TTC for over a year & stuck in a queue to see fertility consultant

[wanderlustre]

Hello all!

This is my first post so go easy on me please!

Husband (31) and I (almost 33) have been TTC for over a year now with a big fat nada happening for us. We were referred and had an apointment in May to the Liverpool Women's Hospital for a fertility screening (a little bit under the necessary year because I had 3 bleeds in a month in April). They performed an internal pelvic scan on me and bloods. My husband gave a sperm sample the following week. We've been waiting ever since for a telephone consultation to discuss the results. I had some ireegular bleeding again 2 weeks ago so it prompted me to give the appointment line a call to see where we are up to in the queue but they said it will be at least another 2 months before we hear anything (though they really couldn't say due to the backlog being so big).

I've had a pelvic ultrasound (non-internal) on three occasions prior over the last 3 years and they've never shown anything problematic. Also had my bloods done too within the last year which again were all fine. The sonographer doing the internal scan during the screening also said all looks good to her. Only really new test is my husband's sperm sample.

The wait is starting to get to me now. I'm 33 in December. My mum starting going through the menopause at 38. My best friends all conceived during cycle 1 so they feel incredibly awakward around me because it happened so easily for them but not me. Every 4 month or so I have irregular bleeding which throws my cycle off completely. Most months I can't get an ovulation test to show anything over 0.5ish (using the Premom app to log them - think I've had 1 or 2 cycles only that have had a test come back as over 1).

I'm a healthy weight, moderately active, eat healthily, don't smoke, have reduced my alcohol and caffeine intake. I take Proceive vitamins each day, track my BBT, track my cycle. I have never had a pregnancy scare, never been pregnant before and never had anything but a big stream of BFNs this past year. I'm trying to take it in my stride as much as possble and not get too stressed/worried but it just feels like it's all dragging on with no end in sight.

Is there anything else I can be doing during this wait to hear back from the hospital? Or do you just have any general advice? Like I said, everyone around me seems to have conceived easily so I don't have anyone to turn to for advice as I'm the first in my circle to go through this. TIA!

I’m sorry it’s been so difficult for you. My only thought would be, could you just get a private sperm test? They’re easy and not too expensive and if those results are all you’re really waiting for then maybe that would give you some better insight faster?

Hi OP, so sorry to read of your struggles :( it all sounds a bit familiar to me. I am also 33, husband a year younger. I am currently 16w pregnant but we started trying in 2021. After a lonnnnnng wait for NHS fertility we decided to go privately for treatment - but it sounds like hopefully you wont be waiting for too much longer thank goodness if you've already started having your tests.

The good news is, there's lots of things they can do for you. By the sounds of things you may not be ovulating that reliably if your cycles are a bit iffy, and you dont always get positives on the LH tests. Tbh that's kind of good news because if there's something 'wrong' it's easier to target treatments rather than the 'unexplained infertility' fob off. Assuming your DHs tests come back normal, they'll likely recommend you start letrozole or clomid which you wont have to wait long to start (unlike IVF which can be a bit of a wait). Loads of women have success with these drugs, and you can use them while you wait to get to the top of the IVF queue (if it comes to that).

I know it's hard but there's not much you can do apart from wait and see. The only thing my fertility doctor told me in the meantime was to up my protein intake. I think she recommended 60g a day when ttc, apparently this can have quite a lot of benefits in terms of chances to conceive.

You're not alone, a lot of people have these struggles. You can go online and look up fertility network UK and see if they have a zoom group that you think might suit you, they are usually monthly meet ups for people in your are/nhs trust going through fertility troubles and I found it helpful during the waiting period, and also just to feel like I wasn't the only one.

Thank you both for your kind words and advice. Will look at upping my protein intake and will look into Fertility Network UK in the meantime!