Would you be my Infertility/Clomid/Follicle tracking friend please?!

[scienceteachergeek]

Hi there ladies

I’m really looking for a ‘clomid friend’ or ‘infertility pal’!

I’m 30, DH is 38. I came off the pill July 2013 to regulate my cycles and ended 15yrs of antidepressants in March 2014 as I’d read that was the best plan if possible.

I’d been having regular 27/30day cycles since I came off the pill but after no positive tests, buying OPKs and the Clearblue Advanced Fertility Monitor, plus charting temps and monitoring my cervix and mucus it quickly became apparent that I wasn’t ovulating. After all the blood tests, sperm analysis, trans-vaginal scans and the HSG it showed that he was fine but I wasn’t ovulating, but there was not obvious reason why.

Fast forward to now, 2yrs since coming off the pill, I have been prescribed clomid and have taken my first 5 tablets. I’m day 12 today and have been having follicle tracking to check if the drugs have worked. My largest follicle was 16.4mm today and have to go back on Wednesday to check it again.

Do any of you know if that’s a good size? Or have any experiences of being further down the clomid path? Or are you in a similar position? I just feel like I’m going out of my mind and could really use a buddy!

Thanks for reading and hugs to you all. Interested in hearing from any of you xxx

haha newleaf- indeed! although I'm 10dpo so no harm in keeping them crossed for a bit.

I tested this morning and bfn. Still no sign of af though. I'm usually like clockwork so I've no idea what's going on.

Birchy when are you going to poas?

I tested this morning bfn. I used cbfm - does anyone know how sensitive this is as I can't find it anywhere.

Af arrived last night. Three months of clomid haven't worked. I now have to wait for my hospital appointment in September.

I'm so sorry finding. hopefully it won't feel like a long wait!

I start my clomid this cycle but I don't think I will have much luck with it to be honest as I think I'm ovulating OK

Thanks Birchy. I still have another cycle before my appointment so I'm hopeful for that. I'm going to try not to get too down about it.

I think I was ovulating before the clomid too. It can't hurt to try though. Good luck.

Birchy...i used the cbfm, the advanced one (touchscreen version). Is this the one you use? No idea how sensitive their sticks are but they must be good because you can get bfps 3 days before AF.

So sad that we all had AF this month but at least we're hear for each other for the next month

My little cbfm asked for me to poas tgis morning. It said 'low' chance of fertility...a great shame as it's been difficult to keep DH off me while we've been away! He's usually got such a low sex drive. Must be the heat, bless him!

Been ever so pessimistic and looked into IVF abroad. Much cheaper!

Yeh it's the same one science!

With your monitor at the end of the month does it go back to cd1 when you enter af? Mine doesn't and I have to reset it each month!

Weird, yeah mine goes back to CD1. Love it though. So helpful. You get on well with it other than that? Good luck for this month...i was a little premature saying we'd all had AF. X

I might bring mine back as its not very helpful when you have to keep resetting it!

I do get on well with it otherwise. I did ditch it this month to try a month of TTC without so much monitoring and of course this is the month I ovulate early!!

af is def on way - cramps are slowly building upn- going for the painkillers soon. it will be here on Monday night\tue morning

Hi ladies,

Hope you all have a great week ahead!!

Birchy hope your AF cramps aren't too bad and if it is AF she Hurries up... Don't forget cramping could always be a good sign at that stage of your cycle!

science how are you getting on?

finding I'm sorry AF came and also teased u like that being late... At least you get another go before your appointment.

Vap everything ok with u? About the supportive partner mine is great, but really felt the pressure this month DTD, usually I can never keep up with his sex drive but this cycle over my fertile period was like pulling teeth.. I was actually super in the mood and all my advances weren't working, I think it just put extra stress on a stressful time and I almost think that if he didn't know how important it was to DTD at that time. He would have been game... But just that the pressure to perform made it all worse.

Gah, what a hassle to get preggers when some people just "accidentally" fall pregnant.

3DPO, CD24 here and having terrible stomach aches... Far too early for it to be a symptom but I guess it might be a standard symptom of post-ovulation which I've never experienced, seeing as it's only the second time I've ever ovulated...!!!

My DH really hates all the pressure to perform too. Sex during the fertile window is seriously rubbish especially and feeling the need to use the preseed makes it even more clinical.

Got flu-like symptoms today so feeling a bit worse for wear. Got a 'high' on my fertility monitor today which makes me think that clomid is doing its job again. It'll say high fertility for a few days now until my LH surge happens.

Our last day on holiday tomorrow and really looking forward to getting back to normality. Fly at 6.30am on Wednesday...which doesn't sound fun though.

I've totally run out of optimism with regards to making a baby. I am the most impatient person I know so unfortunately my own personality has made this worse for me than it needed to be. I had renewed hope last month because I actually made an egg for the first time. Now I'm just angry at my body's incompetence again. I just don't know how you could have done 7yrs of it Finding!

Hi ladies, is there room for a little 'un?

I'm 33, ttc #1, on my first cycle of Clomid, although not hopeful for this month as although I had a nice juicy ripe 22mm follicle at my scan on Tues, the Clomid had massively thinned my lining. Consultant said was unlikely it would be thick enough to sustain a pregnancy, but recommended a trigger shot and giving it a good go nonetheless.

He said there are meds he could give to thicken the lining but as my blood tests were all over the place (day 3 bloods suggested I was pre menopausal and hurtling towards premature ovarian failure, despite having a cracking ovarian reserve and great blood results 5 years ago when I got diagnosed with PCOS!), and tbh my scan had him completely stumped as it wasn't matching at all with my bloods, he didn't want to throw any more hormones into the mix when we didn't know wtf was going on.

He's the lead consultant for reproductive medicine at Barts, and said 'I'm stumped, and I'm not usually stumped!'. So no idea what kind of medical freakshow marvel I am.

So, trigger shot yesterday, got my smiley face on the CBFM and +ve cheapy OPK, was told to DTD today and tomorrow. Ideally should be +12h and +36h post trigger, but as I triggered at 4pm that would mean shagging at 4am, which was so not going to happen

There's enough pressure on DTD during the key days as it is, without it having to be in the middle of the night!

Lovely to 'meet' you all X x

Hello. Can I please join you all? My good friend Vap recommended this thread . I also recognise quite a few of you (NewLeaf, Birchy and Banana from other threads!).

I'm a little bit behind you all, but think it's likely I'll be sent down a similar route to the rest of you over the next 6 months. We're also realising that IVF may have to be an option, and even private IVF in due course, so we're frantically trying to save money on top of buying a new house at the end of the year. Urgghhhh.

Birchy - I had a laparoscopy a few weeks ago. Trust me, it is NOTHING to be scared of. I was really nervous before, mostly about the GA but also about the pain, but it was absolutely fine. I'm no expert, but they look for things like endometriosis and can see whether your tubes are blocked etc. I'm sure there are a million other things they can check!

Banana - you do sound like a bit of a medical marvel! Will they give you the hormones to build the lining next month? I find it so odd that in some postcodes you get clomid and a trigger shot and in some (mine for one) won't give you the shot. I wouldn't have done the 4am sex either...I'm an afternoon/evening kind of girl

Flat white - what's next for you my lovely? Have they diagnosed you with anything in particular?

Vap0 - I think you're a couple of days behind me, I 'peaked' yesterday on my machine so obviously DTD. I'll get some more out of him tomorrow! Wish we were still on holiday, after the period left he was up for it every day. Maybe I should put the heating on, whack it up to 36degrees and walk around in my bikini

How are the rest of you doing?

scienceteacher welcome back from holiday!

Great to hear you've peaked - it's SO gratifying to see that smiley face

I've been seeing my consultant privately, so the trigger shot wasn't free (though 'just' the cost of the drug) - but like you say it's such a postcode lottery with what each trust will and won't fund.

The plan is to move v rapidly to IVF, as we can't discount my bloods and how desperately atrocious they were, indicating that we need to pursue treatment very very aggressively to have any shot of me conceiving. To put the results into perspective - v few if any NHS trusts would fund any IVF treatment for me as my FSH would be too high. Most trusts have strict criteria about BMI (mine would be too low but that's easier to address!) and FSH levels to assess whether you're a reasonable candidate for treatment. Even many private clinics wouldn't accept me for treatment, as they wouldn't want someone like me ruining their stats.

So we'll redo the day 3 bloods when some sort of AF comes and am due to see him first week of September when we'll discuss next steps. At least my response to Clomid suggests there may be a better shot of some kind of response to IVF stimulation.

So we shall see.

HI did you know that sperm can stay alive for 5 days in the womans body. So just shag when ever you want does not have to be any particular time.

I have had almost 4 cycles of clomid and then my baby was born with ICSI finally.

Tucktalking congrats!

Did you find that clomid dried out your CM?

It massively dried up mine and as the 'sperm living for up to 5 days' thing is in optimal conditions with lots of EWCM for them to swim around in, and I had absolutely bugger all on Clomid and had to be really really generous with the pre Seed, the odds were more like 2-3 days max, if that.

But in 'normal' tip top conditions then yep the fertile period is up to 4 days prior to ovulation

Thanks. I am happy it all worked in the end. I think couples going through IVF or any fertility treatment have a lot of pressure. My husband was infertile as well. That is why we had to go through ICSI. It is important for the male partner to be tested as well first. I took clomid assuming he was fertile. What a waste!
We were in Kenya at the time paying privately for our treatment. The doctor may not have cared less.
What finally worked for me was leaving it all up to God. I said it will happen if he wills it. We were totally stress free and talked to none of our relatives about it. I think if you concentrate on eating well and relaxing it works much better. I had PCOS as well. Taking care of my diet helped. Lots of exercise and doing the things I loved helped me keep my mind off my body.
The first cycle did not work and I think I desperately wanted it to. I think I was a little too tired and stressed out from all those hospital visits.
Making it a habit to have sex every three days may work. Pressure on the male partner is great. Mine was just greatly nervous as he had to take his out in a cup. My embryo was kept frozen for a whole year as well before being implanted into me. Science is good these days. We may never have had a baby if we were in this situation a hundred years ago.
Wish you best of luck.

I doubt it if private clinics are afraid of ruining their stats. However treatment is expensive. The NHS made us wait for quite long. We had no option but to go private. The doctor was very nice. 7,500 it cost us.

Some sperm have found to be living up to 7 days. Obviously, being a science teacher and having a biology degree means I found out an awful lot about it before knowing I'd personally need the knowledge! The journey for the poor little sperm is so inhospitable it's a wonder how anyone gets pregnant!

Tucktalking I'm so so happy you hot your bfp - wonderful news!

Unfortunately it is exactly the case that many private clinics turn patients away who have high fsh levels, because they get their business according to how successful their results are in the HFEA stats. For example, the most 'successful' clinic in the country, renowned for their phenomenal stats that are head and shoulders above other clinics, do so in part because they have a lower cut off for FSH levels. Not all clinics, but many many private clinics, unfortunately.

Hi All
Hope everyone is well!
Just a quick update from the vap household... Currently in the fertile window according to my app on my phone. Due to ovulate on Monday or Tuesday I think. DP was away last week but since he came home we have dtd at every opportunity. I told him last month that as dtd every day didn't work last month we will have to dtd twice a day. I was joking but he seems to have taken me seriously and has been on the ball. I think that having the ivf light at the end of the tunnel is making it easier to take. Not had my letter through with an appointment yet but it will be for an appointment in January. It will also help get us into a more financially secure position if it does take that long and I will be in a position where I may not have to go back to my job after maternity leave. Trying to look on the positive side!
A (male) work colleague told me they were starting to ttc last week and they will know by the weekend whether cycle 1 was successful. It appears not as they were at the beach drinking prosecco this afternoon according to Facebook so looks like it hasn't just happened for them. I'm pretty certain that they will get their + before me though!
Oh, and I forgot to mention, 4 babies were born last week! 2 more due over the next week or 2 too! Argh!

science how much is it for ivf abroad? We will certainly go abroad if nhs ivf fails. It's looking to be about £7k in the UK.

flat welcome

banana sorry to hear about your tests not making much sense! Hope the next bloods tell you more positive news! How many more clomid cycles will you do before ivf? Will you have to go privately?

Anyone testing any time soon? I think it's about time we get a bfp on this thread

Hi vap

Keeping fx for you! Has your OH had a SA done? The book Taking Charge of Your Fertility is so so helpful, and has some great advice about timing DTD around the fertile period - basically says every day should be OK if the guy has a normal sperm count, but if there are issues to stick to eod or every 3 days to allow the stocks to replenish! Doesn't mention anything about twice a day though, haha . Can massively recommend the book generally - it's my go to guide haha

I can totally relate to the FB baby announcement thing. I've had something like 15 in the last 5 months. At one point I had 5 in 10 days!!! Needless to say I'm going on FB a lot less at the moment...

Thanks for lovely words and support, I really appreciate it. I'm terrified my bloods will be even worse when I get them redone in a couple of weeks!! Consultant recommended we look at moving to IVF asap as the side effects from Clomid (lining and CM) meant it might have helped me ovulate but was making it harder for me to actually conceive. FSH injections don't thin the lining but using them in a natural cycle means an unacceptably high risk of multiples - plus if my lining is thin there's only so much we can do to thicken the lining within the same cycle. Whereas FSH injections as part of an IVF cycle mean both factors are more easily managed, so better chances of a good outcome.

We could try more Clomid cycles but the longer it's used for, the greater the thinning effect on the uterine lining (if you've had this side effect, which not everyone does). The Clomid worked for me - it got me to ovulate. It just made it more difficult for me to actually conceive. More cycles would potentially mean we'd end up in the same place in a few months time ie looking at IVF. But in a worse position for chances of a successful cycle with an even thinner lining to start with.

Plus with my atrocious FSH and AMH results time is not on my side. I'm seeing him privately - so any treatment would be self funded. In any case my bloods would mean I'd be unlikely to be eligible for NHS funding as it is .