enough with your partner it'll all be ok - things will be discussed and we'll support each other. But these situations seem to affect us all so differently, and I can't imagine how it affects men's self esteem and the way they see their future. It's so good that he told you he was feeling overwhelmed. Much better than bottling it up.

We have an appointment with an IVF doctor this week. I don't know what they're going to do the first time - perhaps another ultrasound? I'm dreading to see if the endometriomas have grown. They had appeared in the last year or so.

I see a lot of women on these forums saying that they have spotting before their periods and their periods have become more painful all of a sudeden. That's what I've had the last few years. It took years to diagnose endometriosis because you can't usually see it on ultrasound until endometriomas develop. Girls, if you have symptoms like mine, don't give up until someone takes you seriously, especially if you have trouble getting pregnant! It's hard for me to tell my friends about the disease because they'll start asking / wondering if it's causing me trouble to conceive, but I'm sure I'll be more open about it if all this ends well and we have a baby one day. I don't want anyone to have to wait for a diagnosis for years like I did.

Ps. I say I've had the endometriomas for a year but the symptoms have been there for 4-5 years. Doctors told me I'm stressed, that it's normal that AF changes over time and that I should drink more water and eat almonds... and, of course, I felt like an idiot for bringing up the possibility of endo!

@Lina365 that's so interesting what you said about endo.
My periods got more painful and I get slot of spotting too, I had it looked into a couple of years ago and they said all fine. So I just took their word for it.
Makes me wonder if maybe I do have it.

How were you diagnosed? Was it through scans?

@bunhead My gynaecologist agreed to see me again (I went every 1-2 years for the same problem and nothing was found) and in Nov 2018 she felt the endo tissue in the uteral ligament in the back. She told me it's got this pepper-like texture and can be felt in places she could reach vaginally. That's when she ordered some blood tests (prolactin, thyroid) to rule out some other stuff that can cause spotting. Then I saw her again and she was able to see endometriomas on/in both ovaries and measure them. They're on the smaller side but I've since read that both sides is often an indication of severe endo. I don't have extreme pain like some girls do but the thing about endo is that the level of pain means nothing when we're talking infertility. Endo does not equal infertility automatically but almost half the patients in infertility treatment have it. And it's often not diagnosed until doctors start to look into why you can't get pregnant. The only sure way to diagnose endo is said to be laparoscopy. In my case, the cysts could be seen, but based on the other symptoms I have I may have it elsewhere too (I sometimes have blood in my stool during period)

It's always nice to know there are others out there in the same situation. We have been trying for 8 months this time. Getting fed up! I saw an article here last month about a new ovulation detection system femSense, I ve just ordered some to add to my others devices. Wish me luck, one of them will hopefully work soon.

Oops, sorry, I tagged the wrong Bunhead! See my message above @bunhead34. 🙂

@starkid My partner took a while to get on the same page with me on this starting a family thing. I know he'll also be more likely than me to worry about the money we may have to spend on a chance of having a baby.

My best friend told me today she's pregnant with her first. We're very close and tell each other everything, but this will be hard and she knows it better than anyone. We've agreed that it's best if I tell her honestly when I'm not comfortable talking or hearing about it. Has anyone managed to stay sane in a situation like this?

@bunhead34 is your thyroid over active ? I'm on propylhyouracil 50mg everyday. My TSH level was 0.03 so really low! I'm having another blood test done in about 8 days. Hopefully would have changed by then.

Hi everyone, I took some time away from mumsnet after I got so upset about my AMH result. The main reason it upset me so much is that I had a CT scan two years ago which I then got told had been completely unnecessary. Since we started ttc I've been worried that the radiation will have damaged my eggs. So now seeing low AMH I am even more convinced that's what's happened. I just keep thinking, if I can't get pregnant I will be blaming myself for this for the rest of my life.

Also having a meltdown today because AF is due on Wednesday and I can feel it coming, so I know I'm not pregnant this month either. I'm also turning 32 soon which is another reminder of how much time has passed - I was 30 when we started ttc and it felt like we had bags of time.

@Mrs71 yes I'm going to acupuncture still and I'm enjoying it much more. She has also given me some dietary advice which I'm trying to follow. Mainly to snack more to level out my blood sugar and to eat mostly cooked food (even fruit). I'm going down to every two weeks now on her recommendation. How often do you go?

@RosettaR I found this for you. And many other sites said that CAT scan effect is negligible even when pregnant. So I doubt it killed all your eggs, you don't need to blame yourself.

I don't even know what's worse anymore... Waiting to ovulate or the wait after. Time is just dragging. Confirmed that letrozole is causing my migraines, I'm quite annoyed. At least this time I managed to get through three days of it until I got one. I guess it's worth it since there aren't any alternatives.