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?

@oliveroses hopefully it will be nice. Errands finished and he is asking to do paining and the park this afternoon. Unfortunately he doesn’t nap. We lost that about 8 months ago. Some days I think he still needs it but he just doesn’t settle down for one so I do an hour of quiet time with reading books instead.

@Got2besoon ive spent a small fortune to. It would be great to hear your feedback about the AMH as thinking of doing one myself.

I hope my story gives you some hope - we conceived dc1 in the first month, dc2 took 2 years and 2 early miscarriages in the second year, so I totally feel your pain. I think having a hycosy helped tbh. Dc3 took 6 months, even though my cycles were 22-23 days at that point. I had dc3 when I was 40. Hope you all get your bfps soon.

@Got2besoon @Keeptrying32 I will join you in the spending a small fortune team, especially since starting acupuncture, and taking the expensive vitamins that they recommend! I can't wait to stop buying pre seed but I'm too scared to just stop now in case it's the magic thing that makes a difference!

Also my AMH wasn't great when tested at a private clinic before dc2, so it's definitely not the whole story.

@Gettissuesgotissues thank you, I needed this! X

@Massi2022 @Gettissuesgotissues

Thank you ladies!

Honestly, hearing people with positive outcomes brings me so much reassurance.

The more I Google the more down I get, but as was said earlier, we could all be one cycle away from that BFP. An Xmas one next month wouldn't be too bad!

Ive had a lovely day with DS. Lots of cuddles as well which is lovely. Sadly this evening I’ve wiped and had some pale brown discharge which is right on queue. I think AF will be here Wednesday going by previous months. A year ago I would not even noticed but I feel very attuned to my body now. I think my treat will be a nice G and T on Wednesday. I’ll have been at a conference all day so it will be a double treat!

Yes to the G&T!

I'm sorry about the spotting. Do you not test early? If not, I wish I could do the same but early testing has become such a compulsion.

I’ve put the tonic in the fridge ready. I tend to spot on 9 or 10dpo so know that AF is coming- i never actually get to the stage where I can test. I did get to 12dpo last month but as we were away I couldn’t test. I’ve told myself I won’t test until CD28 if I ever make it that far.

@Keeptrying32 glad you had lots of cuddles. So sorry about the spotting. It's absolutely crap. I am 11dpo and just had a tiny spot of brown tonight too. Just tiny, probably wouldn't notice h less you were looking, but I know what's coming. All today I have been hoping it wouldn't come but yep. I am trying to put a brave face on it but I expect I'll have a meltdown at some point this week. I try to think it's just one more step along the way to where I'm trying to get but it's a very tough slog. I have had a bath and a face mask and will try and get an early night I think. And not Google!

@oliveroses that spotting sounds very similar to mine. I didn’t have anymore until just now which was dish charge with bright red streaks so definitely not implantation. I think I’m going to be spot on with my prediction. It really does suck. Also means a very short luteal phase this month of 10 day. Gah I hate my body.

Funny, it sounds like a few of us have shorter luteal phases and spotting before AF.

I think I'm going to try a b vitamin complex this month to see if this helps, though not sure which cycle day to start?

I think you can start a b complex vit whenever though I'm not an expert. When I was trying for my son I had a chemical pregnancy and after that I had luteal phase spotting. Never before. Same this time round, I don't know why the chemicals triggered it. I have been told it's a sign of low progesterone but I don't think the gps have any time for that. My acupuncturist said she'd refer me after a while to a fertility specialist who does more work with hormones so maybe when that happens I'll know more. My gp says it doesn't cause infertility and is nothing to worry about. Every time I have been pregnant I have had no spotting.

I hate the spotting so much. I was on a b vit but stopped at the end of the packet a couple of months ago. I might find a new one now though x

I just want to point out - if you TTC for the first time on day 11, make sure DH has… emptied the pipes a few days before that.

If he hasn’t, and you’re TTCing with one- or two-week old sperm, that isn’t going to be good for morphology, DNA damage etc.

My IVF consultant says that all his embryo experience shows three day old sperm is the best quality.

@Decaffe Thanks for that, very good point.

AF arrived in full flow this am, so on to another cycle.

I've bought some B Vitamin complex and high strength vit C from Tesco.

Let's do this!

On a separate note, does anyone know how long semen analysis results take? I was hoping they'd go up on the NHS app the same day (as they obviously do the testing on the day the sample is handed in). Too optimistic?

@Got2besoon if it’s NHS they can take up to 7 days from my experience x

Yep NHS.

I'm so impatient, I was really hoping we'd get them the next day. We know they run the test when you give in the sample, would be nice if they just uploaded the results on the system at the same time

The funny thing is, I'm a vet and we get taught to analyse animal semen samples at uni (not something I do day to day!) so I'd have a fair idea what it all means. I've been tempted to have a look at DH's goods under the microscope at work but I don't think the nurses would put up with that

@Got2besoon I love your positive approach! Am a bit on the floor today as spotting is well and truly established and I'm cramping. I did get a new b vitamin today though!x

@Got2besoon I love that. I definitely would be tempted to look under a microscope if I knew what I was looking at. I’m much better at interpreting the results the labs sends. Here is my confession- I’m a junior doctor so spend my days looking at blood results. It usually takes a couple of days as the lab will look at it on the day but these tests usually don’t get back to the GP for a day or two. It goes into the GPs inbox for them to look at it. They have to ‘file it’ before it hits your online record. And that depends on when the GP is next in etc. unfortunately it is a bit of a slow system.

@oliveroses sorry to hear that.It really is a rubbish time. More spotting for me today- not full flow yet. Hopefully the b vitamins will work for you.

Looks like this cycle we will all be close together if we are CD1 today or tomorrow. Maybe we can keep each other going this month and hopefully find the funny side of a crap situation.

can I join? Reaching a year TTC no 2 and had our bloods and sperm analysis last week (also just for anyone else reading - you can ask before a year or as you’re coming up to a year and they’ll do that for you!)

its so hard. Sometimes I’m fine and busy with my firstborn and trying to accomplish things in life (I’ve stopped putting things on hold for no 2 now although that’s tricky in itself as some things I’m still waiting for). Some times are bad though, like if you hear about a pregnancy and aren’t expecting to. I hate the powerlessness and not knowing.

@Keeptrying32 Ah, thank you for explaining that about the way they file results, that makes a lot of sense.

I can imagine your job comes with some stress. I'm terrible at "switching off" after work but I do try. I've found a lavender bath set I got for Xmas last year, so that will be put to good use this month. I've been reading about how high cortisol can lower progesterone, so I'm going to try hard to remain mellow this month

I could definitely use the company during this cycle. Who knows, we may all have some good luck!

DH was told his analysis would take 3 weeks!

3 day old is good to know!

My DH had to wait 8 weeks🙈

Oh gosh, some long waiting times for those sperm results ladies.

I just got my Superdrug AMH level back. It's 15.7 pmol/L which I'm quite pleased with. It's low but within the normal range for my age (I think).

The process was easy. They post the kit which arrived in 2 days. I poked my skin with the lancet and filled half a tube with some blood drops. No pain. Results online in 48 hours. Pretty good!