TTC Thread #3

[Daffodil21]

Continuing the previous thread:

TTC Thread #2 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/3941503-ttc-thread-2

@Daffodil21 well its true! I was genuinely surprised by how much impact diet and certain vitamins can have. I was only taking folic acid but now I've thrown everything in. We'll turn green with the amount of spinach we're eating. Is progesterone prescribed or did you get it online?

Oooooh, well that's the first time I've potentially had a sign so I'll take that! I'm going to stop googling and just crack on until AF is due and see what happens!

@Bramleyapples13 our vitamin box is actually ridiculous! We had to write down both of our plans and when to take them as there was too much to remember! I don't take everything she suggests, but I do/did take quite a lot! Does your OH take them too? Have you thrown out all your plastic yet and bought a water filter? 😂
I don't want to build your hopes up too much but if you do get your bfp I think we can assume it means something!!!

Also just to mention - I used pre-seed again this month... so if any one is any doubt go for it!!

@Daffodil21 getting hold of some vitamins became really hard with people thinking they prevent Covid 🙄 so I've started Pregnacare which seem okay. He takes multivitamins and eats loads of eggs, it can be quite toxic 😂 I can't! I love my Lock n Lock boxes! And I binned a filter over the summer. That about BPA's?? Was quite alarming though just as a general thing, not just for TTC. I'm going to see what happens with AF on the 16th and then get some Preseed. It definitely seems to do something!

@Bramleyapples13 I think the levels of vit d in pregnecare are quite low, but they may still be good enough for you. I take super strength because of the section linking low vit d levels with mc, so I'm super paranoid and almost had a meltdown when I realised how low I was on them yesterday! Got some from Nature's Best again, but they were restricted to one per customer!

I've definitely cut down on BPAs but we do still have some plastic containers etc - if we're not heating anything in them then I don't see the harm, but I definitely don't cook or heat anything in plastic anymore.

I only used pre-seed once this cycle, and once last cycle - both times 'successful' (in terms of conception anyway), so I would definitely rate it!!

Hope it doesnt drag toooo much until 16th!!

It will be quite something in a lot of people's cupboards after this year, how much stuff they bought for whatever reason that they'll end up binning. Could you get it by prescription if needed? I only store freezer stuff in boxes so hopefully that will be okay. I've not got a plastic drinking bottle, I've got a magic cup that keeps drinks warm for 12 hours 😂 it's already dragging, but once I'm back at work tomorrow I'll be busy which will stop me thinking about how long away the 16th is!

@Bramleyapples13 I got 3 months worth from nature's best so I'm good for now! Yeah you kind of have to take the plastics thing with a pinch of salt, but just get rid of the worst ones! Definitely something I'll be continuing if we are ever post TTC. The same with vit d and COQ10 - so many health benefits aside from TTC. My DH has also reported fewer headaches since taking the COQ10.
Will you be testing early?

That's alright then. It's better to know you have enough for an amount of time. I'm trying to reduce plastic in everything to be fair, the amount of toiletries and girly crap I have is incredible. And nothing plastic is good long term is it. I didn't know COQ10 was something men could take? That might be something else he gets fed up with me asking him if he's taking.

I don't know. I want to know but don't want to jinx myself.

So I just had my first consultant with the GP about TTC. I'm not sure how I feel right now, feel a bit overwhelmed and scared if I'm honest. At one point she said "your infertility" in passing and I felt a bit sick 😭

The Dr explained the process would be:

Day 3 and day 21 blood progesterone tests
Internal examination and swab (??)
SA for husband x 2
A scan (not sure what kind?)
Then after all this, a referral to the fertility clinic which has a waiting list of approximately 1 year.

She also said that we need to try for 2 years before the fertility clinic will do anything.

Does this sound about right? The Dr kept saying that guidelines change often so she wasn't 100% sure. E.g I mentioned to her that my cycles vary each month so it's impossible for me to actually predict what 'day 3/21' would be. And she said the these tests are often not accurate and they're just done to tick a box for the fertility referral?

@acaciabluebell yes that all sounds about right. This doesn't mean 'you are infertile'. It just means they need to do some checks to see if there's anything that needs treating. I remember feeling the same - I was crying in the bathroom at work when my DH said we had a referral to the fertility clinic but actually it just means you can either get some answers or get some treatment. It does NOT mean you can't have a child.

As for the rest, I'll talk you through:

Day 21 tests - as your cycles vary, I would suggest using OPKs and booking the test for 7 days after ovulation.
I'm not sure exactly what they mean by 'internal examination' but maybe that collectively means swabs and scan? The swabs are just to see if you have an STI (interestingly I don't think they check the male for this, but maybe SA would show any ill effects from one?!)
The scan will be an internal scan of your uterus. It's a little uncomfortable but it's totally manageable and nothing to worry about. They will check your lining thickness, follicle count and the shape of your uterus.
To be honest they did nothing more than this at the fertility clinic for us. If by that point you have been trying for 2 years without a pregnancy (it resets after a mc, up to 3 MCs) then they should offer you IVF/ICSI whichever is best suited to your needs. (Eg, if SA flags up problems with sperm then they may be more likely to go with ICSI). Hope that's clear by ask away if you have any questions!

@Bramleyapples13 yeah men can take it too. My husband took 200mg per day. There was 40mg in his fertility supplement but he took extra (I took 400mg). It's supposed to improve sperm quality, but is also good for heart health and loads of other things! I'll definitely be taking it anyway if we ever get past this whole TTC/pregnancy thing

Hey @acaciabluebell, so glad you went to the GP and got a roadmap for the next year or so. The things they suggested sound true in my experience.

I think the 'two year wait' is dependent on a number of things, like your age.

The day three blood test is obviously easier to chart, my GP suggested for the day 21 it should be between the fertile week and day of next period. I think mine was taken day 25. But it's just to chart progestogen to check it's in line with different parts of your cycle.
Husband had his SA, although we had to go private due to errors in how the sample was tested in the NHS clinic. Its an odd one because it's quite time sensitive (time from sample produced to sample getting to lab).
I'm hopefully getting the 'internal scan' (hycosy) next week/week after (day 8 of cycle, so depends when AF arrives).
Haven't had the scan yet so hopefully someone else can help with that.

Good luck with it all xx

@daffodil21 reminded me- part of the 'scan' will be to get your smear test and STI check up to date. Its a wee box tick for the clinic :)

@Tofu35 oh I didn't had a smear when I had a scan. They did ask about it though and I just said I had it done when I got my last letter so I'm up to date. I didnt actually realise that was years ago though and I've just had my letter through the post again recently, but they won't do it during pregnancy (and I wouldn't be keen). Maybe they do it if you haven't had it recently enough? I suppose they may as well while they're are down there...!

Haha! Probably! A wee two for one deal.

How's everyone doing?

@Tofu35 where are you at now? Hope it's not too long to go!!

Fine thank you! How about you?

I've done a pregnancy test this morning (early as I'm not due until the 16th). It couldn't get more negative if it tried. Bloody thing.

Sorry to hear that @Bramleyapples13. Hopefully it's just too early...

I'm ok, just waaaaiting around and hoping for the best. Been feeling like a bloated whale already so weighted myself this morning and have somehow managed to put on 4lbs despite eating really well and not having any sugary snacks 😒 I blame the pred and progesterone... was also supposed to be 'urgently' referred to an obstetrician but it's been over a week now and I'm still waiting for their call (I've chased too). Much longer and it'll probably be too late 🙄

I'm getting a bit fed up with the whole thing now. I feel like it's starting to spoil sex a bit 😭

Have they said why they've not got back in touch? Everything is just taking ages at the minute. Especially on stuff which is supposed to be urgent or an emergency. Is it to find out about the MC's? I hope they pull their finger out for you!

I feel like I'm in a slapping someone mood today 😂

@bramleyapples13 it's always the worst bit of early testing! Its tough to keep sex feeling enjoyable and not like a slog! Definitely had a few of those "let's just get this over with and we can tick it off the to-do list today" 😂

@daffodil21 oh no, I hope they call soon- that's rubbish.

I'm getting my hycosy on Tuesday (privately paid for). Just so happens it's the same time as my staff Christmas party, so I'll need to tell my team I can't run the zoom quiz 😂 bit nervous about it, but read the info they send out so hopefully all will be ok!

@Bramleyapples13 no this referral is supposed to be to support me in early pregnancy and see if there's anything else I should be doing (aspirin etc) so I 'don't feel like I'm just being left to it'. That is what my GP said anyway. The referral to the recurrent mc clinic is still in place, and we should get a letter in January about it, as well as the karyotyping results from the last pregnancy. They said if this pregnancy fails they may not test it if we haven't got the results from the last one, which I am not happy about and intend to push push push with the consultant when they eventually call. I chased it last week and it's been transferred from the GP to the local hospital consultant, and then they've transferred it to a main city hospital, which I have yet to hear from.

@Tofu35 this is good progress though! I hope it goes ok. I've never had one so I don't really know what they do. Keep us posted. When is AF due for you? Must be soon now?

@daffodil21, AF arrived on Friday- soon as she appeared I called the clinic to book in for the test (needs to be a certain point of your cycle). I've never been so happy to see that bloody cramp queen 😂

Sorry @Tofu35 I was getting confused between you and @Bramleyapples13 ! I thought last time we spoke you were 16 days away from AF but just trad back and read @Bramleyapples13 is due on 16th (keeping everything crossed for you!!!)

Glad there's some progress for you @Tofu35 !

@Tofu35 it's ridiculous isn't it. It's about as fun as making sure the washing ups done 😂 and I'm feeling a bit like I'm the only one making an effort. I want the OH to drink less but that conversation went like I was trying to plait fog 🙄 how did you go about going private? And knowing what needs doing? I've looked into it as an option if the fertility clinic keep taking ages but aren't sure where to start. I hope it goes okay for you. You'll have to let us know when you go for it.

@Daffodil21 I know! It's confusing who's going for what and where now 😂 how are you feeling in yourself? It would be so much easier if these places actually spoke to each other. I bet there's quite big cross overs with what they each do too. It's annoying me that they've not contacted you yet!

@Bramleyapples13 I'm not really sure tbh! But thanks for asking ❤️ I'm just thinking of it as a pregnancy rather than a baby if that makes sense, because I know full well what is eve likely to happen. Will see if we get through Christmas and to Jan but atm I'm just trying not to get too invested in it.

It's hard when it comes to giving a up - if we knew it would take x months then of course it would be easier, but the most the months pile on, the more you h almost start to resent giving up things!

Sorry I'm still hanging around btw 😂 I feel comfortable here and I don't really have any intention of leaving - hope that's ok! I definitely don't feel like I should be a 'pregnant' club (doesn't help that once again I have zero symptoms apart from endless nighttime peeing)

@bramleyapples13, my husband had to go private for semen analysis (after a few errors with his NHS test and then a predicted 3 month gap to wait for the next appt). When I got my initial consultation with NHS fertility, they said the first step was the hycosy stuff and then suggested a 3 month wait. I think this is now month 15 or 16 for us (losing count, and the will!) so we just decided to have this part done private. So we called a few places and found one that was really nice (a few that were maybe less so).
I checked with the NHS clinic about what this would mean, and the doctor said 'if you go private, send us the results and it'll allow us to speed things a long a little quicker'.

I think if I wasn't 35, this 3 month wait wouldn't have been such a worry- I think we both just want some answers as to why we've been unlucky so far :)

Sorry long answer to a short question!

@daffodil21 you can't leave the thread, we'll block the doors 😉

I've had some pink when wiping tonight. Not even 5 weeks until tomorrow. Fuck sake