TTC 2 years

[Lasagne30]

Hi all,
Me and my partner have been TTC for almost 2 years now, just looking for some friends in a similar situation. I am currently undergoing fertility testing. My partner has super sperm so it would appear that the problem lies with me. I also have adenomyosis, however I was told that this does not neccessarily affect fertility. Yesterday I had a HSG test, which was quite unpleasant, I experienced really bad cramps which I am told can mean I have blocked fallopian tubes, although the doc that performed the procedure said everything looked good. Just waiting on results. Anyone else experiencing any similar situations?
TIA
Lasagne30

Yeah, not much pain or cramps but plenty of other symptoms to make up for it. I’m usually about 29 days too, but don’t think I’ve ever had one as long as 36! I’d be pretty hopeful if that was me too - what a head fuck 😆
I should start clomid first week of May (presuming I’m unsuccessful again this month), so will see how that goes. Hopefully your results are all good, although you then get the “unexplained infertility” diagnoses which isn’t much help.
My jobs really hard work at the moment and I’m really trying to keep stress levels down as that really won’t be helping, to the point I’m looking to change jobs and potentially lose out on maternity entitlements, but consultant said there’s a good chance that’s the cause x

Well let me know how you go this month.
I am quite nervous about the results actually. I just want to go on the drugs and honestly if that doesn't work I think i will give up. I just want it to be easy. The hard part is supposed to be the actual baby, you know.
Yeah but I'm sure the consultant is just grasping at straws at this stage, trying to give you a reason, any reason.
There are plenty of people out there that have stressful lives that fall pregnant without even trying. Obese people, drug and alcohol addicts, people who take every precaution not to; they all get pregnant everyday. It just baffles me how someone healthy, happy and young can't.
I am quite grumpy today haha And I think you can tell by my post lol
What do you do for work?

@Lasagne30 Hope you’re okay? I think problems TTC makes you entitled to be grumpy lol.
I’m a probation officer and specialise in supervising repeat female offenders, so I am constantly around women who are street homeless, drug dependant, living chaotic lives etc, and like you said, despite that, seem to fall pregnant very easily. It feels like some of them haven’t been out of prison 2 minutes and they accidentally fall pregnant for the 10th time. I spend a lot of time talking through options for their unwanted pregnancies and in social care meetings talking about children being removed - it’s so sad, but also very frustrating when TTC myself. I’m working non-stop long hours and constantly feel mentally and physically drained.
I started clomid today!! Hope you get yours soon! Try and stay positive and good luck 😀

Oh wow, yeah that is quite a stressful job, maybe you could get a transfer within your department so you get to keep your entitlements.
I actually have a friend who does a very similar job, how weird is that? Haha
Retail management is nothing compared to that lol
Exciting!! Good luck yourself!
Got my app. next Tuesday, I'm just worried that she is going to turn me away because I was supposed to get a glucose test to check for diabetes but everytime I've gone to get the test, they can't get blood from me. Apparently I have very deep veins, well that's their excuse lol A couple of times they've managed to get the first lot from me but have no luck the second time and obviously don't try for a third time. It's very frustrating, especially seeings as I've tried 5 times to get the test! Hopefully she will still give me the drugs regardless. Did you need to do a glucose test as part of your testing?

@Lasagne30
No, I had bloods to check progesterone levels but no mention of checking glucose 🤷🏼‍♀️ I did get a letter yesterday asking me to go for an AMH blood test to check egg reserves in case we have to resort to IVF. It’s not your fault if they can’t take the blood, so hopefully she can prescribe you the drugs anyway.
I’ve been considering a career change for a while but kept hoping that maternity leave was soon to come, but a few years on and I’m just getting more miserable and bitter by the day 😂
Retail management sounds great, as long as it’s not selling maternity-wear or prams! 😂

Yeah I had to get the progesterone too, luckily she managed to get some for that but she did say it was only JUST enough haha
Yeah I was the same. I started trying so it would fall in line with my long service leave being due haha but that didn't exactly go to plan.
Yeah it's alright, think I just need a change. Sounds like you're the same.
Stick it out for another 6 months and hopefully the drugs work for you!

So I had my appointment today...finally!
I got a different doctor than last time, this one was amazing! She was much younger and I felt like I could relate a little more to her than the older lady, I felt like she kind of looked down on me for some reason. Spoke very quickly and in medical terms and got frustrated when I asked questions. This new lady was so good, we spent most of the consult laughing, it was great.
She didn't seem too fussed that I didn't get the GTT, and apparently my HSG all came back normal.
She prescribed me Clomid today. Went and picked it up and if unsuccessful this month I will start taking it in a little over a week.
Have you had any side affects after taking it?
She also said that she can give me a referral to start IUI, although I just wanted to start with the pills for now. I find the thought of IUI very unsettling and to be honest my partner isn't too thrilled about them sticking a giant needle into my stomach either lol
I go back in 6 weeks to see how I'm going and she may want to up the dosage.
Hows your journey going?

Sorry for late replies, I’ve been so busy with work, but also applied for other jobs and had an interview yesterday.
Glad your consult went so well, finally and you got some clomid!!
I’ve done my drug taking for this month and hope this works as I really don’t want to have to resort to IVF if at all possible. IUI wasn’t even considered for me, they just advised to go straight to IVF if unsuccessful on clomid due to lower success rates of IUI and timescales for me. Not had any issues or side effects with clomid so far. Is yours 50mg at the mo?

That's all good 🙂 I hope your interview went well and it's a better suit for you.
Oh really? Isn't that weird, I mean we are in pretty much identical situations, why would they not go through the same channels. I am definitely in the same head space with it being a last resort. Nobody WANTS to do IVF or even IUI.

Yeah just the 50 to start.
No arrival of AF just yet, but I have some mild cramping today so I have a feeling she's on her way.
When you took your first pill, did you count spotting as day 1 or wait for full bleeding?

@lasagne30 Just reading through this thread and I started off in a very similar position to you! I was also diagnosed with suspected adenomyosis a couple of months ago, my fertility specialist doesn't seem to think it will affect our chances. I also have PCOS and have been taking letrozole (does the same thing as Clomid just supposedly less side effects) for the last four months and have been ovulating but still failing to get pregnant. However, I still haven't had my tubes checked so am starting to worry something else is wrong. Did you have yours done privately or with the NHS?

@maw16 I went through the public system, tbh I am quite surprised I have gotten through so quickly, I have heard of people being on waiting lists for years for simple procedures.
I was told I had to get all the tests including HSG before I was given any drugs at all so that's odd that you managed to get a prescription beforehand.
Apparently Adenomyosis doesn't affect chances, but PCOS does. But I know women with both who have had several babies without problems. I guess it's just the luck of the draw. Thats why I hate the term 'unexplained fertility.' What a joke lol
But welcome to the thread! Feel free to let us in on your journey, makes us feel less alone haha

@Lasagne30

So I had my appointment today...finally! I got a different doctor than last time, this one was amazing! She was much younger and I felt like I could relate a little more to her than the older lady, I felt like she kind of looked down on me for some reason. Spoke very quickly and in medical terms and got frustrated when I asked questions. This new lady was so good, we spent most of the consult laughing, it was great. She didn't seem too fussed that I didn't get the GTT, and apparently my HSG all came back normal. She prescribed me Clomid today. Went and picked it up and if unsuccessful this month I will start taking it in a little over a week. Have you had any side affects after taking it? She also said that she can give me a referral to start IUI, although I just wanted to start with the pills for now. I find the thought of IUI very unsettling and to be honest my partner isn't too thrilled about them sticking a giant needle into my stomach either lol I go back in 6 weeks to see how I'm going and she may want to up the dosage. Hows your journey going?

IUI isn't a needle in the stomach by the way. It's a concentrate of your partners sperm deposited via the vagina past the cervix into the womb at the 'right' time of the month usually following Clomid abs a trigger injection (small) to time ovulation perfectly

@lasagne30 I was prescribed letrozole very quickly - started fertility investigations in September 2020 and was put on letrozole in January 2021! So far I have been going through the public system as well but it does strike me as odd that they haven't done my HSG yet. My consultant has now put me on the list to have it done as we're not getting pregnant on letrozole however my appointment isn't until August and the hospital it being really difficult about booking it around my cycle. Originally, my consultant said she expected me to be pregnant already and didn't want to check my tubes as I'm low risk (my age and no history of infection etc.). Sorry this has been such a ramble! I'm just debating whether to try and get the HSG done this week or just carry on with the letrozole...

Unexplained infertility is definitely not the easiest 'diagnosis' so I feel for you!

@maw16 Yeah I also had trouble booking it around the correct time, I guess it's one of those ones that everything and everyone has to kind of line up correctly. You cant really book it until it's right on top of you hahaha I found the nurses really uncooperative and narky but I eventually got a good one.
Oh okay so how old are you? Under 30 I take it?

@lasagne30 haha yes, every time I have phoned so far to tell them I have started my cycle and will need to be booked in they just laugh and say it's not how it works so they've just told me to phone for cancellation appointments until August. Debating having it done privately because of my lack of patience.

Yes - I'm only 24 which is why I think my consultant expected the letrozole to have worked by now!

Is this your first medicated cycle? How are you finding it?

@maw16 I will admit, I actually booked one with a private hospital because I was getting impatient too but when I found out how much it cost I cancelled and got in the next month with the public luckily.
Yeah that's quite young, I remember I had a scare when I was 24 haha Spend ya whole life trying not to get pregnant and here we are 6 years later crying for one lol Oh the irony!
I take my first pill tomorrow, so I guess I will see how I go!
Currently sitting on the toilet with cramps 😂 Bloody uterus
Have you had any side effects with taking Letrozole?

@lasagne30 I know..the one I'm looking at is around £500 😳 and that's if I can bypass the additional £300 for a consultation and just get a referral from my current consultant! Would probably be more sensible to wait until August but TTC does crazy things to us haha.

Tell me about it - spend years on contraception to find out there really is a science to getting pregnant for some people 😂

Letrozole has been fine - first cycle I had quite severe cramping but I haven't had it bad since. It's regulated my cycles to 28-29 days down from 50 so as well and my progesterone levels have been really high which is great. Yet here I am still not pregnant haha. How many cycles of clomid will you do?

@maw16
Yeah it's crazy expensive. How long have you been TTC?
Oh wow that's a really long cycle haha Longest I've ever had is 36. Ah well, thats good, atleast you know it's doing its job.
Doc says I will do 2 on 50mg and then they'll up the dosage if no luck and she said they normally give it 6 months and if no luck they move on to a different treatment.
Is it the same with Letrozole?

@lasagne30 Been TTC for 13 months - not long in comparison to a lot of people but feels like forever! 3 of those cycles have been medicated (We didn't know that I wasn't ovulating for the first year due to PCOS)

Doc says I can do 12 rounds of Letrozole and then straight to IVF which I think is a bit of a jump so hopefully it doesn't come to that

@ljayc
Heyyy I was quite busy last week, travelled a bit for work so this thread has taken a bit of a neglect hit haha
How did your interview go? Any luck with a new job?
When you took your Clomid, did you take 1 pill on days 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6?
Because my doc has written down to take on only days 2, 3, 4 and 5 but there are 10 pills in the pack and why would they give you extras?

Hey @Lasagne30 and welcome @maw16
I took mine days 2 to 6 (5 pills) and I don’t really spot, I just get 3 days full flow, so knowing when to start was straightforward for me. And I’m the same as you with regards to tests before pills. My consultant never discussed medication until my appointment to discuss test results for HSG and ultrasound, she just booked tests for everything first and said that would determine suitable treatment options.
Not sure about job yet, knowing my luck I’ll get pregnant right after handing my notice in 🤦🏼‍♀️ The timing of it isn’t great so I’m a bit torn with it all. Ideally I want to retire now and become a lady of leisure but my partner, bank balance and mortgage don’t agree haha!
I’m in my 2WW at the moment and I’ve 5 rounds left, but she never mentioned upping the dosage.
Fingers crossed for us all!!! x

@ljayc
Yeah I rang her and she just made an error when she wrote it down, its supposed to be 2-6 lol But strangely enough on the box and my prescription it says 2-5 as well so she understood my confusion haha
Oh man you are lucky, its so confusing, the first lady I saw said spotting isnt actually counted as the period, but the second lady said if you have 1 day of spotting and then the next day of full flow you DO count the spotting as your day 1. I was like ughhh why can't the information just be consistent!
Ahh wouldn't we all like to be ladies of leisure aka bludgers 😂
Well I hope you get it and its a much better fit for you.
Whens your next follow up appointment?

@Lasagne30 I normally have 2 days of spotting before full flow so makes it very hard to know when to start taking the pills! One cycle I counted spotting as day 1 and another cycle I waited till full flow and it didn’t seem to make much difference! I still ovulated both times

@Lasagne30 Strangely, I was never given a follow up appointment with her, she sort of said goodbye and good luck but to call her secretary if I have any follow up questions! We left it that she would refer me for IVF (which she said has an approx wait time of 18weeks in my area for initial appointment to start IVF process, not sure on timescales for actual treatment from that point?), but in the meantime, I’m to take the clomid for up to 6 months whilst on the waiting list in the hope that I have success before I actually reach the IVF point, rather than going back after 6 months of clomid for an IVF referral then. I think my age has a bit to do with doing it this way as well as I’m nearly 34 and don’t want it to keep dragging on and then age effect chances of success. Im lucky in that I have regular cycles, always ovulate, have only ever had 3 day full flow bleeds and all tests come back fine, but that makes the ‘unexplained infertility’ really frustrating like you said x

I’m finally booked in for my hycosy (bit the bullet and decided to go private as we’re already 5 months into letrozole with no success). What cycle day did you both have your HSG/hycosy done? I’ll be on CD14 and I was originally told to have it done before day 12 so a bit worried it’s too close to ovulation?