Saw the GP today...

[Got2besoon]

Well after 16 months of ttc number 2 and one mmc at the start, I finally bit the bullet and saw the GP this morning.

She was lovely and she's going to order some bloods and a sperm analysis for DH. She also took a swab today (for Chlamydia I think).

I'm sad that I'm at this point and a little angry too. I thought my DS would have a sibling by now and I just want this fertility journey to be over. Definitely grateful to have DS but fearful no more will come.

Is anyone else at a similar stage in their fertility journey?

I gave up with those as they never worked for me either.

@oliveroses I’ve tried a few things- I did temping for a while but it was hard to be consistent as you have to do it first thing, at same time each morning and have been at rest for at least 3 hours which doesn’t work with a toddler. Also it rises after ovulation so it didn’t help me know when to BD if that makes sense.
I now use LH sticks. I started off using the clear blue kit while I got to grips with it and now just use cheaper ones off Amazon. It really helps me as I can ovulated anywhere between day 10 and day 14. It also showed me I ovulate later than my cycle would predict based on a standard 14 luteal phase. My luteal phase is 11- 12 days long.
i used them from day 8. I do them morning and evening initially. Then when they start going dark I do them more frequently- every 4-6 hours so I don’t miss the peak. I use the Femometer analysis to help interpret but I’m pretty good at looking at them now.

We have been TTC for 2 years and just got our bfp. We had the doctors investigations and hycosy which was clear so was told everything looked ok. I suspected I might have endo but the only way to diagnose was via lap and waiting list is so long we were told we would be offered IVF first. Almost 2 years on the dot we got the letters through to start the IVF process and I did a test and it was 2-3 weeks. Honestly thought it would never happen. I’ve definitely found the TTC journey very mentally tough at times. I’ll never know what was different about month I think it’s just pot luck tbh!

@Massi2022 what a fab post, thank you for sharing! That brings me hope and I'm so glad for you.

I just had my bloods back and all is OK except day 21 progesterone was a little low at 25 (should be 30 or over).

I'm going to ask if they can re check it next month.

My swab showed Strep B which is apparently very common and won't need treatment.

DH has his sperm analysis in 2 weeks so ball is well and truly rolling!

Oh, and you guys have convinced me, it's TGIs for us on Thursday

I use the easy@home ovulation strips, too. I start testing from day 8 and test about 3 times a day when they start to get darker as my LH surge is really quick.

We follow SMEP so DTD on days 8, 10, 12, 13, 14 and sometimes 15 if have the energy left! However, GP this month told me to "save it" until day 11 so it's fresh sperm and I may as well give this a go next month.

Weirdly, I've ovulated day 12 the last 2 months (I'm usually day 14).

Ugh, TTC makes you analyse and worry about every little thing.

@Massi2022 congratulations. that is a lovely story. It sometimes just takes time. Wishing you a safe pregnancy.

@Got2besoon that sounds promising with your bloods. Definitely try to get a repeat of the day 21 progesterone. It may be that it was taken at slightly the wrong time- my day 21 is actually day 18 as that is 7 days before AF was due. But as my cycles vary some months by day 21 would be day 16. Did AF arrive 7days after that test?

No problem! I always told myself I would post some follow ups if we got a BFP to give others hope that you can be trying for longer and it can still happen! I lost count of the amount of pregnancy announcements to me where they just couldn’t believe how quickly it happened!! Obviously happy for them but there are definitely two sides to the TTC journey and for so many people it takes a lot longer and not a lot of people realise how mentally tough it is to be on that journey! You really are only ever one month away from a BFP tho and i believe it can happen for anyone who is TTC! Xx

Yes, I've been googling like mad!
I was tracking with BBT and LH strips so I'm fairly certain I tested on the right day.
AF hasn't actually showed up yet as I'm only 9dpo, so will be interesting to see what day she shows.
(Negative FRER today of course, so used to it by now I don't even get excited to test anymore).

Yes my surge is very quick. I could miss if testing once a day. On the cycle above at 6pm on CD 13 I was testing high and by am CD14 I was low.

9dpo is still very early remember for testing. I have my fingers crossed that AF won’t show for you so it will make the test irrelevant.

The day 21 test irrelevant.

@Keeptrying32 Ah I love your optimism! My DH says the same but my optimism left about cycle 7

I did have brown spotting last night (which is unusual for me) but I'm guessing it's a sign of low progesterone rather than implantation given my bloods (and my low BBT these last few days). Uuuugh.

@Massi2022 congratulations, that's wonderful news!

@Got2besoon that's so interesting that your GP said that about fresh sperm. We dtd every day after my period stops until about cd14 and then every 2 or 3 days. I have often wondered if it's possible to dtd too much! I also worry about dtd after ovulation as I've read mixed things about this but I feel so mean saying no to DH just because it's a particular time of the cycle!

@Keeptrying32 Why do you say it is irrelevant? I did see some sources which said progesterone fluctuates a lot during the day so the test isn't always reliable.

@Got2besoon Sorry I meant irrelevant as in the test doesn’t matter because you turn out to be pregnant not that day 21 test is irreverent altogether. I don’t want to get your hopes up but If you’ve had no more spotting it could implantation rather than their progesterone dropping as I read that implantation can be as late as day 12. Unfortunately there is no way to tell but wait until AF shows or not.

Ah, thanks for clarifying @Keeptrying32 !!
I'll certainly keep the thread updated but I feel zero optimism
I'm already browsing the TGI menu to decide what to get!! Starter, main side and desert is acceptable right!?

I had such a down day today (hormonally, 10dpo is always when I feel really emotional) and am struggling a bit.

I know this too shall pass, but it really is shit being in the thick of it.

How is everyone getting on?

@Got2besoon sorry you are having a down day. Not much to report here. Not feeling great myself to be honest. My boobs are sore and I’ve had some cramping today which is my usual sign for my period coming. I usually start spotting the next day or 2 so I’m predicting AF on Wednesday. Now to decide what my treat will be.

I think I'm about 10 dpo too. It goes so slowly but weird how the day of knowing creeps up on you so fast. I have been having mixed feelings today, part hopeful, part very sad. I raised ivf with DH earlier to get it in the table. We have said middle of next year if no luck. That made me feel better. I had a lot of baby/large family exposure over the weekend!

I expect to start spotting in the next day or two. whatever happens I comfort myself knowing that jn 5 years time this will probably just be a blip I look back on. I had a really nice day with my son today and have started to throw myself into Christmas (I know - sorry!). It's helping x

Yey, Christmas! I've already got a few presents for DS, so starting to feel festive.

I've had lots of spotting today so I guess AF will be here soon. Weirdly that's going to mean a 22 day cycle. So bizarre as I normally have 27 day cycles. They've been getting shorter the last few months so I'm even more glad I'm at the "GP stage" now.

I had a bit of freak out earlier about it never happening and I ordered an AMH blood test from Superdrug as I've convinced myself I'm perimenopausal and have no eggs :/

Morning. I’ve had cramping all night so convinced AF will show soon. My DS is waking lots at night as well at the moment so feeling exhausted today.

I’ve had a few shorter cycles this year but then some longer ones to. Have you been u well with a virus, covid or anything recently as my cycles went really short just after I had covid.

It is my day off with DS today. I’m going to try and fill it with fun stuff around the errands I need to run to cheer us up.

@Got2besoon I completely understand that you are freaked about shortening cycles but I think the chances of you being peri menopausal are very low! I haven't heard of that test from Superdrug before. I have a similar worry sometimes as I've had a couple of 25 day cycles- but I am 41. It makes me panic, last month was better at the usual 27. Every day at this stage of the cycle seems to take an age, it feels as though so much can happen, I know. So annoying about the spotting.

I am feeling a bit sorry for myself this morning, mostly because it's Monday I think. Will try and take myself out for a good walk over my lunch break. I weighed myself and am the same weight I was 2 weeks ago despite eating no cake and sugar and running three times a week. So frustrating! I thought I'd at least be making progress on that front ...

@Keeptrying32 sounds like you have a good day planned. Does your son still nap in the day? Nothing worse than broken nights - for some reason they feel worse for me now than in the newborn days, even though at that point I was barely functioning!

Sounds like a productive day @Keeptrying32

I've not been unwell this month and I tried extra hard with my diet, water intake, yoga, vitamins etc. so it feels like a kick in the teeth that this cycle was so weird and short.

@Oliveroses I think you're right but I'm just a worrier by nature! My mum had early menopause (44 I think), and I've heard fertility declines 10-15 years before menopause so I'm going to worst case scenario in my head. Sounds silly written down!

I've had more spotting and I'm 11dpo. Of course, I couldn't resist a cheeky pregnancy test. BFN.

Will keep you guys updated on the AMH testing process and results, in case anyone is interested. The test was about £80 and I read the NHS don't provide it anyway, so I went for it.

I would hate to think how much I've spent on TTC this year (vitamins, pre seed, fertilily, ov strips and So. Many. FRERs!)

@Got2besoon the month before I got my BFP pretty sure I had a very short 23 day cycle which was weird so it doesn’t necessarily mean anything sinister! Some months my cycles did fluctuate between 25 - 28 days and I would getting spotting before AF quite regularly too never worked out why.