Not Ovulating, what can I do?

[Starfish789]

Hi,

I have been TTC number 2 for over a year and I am looking for a bit of advice or help. I have been to my GP and had day 21 bloods. I was told that I am not ovulating . The GP confirmed that I do not have PCOS and all other hormone levels are normal.

Unfortunately in the area I live there are no fertility services on the NHS. So there is no chance to get Clomid via the GP.

At this moment in time the only option is going private however due to finances this would be very difficult.

I was wondering has anyone had a similar experience? Any natural remedies? or any supplements I could try?

I have been using pregnacare pre-conception but that just made my periods longer and more painful.

I concieved my first DD very quickly and my cycles were very regular.However after giving birth I didn’t have a period for 8 months eventhough I was only breastfeeding for the first few months only. Now my cycles are approx 45-47 days on average.

Any advise or your experiences would be appreicated.

Sorry just noticed few typos in the above post!

Hello, I'm not going through the same but I have long cycles and have been looking into soy isoflavones to bring ovulation forward. I'm not sure how well it works for someone not ovulating at all but there is a thread somewhere on here you might find helpful xx

What cycle day did you have your day 21 bloods? If your cycles are 45-47 days long you should have had the bloods taken at CD40 and not 21, so I wouldn't assume you're not ovulating, just that the GP didn't know what they were doing (which is common with regards to fertility).

Secondly, I'd get temping. Buy a cheap basal thermometer off amazon, get the Fertility Friend app up and running and temp daily to see if you really are or are not ovulating. Apart from anything, just cause you may have had one anovulatory cycle it doesn't mean they all are.

Thirdly, get some supplements like conceive plus ovulation support perhaps? Link attached but if the test was taken on CD21 then Iets hope you're actually ovulating!
www.conceiveplus.co.uk/product/conceive-plus-ovulation-support-120-caps-uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-aGCBhCwARIsAHDl5x_1Z1YxxsCEmELTKrpyTZDkfiBJMyUrQFNeLEJ5QeS6mgSHUgEf7qgaAlCQEALw_wcB

I second the pp who asked what day bloods were done. I have a longer cycle too and I know I ovulate much later.

If it’s an option for you I would look into private clinics who may be able to offer some better expertise and redo your bloods to check for ovulation.

[quote Juno231]What cycle day did you have your day 21 bloods? If your cycles are 45-47 days long you should have had the bloods taken at CD40 and not 21, so I wouldn't assume you're not ovulating, just that the GP didn't know what they were doing (which is common with regards to fertility).

Secondly, I'd get temping. Buy a cheap basal thermometer off amazon, get the Fertility Friend app up and running and temp daily to see if you really are or are not ovulating. Apart from anything, just cause you may have had one anovulatory cycle it doesn't mean they all are.

Thirdly, get some supplements like conceive plus ovulation support perhaps? Link attached but if the test was taken on CD21 then Iets hope you're actually ovulating!
www.conceiveplus.co.uk/product/conceive-plus-ovulation-support-120-caps-uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-aGCBhCwARIsAHDl5x_1Z1YxxsCEmELTKrpyTZDkfiBJMyUrQFNeLEJ5QeS6mgSHUgEf7qgaAlCQEALw_wcB[/quote]
I had my doubts about the day the bloods were done too. However the GP explained it to me as follows. She waited until I had my next period and looked at the progesterone level which was 2? in relation to that point of my cycle. So she said even thought is was day 21 she took into account my cycle length which was 47 days i think.

Thanks I will have a look at those supplements and start temping. I used OPKS for a few months but they never showed as a strong enough LH to indicate ovulation.

@Janxyb

Hello, I'm not going through the same but I have long cycles and have been looking into soy isoflavones to bring ovulation forward. I'm not sure how well it works for someone not ovulating at all but there is a thread somewhere on here you might find helpful xx

Hi,

thank you I will look into soy isoflavones, I haven’t heard of them before!

Did you do ovulation tests twice a day? Once at night and once in the morning? Because you could have just been missing the peak if you're only doing it once a day

@Horehound

Did you do ovulation tests twice a day? Once at night and once in the morning? Because you could have just been missing the peak if you're only doing it once a day

I was doing them once a day but I never got close to the line getting any darker. It was the same ‘darkness’ whole the way through my cycle.

@Shinysilverlamp

I second the pp who asked what day bloods were done. I have a longer cycle too and I know I ovulate much later.

If it’s an option for you I would look into private clinics who may be able to offer some better expertise and redo your bloods to check for ovulation.

Unfortunately the prices for the private clincis that I have looked at online are very expensive (for me) which is just something that wouldn’t be an option right now.

Does anyone have experience of just paying for a prescription for Clomid?

Sorry to hear this op.

Can they be sure you are not ovulating full stop? As in could it be a case of sometimes you ovulate or does the test you had rule that out?
I'm wondering if you dont ovulate every time and it was one of those times your bloods were done?

How long did you use opk's for?
I did read the other day a top fertility consultant said sometimes opk's are not at all reliable... not great as I've been relying on them ttc and nothing is happening.

@purplebiscuits

Sorry to hear this op.

Can they be sure you are not ovulating full stop? As in could it be a case of sometimes you ovulate or does the test you had rule that out?
I'm wondering if you dont ovulate every time and it was one of those times your bloods were done?

How long did you use opk's for?
I did read the other day a top fertility consultant said sometimes opk's are not at all reliable... not great as I've been relying on them ttc and nothing is happening.

Hi, Going by what the GP said, she said its unlikely I am ovulating as we have been DTD every 2/3 days for the last 16 months so if I was , as some point we should have hit the right spot!

I used the OPKs for about 3 months with no luck.

I have been reading on the isoflavones which look promising.

Try the seven seas trying for a baby pills
Have a read of reviews on them there amazing I'm sure they helped me!

If you have PCOS the OPKs are pointless. You can get multiple LH surges through your cycle without ovulating. I have been TTC #2 for 26 months now (like you #1 super easy) and have also been diagnosed previously with PCOS. Last cycle I stupidly tried OPK again and got 5 days of flashing smileys and went on to get my static smiley on the 6th day. The following day I had a scan with my fertility consultant for another reason and was told I wasn't ovulating, hadn't ovulated or wasn't going to (anovulatory cycle) so that just shows how unreliable they are with PCOS. Temping is the best way although when you have a child it is hard to do so I don't do it myself, however there are some good internal ones you sleep with over night which if I wasn't starting ivf in the next month I would have invested in. Have a look at supplements like MyOva and I found a good Instagram account Healthy PCOS for tips and supplements that can really help.

Sorry for your experiences. My immediate thought is why is the GP diagnosing (or not) PCOS? I was first diagnosed 5 years ago, well before we were TTC, but it was after a referral from the GP to the endocrinology specialist at the hospital. Can you push for a referral and second opinion? Does your local NHS trust allow for self referral if the GP won't help?

I had internal scans, examinations, multiple blood tests over several months before they decided on a diagnosis - it wasnt just a case of a couple of blood tests.

As a result i was monitored by endocrine consultant over several years then when we started to TTC, put on metformin for 12months to bring back my periods and letrozole (a more modern drug similar to clomid). I had internal scans every 3 days after taking it to track follicle growth (and check whether OHSS was developing). We conceived on the second cycle of letrozole. None of this involved my GP and i was glad to be in the care of the hospital specialists.

I would really push for a referral / second opinion. Really good luck.

I agree about pushing for a referral/second opinion but also as a bare minimum to have the day 21 test repeated and perhaps more in line with your actual cycle days. Do temp in the meantime though!

Might also be worth doing a consultation on a page like this to see if you can get it prescribed? The thing with clomid is that you're meant to be supervised when taking it as it could prompt you to release lots of eggs at once and you'd be at risk of having triplets or whatever...
www.instantecare.co.uk/clinics/infertility/clomid

Agree with above- having the blood test on day 21 would be pointless if your cycles are that long. It's basically being taken before you've even ovulated?

@paintfairy

Agree with above- having the blood test on day 21 would be pointless if your cycles are that long. It's basically being taken before you've even ovulated?

Agree with this.

It's likely you hadn't ovulated yet when bloods were taken.

Do you have the clear blue digital ovulation monitor. That really helped me and I realised I ovulated on day 22 of my cycle rather than day 14!

As @Juno231 said too, if you go down a Clomid route make sure you are monitored! I wasn't on my first cycle and released 5 eggs at ovulation!

Thank you everyone for your replies. They are really helpful.

I think I will push for a second opnions and referrel as the GP couldn’t get of the phone quick enough, just said that I don’t have PCOS and that I am not ovulating and as there are no fertility services in essex that I would need to go private and they can’t help. When i did probe for more information about PCOS she said I definately do not have it even though I only had bloods done. I felt like a pain to keep asking when I could tel she just wanted to get off the phone.

Now having read this thread I definately will be calling the GP and asking for the bloods to be repeated.

[quote Juno231]I agree about pushing for a referral/second opinion but also as a bare minimum to have the day 21 test repeated and perhaps more in line with your actual cycle days. Do temp in the meantime though!

Might also be worth doing a consultation on a page like this to see if you can get it prescribed? The thing with clomid is that you're meant to be supervised when taking it as it could prompt you to release lots of eggs at once and you'd be at risk of having triplets or whatever...
www.instantecare.co.uk/clinics/infertility/clomid[/quote]
I did have a look at this website and nearly went for it. I will try the soy iso flavones and if not go down this route for clomid, but if i need to be monitored by a doctor it will still drive the price up I am guessing.

I can see that you can buy 3 months worth of clomid for £120 which is reasonable, but wondering what the monitoring costs will push the price up to.

@Starfish789 also please check your local CCG policy as I swear some of the essex ones reinstated fertility/IVF services last year!

I just want to say that with the history you’ve presented (OPKS never showed a surge, long cycles, no sign of anything despite v regular sex for 16 months) it does sound like you are anovulatory.

I am too and in the end I used a TempDrop wearable temp sensor for bbt and FertilityFriend to prove it 💐

I don’t think you want to sit around wasting more time to prove something you probably already know 🤗

Clomid will be a step in the right direction but for sure, make sure you get monitored while on it xxx good luck

[quote Juno231]@Starfish789 also please check your local CCG policy as I swear some of the essex ones reinstated fertility/IVF services last year![/quote]
will do. thank you

Whoa @Starfish789 just read you're in Essex, so am I! So that is an absolute lie! There is no funding for IVF in Essex but fertility treatment and investigations there is! What hospital is your catchment hospital?

Good luck @Starfish789! Lots of good advice here especially from pp on Essex services. Please try and get a second opinion before buying clomid online. Firstly, it doesnt work as well in women over a certain weight - there are other alternatives. Secondly, my consultant advised its only recommended to use for a certain number of cycles as there are some studies around increased risk of ovarian cancer so you want to make sure your use of it is being absolutely maximised. Finally, as others have said, it can cause multiple eggs and increased risk of OHSS / ectopics so monitoring is key. Wishing you all the best!