TTC 12 months buddies please

[Whilstwewait]

Hi,

We have just hit the 12 month mark of TTC and looks like AF is on the way I am on another thread that's really supportive but I do find it disheartening when people get positives on the first couple of cycles of trying. So thought I'd start a thread for anyone around about the year mark. It'll be good to share things and get advice from people who are at a similar stage to me. Im 34 and my husbands 36. We are TTC number 1 x

Mines here babe lol @Whilstwewait I'm on cd3 now 😁
Aww @Hayley19835 shit ain't it! I don't count cycles now too, just months instead.

@notyetamumbuttrying I've stopped months too as months turn into years. Just fed up of the whole process right now x

Hey everyone. I’ve taken a bit of time to TRY and chill out. I’m on CD11 so should be ovulating around Friday or so. I got referred to gynaecologist as I had mid cycle bleeding for the 5th time in 12 months last month but waiting time is ridiculous so I decided to just book a private appointment next Thursday so I will see what happens there. Sorry to hear about AF @Hayley19835 it really doesn’t get any easier. How’s everyone else doing?

@Hayley19835 I bet! I can't imagine years of this. I'm giving it 3 more months and if the referrals not in, we'll go private. Neither of us are getting any younger and we at least wanted two, clearly one will do now though! It's also very boring isn't it, talking about it, doing it, taking supplements, thinking about ttc constantly. I just want my brain bk tbh. Are you with a fertility clinic now?

Best of luck for Thursday @Jilly1988 it's the way to go sometimes isn't it! Wait times are even worse with Covid too. I'm ok, just a bit meh with it all. Have fun in FW! I'm cd3 so just waiting about.

@notyetamumbuttrying been with sub-fertility a year they've said we need IVF which we have to pay for as OH has a DD from another relationship. They are repeating some tests again and then I guess it's down to us to find a clinic if we decide to go ahead xx

@Hayley19835 do you think you will? It's a head fuck all this isn't it!!

@notyetamumbuttrying I'm not sure as OH SA is so bad and the cost. We need to look into costings and I guess go for an initial consult to find out where we stand. Just waiting for all these repeat tests and a follow up with sub fertility then see where we are at xx

Can I ask his figures? @Hayley19835 mine has low count, motility and morphology...I don't think he realises how bad it is as the first dr we spoke to was quite upbeat about it rather than realistic. I've just looked into proxeed plus, expensive but it's the one clinics recommend and girls on the infertility threads have said it improved their Dh's sperm. Cheaper than ivf anyway isn't it! That's what I've told Dh and he's gonna get some now.

@notyetamumbuttrying 3.1mil count and I can't remember the other values as not got results to hand but they were low. He's started Impryl this month as recommended by the clinic also bloody expensive but cheaper than ivf. He was on wellman conception and no baths etc but it made the count worse can you believe it!
Just waiting for a repeat SA apt and some repeat bloods he's had genetic bloods and a scan now aswell x

@Hayley19835 @notyetamumbuttrying I've just checked in "it starts with an egg" and there's a chapter about improving sperm quality. It suggests the following:

Daily multivitamin containing methylfolate rather than synthetic folic acid
To improve count, motility and morphology consider:
CoQ10, 200mg per day
Fish oil, 900mg of DHA
R-alpha lipotic acid, 200-300mg per day
L-carnitine, 1000mg
Good diet with plenty of fruit and veg, limit sugar and red meat, alcohol, limit exposure to toxins such as BPA, lead, chemicals in lubricants, keep the cell phone out of your pocket and keep the genital area cool.

I didn't finish reading the book but it's very hot on supplements which I'm not a huge fan of, but maybe something in the list will help? If you try all of them I'm pretty sure your OHs will rattle as they walk but hopefully a starting point and some ideas to help improve things x

@Hayley19835 my Dh's was 5mil per ml so low too. It should be above 15! Omg can't believe they made the count worse, that's madness! I wonder if mine should come off them and just do the proxeed. Hope the apt comes through quickly!
Thank you @PlanBea! I'll check what's in wellMan and proxeed and make a call on it all.

@notyetamumbuttrying was such a blow for him to hear it had got worse he wanted to give up at that point as it 4.1mil before so a bit disheartening xx

@PlanBea thanks he does all of those bar the vitamins now and is just taking the Impryl which used to be Condesyl as advised by clinic so will see what his next SA comes back as after taking those for 3 months xx

@notyetamumbuttrying my husband was on wellman and his first count was 2million and second over 4million. Sometimes samples can vary anyway so doesn't mean something has or hasn't worked. Must be very disheartening when it goes down though @Hayley19835
I ordered Proxeed yesterday for him to try instead though! It seems similar to wellman but has much higher quantities of some things in it. Like you said it's still cheaper than ivf! I have looked at Impryl as well though.

He did say his second sample didn't go aswell as his first bless him. Yea they recommended Impryl at our first apt but she also said try wellman which we opted for as it was cheaper now we feel we have nothing left to loose as everything else has come back normal so we have no answer really as to why it's low. We managed it once nearly 2 years ago now but ended in miscarriage it I guess things can change in that time for it now to be so low xx

@Hayley19835 @Narwhal88 are your guys smokers and drinkers? Smoking affects motility so that's been stopped at long last! Mine doesn't drink every day but does binge at the weekends. That's stopped now too! He also doesn't move much now that we're wfh as he does long hours. Must all contribute to it.
Sorry to hear about your miscarriage Hayley.
Not heard of impryl, will look that up too!

@notyetamumbuttrying aw sorry. Missed the post about AF arriving. Sounds like your husband is taking things seriously to improve his sperm though which is half the battle.Hope you're doing ok.

@Jilly1988 sorry to hear about mid cycle spotting. Hopefully your gynaecology appointment won't be too much longer. Let us know how the private consulation goes. Its good to get a break from things sometimes. It does take over x

Thanks @Whilstwewait yeah you're right. Yeah I'm ok, just trying to do all I can get to him in the best shape now. I really don't fancy ivf if we can avoid it!! How's the pregnancy going? Booked your scan yet?x

@notyetamumbuttrying so was a smoker gave up when I found out I was pregnant had miscarriage and started again. First SA was told to give up so did then when he was told it was worse he went into melt down and started again then COVID hit and he got furloughed so started again 🤦🏼‍♀️
He's just stopped again this last month so I'm hoping now that's it now! I might kill him if he starts again lol
He's not a big drinker may have an odd beer on a Friday night after work but that's it. He's good for his exercise he walks to
and from work every day 1 hour each way xx

Mine started back during lockdown too @Hayley19835 he only gave up on Friday, we got the news Thursday. I just pray to god it doesn't go down further even with stopping smoking and curbing the drink. He said he's gonna wait until payday to get the proxeed, it is £60 so fair enough I guess. I just want him to do all he can to help. I feel it's his time now, considering all I've been taking and spending on opk's, tests, tablets, drinking all sorts of juices etc.
Really hope your Dh doesn't start again, for his own sake lol!
Really goes to show how much smoking affects it then. I think age might play a part too. My Dh is 37. Oh and he's quite a stress head too, prob doesn't help!

Yea I'll be burying him under the patio if he starts again after everything I've had to go through test wise and taken lol Impryl set us back £120 for a 3 months supply so I'm hoping it does something even if it's only a gradual improvement. My OH is 42 now so age isn't on his side either xx

@notyetamumbuttrying @Hayley19835 my husband has never been a smoker thankfully. He used to drink more when he was younger (he was a pub manager) but since we have been together he only really drinks at social gatherings maybe once a month. When we got the results in February he pretty much gave it up, he drinks alcohol free beer mostly now. I get annoyed with his lack of 5 a day, but then I can't moan too much as I'm not great at it either! I also think stress is a big factor as he got a promotion and was SUPER STRESSED for months (he still is but it's not as bad).

@Hayley19835 Haha I don't blame you!
@Narwhal88 did you get a repeat SA? Did you see improvement? I think stress is the biggest thing for him too, he's full of it lol! The dr suggested yoga but I'm yet to see him do any. I can't see it ever tbh, but he is going out for walks now whereas he was just staying in before. We both love a drink when out so we're gonna be social hermits until Christmas, see if that makes the difference!

Hi everyone! So just got a letter in the post today saying we have a telephone appointment with the subfertility clinic next Tuesday! I thought we would be waiting months so I'm really relieved!

@Motherofkittens28 that is amazing 👏🏾 hope mines as quick! Final blood test today and then should get referred next week!