TTC #1 no previous pregnancies cycle #6 - looking for others in the same boat!

[MocktailMe]

Hi all.

As per the title, TTC first baby, I've never had a confirmed pregnancy before. I'm 31, bf is 27.

Been trying to conceive 9 months, but due to PCOS only 6 cycles.

This year I've lost weight, and my cycles since January have varied from 28 days to 38 days. Had PCOS confirmed, and currently waiting for an appointment with gynaecologist to see if I need further assistance. Appointment is taking its sweet time so for now doing it the old fashioned way still with plenty of hope (at least some days, not so much others!!!).

I'm currently on cycle day number 28, negative tests, no signs of a period in sight, CM up to my eyeballs and a whole heap of doubt over when ovulation occured!!

If you are :

TTC #1
A woman who has never been pregnant
Pissing on sticks at an ALARMING rate
Potentially with PCOS but healthy ovaries welcome 😁

Then PLEASE join my thread, so in need of buddies in a similar boat! ⛵

No offence to those TTC #2 or more, genuinley ❤️ just hoping to speak to people who also have no idea what pregnancy would feel like, and who also maybe have the fear they CANNOT ever get pregnant ❤️

@Waitingformiracle very interesting to hear your ivf experiences - did you go nhs or private?

Hello everyone!

Actually been wondering how everyone is !

@KT199 @lavafield happy to hear your pregnancies are going well! The wait between the two NHS scans is so long, but keep the faith ! It will be here before you know it.

@CharLdn glad to hear your hycosy went well and things seem to be progressing for you! Hopefully you get some good news from the doctor.

@Waitingformiracle how is your IVF treatment going so far, hope the side effects aren’t too bad for you?

As for me we are doing well, 25w 4d now. We’ve had a couple of scares some bleeding but the hospital has been great. Baby is moving loads and I am huge now 🤣 they don’t tell you about the hidden cost of not being able to fit in your clothes 🤣

I’ve got to think of a list of questions to take to the fertility consultant for my appointment next Monday - anyone got any tips?

I feel like I’m waiting for Christmas!

Hello everyone! So sorry for being absent for so long, but I've been on my 3 month enforced break after surgery/drugs etc and had a lot of processing and healing to do.

Happy to hear pregnancies are going well ❤️ @Waitingformiracle it's lovely to hear from you and I'm so excited for your IVF journey!

I'm currently pursuing hysterisalpingogram privately, I've got the drugs and had the swabs done just waiting for the right time in the cycle now. We have decided if my remaining tube is clear we will try naturally for the remainder of this year, and ask for a IVF referral in November If I'm not pregnant again by then.
If it comes back that the tube is blocked we will go straight to IVF and never try naturally again as I'm not willing to risk ectopic again. Either way, by Christmas this year I'm either going to be pregnant or on my IVF journey and knowing that is my plan has bought me inner peace.

We've also tentatively decided to try 3 IVF cycles max and then we will pursue adoption. I can't keep letting life happen to me - I want to be a mother and I feel so much calmer having made these choices.

@CharLdn i would ask very clearly what the plan is and what the next steps are. Ideally if you are hoping for clomid you'd really want to be leaving with a prescription to get on that ASAP! Everything crossed for you, the anticipation is always so hard!

@CharLdn sorry for the delay! I am not UK based as I am in the ROI but we do have a public IVF route and we are entitled to two free rounds, but I actually decided to go private as the waiting lists are too long and I just wanted to get going. It has been incredibly fast and efficient so I am glad we were in a position to do it! In terms of things to ask your consultant, I would definitely be asking about next steps and the success rates and likely timelines for each of the options, and maybe how many tries they would recommend before moving on (for example if they are suggesting IUI then how many tries before they suggest moving onto IVF). I also had a very frank conversation with my consultant about whether there was any point in pursuing anything other than IVF, and ultimately we decided that there was not. His view based on my age and the number of children I want was that I should go straight to it, so I have. It has honestly been ok so far, I am doing my egg retrieval on Friday so a little nervous for that and I’m very bloated now but the injections have been ok! I will update you all after the retrieval!

@MocktailMe I am so sorry for all you have been through, but I am so glad to hear that you are feeling more positive and have a plan in place. I also totally agree with setting a boundary with IVF and not pursuing it forever. I think that’s a very healthy approach to it and I think we will be the same. I hope you have success yourself in the meantime but if you do decide to go for ivf I am here to answer any questions! I hope the HSG goes well and shows clear tubes!

@MocktailMe that sounds positive and having a plan/ timeline for sanity sounds good I’m in the same boat in that I’ve decided mentally if they think medicated cycles are the best option I’ve got about 6 months more mentally of assisted trying before we get IVF.

We’ve already done two years of shagging and waiting so I can’t do it any longer.

@Waitingformiracle it will be good to hear your experiences of IVF - good luck with your retrieval - glad the jabs haven’t been too bad.

I think with all of this the body has such a unique reaction to everything there’s no point in anticipating it will be bad.

The very very best of luck for the egg retrieval, try not to be nervous, remember they do it every single day!

Glad you ladies think my plan seems solid! It's very hard holding off as I do have moments of thinking just try again! Maybe it will be fine! There's a lot of success stories out there of women with one tube conceiving naturally and all being well but the risk is so real and fresh in my mind right now; I can't go through that again. If the tube shows as being clear I'll be willing to try again but until then I will wait!

I totally feel you on two years shagging and waiting just being so draining. That's why even if this tube is clear we will be pursuing IVF. I simply cannot do another two years of this!

Hey everyone, good to see your various updates!

@CharLdn best of luck with your appointment on Monday, I hope it's productive and you come out with a plan to move forward. And good luck for your egg retrieval @Waitingformiracle, my fingers are crossed for lots of healthy eggs!
@MocktailMe sounds like a strong plan. Either way you will be a mother and that's what's important to you.

We're nearly 6 months on from our first GP appointment and my husband has finally had his SA test done (still waiting for results). I'm having appointments for blood tests and I'm finding you really have to push doctors to look into things further or they won't even suggest anything else.
I ovulated a week later than usual last cycle and I'm really glad I know the signs now, if that had happened a year ago I'd have convinced myself I'm pregnant! Typical it happened in the month I was having day 21 bloods, I'm usually very regular but this one threw everything off. Hopefully it's just a one off but I'm thinking I should go back to testing with OPKs in case it does it again.

@Tater05 you aren’t wrong re the GP tests - I basically became so annoying they gave me tests to make me go away!

I don’t think lh tests can hurt I’m still using Mira but it tracks quite accurately with cervical mucus and BBT which is reassuring.

Hope you’re surviving with all the shagging and waiting 🤞

I've got the HSG booked for next week so fingers crossed this one manages to go ahead!

So nervous and mainly worried something will go wrong! IE. They won't be able to get any photos/my swab results won't be back in time/ the doctor will be sick and it won't go ahead etc 😂 I don't even feel worried about what it might bring up - I'm just so worried I won't even get it after all this waiting!!!

@MocktailMe good luck - the waiting will be over soon.

I actually really enjoyed my hycosy because it was fascinating to see what was going on! And I didn’t find it painful at all even though the internet has mixed reviews.

Hopefully it will give some answers and practical next steps for you 🙏

@MocktailMe Good luck, hope it all goes as planned and the results will be reassuring! You have a rock solid plan now and I am sure it is giving you strength to continue this journey! ✊

@Waitingformiracle Hope your egg retrieval goes well and all turns out to be perfect! 🫶🏻

@CharLdn Good luck with your appointment on Monday. I had mine just days before finding out I am pregnant , but I asked lots of questions as to what my chances are in my specific circumstances, looking at my test results, etc. I immediately got peace of mind knowing that I am being investigated further, and can pursue IVF if needed, while being reassured that natural conception remained a good possibility for me, which turned out to be true. The consultant was speaking from decades of experience, and I was very happy I went.

It’s so nice to see after the struggles people have plans and are hopefully making positive progress @CharLdn @Waitingformiracle

I wish you all the luck in the world for your IVF @Waitingformiracle

@CharLdn Good luck for your appointment, I hope you get the answers to your questions and come away feeling positive a plan has been set.

@MocktailMe I’ve been wondering how you were getting on. Completely get the anxiety I actually think my experience put my body into flight or fight and I struggled to get out of it. I found myself worrying endlessly for weeks about things out of my control. It’s hard but try not to worry about the things you can’t control, once I noticed my pattern of worrying was on things I couldn’t help I managed to let them go. I found writing them down and organising them into things I can/can’t control truly helped me. Fingers crossed the HSG goes smoothly this time and hope you can get on with your journey to become a mama soon.

So glad to hear things are going well @KTB34 @lavafield definitely provides me some hope. I have my 12w scan in the middle of next week, praying all is okay.

Hi everyone, seems like a lot has been going on. How is everyone getting on? @MocktailMe please keep us updated. Sending lots of baby dust your way. Glad to hear all of our BFP's are moving on as well!

@CharLdn I hope the appointment goes well. No matter what happens being able to ask questions, seek answers, and honestly to feel like you're playing an informed part in the process is so important.

DH and I had a bit of a hectic month and skipped last month so back again trying our chances for June - currently CD5. I'm a tad worried as yet again I'll be traveling during the TWW and at this point I feel pretty confident that I can correlate longer cycles with air travel but we'll see how it goes.

Good luck @PearOpal ! I travelled right at the start of my fertile period and then again in TWW and all was fine. Just make sure you don't get too stressed or tired, get plenty of sleep and don't carry or lift any heavy bags during TWW!

Hey team TTC - had my app yesterday and they’re referring me for IVF 🎉

The next steps are approval for funding and then to get given to a clinic.

My doctor said we should be able to start by end of summer!

He was very no nonsense doesn’t believe in any holistic stuff and gave me a diagnosis of unexplained sub fertility.

Basically said that the only other explanation could be secret endometriosis and I could get a laporoscopy or go straight to IVF.

I feel a big sense of relief that we don’t need to put pressure on naturally trying anymore although we still will while we wait. He said sometimes hycosys are effective.

I’m going to come off metformin and just stick to Myo inositol for now as well as vitamin d and my conception vitamin.

I feel so calm knowing there’s actually a plan - although I’m sure there will still be lots of waiting!

That must be such a relief @CharLdn! I like the ‘sub fertility’ diagnosis rather than going straight to infertility. Are you going to look at getting a laporoscopy while you wait or you just gonna go straight into IVF? There probably will be some more waiting but at least a solid plan has been set and you’re in their hands now, relax and let them do their thing!

@MocktailMe best of luck for the HSG! Your mind sounds similar to mine, I think I’d also be waiting for things to go wrong but I think that’s natural after waiting for so long! Fingers crossed it’s all smooth sailing, let us know how you get on.

I’m glad I decided to start using OPKs again this month, I’m only on day one of using them (CD 11) and it’s already a much darker line than I’d usually get at this point. I’m not sure what’s going on with my cycles at the moment, I ovulated super late last cycle and it looks like I’m going to be really early in this one. I’m just going to hope that it’s my hormones balancing out as a result of the supplements and (slightly) healthier eating. My periods have been much less painful and heavy for the last few months so to me that’s a good sign?! Who knows!

@CharLdn that is so so great!! I’m so glad you found a compassionate doctor who listens and takes action! IVF so far I have found to be absolutely fine. I had my egg retrieval on Friday and have recovered quickly. Just waiting now to hear about number of embryos. All in all I have found it to be fine, I’m only sorry I didn’t start sooner!

@Waitingformiracle yay I think with all of it you hear horror stories but you’ve just gotta see how YOU feel.

@Tater05 that sounds positive - I feel like the small amounts of control we can get help.

I’m feeling way less stressed about it all knowing there’s a plan - but still trying for the next few months while we wait for the nhs funding and stuff to get sorted.

Also my husbands finally motivated to be healthy which is good - the doctor kept on banging on about how good his sperm were lol.

Char that's great news honestly. I'm pleased for you - a plan in place and an end in sight. I'm glad you feel so positive about it all.

Tomorrow I may very well slide into the same boat. It all depends on this tube. So so nervous today!

@MocktailMe the very best of luck with your HSG. I’ll be keeping everything crossed for you that all is clear! Also for what it’s worth I found the HSG to be absolutely fine.

Seems to be lots of positive moves forward on this thread at the moment and I am here for it!!!

@CharLdn how great to have a plan. I bet it releases a little pressure after TTC for so long and feeling like you’re not getting where you want to be.

@MocktailMe ill be thinking of you tomorrow, hope the hycosy goes as okay!!

I had my 12w scan today, it was so crazy I can’t believe I’ve hit this milestone and that everything seems to be as it should. I was measuring ahead where I expected at 12w4d baby was very active and even did a little headstand for us. My due date is 13th December so hoping the appearance will be before Xmas!!

Omg @KT199 what a milestone ❤️ Congratulations and I hope you are feeling calmer now ❤️

Congrats @KT199 !!! That's so exciting and such an incredibly milestone. Talk about the best Christmas gift. Glad you're feeling some peace after your scan