TTC 1 year+ Rant!

[RoseGold24]

Sorry for the absolute rant, I just need to let off steam and talk to someone who feels the same or who has come out the other side!

I appreciate it's not long compared to some but we've been ttc 13 cycles now and I am just at a point of anger rather than upset anymore. From day 1, I've taken so many vitamins, soy isoflavones etc that I'm rattling. Acupuncture - on it. Alcohol intake isn't perfect but I certainly don't have as many wines of a Friday evening as I would like! Ovulation sticks - again been using Clearblue digital for MONTHS. We can't really try not tracking because my partner works away at times and we need to make sure we get the right days...

I'm 38, my periods are regular, only issue is spotting. My acupuncturist told me to eat less sugar and improve my circulation to address this. Honestly I struggle to give up sugar because it's the only friggin pleasure left when ttc! I hate the thought that I can't have a baby because I eat too much chocolate?? My weight is average (high side of 'normal' bmi. Basic tests are normal for iron, thyroid function, and day 21 suggests that I am ovulating. I drink 2l water and a mug of bone broth every day, plenty of green veg and fruit... I'm out of ideas.

My partner is 43, keeps fit and eats well... we're on a waiting list for a fertility clinic. This month my bbt dropped about 4 days ago and has stayed low, and the spotting continues to limp along. Every month I have the pathetic excitement of "this might be an implantation bleed!" But this month I finally accept it isn't.

If you've read this far thank you. All suggestions/hand holds welcome!

How was your HSG date I ask @Decaffe - mine is coming up?

If you feel you've literally checked everything you could get a comet sperm test done - it is unidentifiable by just a sperm test. I've seen you on many threads so you might already know this but thought I'd offer something more you could do. X

I haven’t heard of a comet sperm test - thank you - I will research.

I was so nervous before the HSG having read all the stories but honestly it was absolutely fine. To the point where I actually had to ask the radiographer “is it in yet?” about the catheter (answer, yes), and “have you done the dye yet?” (answer, yes!) such was the extent that I didn’t feel it. In fact the worst part of the whole thing was the speculum. Exactly the same as at a smear test, I just don’t like the feel of them. But after that, it was fine. She did say beforehand I might cramp a little or it might feel cold, and perhaps I would have if there had been any blockages. But for me, I am definitely adding a ‘positive HSG experience’ to the mix! When is yours?

Just had a Google - that sounds interesting!

The research shows there is a fertility bounce for three months after your HSG so I will see how we go and then book in the comet test for July if needed!

This was such a lovely thread seeing two people who've been trying so hard get positive news!
I'm 33, started TTC just before turning 32. 1st pregnancy took 9 months of TTC and I felt like giving up hope by then, sadly resulted in early loss. 2nd I got pregnancy straight away and another early loss 3rd seems to be working and only took two months to conceive (both with false positive pregnancy tests which was very annoying). My only point in this is that I found something sort of switched in my body... like, 9 months of nothing and then boom, my body suddenly went into fertile mode!
I obviously have everything crossed for you guys that everything is just perfect and you don't have to go through what I did.
Also, I totally get the constant pregnancy test thing, you can buy really cheap ones on Amazon, like 50 little strips for about £6 and then you can test to your heart's content and watch the lines get darker and darker... not that I spent a small fortune on tests or anything
😂
Again, I was so happy for you guys reading this this morning! 🙂

I've been TTC for a year next month and we jumped the gun with investigations as we hit ovulation bang on every month, and turns out my husband has an extremely low almost negligible slerm count, morphology, motility and concentration. We paid for a private urologist consultation at £160 and found out he has a big varicocele which is the likely cause. I obsessed over vitamins, opks, timing sex etc but for us it would never have led to pregnancy due to the varicocele. Waiting lists are long where we live so it was worth paying to get the check after getting the semen analysis on NHS, if you can afford it it's worth it, we will have to tighten the purse strings rest if the month but for peace if mind and no more horrible two week waits where I wonder what every twinge was, was so worth it.

Okay that sounds like it was fine @Decaffe - I didn't like having my coil put in years ago. I got a lot of cramping but I'm hoping this is okay. It seems a v mixed thing. Yessss praying for this HSG bounce thing!

@Imisscoffee2021 the threshold for testing sperm should be pretty low. I've read and listened to huge amounts on this recently and it is so often a problem.... and it's really hard not to think about all those months that really there was virtually no chance. Hope you get your BFP soon! X

@Decaffe I’m in the same boat as you. TTC >1 year

-had bloods and showed I ovulate and thyroid etc all fine
-had ultrasound and ovaries and womb look fine
-had AMH and middle of range for my age group
-DH had semen analysis and all fine

So WHYYYY hasn’t it happened yet?! It’s heartbreaking now, I am really struggling. I can’t focus on anything

It's so so frustrating @Decaffe isn't it! I really hope you get your bfp soon, you deserve it!

@fl1pfl0p87 I'm gutted for you, it's so hard to settle and concentrate on anything else when you're just wondering why!!

Hi @Dreams2727 so nice to hear your story! How far along are you now?

@Dreams2727 nice as in, glad your body went into fertile mode! Obviously really sorry to hear about your losses x