Unexplained Infertility

[nova29]

Hey I was wondering if anyone has any advice or been in a similar situation as me.

I've been recently referred to the assisted conception unit by my gp, I have done all the usual tests so has my partner and all have come back normal and not shown any issues. I have regular periods and ovulate every month. The words that tend to keep being mentioned is "unexplained infertility". At my last appointment I was told I would be given Clomid for 6 cycles. I wasn't expecting to be given this and thought I would be doing IVF.

Is this normal procedure before they recommend IVF??

I'm nearly 33 and feel like I am running out of time, I've never been pregnant and have been trying for years...my partner and I have been together for 15 years and have never managed to conceive so we feel like Clomid is just a waste of time and would rather do IVF straight away instead of wasting another 6 months.

IVF is very invasive. It can in itself cause itself to fail.
I've seen lots of girls conceive on clomid
IUI is a very good procedure and closest to nature.
Good luck x

Has your partner een tested?

Hi, my tests all came back fine and so did my partners. Bloods and internal ultrasound showed I was ovulating regularly too so the fertility doctor didn't think ovulation meds would help. I've to get back in touch when I've lost weight to proceed with IVF 😥 1.5 stone down and 1.5 stone to go. Once I've lost weight they said I'd be listed and it's currently between 6 and 10 months to be seen, then they said another couple of months on top to get started. Another year feels like forever right now though with everyone's pregnancy announcements 🤦‍♀️

I understand your frustration. I would firstly ask in 'infertility' rather than 'conception' - where you will find experience and advice. I had unexplained infertility and tried clomid for 6 months - no success but others do have success. You say you have been trying for 'years' - personally I think a second opinion might be a good idea. Also start researching to be more knowledgeable about treatments etc.

We were in the same situation as you and we were offered both by the NHS but encouraged to do IVF as we had very good chance of it working which it did. We then conceived naturally very easily after the birth of our first.

@Nikkic2123 thank you for your reply this has been really helpful!

@Feilin yes he's been tested both semen analysis and bloods both fine.

@Small1607 it's so frustrating the waiting, good luck on your weight-loss thank you so much for sharing.

@PaulGallico

I understand your frustration. I would firstly ask in 'infertility' rather than 'conception' - where you will find experience and advice. I had unexplained infertility and tried clomid for 6 months - no success but others do have success. You say you have been trying for 'years' - personally I think a second opinion might be a good idea. Also start researching to be more knowledgeable about treatments etc.

Definitely thinking of going for a private consultation to get a second opinion. Thank you for your reply.

@Franca123

We were in the same situation as you and we were offered both by the NHS but encouraged to do IVF as we had very good chance of it working which it did. We then conceived naturally very easily after the birth of our first.

Unfortunately they didn't give me an option, I was told I need to do Clomid before they offer IVF. Thank you for sharing.

I was told I had unexplained infertility. However, I later found out I have PCOS and when pregnant had to have progesterone supplements for luteal phase defect. On the surface, my periods looked normal, although a bit short.

I was told by a good and trusted friend that IVF is a last resort. This helped when I had private doctors in my face plugging IVF. For me the correct way of doing things were:

Clomid for 3 cycles or a bit more
IUI, up to 6 cycles
IVF

DC1 was conceived on IUI first try and 2nd DC concieved on IUI no. 5

OF course, I am not a doctor, but IVF is very intrusive and you only get so many goes due to NHS or private funds I imagine. Why cut your odds?

Yes I had unexplained infertility. A few rounds of clomid then iui which all failed. The next step was ivf. We weren't sure if we wanted to have treatment that invasive so decided to take 6 months off before deciding. I got pregnant naturally in those 6 months.

I should have said I was speaking from experience.
We had unexplained infertility, after several rounds of IUI they discovered a cyst in my scanning of my eggs each month, it filled and emptied and they discovered I had endo, I had an operation to remove it. X

@nova29 my situation sounds very similar. 32 and been trying for 2 years, not even a hint of pregnancy. GP referred to local hospital infertility clinic last Jan, had bloods and partner SA, it took until Sept for initial appointment. Was told every from those tests looked good and it was unexplained. Sent for a dye for test and internal scan, had follow up appointment in Dec and was told my ovaries have a polycsytic appearance, alongside slightly lower than ideal progesterone, which apparently on its own shouldn't be a huge problem but alongside appearance of my ovaries could be the issue.
Apparently I don't have PCOS as I don't have enough symptoms to diagnose that.... their suggestion is to prescribe clomid for 6 months to see if it helps ovulation before anything more invasive. Waiting for my prescription in the post this week.
My hospital have stopped follicle scanning because of covid so will be going a bit blind whereas before it sounds like theyd scan to see if it was working.
My periods are predictable, done chap ovulation sticks in the paste which I thought looked as they should, but a friend lent me a Mira machine and levels on that so far don't look like they should although I haven't had it long enough to collect a huge amount of data yet.
Got high hopes for clomid, psychologically it feels nice to have something to try and a plan which I haven't had for 2 years.

Diagnosed with unexplained infertility, had a cyst removed from overy and a lap and dye test. Luckily I fell pregnant within 3 months of the above, but I was looking at clomid, iui before they offered IVF.

@Scousealicious thanks for sharing!

@RuthW so amazing how these things happen, congrats!

[quote Runnerlou89]@nova29 my situation sounds very similar. 32 and been trying for 2 years, not even a hint of pregnancy. GP referred to local hospital infertility clinic last Jan, had bloods and partner SA, it took until Sept for initial appointment. Was told every from those tests looked good and it was unexplained. Sent for a dye for test and internal scan, had follow up appointment in Dec and was told my ovaries have a polycsytic appearance, alongside slightly lower than ideal progesterone, which apparently on its own shouldn't be a huge problem but alongside appearance of my ovaries could be the issue.
Apparently I don't have PCOS as I don't have enough symptoms to diagnose that.... their suggestion is to prescribe clomid for 6 months to see if it helps ovulation before anything more invasive. Waiting for my prescription in the post this week.
My hospital have stopped follicle scanning because of covid so will be going a bit blind whereas before it sounds like theyd scan to see if it was working.
My periods are predictable, done chap ovulation sticks in the paste which I thought looked as they should, but a friend lent me a Mira machine and levels on that so far don't look like they should although I haven't had it long enough to collect a huge amount of data yet.
Got high hopes for clomid, psychologically it feels nice to have something to try and a plan which I haven't had for 2 years.[/quote]
@Runnerlou89 Thank you so much for your reply that is very helpful!

Good luck with the Clomid hoping it works for you x

Sorry, this might be totally wrong but I don’t think you’ve mentioned. How is your weight and how much exercise do you do?

I had this for 2 years but I was maintaining a weight, which I thought was really healthy (BMI 20ish) and exercising a lot. It wasn’t healthy for me but no one mentioned initially it as it fell within the guidelines. It was only when one particular doctor said “I think you’re just too lean for you” that I took noticed (although I think I knew anyway but was in denial) and I gained some weight (not a huge amount but taking me to the top of the BMI range) and cut back the exercise and I conceived fairly easily.

I started TTC age 32 when I married, but had been with partner 10yrs by then, but always vigilant about contraception. 4yrs TTC and nothing. GP finally did Day 21 bloods which were normal, but nothing more- despite asking for a referral for further testing. I know now this isn't normal care pathways and I should have pushed more.

DH and I got fitter, exercised more and each lost 10kg. I had been just inside the overweight category, so a BMI of about 26 before loosing the weight. We conceived the next month! Unfortunately, it had patau syndrome and we had a TRMR. 12mths later I had an MC, then had 2 rounds of IVF- including my 3rd MC. Still no children 10yrs on.

I can't comment on clomid- as was never offered it. I too have always had regular cycles, all tests were normal and my egg count was above average for my age. Just seems that the egg quality was poor and the only reason given was my age. You often read stories about celebrities and a healthy baby age 44/46/48 etc, but they fail to mention how many MC's they have been through, and that often, they are surrogate eggs!

Even if you arent overweight, its worth looking at your lifestyle. I also recommend the book 'it starts with an egg'. You can get a copy from ebay fairly cheap. best of luck.

@Harsharse so my weight never really changes, I'm 55kg according to my height which is 4"11 it's fine, it's never been mentioned as a cause of concern.

They did all the tests on my partner and I which came back perfect. Both fit and well generally. They assured me that I was ovulating but I never got a positive result on those ovulation sticks and I never had the right kind of vaginal discharge IYSWIM. I knew I didn't get it, because I used to get it. Something was clearly up with my cycle but we'll never know what it was. After the birth of my first, using ivf, I had all the signs of ovulation and conceived as soon as we first tried. I was told that unexplained infertility is the best kind as you have the best chance of ending up with a baby.

Hi my friends had unexplained and went straight to ivf and conceived first try. I think it’s better to just go for it.

Friends as in three separate couples

We had unexplained. Didn’t qualify for NHS funding (over 40), so went private. They plugged IVF straight away, but the cost was eye-watering for not great odds and I was dreading the invasiveness of it.

Pretty much against their advice, we tried IUI first. Cycles 1 and 2 got nothing, only ovulated one egg, despite being stimulated to try and get two, but for the third, again only with one egg despite increased meds, I had fertility hypnotherapy and conceived, even though we only had a low number of sperm in that sample.

I know when you’ve been trying for ages it feels bloody awful, but at 33,unless you have an unusually low egg reserve I would try the clomid first. Time’s not running out for you for a good while yet.

Thank you @nova29 and good luck with whatever you end up trying.
I'll try and remember to come back and update this thread, I know how annoying it is to be searching for info when ttc and then threads just end Still waiting for my prescription in the post atm and hoping it comes before next cycle starts.