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?

Well AF has left the building and the ovulation strips are out. Deja vu...

DH and I have been taking our vitamins but our diet hasn't been the best; it's hard to stay on track after so long. Pizza for dinner last night 😬

Poor DH is having a 'lads' night' tonight with the proviso he doesn't drink too much. We'll see how he does!

@Got2besoon I had so much pizza at the weekend! And wine, to be honest. You can't always do everything healthily. It would be exhausting and it might not make much of a difference. Also pizza is like sunshine on a plate.

I have been doing yoga, getting out every day (I work from home a lot) and drinking lots of water. I started this thing called seed cycling where you eat different seeds in the first and second half of the month. I eat seeds on porridge anyway so thought I might as well. Only thing is you have to grind them up for better absorption. Low effort it is NOT! My arms are killing me.

Are you using a pestleand mortar?! I just use my Nutribullet for blending nuts and seeds; very quick (though noisy). Although I suppose you're getting a good work out in, so maybe I should reconsider.

This month I'm hoping to get my LH peak after day 12. It was day 10 and 11 the last few months, which I feel is too early.

@Got2besoon yes, pestle and mortar! I don't understand how blenders work the flax seeds are too fine for the mini food processor I have... then I put them in the coffee grinder I have but it seems to have now broken ...
Hope that you get your LH surge a bit later this month. I'm having a cheeky wine after a crazy day. I think I will try no alcohol again in the 2ww this time though. I did that very religiously when I conceived my boy. But then it did not take very long compared to this. What do you do?

I hear you on that!
I was caffeine and alcohol free for number 1 but it was a mere 4 months ttc.

I've done a few cycles alcohol free but this cycle I'm just caffeine free. My in laws brought around prosecco last night and I'm finishing it off now. Plus we're having date night tomorrow and then a games night with friends on Saturday. I won't go mad but I'll definitely have a few drinks. To be fair, you see so many women commenting that they got pregnant the month they went on holiday and drank, so it can't be that awful!
As you say, I'll stop for the TWW :)

Ho both of you. I honestly don’t think that a cheeky glass or two will prevent you from conceiving. I think being sensible around the 2ww but as you both say it is turning into a long old slog. I don’t drink much generally but with Xmas coming up there may be a few more occasions where I have one.

unfortunately I haven’t been very well- sore throat and headaches. I started to see a bit of a rise in my LH on day 7 but is gone back to zero. I’ve also been running a low grade fever much of the week so not sure what to make it. I will keep testing but if that was my ovulation we missed it with DH being away.

@Keeptrying32 ugh, hope you are feeling better? Last spring while ttc we were coming down with something every month from nursery, it was miserable! And I was worried it was a interfering, but actually I did better at that point with positive pregnancy tests than I am doing now 😆

Hoping to go into this week feeling calm and optimistic. And getting back into good habits, which definitely slipped over the weekend!

Oh no, I hope you're feeling better @Keeptrying32

Even though my Progesterone results were only 25 last month (they should be over 30 to confirm ovulation), I called the GP reception today and they've just said "normal results, no further action". It's frustrating as I feel like it would make sense for the GP to repeat the bloods this month.

I'm actually just going to do the Superdrug Progesterone test myself. £40 I'd rather not spend, but I just want to make sure I am actually ovulating.

I got the darkest LH strip I've ever gotten yesterday (1.75 on easy@home) so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

Poor DH had a bath yesterday and made sure he was only half in, so his "goods" didn't over heat.

I'm entering the tww now, and I'm hoping I don't get too stressed out this time.

@Got2besoon oh that is so frustrating! Yes, I would just do the Superdrug test too so that you can be sure ... it is so very tricky. I love my gp and I know how hard they work. But when it comes to something like this it feels difficult to communicate just how much it means.

Good on your DH - that made me laugh! I'm also entering the tww in the next couple of days. Going to try and clear the decks at work so that I have a clear and calm run into Christmas.

Thanks. I’m doing better. And we didn’t miss my peak- I am 1dpo today so the 2ww begins. Got a busy couple of weeks so hopefully it will fly by.

@Got2besoon That sounds really rubbish. Can you see the actual report and any comments with it? Mine gave a number and then said ‘result suggests ovulation and adequate progesterone to support pregnancy’ Does your practice have econsult so you can ask for a discussion? Unfortunately all practices work differently but you should be able to have a phone call to discuss it. The amount of training in fertility can vary between GPs and I’ve been given poor advice by a GP before about what day to do my tests on- told me to do my progesterone on day 2. I did try to question it but they were insistent it was day 21 (I didn’t as I knew my shorter cycles meant it need to do it earlier). It Is very frustrating though. Hope you have some luck.

Hope you're having good weekends. I am having a really nice time but I must admit I'm doing a terrible job of 'forgetting all about' ttc! I made myself watch a mindfulness video yesterday to try and address it, ugh. Put the tree up and having a sandwich lunch in front of zog on iPlayer!

Checking in too!

I've had a really busy few days (Santa's grotto with DS, tidying the house, getting the tree up, friends party, etc) so I'm somehow at 5dpo without having thought --much about the tww.

I'm really going to try not to POAS early as I know it will just bring heartache.

My plan is to keep busy, busy, busy. I've got quite a bit on at work this week, plus my SIL's birthday.

My 21 day progesterone blood test from Superdrug hasn't arrived yet so I'm hoping it doesn't show up after 7dpo, or I'll just have to use it next month. Damn Royal Mail strike!

Hi both of you. About 6 dpo here. I’m doing a terrible time of forgetting about the 2ww. Busy here but still can’t get it out my mind! I started counselling (for a couple of reasons) but of course TTC up and it actually made me feel worse about the whole thing. And I know it wasn’t directed this way but it did feel like he was saying I just needed to relax. He suggested that maybe I needed a break from trying. Less focus on ovulation and get back to being a couple. I can see what he means that it is really affecting my mood but at the same time is moving on and I’m not getting younger.
DH has his second analysis this week. He seems ok with it but I am very nervous for it. I’m convinced that the parameters won’t have improved.
Have you both started thinking about your treat this month?

@Keeptrying32 I'm sorry you're having a hard time right now.

That's the thing, isn't it? It's all well and good to "relax" and "take a break from it" but even thinking about doing that males my biological clock tick loudly in my ear!

I love your encouragement of the monthly treat! I'm thinking I might buy a festive bottle of M&S gin. I'm not usually a gin drinker but I think it will be lovely to have now and then over the festive period. How about you?

I find the whole 'relax' thing so annoying, because it suggests it's your own fault for being stressed. The woman who does my acupuncture is also very concerned that I don't stress or obsess but every time I see her we discuss which cycle day I am on. I'm hardly going to stop thinking about it since that's the whole reason I am there.

I was feeling quite positive this month for some unknown reason but today my DS has been off nursery with a cough and high temperature and as I've been cuddling him day and night for the last 24 hours I think I am in for an illness! Ugh. So probably unlikely for me this month. My treat is going to be to get stuck into Christmas in a big way and not worry about what I am eating and drinking! Oh yeah and I will book my tests at the GP ... fun... x

Hi everyone. I just wondered what everyone is thinking about potential ivf? We have two children, been trying for a third for 19 months now. I was dead set on ivf, we almost signed up a couple of months ago but we didn’t and now I just don’t know anymore. We are waiting for our next appt but I kind of don’t want them to send me an appt because I don’t want to have to decide. I don’t want to do it and I also don’t want to definitively walk away. I’m 36 now so I feel it’s now or never 😕 but I don’t know what to do! I can’t see me doing it but also can’t see me saying we are definitely not doing it and we don’t want any further appts

Hey @Anonbaby I'm not opposed to IVF and I think if I'm not pregnant in 4 or 5 months I'll be booking in.
However... I really don't want to!
I would hate to have to go through it (physically and mentally) and would feel really bitter to part with so much cash for something my body should do naturally. I'm also not sure how I'd handle the heartache of failed cycles.

I'm 9dpo today and for the first time ever in my ttc journey I have no desire to test early. I think it's a sign that any shred of hope has gone. I'll just wait for AF to appear and save myself the torture of looking for lines that aren't there.

@Got2besoon thank you for replying. Do you ever worry that it’s not meant to be and something could go wrong and maybe you should count your blessings? I think this is what I am struggling with at the moment. What if I go ahead and make a bad situation worse

Hi @Anonbaby, I have been thinking about ivf but I'm in two minds. It's the opposite of relaxing and trying to forget about it and as @Got2besoon said I'd find dealing with a failed ivf cycle so much harder. However I'm quite a bit older than you so I should really get a move on in terms of thinking about it. That's for next year I think. Do you have a rough idea of cost as I'm quite in the dark about it.

Like you said sometimes I worry I might be forcing the issue. When I had my chemical in March I was really worried it was an ectopic pregnancy for a few days. That really worried me and I felt so lucky afterwards that it wasn't! But I am inspired by success stories, and my mum had her last at 42, and so I can't help but feel hopeful. Well, I swing between hope and despair, is actually a more accurate way of putting it.

@Anonbaby Interestingly, no. That's never crossed my mind. Because I'm so sure we are meant to have a bigger family. I can't wait to give my son a sibling.

@Oliveroses I think it's a really good sign about your mum having a baby at that age, I've read a lot about the link between our fertility and that of our mother's.

Cost of ivf? I've read anywhere from £5k to £12k, depending on where you go, what "extras" you get and how many cycles you sign up for initially.

Thank you everyone. Our results have been so slow with the nhs which is a shame as I wanted to know something before Christmas :(

My husband has needed to take a range of medication (non negotiable) and from what I’ve found online, they may affect sperm. I really wish we could find out sooner.

If this is the case, is IUI the answer?

@BiscuitLover3678 Maybe a silly Q but have you checked your nsh direct app? My GP never called with my results but they were on the app after just a few days (same for DH).

@Anonbaby I think it is perfectly normal to be unsure about IVF. I have my doubts about it and I do often think I should be happy with one but at the same time I know I’m not done at one. I really want to give my son a sibling but also for myself. And it is a selfish thought. I worry about what the process will do to me mentally as well as physically. Will that impact on my son. Can I justify the money when I could spend on my son. I’m trying to get my mental health better and I’ve started counselling and part of that is coping with the failure of TTC alongside other things. Maybe I will change my mind with counselling but at the moment if I am not pregnant by march then we will be seeing a private specialist.

@Got2besoon i like the sound of the M and S gin. Don’t let that lack of desire to test upset you. I got that point last year- and actually it has saved me some money. Still spent a fortune on vitamins. It is a healthy sign that you are taking things as they come.

@oliveroses definitely a good sign with your mum conceiving when older.

@BiscuitLover3678 i would contact your GP to see. Sometimes when things are ok they don’t call or text and are expecting you to call to check.

DH had his test yesterday so waiting for the results. As he is military it is a different GP to mine and different system to get the results. I’ve written down questions for him in case they call as he won’t ask anything otherwise.

As well as ivf, I'm considering clomid and iui.
I think I need to book a consult to talk things through and see what's best for us.

Plan is to try naturally for a few more months (to see if the supplements help DH's sperm morphology) and then seek assistance if we haven't got anywhere.

I feel a lot of anger about it all. The financial side of things is also an obstacle and I'm sad it's now looking like it just won't happen naturally :(

Ok... I cracked!
Easy @ home pregnancy test... BFN.

So, I've contacted the local fertility clinic and have an appointment in 10 days.

The NHS are just going too slow for us.

Also, the receptionist said my borderline progesterone level was normal and my husband's 2% morphology was normal (it's not!).So she said we can't book a recheck and have to book a new appointment, with a 6 week waiting list. At this stage, we're ready to go private, especially as nhs won't offer much in the way of assistance for 2ry infertility (understandably).

Will be sure to keep the thread updated.

For now, I'm dealing with a poorly toddler, so have my hands full.
Hope everyone else on the thread is well, I know many of you are in your TWW x