Anyone else starting investigations this month?

[babypleasenow]

Hiya just wondering if there are any ladies on here who have been TTC 1yr+ and are seeking help from GP this month as I've just requested a call from my gp to discuss and would like someone to buddy up with as I'm scared! 😂

Appointment went well today. I asked all I need to. We are entitled to 3 rounds of medicated iui and if for some reason it goes wrong (over stimulated or you get covid etc) it doesn't count. You get 3 actual tries. Hopefully these will be back to back but it hinges on if you want to, and how many others need it that month. They prioritise the people who didn't have it the previous month. If it doesn't work we can have 1 round of ivf and the wait time is about 3 months atm. So not bad at all?
They sent us for bloods (I'm to email next week and see if results back) and DH had to fill in a consent form. HSG wasn't too bad at all. I was bricking it but I didn't find it awful. Slight cramps (I took ibuprofen before) but not as bad as period pain or anything and over pretty quick and they were women. So far I've found everything really good and positive and them supportive. I feel like I've had a day out! Strange going anywhere. Theoretically we can start IUI next cycle. All my tests have come back OK - no why we can't conceive I've no bloody idea. DHs last SA was normal. So whether it's the progesterone/ spotting, I've no idea.

That’s amazing @paintfairy!! Sounds like it all went really well and not long to wait at all 😊

So did they give you the results of the HSG straightaway?

@Riviera90 yes. There will be a proper report but I asked beforehand if I'd find out that day. And she said yes. They just said it was fine.

Good news @paintfairy!

Hi ladies how are you all? Any updates?

I called my GP today as I hadn't had any confirmation of my fertility referral and the receptionist was able to confirm that the referral had been sent off at the start of March, so that's good. I then called up my local hospital to figure out how long the wait might be. I spoke to a seriously unhelpful lady who basically asked me when I had been referred (last month) and told me "it's way too early to be even asking this right now" 😐 and I was a bit like "........." After much probing I finally got an estimation of "maybe 3-4 months" from her. Jeez it was like drawing blood from a stone! But I'm glad I have somewhat of an estimation now.

How was your initial appointment @Riviera90?

@paintfairy sounds like your appointment went really well. Are you starting your IUI this cycle?

@acaciabluebell I must have been really lucky as mine was fast. Having said that- the gp made a mistake and my original referral was November (ended up being jan) so whether they bumped me forward and took it from the Nov, I'm not sure?

Hopefully yes. AF due sun or Mon and then I have to call.

Hi @acaciabluebell, I’m ok! How are you doing? I still did OPKs but haven’t been counting the DPO or doing my temps this month so doing that and having a long weekend has made me feel a lot more relaxed than I usually would at this point in my cycle.

How frustrating! I don’t understand why she would be so reluctant to give you an estimate...like you say though it sets your expectations and if you hear from them before then it’s a bonus. I found the wait really hard as I’d spoken to friends that had been referred pre COVID and their wait time was a month! So had that in my head but it turned into 5 months.

I can’t decide if appointment went well or not...it’s taken me a whole week to get my head round it and I’m pleased that things are moving forward but thought there would be more options for us. He basically thinks I have adhesions/scar tissue from previous surgery that has meant my Fallopian tubes are in the wrong place and/or are blocked. He said he wouldn’t do a laparoscopy because of the previous surgery so can only do HSG. My DP has his next SA in May so if that’s ok, I’m going to do a HSG but he said even if they’re both good we will fall into the unexplained infertility category and it’s IVF anyway so he said if one result is bad, both results are bad or both results are good he thinks we will need IVF.

We will have to pay for IVF where I live so it means we’ll have to cancel our wedding planned for next year and I had a meltdown about everything last week but feeling a bit better now.

Just worried about actually starting IVF, telling family and work etc..still finding it hard to wrap my head around the fact that he basically said he thinks I’m infertile and will need IVF for all future children 🙁

Glad things are moving so quickly for you @paintfairy !

@Riviera90 That must have been a lot to take in! I'm so sorry 😔 Can I ask why did the doctor think you have blocked Fallopian tubes? Did he do a scan or? And what surgery did you have previously? Sorry if these questions are too personal, I'm just curious as it seems like a big jump!

I'm also wondering if there is a reason why he wouldn't recommend medicated cycles or IUI (if your HSG comes back clear). Is it because of the length of time you have been TTC?

I'm so sorry about your wedding. That must have been a difficult decision. Sending you hugs ❤️❤️

Thank you so much @acaciabluebell ❤️

He said seeing as it’s nearly been two years, statistically we should have conceived by now if there were no issues on either side. But seeing as we haven’t he ran through a list of questions which have know effects on fertility and one of those is if you’ve had abdominal surgery. I did when I was still a toddler for mecklels diverticulum and he called it a midline laparotomy? I’ve never ever been told it could affect fertility and I’ve tried doing some research on it but I hate anything medical so can’t do it without wanting to pass out after reading about the surgery 😂

I think he was saying that even if the tubes aren’t blocked at the HSG, it wouldn’t necessarily pick up adhesions which would mean the egg and sperm can’t meet or the egg can’t travel down so my best bet would be IVF...I think because my cycles are regular and all other tests have been fine so far he jumped to that but I wish I’d asked the same questions that you have now.

Luckily we’d only told our family and close friends to save the date and not sent anything formal out but I am dreading telling some of them about IVF...it randomly got brought up in 2 conversations over the weekend with family and they were really pitying people that have to go through it and I just don’t want that to be me.

I’m still praying that by some miracle we’ll be pregnant by June time or that the HSG will clear out any small blockages and we’ll get pregnant in the months after that 🤞🏻

@Riviera90 Thanks for explaining hun. I thought that might be the case. I know that 2 years is normally the point where people become be eligible for IVF/more invasive treatment on the NHS (if they meet the other requirements) because of the statistics. It might be worth following up and asking your Dr what he thinks about other treatment options if your HSG does come back clear. Fingers crossed it does come back clear, or it clears out any possible debris etc. I really hope that you get your BFP soon ❤️ I'm rooting for you!

I think I will ask @acaciabluebell.

Thank you so much! Currently sitting here with cramps knowing that AF will make an appearance tomorrow but not going to give up hope!

Hi @acaciabluebell @paintfairy, how are you both getting on? X
I’ve just had my HSG (finally! It got cancelled at the last minute last month) and all looks good. My partners SA also came back with really good results so I guess we fall into the ‘unexplained infertility’ bracket now.
The doctor said we couldn’t TTC this month, did they say the same to you @paintfairy ?
Hope you’re both doing well 😊

@Riviera90 I wasn't allowed to ttc before the hsg, but no one said anything about after.
I had iui in April. May they didn't call me back and I couldn't do this cycle with me being away. I'm hoping we can do next cycle but I've broken my arm. 🤣

That’s so strange - my doctor was quite firm about it! I thought I’d seen online though that your chances of getting pregnant after a HSG a higher so it’s going to be reeeally hard not to ‘try’!
Oh no!!! Not ideal! Can you call them or do you have to wait for them to call you?

Hey @Riviera90 I'm doing well thank you! Ive finally been offered an appointment by the local NHS hospital fertility unit for September, making it 7 months from referral. Frustrating but I'll take it. I paid for a private internal scan last month just to check my AFC and that everything was OK inside and everything looked good. So the only test I haven't done yet is the HSG and I'm planning to wait for the NHS referral for that as it's quite expensive to pay for privately. My husband also has a repeat SA soon.

So yeah, currently just waiting and waiting but still trying naturally. Today I'm around 13dpo and waiting for AF which hasn't showed. But I did get a BFN yesterday.

So glad there’s some sort of progress @acaciabluebell! 😊 September will hopefully come round quickly for you and happy to hear the internal scan was all ok!
I was worried about the HSG because of what the results might be and the horror stories I’d heard but it was actually fine! I didn’t have either any pain or cramps afterwards either.
I was meant to have an appointment with my consultant on Tuesday to discuss the results but that’s already been cancelled 🙄
I honestly don’t know what I will say though if he asks us whether we want to push ahead with IVF or not now that the results have come back ok 😬 have you already got a plan in mind once you get the tests results back and speak to the fertility clinic?

@Riviera90 thank you! My plan is just to discuss what our next steps would be. I'm hoping to try medicated cycles (Clomid, Letrozole) first because my day 21 progesterone levels are low. Then move onto IVF when we become eligible. Are you thinking to go straight to IVF now?

@acaciabluebell I hope you do get to give the medicated cycles a go first! I wish they would give us that option…it may be different now that the rest of our tests results have come back ok but only IVF was mentioned last time. I’m not sure I’m so in two minds…one day I want to just get on with it and the next I want to carry on trying naturally. I think he will be showing us the stats again though of how unlikely it is that we’ll fall pregnant after trying naturally for 2 years ☹️
Keep us updated - it’s always lovely to hear from someone who is at a similar stage in this very long journey! 😊

@Riviera90 Hey hun, how are you? How's everything going?

I'm on cycle 18, approaching my FW. These past 2-3 months I have just given up on tracking completely and just "not trying not preventing" basically. It's helped with my mental health because all the trying and peeing on sticks etc was really getting to me. The wait for my appointment has also really been stressing me out. Still another 2 months to go.

Also, my husband got the results back from his second SA and it wasn't good. Borderline low in every parameter, low total sperm count and 0% normal morphology. So that's also been hard to digest.

Hi @acaciabluebell,

I’m in a similar sort of space mentally, I think I’m on cycle 25 now and would guess about 5DPO but haven’t been tracking this month. I’ve even taken my Fitbit off as I was obsessing about the RHR! It has helped though and the only think I’ve been doing this month is trying to find ways to think positively about TTC as it’s mostly out of my control and would rather choose to feel good about it than bad. Been reading Marisa Peer’s book if you’re into that kind of thing.

Sorry it feels like the time up until your appointment is dragging ☹️ I finally had my follow up appointment after the HSG on Thursday (the first got cancelled) and he’s basically said we can crack on with IVF whenever we are ready. There is currently no funding for IVF where I am but there are talks with the health minister next week which could mean funding is available as soon as the Autumn. So going to wait to hear how that goes and then make a decision when to go for it. It does seem like it’s more within reach now and I came out of there feeling quite reassured and positive!

😢 I’m sorry the SA results were disappointing. What were the results of his first SA? Have they given any suggestions of things he can try to improve it and that they will test again in 3 months or have you just got to wait for your appointment now?

@Riviera90 Funny you mention that, I recently got a Fitbit and have been obsessing over the RHR too 😂 Luckily I don't have any OPKs or tests in the house which is helping me avoid tracking though.
That's so amazing that NHS IVF might get reinstated where you are!! If you could get funding that would be perfect. Got my fingers crossed for you 🤞🏽🤞🏽 Autumn isn't far away!!

In terms of SA, the first one came back good except morphology, and 2nd one has come back borderline with even worse morphology. So it's looking like the morphology thing is pretty poor. We haven't been recommended to retest, but I'm sure our consultant will probably request another SA by the time our appointment rolls around in September. I'm also pretty certain that I'll have to retake all my blood tests as they will be out of date by then (they were taken in January!!).

@acaciabluebell it’s so hard not to! 😂 it’s really useful for pinpointing ovulation but my RHR drops a few days before my period is due and so I know I’m not pregnant but still keep hoping! Those few days are torture for me so just decided not to put myself through it this month. Have you noticed any patterns yet?

Thank you! I know that’s what I thought! The cost of IVF was a lot less than I was expecting so we would have enough in savings anyway but worth seeing if I can at least get 1 cycle funded.

😔 how frustrating! Hopefully you won’t? I’m not sure how it works where you are but they just do one round of tests here so between first lot of tests and appointment I think it was around 6/7 months and that was fine, although that isn’t as long as your wait.

Hi all!

We've been trying to conceive for around 2 years, but haven't used contraception since we've been together which is almost 5 years and nothing.
I had a miscarriage the first month we tried, nothing since.

I've had some 'day 21' blood tests and it seems I'm not ovulating, now I'm just waiting to see a specialist. My friend has been waiting for over a year so I'm considering going private... anyone else gone private for a fertility mot? X

Hi @beth1311, welcome!

Sorry you’re on this journey with us but it’s nice to have some company.

Wow a year is a long time…I didn’t go private so don’t have any information on it but someone here may be able to help 😊 are the blood tests the only tests you’ve had so far? X

@Riviera90 hi 🙂 so far it's only the bloods but that's been over 4 months and it's still nothing.
My GP didn't ring me back yesterday as I wanted to get another blood test done before AF arrives to see if im ovulating late maybe?

I don't particularly want to go private, I just hate not knowing what's going on xx