People who tried for 12+ months - what finally worked for you?

[KerryW87]

I'm nearing the end of cycle 14 and considering I have all my usual pre-period symptoms, I am not hopeful!

I tend to flit between joking about TTC and then feeling like I'm in a hole I can't get out of; overwhelmed with sadness and helplessness...these feelings are usually around the end of each cycle when the hopes are shattered 😂 I lost my wee boy halfway through our pregnancy last year and I've felt desperate ever since.

So far we've tried/are trying:

Tracking with OPKs
SMEP
Preseed
Pregnacare conception for me and Superdrug male fertility supplement for him
Pineapple after ovulation (gave up after a few cycles 😂)
Baby aspirin after ovulation (still trying this)
Acupuncture (only had two sessions so far)
Flaxseed

Day 21 bloods for me were normal, partner's SA was also normal. Awaiting our first NHS fertility clinic appointment but have heard it'll be after October!

Any stories on what worked for some of you ladies in the past would be great! Just incase I've missed something I could be trying since something clearly isn't working so far! Thank you ❤️

@KerryW87 and back then in sex education they told us we're getting pregnant by just coming near a penis right? So sorry to hear your long journey. I can just add that one of my best friends tried for 24 months before her BFP. Nothing wrong with either of them, nothing different done that month. I hope you'll get your bfp soon 🤞

@Bundaberg84 I know! To be perfectly honest, I still believed you could conceive any day of the month until 2019 when we started trying...and I'm in my thirties! 😂

Thank you so much for your reply ❤️ That is reassuring, I really do hope our situation is like your friend's and nothing is wrong, and that it'll happen really soon🤞

Good luck OP! For us it was about 15 months first time and we didn't do anything special the month we conceived. We'd had our first fertility appointment and I was about to be prescribed clomid but then got our BFP!

Similar to the poster above, 14 months TTC. I had been to GP and started investigations. DH had had a sperm test, it looked as though I wasn't ovulating every month so was going to start chlomid in 3 months. Went on holiday to Cyprus and relaxed. It was ridiculous got so hard lots of siestas and a good rest. DTD because we wanted to rather than because the OPK said we should. Came back pregnant.

@PurplePizzaCake Ah that's fantastic! ❤️ You always hear "within 12 months" unless there's something wrong so it's really reassuring to hear of people who got pregnant after the 12 month mark without any known issues! Thank you for this, hopefully this will be the case for us one day too x

Not sure you will want to hear this but it took ivf for us. We were unexplained - no reason was found why it didn't happen naturally.

I read 'it starts with the egg' which is really recommend! I had 3 losses before I read this. We started to eat very healthily and get fit, the weekend we conceived we climbed helvellyn!

We tried for over a year, took a break for my mental health for around six months and then we forgot the condom 1 time and now our DD is a happy and healthy 1 year old! Absolutely no reason for not conceiving in that first year! Life's weird! Good luck and don't lose hope!!

HSG showed 1 blocked tube (and the other may have been small blockage but the test unblocked- will never know) but fell the month after. 2 friends also fell after having this procedure suggesting small blockage are more common. I also had a fertility massage and use castor oil packs. Was about 18 months into trying. Wish you all the best!

It might have been coincidence but the only thing we did differently on the month I got pregnant (cycle 27) was to use a fertilily. It's a bit like a mooncup and keeps the sperm in the right place

Hate hate hate that this is the case because it’s the most depressing advice but went on holiday and decided that it wasn’t going to happen and to get on with our lives. That was about month 24/25, secondary infertility.

@eurochick Not at all, it's good to know all the potential outcomes, thanks for replying :) I know we wouldn't have this funded as I'm lucky enough to have an 11 and 9 year old from a previous relationship. If needed we'd need to look into saving for this. I'm sorry you had to go through IVF but very glad it worked for you! 💕

@boymama82 I have actually heard recommendations for this book before! I think I'll buy it this week if my period arrives. Thanks so much :) Also very impressed with your story! ! I'd say I eat really quite healthily, but from the sounds of it nowhere near as fit as you are so I could be working on that 😂

@Legoisaws8om I have wondered about this as I knew nothing about it until I'd started reading up on the sort of tests they offer after a fertility referral. Hoping they'll check this on me just incase! Really glad that worked for you and thanks for replying 💕

@BabyMoonPie I bought a mooncup earlier this year and we tried it and I don't know what I did wrong but it was a DISASTER 😂🙈 Pulled it out and felt like everything came out with it (TMI)! I've read a fertilily is a bit different though? Might try and brave it again, haha. Thank you :)

Tried for three years when young - had all the tests, nothing was wrong with either of us, unexplained infertility. At every appointment the medical staff would say oh you'll probably be pregnant by the next appointment! But that didn't happen. Tried everything under the sun during those years including "relaxing" and doing nothing, acupuncture, supplements, etc etc.

We had IVF and it worked first time. Thank you medical science.

We tried for 2 years, I had investigative operations and eventually it was “unexplained infertility.” My hormone levels showed that I may or may not be ovulating so I was prescribed Clomid. I conceived first time and unfortunately it was ectopic. I then conceived again straight away and it stuck.

We are now about to start trying for number 2. In the mean time I have been feeling completely exhausted and blood tests have shown low iron but my GP is completely not interested in that. I’ve always had low iron and been tired but it’s got worse recently so I’ve been taken iron supplements and have boosted my levels. I did a lot of reading about it and there are animal studies which show that iron levels (ferritin) less than 30 prevent ovulation. Since my iron levels have been higher I’ve occasionally felt myself ovulate so I’m really hopeful we won’t take 2 years to conceive our second. Especially because I now won’t be eligible for Clomid on the nhs.

@Vaselike I totally get it - hundreds of experiences like this must mean something! But as for the "hate that this is the case", I feel the same because I just know I'm not at the "giving up" stage yet. If I tried to "relax" I know I'd just be faking it 😂 It's just all-consuming at times, isn't it? I'm so glad that you took the break you both needed and that it ended up working out perfectly! 💕 Just got to keep trying and hope it's us at some point, thank you :) x

From the sound of it, you're doing what you're doing so much already! 12 months isn't the "cut off". It just means that you should start checking your health, and it depends on the country you live in it's not something universal. So, keep trying, and good luck to everyone!

Changing jobs.
My job was waaaaay too stressful for me to conceive.

I'm 33 and we tried for 17 months before we conceived naturally. In the run up to my BFP I had started playing tennis twice a week, I was on my 4th acupuncture appointment, and it was the only month I tried the whole 'keeping your feet warm' thing lol. It did work though lol!

It was the first time in 5 months that I had ovulated (Mild pcos) and I really think the exercise and acupuncture kicked it off.

As a side note, I had also recently had a big attitude change about ttc and really had come to the conclusion that I'd already hit the jackpot with my marriage and if it was just going to be the two of us forever then I would still be a lucky woman.

I loved reading the success story threads when I was ttc so thought I'd comment :)

This isn’t my post, and I’m new here (although not to TTC). Thank you, you all made me feel heaps better!

Just booked my 1st acupuncture visit next week! i have a short luteal phase and an under active thryoid so hoping this will help!