Unexplained infertility

[ar12345]

Hello,

My partner and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost 2 years with no luck.

I have had a blood test that showed I ovulated. Also a hycosy that showed my tubes were fine. They told me they can't check my eggs either health or number of eggs as this isn't possible. I have regular periods so they said this means my eggs are fine.

My partners sperm are apparently fine from one sample that has been done.

I have a partial bicornuate uterus which they have said will not effect me getting pregnant.

We have been told it is unexplained infertility however I just feel more investigations need to be done.

Has anyone else been told they have unexplained infertility but then gone on to have further tests and found a problem?

Or has anyone else been told they have unexplained infertility then got pregnant?

Does anyone have any recommendations of anything we can try? We are currently taking vitamins.

I just would like to hear stories of unexplained infertility diagnosis that have then gone on to actually fine an issue later down the line and what tests I need to ask for.

Also has anyone with bicornuate uterus struggled to conceive? Or has anyone been told they have a bicornuate uterus but later on realised it's something else?

They won't put me on any medication to help as they say I already ovulate.

Any help or advice will be appreciated.

Thank you

Sorry you’re going through this. It’s hard. Inwas in the same boat, tried for over 4 years with never a hint of a late period. Did all the tests. Nothing was ever found. Eventually got pregnant through IVF, it all seems like a substantial memory but I remember the frustration and anger about having no answers. Wishing you the best.

Hi op, I have been in your position. Had the same tests as you, without any problems noted. We tried for 6 years, we paid for private IUI treatment with Clomid, 3 cycles which didn't work( I wasn't ready mentally to start the IVF process at that point) . You can get an AMH test which may give you an indication of your egg quality. Would that be a possibility to pay privately for?

We eventually went down the IVF route, had one cycle which did not work, bizarrely 2 months later we became pregnant naturally with our first son. We then became pregnant again naturally 2 years later with our second son, 2 months after a failed frozen embryo cycle from our IVF attempt. I was only advised that I had a pin hole sized cervix which may make sperm difficult to get through but this was not the reason that we were not getting pregnant. I can only think what explains both my pregnancies are that after each procedure I had, with the embryo transfer during the IVF and frozen cycle that the cervix was slightly more dilated if you know what I mean but again no doctor has confirmed this. I also had a lifestyle change, gave up a very demanding job and changed to working from home being self-employed. Ate healthily, tried to lose some weight, tried to get more sleep etc. Struggled so much with the failure of the IVF, at times was mentally all over the place and consumed with trying to get pregnant.

I understand how so very hard the trying to conceive process is. Have you tried the Clearblue ovulation tests which give you the days you are most likely to conceive? You can use products like Conceive plus also if you would like to look into that. I also tried positive visualisation and yoga but I got to the point when I decided to do IVF that I was willing to do practically anything, plus at that point I was 36. For context I gave birth at 37 and 39.

It's positive that you are' unexplained ' as such because in theory there is no medical reason for not getting pregnant. But it is so so hard and upsetting at the same time. Remember every month is a new possibility.

Are you currently with a fertility clinic? What do they advise you to do next? Or are they suggesting you try IVF? I wish you all the luck in the world .

Also, whilst not the same as what you were asking about, when I was having a scam with my first DS the sonographer said that my uterus was slightly tilted and I said would this have explained why I had so much trouble and she said not. Hopefully that is the same for your bicornuate uterus.

We're down as unexplained too.
We got to the two year mark and started IVF.
Did they not say this was an option?
Also they could have done an internal scan to check your ovaries etc, they would of been able to see any cysts, how many follicles you have etc.

Good luck OP. Same unexplained infertility for me and DP. He had low sperm count, I had hugely unpredictable periods (20-38 day gaps). Clomid and AIH produced a lovely baby but the predictor tests weren't around at the time so it needed intervention.

You need an amh test for egg quality, and a scan shortly after ovulation to see how many follicles you have. Your dh can have a test for antisperm antibodies (this was one of the problems for us). We got these tests on the NHS but it may vary across trusts as to whether you can get them for free. We were referred for ICSI but the cost was phenomenal as I already have a son from a previous relationship (again a postcode lottery as to whether you have to pay) and as I had the egg supply of a woman in her mid 40's I decided I couldn't go through with being pumped full of drugs on the off chance it may work.

I second that you need an AMH test to check your egg reserves (and what they told you was bs). If you wanted something else to try then a laparoscopy could potentially show if you have endometriosis preventing you from getting pregnant (I had this but it only showed mild endometriosis on one ovary).

I disagree with a previous poster saying unexplained infertility meaning there's nothing wrong with you - with all due respect there are plenty of things the NHS don't and/or can't check for.

Honestly I think ivf is your next logical step after 2 years - you should most likely be eligible for it in your ccg by now?

@Chocolatetrifle

Hi op, I have been in your position. Had the same tests as you, without any problems noted. We tried for 6 years, we paid for private IUI treatment with Clomid, 3 cycles which didn't work( I wasn't ready mentally to start the IVF process at that point) . You can get an AMH test which may give you an indication of your egg quality. Would that be a possibility to pay privately for?

We eventually went down the IVF route, had one cycle which did not work, bizarrely 2 months later we became pregnant naturally with our first son. We then became pregnant again naturally 2 years later with our second son, 2 months after a failed frozen embryo cycle from our IVF attempt. I was only advised that I had a pin hole sized cervix which may make sperm difficult to get through but this was not the reason that we were not getting pregnant. I can only think what explains both my pregnancies are that after each procedure I had, with the embryo transfer during the IVF and frozen cycle that the cervix was slightly more dilated if you know what I mean but again no doctor has confirmed this. I also had a lifestyle change, gave up a very demanding job and changed to working from home being self-employed. Ate healthily, tried to lose some weight, tried to get more sleep etc. Struggled so much with the failure of the IVF, at times was mentally all over the place and consumed with trying to get pregnant.

I understand how so very hard the trying to conceive process is. Have you tried the Clearblue ovulation tests which give you the days you are most likely to conceive? You can use products like Conceive plus also if you would like to look into that. I also tried positive visualisation and yoga but I got to the point when I decided to do IVF that I was willing to do practically anything, plus at that point I was 36. For context I gave birth at 37 and 39.

It's positive that you are' unexplained ' as such because in theory there is no medical reason for not getting pregnant. But it is so so hard and upsetting at the same time. Remember every month is a new possibility.

Are you currently with a fertility clinic? What do they advise you to do next? Or are they suggesting you try IVF? I wish you all the luck in the world .

Hello, thank you for your reply this has been really helpful! When I went for my hycosy they could not get the catheter through my cervix and it ended up taking 20 mins and 4 nurses attempts to get it half way in, they then managed to do the hycosy with the catheter only partly in but my cervix was so small they could not even pass the catheter through so I wonder if this could be having an effect on sperm getting through! I am currently going through the NHS but am being referred for IVF soon so hoping I was have further investigation then.

Yes I do track my ovulation and take the vitamins etc however when I went to the gyno this week he told me not to track ovulation as it wasn't accurate which just confused me even more to be honest.

It is so frustrating especially with the NHS as they don't seem to want to do the tests you mentioned I did ask them about the egg test. I am going to look into doing this privately.

Thank you so much again for sharing your story and congratulations on your two boys

@Juno231

I second that you need an AMH test to check your egg reserves (and what they told you was bs). If you wanted something else to try then a laparoscopy could potentially show if you have endometriosis preventing you from getting pregnant (I had this but it only showed mild endometriosis on one ovary).

I disagree with a previous poster saying unexplained infertility meaning there's nothing wrong with you - with all due respect there are plenty of things the NHS don't and/or can't check for.

Honestly I think ivf is your next logical step after 2 years - you should most likely be eligible for it in your ccg by now?

Thank you for your reply! Yes ivf referral is due soon I just need to go back with my partner before they will refer so waiting for the appointment.

@delilahbucket

You need an amh test for egg quality, and a scan shortly after ovulation to see how many follicles you have. Your dh can have a test for antisperm antibodies (this was one of the problems for us). We got these tests on the NHS but it may vary across trusts as to whether you can get them for free. We were referred for ICSI but the cost was phenomenal as I already have a son from a previous relationship (again a postcode lottery as to whether you have to pay) and as I had the egg supply of a woman in her mid 40's I decided I couldn't go through with being pumped full of drugs on the off chance it may work.

Thank you so much for your reply that is very helpful!

Hey OP, I had the same tests and everything was okay. Also had AMH which gives an idea of egg reserve - all fine. Went on to have IVF and as that is fully diagnostic it was then that they discovered my egg quality is really poor, as in it's not really worth progressing with IVF poor. I'd never have known without having gone through the IVF as I ovulate like clockwork and everything else is in tip top working order. The clinic did make it clear from the outset the egg quality is the one thing that there is not a test for.

I really hope this isn't the case for you but wanted to share in case it helps. As an aside, I had a friend who had IVF and that reconfirmed her unexplained fertility diagnosis, the IVF did not work but she has since got pregnant naturally.

Best of luck to you.

@crosstalk

Good luck OP. Same unexplained infertility for me and DP. He had low sperm count, I had hugely unpredictable periods (20-38 day gaps). Clomid and AIH produced a lovely baby but the predictor tests weren't around at the time so it needed intervention.

Thank you!

@pinkmoon18

We're down as unexplained too. We got to the two year mark and started IVF. Did they not say this was an option? Also they could have done an internal scan to check your ovaries etc, they would of been able to see any cysts, how many follicles you have etc.

Hello, yes we are just waiting for our ivf referral! Thank you for your help!

@Amirite

Sorry you’re going through this. It’s hard. Inwas in the same boat, tried for over 4 years with never a hint of a late period. Did all the tests. Nothing was ever found. Eventually got pregnant through IVF, it all seems like a substantial memory but I remember the frustration and anger about having no answers. Wishing you the best.

Thank you so much and congratulations on your successful IVF hopefully this will all be a distant memory for me too one day!

@ar12345, I had to have tubal test done under general anaesthetic in the end as they just could not get the catheter through the cervix.

The Clearblue ovulation tests can give you an idea if you have ovulated and when best to try, they are quite expensive though to use every month. Again as pointed out they will not tell you about the egg quality.

Glad you are getting referred for IVF, you will find your clinic will do more investigations. Perhaps try to think that you are doing all you can in the meantime until you see your fertility expect. Keep trying each month as you never know and surprises and miracles do happen, my boys would not be here if I had given up trying, and I very nearly did, but equally as important is to give yourself a break from trying if you feel you need to any month.Good luck.

We were diagnosed with UI. It sucks. We tried for 2.5 years and had the tests you mentioned.

We were referred straight to IVF, but the doctor told us to try proxeed for 4 months before our ivf cycle.

I got pregnant naturally the cycle before IVF and our fourth month of proxeed.

You can buy proxeed from Amazon and it's a vitamin supplement. It's not cheap but it worked for us.

For our second child we tried for 2 months without it, then 4 months with it and again after the 4th month I got pregnant.

The hard thing with UI is that there is nothing to fix. Chlomid is pointless as you ovulate so you don't need it. IUI is pointless as you can already have well timed sex. IVF is really the only thing they can do.

I did stop tracking my cycles by the time we got to 2 years though. I knew my body so well by then that I knew when ovulation was happening without it.

Hi OP, we were unexplained infertility too after trying for two years. So frustrating as you know there must be a problem but it just wasn’t clear what that problem was. Got pregnant naturally whilst on waiting list for NHS. No idea why or how!
Not so lucky second time, finally had another baby after 5 rounds of IVF. Even after IVF there wasn’t really an explanation for the unexplained infertility.
I really feel for you, it’s so tough. Best of luck

Also meant to say, I tried Clomid even though I was ovulating. They (NHS) shouldn’t have given it to me really and my (private) IVF clinic said it would have done more harm than good…. Not sure why. All I know is that it raised hopes, didn’t get me pregnant and just made my hair fall out