Anyone that’s taken longer than a year but conceived naturally….?

[PoppyPeaches]

hi!
I’m going through a bit of tough time mentally with my journey TTC baby no. 1. It’s been 16m without even a hint of BFP, and I’ve had all the basic tests at the GP, and my husband has had his SA which are thankfully all normal. We have been eventually referred to the fertility clinic at the hospital and the appt is next month, which is a relief, and I hoping to perhaps be able to have a HyCosy or whatever else they recommend.

We will obviously keep trying whilst we wait for the appt and any testing etc, but I wondered if there was anyone out there that could share some positivity with a similar situation where they had been unsuccessful for many many months, and suddenly randomly got pregnant without medical intervention?

I am trying to prepare myself that we may eventually need IVF etc, but tbh I’m very nervous about that, and would love to know that there might be some women out there that felt hopeless like me, and then it suddenly changed for them! I’m also 36 next month so aware time isn’t exactly on my side which doesn’t help with the massive anxiety!

thanks so much for getting this far xx

Took me 14 months, and I was 39. Keep going. You’ve got a good amount of time to not need to panic, especially as the tests have all been tiptop so far. Good luck. x

About 3 years. We were working our way through the fertility investigations and were told I had one partly blocked tube but otherwise good to go. Got drunk at a party and was pregnant the next month. I think the stress of trying was a factor.

Had a bouncing baby boy... and another 13 months later....

Good luck OP.

I was 34 so similar age to you.

Yes!! A friend was in that situation recently.
Also know others who have conceived naturally twice...after a failed round of IVF..

Took me about 16-17 months. Had just booked a private fertility consultant appointment to pursue further options as NHS was going to take ages and then found out was pregnant 1 week before the appointment. Then 2nd time got pregnant within 2 months of trying. Hope you get good news soon

A friend tried for years and years. Turned out her DH had a low sperm count. She was just about to start IVF when she became pregnant, then two more followed easily.

Tried for about 2 years and finally got pregnant, only to lose it before 12 week scan.

Tried again for a long time and tests showed DH had extremely poor count and mobility. Told we'd probably not conceive again naturally. Had first go at IVF which was not successful. Stressed about how to afford a second go when I conceived naturally. Two years later I conceived again naturally. DCs are now 24 & 26. Never give up OP.

thankyou to everyone that’s taken the time to reply to my post, it really means a lot! It’s encouraging to hear that you’ve all managed it eventually!
As time goes on I lose more and more hope, and I guess you perhaps hear more about the people that conceived really easily, as maybe they’re more likely to say? Ultimately I have an element of embarrassment and resentment in that something that is so difficult for me seems to come so easily to others.
hopefully my appt next week brings me the answers I want, and I will of course keep going on this crazy rollercoaster 🙃 thanks again xx

About 3.5 years. I have PCOS so very irregular cycles which made it really difficult (some years I'd ovulate maybe three times, which were impossible to predict!). Did some basic fertility tests but otherwise thought we wouldn't cope with the stress of fertility treatment so decided not to pursue that. Looked into adoption but I don't we'd have met the criteria. I wasn't overweight so the usual PCOS things you can change didn't apply.

Ultimately our problem was timing, and reducing stress was more helpful. I changed jobs so was around more. Very frustrating to realise you're ovulating for probably the only time in several months but you're 100s of miles from DH on a work trip!

My cycles became a lot more regular after having our baby, so I think a second would have been a lot easier to conceive!

I found it really difficult talking to friends who'd say things like "it took us three months to conceive!" as though that gave an understanding of what we were going through.

And also friends who'd managed to perfectly time babies to fit in with qualifications. The worst bit was when a family member had an unplanned pregnancy!

It was around four years for us - fertility tests showed no issues, apart from endo, but not anywhere impacting pregnancy.
After two years, whilst on the waiting list for IVF, I became pregnant only to find at 12 weeks a missed miscarriage.
Around two years later, when we were just about to start IVF, I found out I was pregnant. When I rang the clinic to cancel the appointment and told them why, the
person I spoke to said, it happens all the time. I started ttc again not long after my first daughter turned one thinking it would take years, but got pregnant straight away…
Stay strong it’s a difficult journey. Good luck!

@RidingMyBike goodness that must all have been so stressful, but so happy you finally got your babe!
I agree it’s super hard with friends and colleagues - one of my colleagues in a small team told me she was pregnant the first month of trying the same day I’d come on 5 days late, on my 14th failed cycle. When I looked mortified she then followed it up with “I know how you feel - I’ve wanted a baby for ages and if one of my friends got pregnant before me I’d be really upset”.
to be honest it just made me feel 10x worse, and I still feel lots of pain and resentment to her for this, even though her journey is nothing to do with me! 😔 Thanks for sharing your story xx

15 months, second came in 2. Did stop trying in Nov/Dec to avoid July or August babies though. So maybe 13… happened after we binned all the cycle monitoring stuff.

Yes, 2 years for DC1. But we knew what the issues were (male factor, 100,000 sperm count!). IVF needed for DC2 and DC3 as the chances of another natural conception were close to zero. Our miracle DC1's middle name is Hope. Never, ever lose hope.

It took me nearly 3 years to conceive and I started trying at age 29. We had tests but nothing was found. We were on the list for IVF when I conceived 2 years and 9 months after starting TTC. I had a miscarriage at nearly 12 weeks. The following month I had a cycle of IUI (they offered that while waiting for IVF), it was unsuccessful, the following month (so 2 months after miscarriage) I conceived DS naturally!

When he was nearly 2 I conceived DD first try (crazy after the initial experience!)

I know how you feel and the feeling of everyone around you getting pregnant. I joined an infertility board on Mumsnet and had some amazing support on there. Wishing you the best :)

@Pineapplesunshine thsnks for sharing! I also think I may have some degree of endo (undiagnosed, from my own research), and whilst I’m quite a lot of pain, a lot of the time, I’m unsure how it would would affect my fertility as my cycles are super regular etc! Hoping to discuss this at the hospital next month, as the GP didn’t seem too interested as my cycles are so regular and all tests so far normal.
that’s really encouraging to hear that you managed it without IVF - it gives me hope! Perhaps it was the fact you knew you were getting help made your stress reduce and it finally happens!
stress is a funny one though - the GP also told me that stress doesn’t affect fertility and this is proven by the fertility rates in war zones being higher than the UK! She said it’s more that we are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours such as drinking, processed food and smoking etc (that they don’t do in war zones) when we’re stressed, but who the hell knows!!

I used to be hyper fertile and would get pregnant first month of trying but had a very high amount of miscarriages. Eventually had 3 children. Then we decided to try for our fourth when I was 36 and it took us over 2 years to even fall pregnant. Surprisingly (to me) it stuck and was very healthy and now a 4 month old baby boy.

Well, in case it helps with your questions at the hospital, I knew I had endo and GP was not interested either, but I had a private transvaginal scan and through that they were able to tell me that whilst I had endo deposits, they were nowhere problematic. I have since been diagnosed with adenomyosis too, but again that doesn’t seem to have stopped it happening naturally eventually. Through the scan, they were also able to comment on the fact I had decent egg supplies / they weren’t concerned about egg supplies (I can’t remember the detail as it’s a long time ago, but have a vague memory I had to go at a certain time of the month for egg related reasons).
On the stress point, the person at the IVF clinic suggested their view was that was why it happened so often - people relaxed a bit when they knew they were going to start treatment and then fell pregnant naturally. For me, I was definitely in a stressful job at the time and did occasionally drink alcohol, but didn’t smoke or eat much in the way of processed foods. I would say I found people telling me that it was my being so stressed over fertility preventing me getting pregnant and that I should just relax not at all relaxing… ☺️ . I did do acupuncture with a fertility specialist though and that felt helpful.
Really hope it happens for you soon one way or another

Took us 17 cycles to conceive just to miscarry and then another 12 cycles to conceive again and I’m now 10weeks. Also I’m 21y old so age was on my side along with very regular periods. No idea why it took so long.

Just to give another perspective, we concieved DC1 on cycle 1. I was 31 when I got pregnant.

Started TTC number 2 when I was 34 and 18 months later were still trying. Had all the usual blood tests, SA, hycosy, AMH, scans. Literally nothing. The last thing to be tested is to have laproscopy to check for any scaring after my c section as the gynaecologist said it was strange to now be struggling. However for the first year or so I was incredibly stressed with various things and my cycles changed, they got a lot shorter and so perhaps that was an issue.

Basically, as others have said, sometimes there's no rhyme or reason!

I conceived dc1 first try, dc2 took 12 months and it was our 3rd month of taking pre conception supplements as advised by the fertility specialist, I also lost a stone and followed the advice in the book it starts with the egg.

20 months (with one mmc towards the beginning).

I had a Hycosy 2 months before the successful cycle.

Took me 3 years including multiple failed IVF. In the end I conceived naturally. I was 35 when I got my BFP. It is the only time I have ever been pregnant, I had not so much as a chemical pregnancy previously (or since), and fortunately I was safely delivered of my now teen child.

Yes! it worked when we stopped applying so much science to and just went with the flow...

Took us 4 years. Thought it would never happen. Then the month when we barely saw each other due to work etc I fell pregnant with twins. We must have done it just the once! Thank god we did.

Don't give up hope.