Unexplained infertility - next steps

[overthinkersanonnymus]

Hi all, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me out with some questions I have regarding medication etc.

We have been ttc for 3 years, but no luck. My bloods came back "normal for my age" at 37 and confirmed ovulation on the month I had the tests done. My partners sperm also showed no abnormality or low count etc.

There is a 2 year wait in my area for ivf on the nhs, so we are probably going to go private.

I was wondering if there are any steps we could take before ivf such as clomid? My gp was beyond useless and has no idea.

Is it possible to take clomid if you've had ovulation confirmed?

Are there any genetic tests we can have done?

I really don't know where to start or what to ask. Any advice would be greatly appreciated x

Hi,

We had male factor infertility so IVF and ICSI was the only option for us.

I think if I was you I would choose a clinic and contact them for advice/a consultation? Or speak to your GP surgery again and see if they have a doctor that you can see that is more knowledgable with fertility issues? It may be that they can simply prescribe something to make you ovulate more regularly which you could try for a few months and maybe could save you the cost of ivf?

Have a look through some of the threads on here,I have found it to be a real fountain of infertility related knowledge.

good luck! Xx

Thank you @Cosyseason1234

I had no idea there was such a thing as a medicine to make you ovulations more regularly. See, I knew I'd learn something on here! X

See if you can get your AMH and AFC counts checked on the NHS too, really useful to know your levels before embarking on fertility treatments. IUI might be a less invasive option for you also? Consultations with fertility clinics tend to be a couple of hundred pounds, might give you a clearer idea of your options. It’s a minefield when you are first starting out! Xx

@overthinkersanonnymus sorry you're in this position, it's really hard to know where to start.
My husband and I also have unexplained infertility. Originally they thought it was due to my underactive thyroid but treating it made no difference, then they checked my tubes and found that one was blocked but advised this would only reduce fertility by 20% so wasn't enough to justify us not getting pregnant. We then got added to the ivf waiting list and I asked to try letrizole in the meantime as I tend to ovulate really late in my cycle. I was on this for 4 months but had no luck and ultimately went through ivf. Our first transfer didn't work but we have 5 embryos in the freezer and are about to go through our first frozen transfer. I guess the point of my story is to be open minded but not to put all your eggs in one basket (pardon the pun) as ivf might ultimately be your best option xx

My advice would be a private hyfosy to check your tubes

Costs 500 gbp

Private = much faster than nhs

Plus - if your result = blocked tubes - you can add it to your nhs records
And discuss with nhs

Additionally -
Hertility health are amazing
.theyll test your a m h / egg reserve

Theyll also check re pcos
Markers

Sometimes ovulation later can be pcos

I really recommend hertility health

We also experienced unexplained infertility and were told that IVF was the only option for us. I would get yourself in the waiting list in the meantime while you explore other options. I don't think AMH testing is NHS funded; I had to pay extra for this on top of the standard tests done.

Similar experience here. Unexplained, all tests good, normal ovulation. Did all our tests privately though including HyCosy as didn’t want to wait for NHS. Did 6 months of letrozole (same effect as clomid) but still zero hints of a BFP in all that time. Some normal ovulators have success on these meds but I think mostly it helps those with PCOS who aren’t ovulating at a predictable time, or at all.

First IVF transfer failed, second one stuck and I’m now 19 weeks (first BFP we’ve had).

Still no idea what our issue is!

@overthinkersanonnymus similar for me. TTC for 3 years, unexplained infertility. Everything is “normal”, in fact my cycles are so regular you can set your clock by them! I’ve just turned 40 so I think this will be the last year of trying. I was prescribed Clomid for 4 rounds in 2023, managed to get pregnant on second round, but it wasn’t meant to be and ended in a difficult MMC. My cycle went back to normal very quickly, but I didn’t manage to catch on the last two rounds. I started acupuncture a couple of months ago, and it’s helping me to relax, she’s identified some potential issues which we’re working on, so we’ll see what happens! I thought I had nothing to lose my trying something a bit more holistic. Hope you get a happy ending 💫

@Barney2009 I'm sorry about your loss, it must be devastating.

My cycles are clockwork too, was there a reason they gave you clomid? If your cycles are regular, I would have thought that you would have been ovulating.

@overthinkersanonnymus thank you. Yes, it was a very difficult time.

They do prescribe Clomid to people with unexplained fertility who are already ovulating to give more chances of hitting a target (as they described it 😂). Clomid can make you release more than one egg so there is a “risk” of conceiving twins, triplets etc. What I would say is that for me it was a pretty rough drug, which I had read about. It sent my hormones flying so the mood swings were awful, night sweats, head aches and some weight gain (which shifted after I came off it). Everyone is different but wanted to share my experiences if you’re considering it

@Barney2009 thank you for replying, I hadn't realised clomid was an option if you actually regularly ovulate. I learn something new everyday about infertility!