9 Months TTC

[Pippalove82]

Hi,

I have been TTC for 9 months, maybe it could be 10 but due to me having the HSG scan i don't like to count one of the months as i think i likely ovulated before the test and wasn't able to have intercourse before it. Im really starting to lose hope and not sure where i am going wrong.

Would love to hear some experiences from people who took a bit longer to conceive?

Me and my partner are both 30, healthy BMI and think we are doing all the right things (Tracking OPKs, BBT, supplements, cut out alcohol and caffeine etc). I went for early fertility testing due to a health issue i had at the beginning of last year. Ive had all my checks done and everything on my end is normal. My partner is having his sperm checked next week. I then have an appointment booked in with my gynae at the end of Sept.

I think i may pause the OPK and BBT tracking next month as i think i'm putting too much pressure / stress on myself. I saw this helped some people who have commented in forums i have read.

thanks x

Hello :) is this TTC #1?

I conceived on my 1st and 2nd try for DC1 but both ended in a super early MC.

A year went by (so 12 more cycles) with a BFN every single month not even a whiff off a line…then a year to the day of the last MC I finally conceived my rainbow baby.

It was a long old slog, but it will happen for you (providing everything else comes back fine!)

baby dust!! Xxx

It took 11 months for me to conceive DC1. Don't despair. It was back in the days before OPKs were invented so I didn't have that extra pressure. I honestly think they really do put you under pressure. If I were you, I'd stop tracking and just try to have sex every other day. If you can tell when you're ovulating, changes to EWCM for example, try to concentrate your efforts around then. I hope it works for you very soon x

It took a year to conceive my ds1, I was 22.

It's good that you've had tests done, and although it's frustrating that they've all come back ok and it's still taking longer, sometimes it does just take time.

It took us 17 cycles to conceive, I'm 31 and DH is 32 and our tests also came back as normal. No idea why it took so long, I had regular cycles and we're both healthy, both took our vitamins the whole time we were trying.

A couple of things that possibly helped me (though I have no way of proving and it's different for everyone) - we both started taking CoQ-10 about 6 months before we conceived, it can take 3-6 months to take effect and improves egg and sperm health. I cut down on carbs and sugar and generally tried to eat less processed foods and noticed my periods were a lot less painful which makes me think I maybe had some inflammation before, and a slight hormone imbalance which wasn't enough for the doctors to flag but maybe enough to stop us conceiving. And on the cycle that it worked I tried the cough medicine trick. We were starting to consider IVF so I thought why not try this one last thing and lo and behold, I was pregnant that cycle. Again, I can't say for sure if that's what did it, maybe it's all down to chance, but I do think the culmination of all the above really helped.

I agree it might be a good idea to have a break from the OPKs and BBT for a bit, it's good to have a couple of months without the daily constant reminder. Especially as you probably know the signs by now anyway.

And don't forget it's completely normal for it to take 12 months, even 18 months is becoming more common these days.

@olivehush thanks so much for your reply. I did get pregnant 5 years ago but it was an accident (i came off the pill during covid and it was literally 1 time unprotected) i had a MC but i didn't try again because i wasn't ready at that point.

I'm sorry to hear about your MC and i'm so glad you got your rainbow baby.

That gives me some hope as i guess everyones body is different and the time can vary

xxx

@DramaAlpaca Thank you so much for your message. Puts it into perspective for me. I think we are just told it's so easy to fall pregnant from such a young age and when it doesn't happen immediately its so confusing. I definitely will try putting down the OPKs this month, my EWCM is very obvious and i know i normally get a positive OPK around CD 11-13 so ill just aim for every other day around then. Hopefully this will take the pressure off as I do get really stressed and anxious around this time wondering if i'm doing enough and this also effects my sleep.

Thanks so much XX

@Tater05 Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to me.

I did take CoQ-10 for a month but it was quite expensive and i didn't re-purchase it, i will try reintroducing this into my supplements. Can i ask what supplements you took if you don't mind?. I could eat better and do more exercise to be honest so that's maybe something i need to focus on. ]

I have tried the Mucinex method a few times and then a couple of cycles i did do the cough syrup too and did notice more EWCM so maybe i need to carry on with that.

Its very possible i do have some underlying inflammation due to me being ill last year as i've noticed since then my periods can be more painful so thats possibly something I need to work on to reduce.

I had my 21 day progesterone test which came back as 53 and the consultant said anything about 30 means you are ovulating so he said this was strong. I consistently spot 3/4 days before my period though so it makes me wonder if i need progesterone support incase its dipping too early (chat gbt tells me lol). Maybe this is normal but it always starts around what i think is 10dpo and carries on until my period comes. Will bring this up at the appointment at the end of sept.

Will lay off the tracking this cycle for sure and see how it goes.

xx