One year+ TTC part 3

[BritInNZ]

Hey ladies - new thread here we come! Changed it from 9 months+ seeing as we're pretty much all over a year of TTC now (boo!)

Feel free to add anyone else I may have forgotten 😊

@Carla2601
@lemons44
@LucyAnne34
@NatW2021
@Indianna2006
@KatieLooLa
@Hoping43
@Flyonthewall89

Newbies welcome too! Just a bunch of lovely ladies going through a tough time TTC and having a good old time venting and supporting one another 😊

@Hoping43 I’m really sorry to hear that - I don’t think people realise how unhelpful being told ‘nothing is wrong’ is?! Why is it you have to wait until October for IVF? (Sorry if you’ve said before, have tried to keep up with all the posts but struggle sometimes)

It is something that has happened before but not for over a year. Some internal damage was caused delivering my DD that I ended up needed surgery on my cervix for - sorry for TMI but basically I had a lot of scarring which was causing my periods to just back up inside my uterus because it couldn’t get out! Praying that’s not happening again. The GP I spoke to in May said she would refer me to fertility but I’ve been sent an appointment for the 1 stop gynae clinic (again!) which is in July so…

@Netflixnchilli ah ok I see. How long have you been TTC? Does the scarring have any bearing on future conceptions/pregnancies?

well we don’t have to wait but they have advised we give it 18 months as “nothing is wrong” and they said it can take 2 years sometimes. And I’ve done a lot of research and I think if infertility is truly unexplained it seems roughly the same amount of people get pregnant in the end whether they have treatment or keep trying naturally. So I feel like it’s good, ethical advice but obviously frustrating and just disheartening as each month goes by xx

Yes completely agree on the ethics front but infuriating all the same!

We’ve been TTC for 13 months now and I was told after my surgery they could see no reason it would be any problem conceiving but that id just be high risk for miscarrying because I have very little posterior length to my cervix.

Hi all
Hope you’re all doing OK.
Hubby and I are now on month 8 since our MMC which I know isn’t as long as many of you here but we fell pregnant first time trying before and I just know in my gut that something isn’t right. Had some day 21 bloods done which all came back fine apart from FSH which was ‘abnormal’ however, can’t get an appointment to discuss the results for another couple of weeks and I know that FSH should be measured at the start of your cycle anyway so I’ve ordered a home testing kit from medichecks which I will be doing tomorrow (CD3)
My main concern is that my periods are just so weird (sorry, TMI incoming) … they just don’t ‘flow’ at all anymore. I can go all day with a pad in on CD1 and 2 and nothing will be on them at the end of the day … but when I am on the loo I can sometimes push out some clots (maybe 2 or 3 on CD1)
@Netflixnchilli do you mind me asking what yours were like when you were diagnosed with uterine scarring? Are you in the UK? I just have this gut feeling that I have Ashermans Syndrome and I can’t bear the thought of fighting with the NHS for months for them to investigate this and have read all sorts about how it can be made worse if not dealt with by a specialist.
I genuinely feel so fed up and sad. As I’m sure is the same with all of you, I just can’t concentrate on anything. I can’t find joy in anything I do anymore because this whole process is all consuming and seems to be constantly at the back (or front) of my mind.
Sorry for the rant :( if anyone knows anything valuable about Asherman’s then I’d love to hear it please? X

@Koalie so sorry you’re having a difficult time; it’s so hard when you feel something is wrong but no one will listen.

I was having cyclical pain but no periods; I was still breastfeeding so wasn’t too concerned but then I have a TV ultrasound and they found a ‘fluid filled structure’ in my uterus and I was referred on 2 week wait pathway to see gynae as they were worried it was cancer. I ended up going privately because the NHS clinic couldn’t get the hysteroscopy scope in - despite trying for an hour! It was all just taking so long so I saw a gynae privately who had actually been the one to do my emergency c section and after an O/P hysteroscopy she diagnosed a haematometra and she thought she’d cleared it but I ended up having to go in under GA a month later and she found that what she had thought was the scope going through my cervix was in fact scar tissue that she had to cut back to find and dilate my cervix and then try and sew back into shape after - sorry for TMI there! I likely have a lot of uterine scar tissue though because I had a rare complication at delivery and my uterus also ended up tearing all the way down to my vagina and all the way back to my kidneys - so it seems illogical they ever thought it was cause me no trouble conceiving. It’s why I’m wondering whether to just bite the bullet and go to a clinic now because I want some answers if possible!!

sorry that was very long! Your periods don’t sound normal at all (don’t meant that harsh as it sounds!) - do you have pain? And have you had any ultrasounds since your MMC?

@Netflixnchilli
Oh gosh! That sounds like a lot to go through and it’s pants that you ended up having to go private. It seems a lot of people do when it comes to this kind of thing..
I have had an ultrasound since the MMC but I’ve read that you can’t see scar tissue on a regular ultrasound (but I think you can on 3d.) I’ve found someone who specialises in Asherman’s syndrome in London and considering going to see him but I’m worried I’m going down completely the wrong road with this and don’t want to waste a load of money if I am. Thanks for telling me my periods don’t sound normal at all haha … it’s what I actually needed to hear because I keep battling with myself and thinking that perhaps I just always had light periods (I had the implant in with no periods for years before we fell pregnant so I can’t actually remember what they were like before.) Yes I do still get period pain but no more than normal. The only odd thing is that i seem to get weird stabbing pains and a bit of spotting a few days before my period is due which I don’t think I’ve ever had before 🤔 x

@Netflixnchilli
forgot to mention, I’m based up north to going to London for private treatment will be a bit of a ball ache but I’ve heard such good things about Mr Lower - maybe he could help you too? X

@Netflixnchilli just so weird isn’t it how you can have children and then struggle to have more! It blows my mind xx

Hi @Koalie nice to meet you. Have you had children before or multiple D and Cs? I thought they were the main cause of Asherman’s. I had a c section with my second and can’t get pregnant again so I looked at it but it said it would be very rare even from a c section and most likely caused by multiple D and Cs.

have you been to the GP? Sorry if you’ve said already. Could you push for a laparoscopy or HSG? Xx

Hi @Hoping43
Thank you for your reply :) no, I have no children yet and just the one MMC which resulted in ERPC (similar to D&C) I was told that uterine scaring was very rare too but after researching, it seems to be more common than is made out and there are lots of people who have had to go privately because the NHS just fobs you off by saying it’s very unlikely to be Asherman’s. I have spoken to my gp who started by running some bloods (which half of them were taken on the wrong day 🙄 and lots that were omitted) so I don’t have much faith I’ll get anywhere with them and I know that the waiting list for HSG/Hysteroscopy can be months long. I just can’t bear all the waiting and wondering ☹️

@Koalie obviously it’s completely your decision but my concern about going private would be the potential spiralling costs and I think I private laparoscopy is like £5k so I guess it really depends on your financial position.

My GP has been really good. We were referred in Nov after TTC since April and we saw a fertility nurse in Jan who did some basic tests then we saw a consultant end March. I was referred for a HSG which I had early April. Everybody has a different experience but I can’t really fault my GP x

@Hoping43
aaahhh it’s such a hard decision. I wish I had confidence in my GP and that there wasn’t such a wait to be referred 😟Yes, it would be very expensive to go private. Mr Lower charges around £650 for initial consultation and 3d scan, then if he finds scarring and needs to perform Hysteroscopy to fix it, it could be anywhere from £4,500 - £6,000 depending on how bad the scarring is. But all can be booked in pretty much straight away, so no waiting and I’ll have confidence that I’d be looked after by a specialist. My brain is scrambled!
Thank you so much for your help - it is useful to know the timeline for how long you had to wait to be referred x

@Koalie - sorry you are feeling down - totally relate its so horrible and really impacts your mood, i have been TTC 12 months and its honestly all I've thought about for the last year, i get upset all the time its just exhausting and so consuming. I dont have any children but my periods are also very light, i think a few people on here have mentioned it also. This month was 2 days - i dont have much flow but it seems heavier when i wipe.

Awww @NatW2021 your message made me cry (again 😆) when I think of all the women out there struggling through this it just makes me so sad. I’m so sorry you’re finding it tough too 😢

Can’t seem to pull myself together today .. I’m just gunna pour myself a glass of wine and call it a day ..
x

Hi @Koalie - I have light / very clotty periods and it's never been flagged as an issue. I wear a cup for 1 day. You're 8 months in. I know it feels like a lifetime but going privately for various things could be avoided if you wait it out another 3/4 tries because then it's a year and you can really get the NHS to tick every box. I didn't wait more than 2/3 weeks for a HSG (London based). I think your concern re periods could also be dealt with as a side note and nothing to do with fertility... just a genuine concern.

Even though you fell pregnant 1st go, there may be no rhyme or reason why you have not got pregnant since.

I am sure you should be able to get a copy of your results even if you don't get an explanation about them for a few weeks. Hope you can!! Maybe be a bit pushy? Not sure how accurate those post tests are - I've not done them. Let us know!!

Side note - if the money side of things doesn't bother you then just start because it's so mentally draining. We started investigating at 9 months in and everything came back fine for me (every test was a tick off my list) and at about 11 months, I finally got my OH to do a SA which gave us the reason we have no baby yet after 16 ish months (I've lost count tbh). @Koalie xx

@Netflixnchilli oh no that is so frustrating, are you normally really regular? Hope you’re ok

Hi @FlyOnTheWall89
Thank you for your reply :) I have got the results of my bloods (they were uploaded to the online system I have set up) and the FSH was the only things that was abnormal but they were all done on day 21 when I know LH, FSH and Estrogen should be done on day 3. The GP just put ‘no further action required’ even though one of the results was abnormal so I found that rather unhelpful. The at home test seems to be legit and they have great reviews - medichecks they’re called so I’ll be able to hopefully tick some more off my list when they come back.
You’re right about being able to go down the problem with periods route rather than fertility with the NHS. Maybe I will speak to my GP again and see what they say about referring me for further investigations.
We could afford to go privately but we’re not well off enough for it to go unnoticed so it really is a tough decision. Thank you so much for your advice xx

@Koalie i also had very light periods with clots and whilst we did need IVF they said I had the results of a 30 year old (I’m 35) and it was my OH who was missing a part. Not trying to downplay your worries just trying to maybe put your mind at rest a touch.

one thing I would say re going private was you can always switch back. When we realised there was an issue with OH (SA) we went private straight away and got a diagnosis. To be honest I think the NHS would have only been a couple of months slower but as we’d started we carried on private but there was no need for us to (we were also very lucky to get some financial support from my in laws so they made it possible for us so I do completely understand it isn’t possible for everyone as it wouldn’t have been for me either without them). Not saying you should or shouldn’t just a thought. When I called the NHS with our diagnosis they didn’t even ask how long we’d been trying because it was a terminal issue (we could never have a healthy pregnancy without IVF) they just did the funding forms. Anyway this is really long now but just a few thoughts for what they’re worth.

I hope you’re having a better evening - I know how awful that feeling is and how all consuming it is as we all do so feel free to rant away to us!

if anyone else is addicted to love island at least we have that escapism in t minus 30 mins!!!

@Koalie obviously completely up to you but if you have the number of your FHS, someone might have an insight? It is also quite importantly correlated with LH. You can measure them in other times but obvs the band of 'normal' changes for the part of cycle you're in. Very odd that they marked it abnormal and then no further action...!! I found those months of 8,9,10,11 the hardest tbh. They are just no man's land and feel really far away from the beginning of TTC but also far from being able to really action anything. I just kept busy and tried not to feel to down. It was defo worse on CD1,2,3 ish and then I forgot for a while and then it comes back... that creeping AF fear. Xx

@Koalie ive just done a progesterone test through Superdrug online doctors because that was one thing my clinic weren’t up for doing (they said hard to get it right unless you get the day spot on and as my cycles are regular there’s a 95% chance I’m ovulating). The test itself was easy to do. I posted it back on Thursday but not had a result yet. I’ll let you know what happens!!

I mean it’s so hard to say this but it took me 8 months with my second and I also thought it wasn’t ever going to happen then it just did. I don’t want to tell you it’ll be fine because now I’m 14 months down the line and nothing so who knows which way it’s going to go. But I would start by going back to the GP and asking for day 3 blood tests.

if you share your day 21 results then I’m sure someone might know something x

Thank you for taking the time to tell me your thoughts @Carla2601 .. It’s really helpful to know about switching to and from private. I really wish I had the right channel for love island but we don’t have sky at the moment so will have to watch on catch up :(
Honestly girls, thank you all so much for your support tonight, I feel a little less hopeless x

Results attached girls if anyone can shed any light? 😆
@Hoping43 … luckily, last cycle was textbook for me (very unusual, as I usually have a shorter than average luteal phase) I ovulated on CD14 and it was a 28 day cycle so hopefully my progesterone was 👍🏼
@FlyOnTheWall89 you’re so right about no man’s land .. my hope dwindles a little more every AF that comes around 😒
x

Which cycle day were the bloods taken @Koalie x

@FlyOnTheWall89 CD21 x