Natural conception after 18+ months?

[Anonbaby]

Has anyone actually had any luck with natural conception after such a long time TTC?

Depends what you mean by natural!

I had unexplained secondary infertility with no obvious issues, I was put on letrozole (an ovulation drug) and progesterone (to support lining of the womb) and conceived in the first month after 15 months of nothing. So a natural conception, but with some hormonal help! For context I’m in my early 30s and had 1 child without issue, so luckily I knew I conceive and deliver a baby, but my body needed a bit of help for some unknown reason second time.

It can definitely happen when you least expect it and the doctors will tell you a “normal”, young, healthy couple only has a 20% chance each month, so the odds are against you. But after 12 months I’d probably consult the NHS or privately look at fertility investigations. Always start by testing the man, more enjoyable and cheaper 😂

best of luck! Really feel for you. It can be very mentally draining ♥️

@crhendy thanks for sharing. Did you have to go private to be prescribed that course of treatment? Were you not ovulating ? I have been ttc for 9 months now, thought wed be getting ready to welcome a baby by now and im in my late late 30s so havent got much time. I track using bbt and opks and it looks like i ovulate each month. Would letrozole and progesterone still be recommended do you think? Thanks

Thanks. We have been TTC 19 months and everything is normal apart from the last SA which we think is due to covid as all others have been fine. So we are debating IVF but it’s for a third baby so lots of factors surrounding our decision

I did go private...I don't know if I'd be eligible for NHS treatment because I have a child and honestly I wanted to move quickly. All in probably cost me a grand, the scans are the expensive bit.

It looked like I was ovulating (regular periods, positive OPKs, EWCM) but maybe I was ovulating too late in the cycle or not every month? Don't know. The letrozole made me produce 2 follicles of a good size, so I had a double chance of conception.

I know loads of women who conceived in their late 30s, 9 months really isn't that long and if you're ovulating that's 80% of the challenge, I'm sure your baby is out there!!! 🤗 If you're over 35, they recommend you seek advice after 6 months so perhaps have you and your partner checked. Even just for peace of mind!

That's tough. IVF is a big emotional and financial commitment....maybe there are other things you can try first? if you've had 2 children together, that's generally a very good sign!

@crhendy Literally trying everything: I OPK, BBT, bd during fertile period, semen tests are fine, had an internal scan OK too, no diagnosed or symptoms of either endo or pcos, waiting for my day 3 blood test results, take vit c, vit d, liver, omega 3, coq10, athletic greens (has more folate than most prenatals 😮) and I walk my dog every morning so I get my 10k+ steps in. Youre right, the last 9 months have whizzed past, but I've never seen anyone around me struggle to get pregnant, in fact, my mum had me at 40, and I have a few friends who fell straight away in their very late 30s so I never thought I'd have issues.
Thanks for the encouragement, really appreciate it. Can I ask whether you bbt'd? There was only one cycle in which I know I didn't ovulate because my temperature remained flat and OPK was negative throughout. I presume you were referred to a private consultant or did you just take it up on yourself? Did it actually move quickly for you? Sorry for all the questions. My blood results are due this week (this is the second time I had to do them because they got lost before) so my idea is just to say I want to go private as I dont have time to waste

I conceived naturally after 12 years of ttc. I had 9 rounds of ivf (three successful pregnancies) in the time before I conceived naturally.

Now the NHS a won’t entertain you unless you’re 36 and have been trying for 6 months I believe 😭 …
I thought it was 35 but nope - they make you wait 12 months for 35 … so if anyone is 35 and looking for nhs help, it needs to be 12 months, however they may start doing some testing early if you are coming upto the 12 month mark 🥹

Oh no that's such a shame about NHS/>35! I'm really surprised about that.

@NatGee I self referred to private and never BBT'ed. I was the same - the only of my friends/family to have any fertility issues. But the reality is the only people who talk about conceiving are those for whom it happened quickly. It's much nicer to say "oh wow, super sperm made it first time!" than to say "actually it's been really hard." I'm much more conscious of it now.

DD2 took 27 months to conceive naturally. No medical reason and we were tracking ovulation etc although we were late 30s / early 40s

@NatGee Your situation sounds very similar to how mine was a few years ago. I am now nearly 40, with a 2yo and second on the way.

I had my tubes flushed (through the NHS) which found no blockages, but I fell pregnant the next month after 18+months of TTC.

We also had a month of not trying so hard. I stopped taking most of the supplements (I was taking all sorts of things, including DIM and Inositol etc). And we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves, had a very boozy Xmas and spent NYE in a hot tub. And sure enough, that was the month we conceived our son.

I also think we started trying too early in the fertile window. So by the time I ovulated, my husband was all outta juice! For our second baby, I waited til I had a very nearly positive OPK and we just DTD that day and the next couple of days. This time around we conceived on the first month of trying (but it is easier second time around).

YES! 2 years 10 months of TTC, 6 rounds of clomid (finished in February 2021) and got pregnant in July 2021!

I was on a multitude of vitamins, lost weight around 2 stone (I know, I know they all say this) but I needed to slightly as due to start IVF.

I read it starts with egg and followed a lot of what that advised for PCOS which is what I was diagnosed with.

I now have the most amazing little boy!

Best of luck on your journey! It's hard but SO worth it!