9 months+ trying to conceive, still losing hope, still trying

[BritInNZ]

Continuing the earlier thread ladies before we run out of room... will tag in who I remember but feel free to tag others I may have missed. And newbies always welcome!

@Aubyone - pregnant! Adding in case she wants to keep in the loop 😊
@kmbegs
@FlyOnTheWall89
@Hopefullywaiting01234
@Tinkerbell098
@LucyAnne34
@MaryTeenOfScots

@lemons44 it's been more than 7 months since the GP referred me to the fertility clinic is what I meant to say. I'm yet to receive a letter or first appointment from them. Which is why we decided to go private last month as the wait on the NHS to even get any investigations done was ridiculous, at least in my area.

@lemons44 - ah thats great! Definitely sounds better and you will have your results quickly instead of waiting round! We waited two weeks for DH SA and it was horrible not knowing. I am cycle 10 so going to give it 12 months then go for Hycosy and pay private for a consultation to look at bloods etc - i have had all these done but i have interpreted them myself and there maybe other
things they can do to help.🙏🤞

I found out my thyroid 3 months ago and had meds upped 3 weeks ago so i keep telling myself i need to give things time to work.

@BritInNZ okay that percentage difference isn't much at all. No I haven't done one for so so long and I haven't really done any OPKs either - like the occasional one here and there. £6k is okay, defo cheaper than here. I think if you can hold out a while, with no explanation and good results across the board you are so likely to get a positive before next year.... it's so weird to think about - I can't visualise being pregnant or seeing 2 lines at all. It's just so alien in my head.

We are seeing the top urologist widely spoken about on here Dr Ramsay next week - yay! Hopefully he will give us an indication of if there is a reason sperm count of low and also a black and white indication of chances of natural conception based on the current sperm situation 😂. He will have seen this so many times so I think he will be the best person to guide us. We have the IVF funding there waiting for us when we are ready to go in that direction. I guess with male factor there wouldn't be any point me trying medicated cycles.

@NatW2021 I'm actually not sure. I think it's because it's basically the same as IUI, just without the insemination part. Maybe it's to make sure we're actually DTD in a timed way to give us the best chance? I didn't think this would be an option for us as I ovulate like clockwork, so honestly have no idea 😂

@Tinkerbell098 oh wow that is terrible! Glad you have managed to get the tests done privately otherwise you could have been waiting until god knows when.

Thanks @NatW2021
I am relieved it won't be a long wait for results.

Did all of your OHs do the specimen at the actual clinic? My DH has been given the option to bring it from home if we collect a sample pot ahead of time as we are within 45 mins of the clinic. Not sure what to do for the best. I worry there's a risk of it changing temperature in the car or heaven forbid.. being spilled!

@lemons44 he did at home and i took it the local hospital, it was a bit stressful getting it there on time but think it would be a lot of pressure doing it there and then 😂

Hi everyone. So we had our consultant appt yesterday. I got my AMH result which was 18. She said this was normal and above 17 is normal but google says all kinds of different things. The next step is a HSG to check for any damage from my caesarean and if that’s normal she’s advised giving it another 6 months (which will take us to 18 months) before considering IVF. I feel a little nervous as I’m 35 but she seemed quite confident that egg reserve all looks ok and I’ve got 2 children so there’s a good chance it will happen naturally. I don’t feel convinced that it’ll happen at all!!

@BritInNZ that’s a great sign that they’re confident…they’ve seen so much so try to go with it ☺️.

@Tinkerbell098 glad you’re better! My scans are every other day - I had one today and my bloods again. They seem happy, I feel like I wish there were more eggs growing but maybe I need to take my own advice 😂.

@lemons44 well done - it is hard but once you get there it actually feels like progress so you might actually find you feel better for going

@NatW2021 I think balance is key. You can’t give up absolutely everything that brings you joy (in my opinion anyway). It just makes you even more stressed and sad which then I think cancels out any potential negative. That stat is wild (I’m not a doctor) but for what it’s worth I don’t believe it, I don’t see how they could possibly know.

@FlyOnTheWall89 yes I think those quotes sound about right….sadly. The cost is really frustrating and worrying. I feel like oh I need to also save every penny because if this doesn’t work I need another £18k. It’s a real unneeded additional stress

@Hoping43 glad it went well and your AMH came back normal - did they say anything about the FSH? (I know ours was similar)

I think i might get some repeat private bloods done including AMH if not successful this cycle. X

@Carla2601 - i know seems crazy but some research done on it - as you said dont know what to believe i might try cut down on the odd drink here and there and save it for when i go out. Glad to hear all is going well with scans/injections x

@NatW2021 she told me…. FSH under 8 is completely normal. 8-10 and they start to think something is changing in terms of egg reserve. Numbers like 15,16,17 are more concerning. She said they look at FSH, AMH and AFC together to get a full picture of ovarian reserve and because my AMH and AFC are normal then she’s confident my reserve is ok, though my FSH is slightly higher than they would like. That was it really so I’m still not 100% on the connection between the three measures like why is one higher if the others are normal?! She seemed to want to focus more on what has changed since my last conception and the obvious answer was that I’ve had a c-section so she’s headed down that route as the next investigation

@Hoping43 from what the clinic explained to me AMH is the reserve so how many are left and FSH is what makes them grow and impacts the quality. FSH used to be ‘the one’ then AMH sort of overtook and now it seems to be more holistic. AFC is how many follicles are growing with no help so that’s reserve too (I think but I’m not remotely medical this was just what I understood from my consultant at the lister if it’s useful at all). If your numbers are good I think that’s definitely a good sign.

FSH is what I’m currently injecting to make the follicles grow again if that’s useful.

AMH is the confusing one for me as it’s always measured differently. Mine is 12.9 which was also apparently good(?!).

@lemons44 my OH did SA at home, cycled to the tube, got two tubes then ran to the hospital 😂

@Carla2601 thanks for that, really helpful. My AMH was 18.5, AFC 13 and FSH 9.6 and I’m 35. Not sure the numbers are amazing but she definitely said AMH and AFC are normal.

There seem to be different scales for AMH. I know people who have been told 8 is fine but my consultant said above 17 is normal so I don’t know if it’s just measured differently. How old are you if you don’t mind me asking? X

@Hoping43 I heard something useful on a podcast recently. AMH is only really relevant if you're doing IVF. If you're having regular periods, you'll release one egg a month. If you're doing IVF, they want you to be full of eggies to take out which is when AMH comes in because that indicates how you'll respond to the drugs given to you and what they give to you in order to get a good amount... without over stimulating. Some people get 6 eggs collected, some get 29!

Your data all makes sense and I'd take what the doctor says as v reassuring - I am on the low side with 10.7. Fertility dr who is leading my IVF said she would hope to see it above 13 (I'm 33 just). You're right there are so many scales online it's super confusing. I'm pretty keen to have an AFC so I may ask to have one next cycle to give a fuller picture. My FSH was 5 which like @Carla2601 I think is what makes the follicles grow/mature. A high FSH tends to indicate your body is having to work really hard to make that happen (I think). So it's a bit confusing that my AMH is low but my FSH is normal. Might query this next time. X

@Hoping43 there are 3 different scales so yep I think we’re all good (but why do they do that?! 😂). My AFC is 12 and my FSH is 7.9 so I think we’re pretty similar, and I’m also 35 so that’s a good sign hopefully. Our issue is on my OH side (missing part for sperm to pass through so it gets damaged in transit) if that gives you any peace of mind (just that you and I have similar results and they said no issue to me).

@Carla2601 thanks. Although she was clear my FSH was a slight concern at 9.6. Yours is under 8 which she said is completely normal. I just thought if your body was working harder to mature the egg it’s because you potentially have a lower egg reserve but as my AMH is normal then I just don’t get it.

Does your husband carry the cystic fibrosis gene that causes the tube to be missing? If so I have a friend in the same boat and she’s around 20 weeks pregnant now after her second IVF round x

@FlyOnTheWall89 thank you. I know you’re right but I can’t help thinking that if all these things are “normal” why isn’t it happening?! I don’t know if it’s better if my HSG shows something up or not. I feel like being in the unexplained bracket isn’t great as they can’t treat you optimally if they don’t know the cause?!

Are you starting IVF soon? Have you read any of the information on the Ask Robert section of the genesis research trust website? I find it SO interesting x

@FlyOnTheWall89 and @Carla2601 how many times have you guys had your FSH measured? May 2021 mine was 4. July it was 6.3. November it was 9.6 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Hoping43 ah no he doesn’t (although that is v common if you’re missing the pipe) but that’s amazing I’m really pleased to hear a story with a happy ending, by 2 rounds do you mean two egg retrievals and several transfers or her second embryo transfer from retrieval one if you don’t mind me asking?

So the way my consultant explained it was slightly different - which he seemed to link to quality (where AMH is quantity) although I have no idea why. Also you’re only a tiny bit over so it seems unlikely that would be the cause? Only had mine measured once. Are those all day 3 readings?

Agree re explained - at least I know what our issue is and it cut out a load of unnecessary tests and treatments for me that I would have been given had they not known the cause

Only once @Hoping43 and it was on day 3. Which was linked to quality @Carla2601 ?

@Carla2601 yes all day 3 readings. They said it can fluctuate month to month so I am slightly concerned that it might be like 20 one month and I just don’t know. But they said they use AMH and AFC to build a full picture. She didn’t mention quality. I didn’t think it was possible for them to assess quality until IVF but who knows. It just seems to be a minefield. Since the appointment I wish I had asked more questions like…. If everything is normal and my HSG is normal then what are the most probably causes!! Why didn’t I ask that?!?!

So she had one egg retrieval and then 2 transfers. I also have another friend who had success with her first round and had her baby then it took 5 more rounds (combo of retrievals and transfers) to get her second so I really feel like it’s the luck of the draw. She even said with her first they almost cancelled her round and on paper it looked like she would have no chance of success. Then her next 4 all looked good and she had no luck. I think it’s impossible to tell x

@Hoping43 my FSH was 9.2 so similar to yours and also AMH 16.94 which they told me was average. I’ve been told there’s no concerns with either actually!

I think there is so many different numbers and scales out there that it’s very confusing. And seeing other people say certain results are not normal etc makes me really anxious there’s something wrong with mine nobody’s fault I know everyone is trying to get reassurance etc. seems different professionals give differed to advice. It boggles my brain 😢

@LucyAnne34 I totally agree and sorry if I’ve said anything to worry you. To be clear, she didn’t give the impression that any of my results could explain my inability to get pregnant this time around.

I also know people with AMH at 8 who have been told that’s normal so it is quite mind boggling I do agree x

@Hoping43 no you didn’t, I just thought I had similar results to you the rest of the message was just for everyone in general. yes it’s def all a bit anxiety provoking isn’t it! Not the best time for us all x