Ttc on the NHS

[Idmah871]

Hi ladies
First time posting on this any forum, i promised myself i would not speak of anything baby related to my poor husband anymore.
Here is my story of ttc, i have been Trying for 1 year but got serious about it 5 months ago.
Honestly i thought it would be easy and it has been a bloody nightmare, the ttw, researching all diffrent things, vitamins, lubs, opks, apps, the lot!!
The ttw is possibly the most gruelling period. I went to my GP and they sent me off for blood test as well as scans, she also told me that my partner has to go to his GP and get his sperm tested. He was very reluctant and sought advice from his friends, and they told him to not stress about it, it will happen when it happens. I however told him that he has to do the test, because i need it myself to get reffered to fertility clinic, on that basis he agreed. We are waiting for his results now. Meanwhile my scan was confusing although my GP told me it was fine, i have a cyst on one ovary that measured 1.5cm also that ovary only had 3 follicles and the size of the ovary was 13mm. While the other ovary is only 3mm and has 10 follicles, the rest of the results seemed good my cervical linning is 16mm, however the cyst does worry me. I went back to my GP and asked her if i could have another scan in a few months to check if it keeps growing and she agreed that would be best. I am also very aneamic, i do not know if this affects fertility.

I find that my GP has no clue on what to do with me, and i am hoping the i will get answers and treatments once i get reffered.

I was wondering if any ladies here have been reffered to a fertility clinic, what should I expect? Hopefully i will get pregnant naturally, but if it does not happen i would like to put off ivf for atleast another year, as i only get one round in my area. I have heard about clomid, however, im not sure if i do ovulate or not, some months i have seen a clear line other months im not too sure. My cycles are irregular one month its 26 days next month its 28, or 29, and there is no pattern between them. I do not miss a period...... So overall i am just very confused.

Irregular cycles have a range of greater than 8 days (so 26 one cycle, 35 or more the next). So you're regular enough. A blood test done 7 days after you ovulate confirms ovulation.

Almost every ccg says you have to be ttc at least two years to be offered ivf (and some ccg say 3 years or don't offer ivf at all).

You ask your gp to refer you to fertility and they will likely do more tests. And you should do reading to find out what the tests are and what they mean. 'Taking charge of your fertility' and 'it starts with the egg' are considered gold standard books.

It's shit, there's no way around that.

Oh and clomid is a really powerful drug that you really shouldn't take if you don't ovulate. It made me grow a fibroid that I'd rather not have!!

That sound horrible about the clomid, what is your prognosis with the fibroid now?
Ive heard there are some alternative medications to clomid, but they are also more costly, i think its called femara or something, its suppose to have less sypmtoms.

That was 2017 when I did clomid for 6 cycles. We did our first round of IVF in June this year and it was successful! I never imagined in a million years it would be - I had three cycles all mapped out and planned what I was going to do for each to prepare. Currently 22+3 with a little girl!

So my last scan (20 week scan) showed a 3cm fibroid. There is some evidence that they shrink back a bit after pregnancy? But it was 2.5cm at the start of ivf. It didn't exist in my first scan in July 2017...

Yes - the clomid alternative is fermera/ letrozole. There are also injectables (gonal f is common) for ovulation induction. But clomid is cheap and so generally the first drug they try. It really only helps if you don't ovulate. I did ovulate, but anywhere from cd 14-25. I still question if we should have tried it...

Congratulations! That is super exciting, little girls are super amazing, and shopping for girl baby clothes is super fun, enjoy!!

Is the fibroid causing you any stress? What has yout doctor said about it?

I don't like that it's there. It doesn't cause symptoms and would be more likely to be a problem if removed. Removing a fibroid in the uterine wall weakens the wall and is more likely to cause problems during pregnancy. The complications from removal are pretty extreme too - blood loss and uterine weakness leading to rupture being the worst two. It's more often than not safer to leave a single fibroid which is asymptomatic.

TTC is a horrible experience and it doesn't get any easier.

Your DP will need her semen analysis before you can get a referral and it is best to make sure everything is okay there.

I am not sure whether they have given you the correct measurement for your ovary as that seems quite small, especially if there are 10 follicles in it. You had 13 follicles which sounds okay, depending on your age.

Don't worry too much about the cyst for now. I have polycystic ovaries and I have a cyst by my right ovary and the specialist has not seen it as an issue. It could be something they need to look at, but the specialist will be able to advise you on that. Having a cyst does not mean you cannot get pregnant (if it is really big or causing issues they may say to remove it, but if it is not causing issues then often they leave them alone).

Anaemia can affect fertility, so you will want to get your anaemia under control and make sure you are taking any iron supplements/medication the doctor gives you for that. Again, it won't stop you getting pregnant, but it could make it more difficult and be an issue in pregnancy, so best make sure you have that sorted.

GPs are great, but they often don't know that much in detail on infertility, so you should get the answers you need when your referral goes through.

I have not tried clomid as I ovulate (one of the blood tests you have with the GP will be your progesterone test and a 'normal' indicates you have ovulated) and we are going straight to ICSI. Your cycles are not that irregular as they are within a couple of days - most people have a few days flexibility.

At your referral they will talk through the tests and then sort out any further tests you need (I had an internal scan and DH had another sperm test done) and then they will talk through the options.

I would say that as nice as it is to wait and try naturally first, if you do need IVF I would say it is best to get on with it - it is a long process and different CCGs are changing the funding and you do not want to wait a year or two only to find that your area has decided to stop funding any cycles there.

Hi

I wanted to post to tell you that I think you are doing the right thing keeping on top of the doctors and asking the right questions.

In 2016 I had a similar experience and went to the gp for irregular bleeds. They sent me for a scan and discovered a cyst on my left ovary. It was a dermoid cyst that I had to have an operation for to remove.

Fast forward to 2017 and I was told after another scan that I had another cyst on my right ovary. This cyst was different to the other one in that it was monitored and eventually shrunk. My point of all of this is that all cysts are different and it sounds like you have one that may disappear itself. I would definitely keep on top of the doctors to check.

Good luck!