First Timers TTC. Safe space for brain dumps, questions, whinges and celebrations. Part 2!

[TinyDancer91]

Hi All.

This is a continuation from my past thread, but no need to go read that one if you're new here!

Quick TD;LR from the old post (but with up to date info) - I'm 31, OH is 35. We are TTC baby #1. Been TTC since Jan 2022, now on cycle 14. Haven't told anyone to avoid pressure.

Feel free to post any questions, thoughts, whinges, celebrations, basically anything here!

Going to try to be a bit more positive than I was toward the end of the last thread 😂

Love & baby dust to all. Wishing for BFPs for everyone this year 💖

[Nessie2395]

Hello, can I please join? I'm 28 and on cycle 6/7 of TTC. I have endo and had a lap last year. I also found out in 2021 that I have very low AMH especially at my age, which has been so worrying for me. It's bumped out TTC timeline up a bit. We did things in a strange order, we actually created and froze 4 embryos before trying to conceive naturally as we weren't ready in any sense but my AMH was already concerning and I was only 25.

So aside from the actual transfer of an embryo, I've done the rest of IVF so if anyone needs reassurance on the process I can help. The worst thing about it was the anxiety of not getting any eggs etc, the actual scans, medication and procedure were not nearly as bad as I expected.

Anyway onto cycle 6 or 7 for me 🙏 good luck everyone ☺️

[Feliciacat]

Oh wow! I’d say that’s a line! See if it gets darker at 14dpo; I bet it will! Tentative congratulations xxx

[TinyDancer91]

@CatCaretaker I see a faint line. Fingers crossed for you!!

[moosey89]

@CatCaretaker I see a line! And I never see squinters so it must be clear 😂

[CatCaretaker]

Sorry, I should add, 12 DPO.

[CatCaretaker]

Guys... can I get your take on this please? I've never seen any kind of line before ...

[CatCaretaker]

@Feliciacat we've only started the process off eith HSHSEso haven't any results back from them yet, but privately, no, there doesn't seem to be any reason. Unexplained, which is worse I think. If there was a known cause maybe they could do something.

I hope for your sake that your issue can be fixed through surgery, what a relief that would be!

[Feliciacat]

Hi @TinyDancer91! Your appointment is so close, that’s exciting. The clinic suspect I might have a structural issue that could hopefully be treated with surgery. Or I might have low AMH in which case maybe ivf could be a good option. Let us all know how your appointment goes.

@CatCaretaker it sounds like HSE will do you proud. A free cycle is not to be sniffed at either though, like you say, I hope it doesn’t come to that. Do HSE have any theories about why you’re taking a while to conceive? I hope you get some answers and solutions.

[CatCaretaker]

@Feliciacat so sorry to hear you've reached cycle 20. It's so hard. I hope the private tests provide some answers.

That sounds poor, that the NHS don't do AMH. I wonder what else they don't do?

I'm in ROI, and went about it the other way, started with private tests (mostly covered by private health insurance) and have now started the process of going through the HSE as they have introduced a free IVF cycle on the public health system (still hoping it won't come to this, but may as well start the process).

The private provider did do AMH, but didn't do day 21 progesterone, as part of standard tests. I had to request it separately. However the HSE will do AMH, day 21 and day 3/4 tests as well (I can't remember what the day 3/4 are going to test for right now). We've only had the initial HSE consultation so far, but they were very thorough and really seem like they're going to tick every box.

[TinyDancer91]

@Feliciacat wow, that's fast! We finally have our nurses appointment session coming up on 26th, which will be to plan our treatment, with a view to starting on my next cycle after that (which will actually be my next cycle anyway) we're now on cycle 30 since officially TTC.

Like you, we never thought we would be facing infertility, but here we are. NHS didn't re set my AMH either (although would have done if I'd not had it done privately beforehand). You can request it but it isn't a free test on NHS, even if they request it.

Hope everything goes well for you. Have they given you any indication on what your options are? We have been told our only option is ICSI

[Feliciacat]

Hi all. I’m onto cycle 20 now! I never thought I’d face infertility. I just thought I’d say about my experience of private fertility tests in case it helped anyone.

I had blood tests done on the NHS which I assumed meant they’d done AMH testing because why wouldn’t they? It turns out the NHS don’t typically test for AMH though and they hadn’t tested me. I found this out after sending my results to a private clinic after not conceiving for so long. The NHS just told me my fertility was normal and gave no details. So watch out for that.

I am having a private AMH test and scan to check if I have fibroids or anything. DH is having another semen analysis because his pH was high but he had prostatitis at the time. Hopefully it’ll be better this time. Again, the NHS told him he was normal but when we requested the results to look at; he was not.

I phoned today for an appointment and we are having an appointment for the scan, blood test and analysis in just one week’s time. Then results on 8th May. This is so much faster than I thought it would be. Costs £750 for the three tests and then a consultation. I think it’s really good for peace of mind.

I hope everyone else is doing well xxx

[LucyLoopyLu]

@TinyDancer91 hi, yes thanks for asking. I'm on day 4 of stims, next scan is on Monday and if all is looking good then egg collection should be around Thursday next week. Might need more days of stims of course. The injections have been ok so far (my husband has been brilliant at doing them for me and being really sweet) but tomorrow we add in Cetrotide which is a proper syringe rather than a pen so I'm not looking forward to that! I think I am getting better with needles in general though.

26th April will come around fast! Try and do some fun things in the meantime. I did go on holiday in Feb so can't complain but wish I'd done a few more day trips / fun things whilst waiting, because I feel like everything is on hold now for a while until we know the outcome etc. We can do stuff but it's not so easy to plan ahead or do anything that needs booking in advance, because timings can shift so much.

[TinyDancer91]

@LucyLoopyLu How are you getting on? Have you started your round yet?

We have a date for the nurses appointment now, 26th April, so just over 4 weeks to wait.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

[TinyDancer91]

@LucyLoopyLu wow, next week! That's exciting!!

They've not sorted anything for us yet as far as I know. Only had the conversation with my consultant yesterday about the next steps. She did say I need to have bloods done to check rubella immunity and thyroid function as the results hadn't been logged from before... and OH has to do another SA, which, if it's low, they will freeze as it's been a year (!) since his last one

[LucyLoopyLu]

@TinyDancer91 great news things are finally moving for you, I bet it must have been such a long slog!

We have done our nurse's appointment and expecting to start following my period arriving at the end of next week. Have they sorted your drug protocol etc yet?

[TinyDancer91]

Hi everyone.

Sorry I've not been very active on here recently.

We had a phone appointment yesterday with our consultant. After chasing up my blood test results for the past 4 weeks, to no avail! The Dr was almost an hour late to my appointment because she was chasing up my test results with Bham...

Anyway, the good news is I'm not a CF carrier, so we can carry on with our treatment where we are!! 🥳 All other tests have come back as normal as well!

So, the next steps now are we will have our nurses information appointment in the next 4-6 weeks, then start meds on my next cycle after that. It finally seems like we are taking steps forwards and things are actually happening!

I know there's a long road ahead and lots more that can go wrong, but feeling hopeful that there is some sort of timeframe for us now.

Hoping everyone else is getting some good news.

Love to all 💕

[IsLarryFromSomething]

Thank you both xx Wishing everyone the very best!

[CatCaretaker]

Hello, Can I join? I'm 38, ttc since April 2023 (this is 10th cycle after skipping one for surgery for a uterine polyp). CD2 today.

Have had lots of tests privately (in ROI) and no major issues found (slightly low/borderline morphology in him and slightly high AMH for my age (borderline PCOS but doc does think I'm ovulating)).

I haven't read the full thread, but I see above at least one BFP (congrats @IsLarryFromSomething )

[Feliciacat]

Great news @IsLarryFromSomething! I love seeing positive results for people. And just as you were going to get tested too!

I’m onto cycle 17 now and I’m 36.5 (the half matters at my age in relation to ttc) and DH is 42. So we’re getting me checked out privately (scans of my uterus and ovaries and a second round of blood tests). It’s ’only’ £500 so is worth it I think. The NHS say my bloods are normal and that DH’s semen analysis and structures are normal. So it must be something structural with me.

[LucyLoopyLu]

@Babydust99 hi, sorry I haven't actually been diagnosed with anything (apart from unexplained infertility), hope someone comes along with a useful answer for you!

[Babydust99]

Hi everyone, haven't been on here in a long time. I'm still ttc - 20 months on. I have endo - just had an MRI to see if they can see it before they decide whether to do a lap or not and have had bloods done at the recurrent miscarriage clinic which are showing high anti cardiolipin antibodies so I need to get retested in a few weeks. Has anyone on here else got sticky blood syndrome?

[LucyLoopyLu]

@TinyDancer91 omg, what a nightmare. How are they being so slow if it's just one test?

No update from me, AF due this week and our nurse's appointment next week. Then will just have one more cycle to try naturally before we start our first round. Starting to feel very real now. Dreading it all but I'm sure it will be better once we get going. I keep having weird dreams about hospitals.

[TinyDancer91]

@IsLarryFromSomething oh wow, that's fab, fingers crossed for you!

I've been contacting the clinic for the past few weeks now about our test results. Quick run down of what's been going on - I was told on 5th Jan that our results were in and had been reviewed by the consultants but we couldn't receive them over the phone. 11th Jan, a letter was sent from Bham Women's to our consultant, sending a copy to our GP and to us, saying that as OH was found to be a carrier of the CF genes could they arrange for his partner (me) to be tested.... phoned Bham to check if the one I'd already had done covered this and they had no record of me at all... contacted UHCW to check and they didn't have my results at all, despite telling me on 5th Jan that they did! Anyway, they told me to wait for the 10 weeks to pass before contacting them again. So I did, then was told still not in, check at the end of the 10th week. Did that, no response via email (they don't answer the phone, just respond to messages). So it was 12 weeks on Friday since I went for the blood test, I emailed them again on Thursday to ask if the results were back. UHCW still don't have them, so they chased up with Bham who said they have sent them to them but won't give them the results via phone, but would email them to one of the Drs that day, then UHCW were supposed to be calling me to let me know. I'm still waiting for a call, so I'll be getting in touch with them again tomorrow.

So that's where we are currently, with my next consultant appointment 3 weeks tomorrow via phone.

How is everyone else doing?

[IsLarryFromSomething]

DH and I aren't telling anyone in real life (I'm literally 13 dpo) but we got a positive pregnancy test today 🥰 I've sent him out for a digital test to use tomorrow morning and the line is faint but DEFINITELY there. We have been trying for almost 14 months.

[LucyLoopyLu]

Hi, how is everyone doing?

@BeeLieve86 hope you are ok x

We are now waiting for a nurse's appointment on 29th Feb (at assisted conception unit) and following that will be starting our first round of IVF in March. AF looks to be due around 22nd March at the moment so will still be a few weeks off. Going on holiday in two weeks, so just wanting to try and relax between now and the end of Feb. Feeling very apprehensive about the process, I think mainly due to my needle phobia / hatred of hospitals / fear of medical procedures, but I know I will push through. Honestly just trying not to think about all that side of it much at the moment (as it doesn't help) and take it one day at a time - focusing on healthy eating and moderate exercise at the moment.