Anyone else trying to get pregnant ? 3

[bayleaf]

New thread for all ttcers who want to moan etc...

Hi Bayleaf, I jsut dont know any more. I had a period in December, then 8 weeks till the next, then a mere 4 weeks on the next cycle. This one is 7 weeks so far. I am going to go to the doctors next week, for me the first step will be establishing if I am actually ovulating. I tried weeing on sticks last month but with such a long cycle, where on earth do you start? Also, with a long cycle, you have to wait forever to try again. If I do ovulate it is probably only a handful of times a year. What hope does that give me. . Want to cry today so maybe its PMT.

OH Bunny - don't cry - I can quite appreciate how fed up you must feel - once upon a time my cycle was very similar - I sorted it thru homeopathy but there are also drugs a GP can give you to sort it out - Clomid for eg - tho GPs do seem to vary in whether they will prescribe this themselves or whether they want to refer you to a specialist. I'm not having ivf cos of me - I actually do ov pretty normally on a 31 day cycle now - it's dh who is the problem ( his sperm has apparently stopped swimming since dd).
Don't despair!

thanks Bayleaf. One of my best mates ahd a girl a couple of days ago and I went to buy a Congrats card today. That was quite hard. What was the homeopathy you used?

+++A Dr Reckeweg Product, R20, ( originally suggested by the woman who used to give me accupuncture then subsequently from the Nutricentre -in London but they do mail order.)
It costs about £10 per bottle.
I've also taken Vitex ( Angus Castus) herb which is supposed to be very good but that was after the r20 had sorted me out adn I was just taking anything that ''might'' give me the egde adnget me pregnant ( believe me for about a year I did EVERYTHING - then found out it was him and not me!)
I can imagine how you feel - I have no less than 8 friends due in the next 6 months!
HTH

Hi Bunny2 - I posted on the Am I pregnant?? thread... basically what I said was: My friend had no period for 4 months..... loads of negative pg tests and eventually got referred for fertility tests. A week or so before the appointment she had a positive pg test! A scan revealed she was only 7 weeks pregnant. So she managed to conceive when her periods had seemed to stop. There's hope for you. Keep trying.

Thaks Toblerone . Glad to know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Bayleaf, I ma going to do a search on the products you mentioned. Are they both to regulate ovulation?

Hello everyone ... how's it all going? Sorry Bunny2 that you are feeling so low ... it is awful for you and I hope the doctor gives you some pointers on what you should do.
Boogs ... thanks for your lovely comments ...
I have a little update ... I went to the doctor today to have a chat about it all and also to talk about my periods which, after 20 years of being totally regular (28 days on the dot) have gone mad since my M/C - the cycle is now anywhere between 21 and 33 days and the periods are really really heavy to start with and then last 10 days ... the last couple of days being really yukky and blackish brown and bitty (sorry!).
Anyway ... the doctor (who I have only just signed up with) was really lovely and supportive and we had a really long chat. She said first of all that the reason I am not getting pregnant may be because I want it too much ... and that phychologically is not doing my body any good .. she says that I am too stressed about it and I should stop counting the days in my cycle and trying to work out when I ovulate ... easier said than done ... but I do think she has a point.
The other thing she said is that it isn't unusual for periods to be messed up after an M/C and she has advised me to go on the pill for 3 months to regulate them again ... I agreed and came away with a prescription for Mercilon, which I used to take when I was young free and single (ie. slapper ) ... but when I came home I thought I would post to see if anyone else has ever had to do this??
Obviously it would mean that I would have to put the baby thing on the back burner for 3 months ... and maybe that would help me relax about it for a while but do you think it is a good idea?
Any thoughts???????
Oh ... she also wants to do blood test in the middle of this cycle (before I start taking the pill) to see what my hormones are doing.

Ghosty,
I can't offer any advice for going forward but
I can totally relate to this at the moment. After m/c I had my first period last week, but it was heavy, long and like you described, almost black and bitty. Yukky! It lasted about 8 days. I normally last 3/4! So I think I might have to go and see the Doc and get on the pill to regulate it a bit. I will see how the next one goes - when it decides to come. Have you read in the m/c thread? There is someone who has just gone back on the pill after similar probs. I know how you feel though. Regular as clockwork, previously conceived no probs and now after m/c it's all changed. I cannot beleive how much a m/c affects you and for how long! It took 6 weeks for mine to stop. I really want another baby! Keep in touch Ghosty, let me know if you get any more info! It all helps!
xxxx

Ghosty - If you can bear to do it then the Dr has given good advice IMO, I've certainly heard of people being advised similarly - she is clearly ''taking it seriously'' as often Drs just don't and give really facile advice.
The only problem with the ''stop trying'' advice is that some of us know that if we do then the chances of getting pregnant are nil as our 'natural ' sex life is not active enough! It sounds like that's not the case for you tho so, yes, do stop counting and just have lots of fun sex!
Good Luck...

jane101 - any news ??? Did you go ahead? I've got a week to go till FET hoefully - will know more on Thursday when I ahve a scan

Hi all,

Really pissed off today... Got a temperature dip this morning, although only day 8, and so did an ovulation stick test this morning and got the darkest line I've ever had! I thought I'd be ovulating at the weekend, but it's obviously happening earlier this month, so I v. quickly sorted out stuff at home to go and see our donor this evening + tomorrow morning (i.e. got time off work) and he's just e-mailed me to say sorry but he can't do it this month - he's got a lodger staying this week and is out this evening.

Aarrggggghhhhhhh.......................

Our donor is brilliant and this will be the first time he's not been able to do it, but I'm really down 'cos it's the strongest ovulation line I've had, and it's so frustrating that I'll have to wait yet another month. (couldn't try last month because of conflicting stuff).

Sorry. Had to grumble - I've only just got his e-mail.

Ho hum....

Sorry to hear that dot1 ... how frustrating for you .... keep going darlin' ... hopefully next month will be a strong line too ...
Hugs ....{{{}}}}

Oh what a bummer Dot - a month seems such a long time doesn't it? Especially when you had already done ''being patient''. Really can appreciate how you feel ( in the old days, trying for dd, dh was often sent abroad at not much notice).
On the plus side it does seem like your ov is going OK now - are you on medication?

I am sorry to hear this Dot!
Smiley face smiley face smiley face!!

I went to see the Doc today. She said she would normally send me away for another 6 months but due to my old age (37) better start immediately. Nice to know being old is useful in some way. Thursday I am having blood tests to see what my hormones are doing. I insisted I have all the signs of PCOS but after scrutinizing my face she declared no probelm with facial hair (has she heard of Jolen I wonder?) and therefore probably dont have PCOS.

Hi all. Big hugs to those having a frustrating time.Would a holiday be possible for anyone? Might be good to take minds off ttc for a little while and to get refreshed? There's some great deals out there at the mo although I appreciate the difficulties (impossibilities?) in travelling at short notice with littluns.
Ghosty I reckon going on the pill to regulate your cycle would be a step forward. Not only would you feel more in control (indirectly) of you cycle/fertility, it would also force you to put ttc on the back-burner. Your dr's probab right about the stress being counterproductive, so this would benefit you in the mid-term and possibly long-term if it results in a pgcy. I know it seems like a few months is 3 wasted cycles and/or wasted time but it would be an investment.
Have you got any hobbies or projects you can immerse yourself in (apart from ds!) to tide you over? I've been doing alot of reading and planning our new decor, complete with working drawings! Nothing life changing but I have found it's taken my mind off the m/c, and whatever is gonna happen next.
Hope this helps you decide what to do. Remenber to go with your instincts. xxx

Bunny your GP does seem a bit daft as many people who are Polycystic ( or more precisely have PCOS ) don't have ALL the symptoms- I've ofen wondered if I have PCOS - but my consultant has said it's not a big deal if I do or not and plenty of people who are PC do seem to get pregnant OK.
I have read ( on here as well as else where that a low glycemic index diet can help if you are - (see www.mendosa.com for details of glycemic ratings if it means nothing to you)
The blood test ( presumably a day 21 test ) is a good start tho.

Bayleaf and elliot, thanks for thinking of me, but unfortunately we're not going ahead this month, as I'm ovulating on the wrong side again. I'm disappointed, but not terribly upset. It's not as bad as an actual failed attempt.

Bayleaf, I hope everything goes well for you this time.

Bayleaf, wishing you all the best on the 13th. My dd is a "frostie" baby and my twins the result of IVF. I agree with the idea that mental attitude is important. The boys were our 4th attempt at IVF ( plus many FET cycles too) and I'd reached the point where I'd had enough and said to DH that if it didn't work that time I wasn't going to go through it again. I really had very little hope of it working and was beginning to plan our lifetime of travelling the world together and getting rich! I have to say that I only did the pg test to prove to my Mum that I wasn't pg, but that positive result was probably the happiest day of my life.

Similarly, with the FET, I didn't hold out too much hope as the clinic only had a 3% success rate. Again, a big surprise and I honestly can't believe how lucky we've been.

I'll be thinking of you on the day and sending positive thoughts your way.

Hi boogs ... yup I do have a 'thing' ... I like to write and I am currently in the process of writing a book!!!! So I will concentrate on that ... great idea!
This thread does make me feel so lucky that I am not suffering from PCOS or anything like that and that I already have DS without having years of IVF etc ...
Thinking of everyone here ........ love Ghosty XXXXX

Hi Josiej- I don't thnk we've ''met'' before have we? Are you new? ( sorry if you've been reading the oldies/newbies thread I don't have an 'agenda' in asking!!!)It's lovely to hear a positive ivf story and to have good vibes from someone who know about all the hassle involved.

Dd wasn't ivf - we're ivf/icsi and dh seemed to be fine before just now he's not and I'm too old to wait and see if he gets better.
I'm feelig quite positive about the FET as

1. my clinic ( the Park in Nottingham) is excellent and has the best results outside London's top place and their FET results are now 20 something percent per cycle ( ivf 30%)
2. I know more people who have got pregnant thru ivf in inauspicious situations - eg one embryo replaced/ low quality/FET - than I do from good quality ones! Jane101 - you sound very stoical - I'm impressed! AS you say tho, a set back isn't as bad ( or as expensive!) as a fail and on natural cycles next month does come round reasonably quickly.

Hello!

Feeling slightly better today - resigned to waiting another month. Yes Bayleaf, the one good thing is that the medication - Metformin - must be kicking in - I couldn't believe the line I got on the OPK!! So maybe I'll get strong lines every month and stand more of a chance anyway..!

Bunny - I've got PCOS - confirmed by the 21 day blood test - and I haven't got facial hair!! I also have regular periods, which is atypical. But I am big (although trying to get smaller!) and have always had a real problem with acne, which is another symptom. You don't have to have all the symptoms - definitely ask for a 21 day progesterone test if you're at all worried. I'm now on Metformin, and it's hopefully doing the trick to get me ovulating.

Good luck Bayleaf - not long to wait!! Jane - sorry it's another month for you aswell to have to wait...

Meanwhile this month holds lots of excitement for me because we've got a court date for me to get parental responsibility for our ds!! Quite nervous as we've got to go to court, and we're not sure what to expect - in fact I think I'm going to start another thread somewhere else to see if anyone else knows what might happen!

Dot1 - if it's any reassurance, the fertility expert on Babyworld says that a cycle of less than 24 days is not likely to be fertile. So if you ovulated on Day 8, it's unlikely that the "rest" of your body would have been ready anyway! So maybe it's a blessing in disguise, as you would only have been disappointed in 2 weeks time.

Is your cyle normally very short? Maybe it's just your drugs kicking in and next month you'll be back to a more normal - and fertile - cycle, and your donor can be prepared!

Hi Janz,

My cycle's normally 28 - 30 days, but I tend to get all the ovulation signs - mucus etc. early - usually between days 9 - 12, so this is slightly later, but I wasn't too surprised.

Ah well, here's hoping for June...

Bayleaf - I thought the doc was a bit dismissive too. However a blood test should show PCOS shouldnt it??? I have been looking at low g.i. diets as a way to lose a bit of weight (low cal diets dont work and lots of carbs do lead to weight gain with me) but I dont suppose there is any wirtue in starting one until I have a confirmation or not as the case may be. Good luck on the 13th (ds 3rd b'day too so maybe a good day for us both )

So glad I have this for support

Hi Bayleaf, yes am quite new to mumsnet but addicted already ( and no, haven't read that thread so won't get paranoid ). Spent some time thinking last night about all the things I did when ttc, such as watching what I ate and drank, taking some exercise, carrying a lucky charm about everywhere with me (!) and countless other weird and wonderful things, but one thing I did enjoy was a fortnightly session with a reflexologist-if nothing else, it was lovely and relaxing. Whether or not it made any difference I don't know ( didn't do it before FET ) but if you've got time to get a bit of pampering in before the 13th, I'd say go for it!