One year+ TTC part 4

[lemons44]

Hi all
Onto thread 4! Hopefully this one is lucky for us 🍀 🤞🏼

Just a supportive thread for those of us who have been TTC for over a year. New faces are welcome. Feel free to vent, cry, laugh, ask silly questions, seek advice and talk about anything.

Tagging our BFP ladies who are rooting for us too.

@Tinkerbell098
@NatW2021
@Koalie
@Netflixnchilli
@JSS15
@BakinABaby
@KatieLooLa
@Indianna2006
@Carla2601
@BritInNZ
@FlyOnTheWall89

Feel free to tag anyone I have forgotten.

Hi ladies, can I join you?

We are currently TTC #1, on cycle 13 with absolutely zero success so far.

Found the last 3 or 4 cycles really hard, started off with such a positive attitude towards the journey when we first started trying and feel like such a Debbie downer at the minute.

Currently on day 18, not holding out too much hope for this cycle but would love to go into 2023 with a BFP 🤞🏻

Hi @TinyDancer91 welcome to the group :) sorry to hear you’ve been struggling. What tests have you and your OH had so far? X

@Koalie I've had bloods done so far, they all came back 'normal'. OH wants to wait until the new year before going to the dr...

I think he's scared to be honest so I'm not pushing it for now. We're both holding on to hope for a Xmas miracle.

This is all very new to us as like everyone, we thought it would just happen with no issues.

Any advice greatly received!

Hi @TinyDancer91

Welcome to the group. Hope you're feeling ok - it's tough.

I'd recommend getting on the NHS waiting list for fertility services now if you haven't already as it just takes so long and you have nothing to lose by asking for a referral now. Some areas are quicker than others but for the majority of us it has taken a really long time.

If you can afford it I'd also recommend booking in for a private fertility MOT in the mean time as these have no waiting lists and are quick and painless. It costs about £500 in most clinics and it includes an AMH blood test for you (checks your egg reserve), a scan for you to check your ovaries and lining and a semen analysis for your OH.

I know it sounds scary and I remember feeling so scared before we had tests. I remember people telling me on here to get the ball rolling as soon as possible and I'm glad I did because otherwise we wouldn't have found our issue for ages. Hopefully everything is fine for you guys and you get your BFP soon! But in the meantime keep talking to us as we know more than anyone how hard it is to have AF arrive month after month 😅😅

xx

@TinyDancer91 I second what @lemons44 said! The process of actually getting any help on the NHS can be so long! I know it’s scary but worth remembering that knowledge is power and lots of fertility problems can be overcome one way or another - you just have to know about them before you can make any positive steps towards your end goal 😊 Which bloods did you have? Day 3 or Day 21? (Or both?) x

I had day 21 bloods done.

AF is due around New Year's Day for me, so I will be pushing for us to get some help/answers if/when AF arrives.

So, may be tmi, but OH had an undescended testicle at birth and had to have a procedure to sort it as a baby. He is worried that that may have caused some issues.

My gp was really good when I mentioned to her about our struggles and got me straight in for the day 21 bloods. I know it might not be the same for other tests.

Not being able to have a baby of my own has always been one of my greatest fears in life

@TinyDancer91
Hi, sorry to hear of your struggles. It's such a frustrating journey.
As others have said, getting on the NHS wait list for fertility checks is a good idea to get the ball rolling as it takes a while to get appointments.
Hopefully you'll get pregnant in the meantime but no harm in getting on the list :-)
This group is great, lots of people in similar situations, with lots of knowledge!

@BritInNZ thanks for the advice.
I'll try to stay away from the tests until a realistic timeframe next cycle.. I should know better by now!

Hi everyone, just a little note to let you know our baby girl arrived! A couple of weeks early but after all the waiting were pleased as punch! She’s absolutely perfect, unlike her labour haha and we wouldn’t change a thing.

Thanking all her cheerleaders on here and wishing you all the baby dust for all the BFPs in 2023! And I’ll of course be staying around, can’t get rid of me that easily ☺️ x

Oh @Carla2601 congratulations !!! What lovely news 🥰 so pleased you’re both doing well xxxx

Aaah massive congrats on your little one's arrival @Carla2601

Very frustrating OPK strip results here early yesterday evening (CD10) One was quite dark so quickly (almost immediately) for that day in my cycle that I took another (within minutes of the first) to check if I was likely to ovulate earlier than usual but then that was even lighter than the day before's?! Not sure how that works as surely should be the at least the same or darker than the day before each time? Negative digitals both days.

So I'm assuming the first one was faulty especially as the line is sort of broken. Will do another in the afternoon today and keep doing the same time of day each day.

Annoying. So annoying. As is not being able to upload recent imagery to MN on the app, only to desktop!! Grr.

Just an error on the darker one I took between the two light ones I guess.

Have DTD so far on CD9 and 10. Will try to do at least every other day until a flashing smiley digital then three days in a row / until static smiley, and one day after that too.

Hi everyone. I posted a while ago and then got lost in the chaos of daily life
I'm currently cd2. Plan was to do femara this cycle but I'm so unwell already with this epic cold going round I'm waiting till next cycle
.hoping i catch without it
It took us 7 months ttc for ny daughter but this time cycle 18 now I think and nothing.

This month I've made a promise to myself not to test unless I'm a good few days late.

Hope you are all ok

I’m currently at 4dpo if I assume I ovulated on CD16. I got a positive opk on cd15, also a bit off cramping before the blazing positive so idk really. We dtd around ovulation time so we should be covered … hoping letrozole did something for us! 😬🥹

how are you doing?

@SaraSS have you tested again? :)

OMG OMG YAY @Carla2601 so so happy for you. Feels like yesterday that you told us everything went successfully and you got a positive test. What a year. And a girl tooooo like me. Honestly so happy. Enjoy your new born bubble over Christmas 🎄 and into the NY xx

@TinyDancer91 my take on it would be to stick with the NHS for now unless you are completely unfazed by the cost of a 'fertility' package and then the future costs of private care. If you end up needing help, you'll have to do all your tests through the NHS anyway (I'm pretty sure this is the case everywhere). There is no reason after the time you've been trying that you can't have your day 3 bloods on your next day 3.... these tell you lots more than the 21 day bloods.

Your OH absolutely needs to have his sperm tested asap - it's v normal for men to freak out about it. Ultimately he is just as likely as you to be the one with the issue so it needs to happen. Most of the time, this take 2 weeks to come back. Once you have your D3, D21 bloods and your SA, you will be referred to a fertility clinic and they'll advise you on next steps depending on the results. I got my AMH tested privately as they don't do this on the NHS until you're basically about to do the IVF. It was around £100. With the NHS, just be on-it with calling up to get in on cancellations etc to move appointments forward. Had we ended up needing IVF, from referral to start it would have taken 6 months so not too bad and in the end I fell naturally pregnant despite borderline SA results.

Best of luck! X

@Carla2601 - Congratulations 💗💗💗 such lovely news and how lovely that she made her arrival in time for Christmas - how magical. Hope you are doing ok xxx

@summerchild92
Hi, glad to hear you're into the TWW.
I'm about 10dpo, maybe 11.. I'm testing with FMU and getting nothing. I suspect I'm out this cycle so getting my mindset on being able to have a drink at Christmas. Although obviously I'll keep testing just in case.
How you feeling this cycle?

Also, lovely to see some happy news on the thread 😁 congrats @Carla2601

@Carla2601 congratulations 🎉💗 a beautiful baby girl, I am so happy for you. And what a wonderful surprise to have her here for Christmas! 🎄 it really does feel like yesterday you announced your BFP. I hope you are feeling ok? Must have been a shock to go into labour early! Sending huge hugs. Rest up and enjoy your little bundle xxxxx

@TinyDancer91 nothing testicle related is TMI for me. My DH is still healing from his surgical sperm retrieval and I am having to check the wound on his testicles every night at the minute for any signs of infection 🤣😅 the glamorous world of baby making.

I would have thought if he got it fixed when he was a baby it wouldn't cause any issues now. However if there's one thing I have learned it's that testicles are complex little things. My OH had a hydrocele surgery as a teenager (linked to an infection) and now all his sperm tubes are blocked with scar tissue and issues like that are not uncommon. So I would definitely gently encourage him to do a semen analysis just to understand if there is anything wrong sooner rather than later.

Fingers crossed though that this is your month and that it's not needed 🤞🏼

Xx

Hope everyone is going ok.

We've had a real curve ball today! I have applied for our Access Fertility funding package for private IVF. They are doing the medical review and if we pass the medical review we need to sign the consent forms and pay them.

My doctors secretary rang yesterday to say she now has all my bloods and results and she will be making the referral to NHS fertility services. I thought if the referral is only going through yesterday it's even more reason to go private as it will take ages. But the hospital rang me this morning to give me an appointment on 4th January 😐 factoring in Xmas, that's like... in 5 working days!!! I was just on the phone stunned.

So we are now not signing any private funding paperwork until I have this appointment incase NHS won't actually take that long after all.

xx

@lemons44 fab news! You deserve some luck xx

Oh @lemons44 see you were due some luck - MASSIVELY! Got everything crossed for you that things are looking up

@Carla2601 congratulations!!! So great she arrived early - I am hoping for the same luck 🤣 enjoy Christmas with the best gift of all!

@lemons44 so glad you got some good news finally! Let us know how it goes!

@Carla2601 massive congratulations!! How lovely she arrived just in time for Christmas! That’s amazing. Hope you’re doing ok and enjoying your bundle of joy. Lots of love to you and your little one X

@lemons44 oh yey! That is really good news. You definitely deserve some luck after everything you’ve been through. Fingers crossed it’ll all move really fast from here X

Thanks everyone! I know a perfect Christmas angel - although now I’m just worrying about other things 😂…when will it end!!!

@lemons44 that really is great news, I feel like after your terrible private experiences this is very well deserved. Break sounds lovely too!

Hows it all going for you @Tinkerbell098 any updates?