Secondary infertility/cycle changing

[secondtimelucky87]

So...not even really sure where to begin. I have one DD aged 3 (after TTC for 3 years) and dealing with secondary infertility (MFI discovered through sperm analysis). Investigations on my side have been vague so far. Only LH, FSH and oestradiol tested and told they were normal. Referred for an internal scan in October but still no appointment- guessing because I'm in London and NHS waiting times ridiculous. So safe to say I'm feeling stressed and worried. I'm 37 in a few weeks and husband in late 40s. Desperately pining for a second child and it's taking its toll on our relationship too. Doing all the right things to maximise chances. Tried sperm meets egg, BD every other day, he's cut out booze, smoothies with fruit, green veg and nuts etc. Work stress and working from home major factors but those are harder to control.

All of this aside, my cycles are getting stranger too and I'm worried it's because of my age. I've noticed that I start getting EWCM from CD 7, then by CD8 I have LOADS, libido through the roof etc - all the usual signs. Then from CD9 it starts suddenly tapering off but my peak (confirmed with BBT as well as LH testing) is almost always on CD14 so im confused. My last three luteal phases have been 12, 15 and 9 days. We know we have a definite fertility issue on my husband's side that we are working on but I just wondered if what I've described above sounds like a cause for concern/worth investigating too? Waiting for the latest set of my husband's SA results to come through in the post before contacting the GP and asking if there's anything else that can be done for us. But I imagine there's not much so thought I'd ask here as we've spent a few hundred on private tests so far.

Thanks so much if you've read this far.

Bump 😊

I am the same age as you and have the same thing since two years ago. I’ve been ttc for two years and not even conceived once. Anyway, to cut to the chase, in my case this indicates diminished ovarian reserve.

It sounds like you ovulate early (so you have a shorter follicular phase). That almost always indicates reduced egg count. I’d say to get your AMH tested. If it’s low, your egg reserve is low too. It doesn’t always indicate lower egg quality (but can do) but it does indicate that you have less time to conceive so would need fertility intervention sooner rather than later.

Oh and the NHS don’t usually test AMH so it’s about £300-£400 for a private test. Worth it for the peace of mind though.

Thanks so much for your reply. That's really interesting. Do you think I'm closer to ovulation around CD8 then because of the signs I'm getting despite not actually peaking until around CD14?

Gosh I don't think I can afford to spend £400. 😢Life is so expensive as it is. What would be the next course of action following a confirmation of diminished reserve?

P.S. I've just seen that Randox health do an at home AMH test which is something I could try.

I used to get a few peaks because of diminished reserve. So it’s possible you could be ovulating on day 14 but your body is also trying to ovulate earlier.

The consultant said that because of my husband having reduced sperm morphology then we needed to do ICSI in the next few months as I have a reduced amount of time to conceive. There isn’t much else that can be done unfortunately. I have heard that coq10 supplementation is good for egg quality so that’s worth taking. That’s it though.

This is anecdotal evidence though, this is just my experience. It doesn’t mean it’s the case for you but I thought I’d say something in case.