30 something and TTC #1 for a year

[MrsPTTC]

Rmsh sorry to hear that

MK, they didn’t tell me the figures just that it was great. Last time I was scanned in October they told me it was “beautiful!” So brilliant to see the clomid hasn’t thinned it. I had some hot flashes this month but I think the mood swings haven’t been as bad. Glad you’ve had some news from your private FS, I’m sure it is very worrying, but 3% is pretty low, I’m sure everything will be fine hun. As for the bloods, perhaps you are now getting to the bottom of why you’re not conceiving? It’s much better to know then have an action plan!

Aleja good luck with FET!

Broody, GL to you to! 50% is brilliant odds!

Welcome twinkles! I hope you’re not waiting for your BFP as long as some of us! We don’t have Fertilaid over here, but DH was on Wellman conception (though never seems to remember to take it recently!)

Yay for the IUI MrsG! They scanned me on cycle 1 of the clomid to check for ovulation every 2-3 days from day 10 & saw my cyst. It just sounds like you’ve had an extra scan at the beginning.

AFM, follie was 22mm yesterday so due to pop any second! The 2nd one has stopped growing so little risk of twinnies. Going back on Tuesday for another scan to check it’s gone. I thought I was handling things better since my holiday and being relaxed etc.. but had a mini meltdown yesterday x

 

[GettingBroody]

MrsP, hope you're feeling a bit better today. I'm not surprised you're a bit tense - you've had a very informed cycle this month - seems like you're going for scans every other day! Hard to relax when all that is going on. Fx'd it'll all be worth it though!!!

 

[mk8]

Hello ladies! Monday morning blues. Yawn

Af spotting arrived yest. Grr. I had kinda hoped the hsg might clear out the tubes to bring my bfp but hey ho. On to the next test- aqua scan!(or sonohystergram or saline scan- apparently it has lots of names).

 

[aleja]

Hi mrsP it sounds like you are good to go .. After all the scans you must be anxious to get to the 2ww...

C'mon ladies we need some BFP action on this thread ... I am feeling really hopeful this month

Mk..sigh.. Next step.. When is your sonogram?

 

[MrsG2010]

Yes aleja, I agree. BFP needed 'round here.

Sorry MK that the HSG didn't work any miracles for you. I second Aleja's question... when do you do your next test. And then what happens? Are you off the Clomid?

How's everyone else doing?

As for me, tonight's my last Clomid pill (of my first round). Only side effect (I think) is a yucky taste in my mouth. My ultrasound and blood work are this Saturday. So then we'll see what this Clomid has been up to!

 

[mk8]

Hi girls

Mrsp- come on follies! Hope clomid does the trick for you this time. I'm really sorry mrs p but I've forgotten who prescribed you clomid- a fertility specialist or a gp?

Mrsg- good to hear that you're not suffering from too many side effects.

Aleja and broody- doing ok lovely ladies?

Everybody else- hello!

I've booked my saline ultrasound for next weds 4 jul. they told me I don't need antibiotics... Hmmm! They said I will get instant results as a doc will be performing it. I then need to email my initial consultant for his thoughts. He said I can email rather than pay for a second consultation. I'm also getting my Amh blood test done. Has anybody here had that?

I'm seeing my gp tomO as my blood results looked off (red blood count levels do goodness knows why). I will also get his views on my results from the hospital on my fertility tests.

Im off clomid Mrsg, sadly it did nothing for me. It didn't even seem to lengthen my lp or stop my spotting 1-2 days before af. My pvt fertility specialist said he didn't get why I was on it as it won't help people who are ovulating and he said that's standard on Nhs. That said, I've heard fabulous stories of people getting their bfp on clomid despite ovulating on their own. I guess I gave it a go!

It's sad that we are still here after 12-19 months if TTC but I'm really happy to have u girls to chat to. Hopefully it will happen for us soon. I've been wondering why and what the issue could be. I wonder if we have issues like endo that hasnt been picked up by ultrasounds and what not? My two transvaginal ultrasounds didn't show fibroids or polyps but my hsg showed something irregular. Weird. What tests are the ones we should believe in?

 

[MrsPTTC]

Thanks ladies, feeling a bit better. My breakdown was triggered by DH saying we can't go to NY in august. I got my hopes up & we both wanted to go back before we had kids (went on honeymoon 6yrs ago) but its just too expensive. We can afford it but DH doesn't think its good vfm & would be better spent towards a new kitchen. That said he's agreed we can go back to Turkey or another similar sun holiday. I doubt we'll go back to NY for a long long time now, but never mind. It just got me thinking, if we go somewhere hot & I can't sunbathe or drink the all inclusive....then I get annoyed with myself for thinking like that!

MK sorry your spotting started and the HSG didnt work. I also had my hopes up HSG month. My FS was the one that prescribed clomid. What you were saying about WHY? - Maybe its just a matter of time, maybe there's nothing wrong with us? You do hear of people taking years. My FS said if the bloods hadn't showed I didnt ovulate then I would be unexplained & told to wait 2-3 years! As I've said before I'm not convinced it wasn't a one off! It's so frustrating as I keep wondering if the egg is fertilising at all, is it implantation issues? I'm never gonna get any answers though!

Aleja you're so right, we need a BFP!

GL on the clomid MrsG!

x

 

[aleja]

hi gals,
there is so many unknowns in LTTC. I really do feel for all of us because its just not fair why we have to have all these intrusive tests, exams, treatments when others get to do it for free. i know I am being negative but it does suck.

MK and MrsP i am not sure what to say about this unexplained infertility questions. To me it sounds like it would be harder to accept that there is nothing wrong??...how can this be???
At least in my case (and Broody's) there is a clear reason why no BFP - dodgy sperm - this makes it both harder and easier to accept...harder because there is little chance of a surprise miracle BFP but easier because there is a course of action we can try. Eg ICSI straight away.

have either of you ladies had any immunology testing? sometimes implantation is hard when there is natural killer cells attacking the embryo which may be trying to implant. I don't know much about this but i know its one of the reasons sometimes implantation fails.

Mk, I did the AMH test earlier this year. This tests your ovarian reserve- to see how many eggs you have left. If AMH is too low it can mean that egg quality may be poor and reserve is running out. Too high can be possible PCOS.
I think if you had endo or PCOS it would have shown up on your ultrasounds by now.
I don't really know what tests we should believe in really . i wonder this too. A friend of mine recently had a laparoscopy to find out what is going on in there. She has low AMH and endo..i think this is tell-all exam as they do some exploration and clear up any endo, etc. however it is very intrusive..hospital stay and up to 2 weeks rest time.

MrsP, 2-3 years waiting is insane- maybe if you were doing everything al naturale, but my FS said that 90% of couples will fall pregnant after 12 months. If it takes longer than 18 mths, then very likely there is a problemo. The stats are great for the normal people out there but for the rest of us....

 

[MrsPTTC]

Thanks Aleja, i agree having answers is definitely easier to handle! Yep the odds in 18 months are brilliant, but sometimes people just have unexplained fertility, though the fs says I'm not one of them.

My scan didnt go to plan yesterday morning - they are 'not sure' if I've ovulated! Folly is still there but is 'raggy' (exact words honestly) & haemorragic (same word used to describe cyst) so either I have just ovulated/am ovulating or haven't ovulated at all. She said they would have expected it to have gone by now. It was 22mm on sat am so really should've ovulated by now... I need to call her when AF comes & she'll have a look at my cycle, though I don't know what that will tell her when I usually have regular cycles & did on the cycle my bloods showed I didnt ovulate! And now I'm wondering why I can't just go back for bloods to be sure? x

 

[GettingBroody]

That's very strange MrsP! Seems like it would make a lot of sense to take cd21 bloods and see what they say... Maybe your regular dr could do them for you?

 

[mk8]

Hey mrs p... They're not sure? Hmm. Second what Aleja said- agree with checking by day 21 Bloodwork. Have you seen a private specialist at all Mrsg? Wondering if it may be worth a second opinion on your general reproductive health. Hope you're doing ok generally.

Aleja- how are you doing?

How are all of you?

I was thinking about my scan next week and what I'd do if I do have submucosal fibroids. Do I get the removed? I've read it may increase fertility but then ops in that area can cause scarring and hence infertility. We have been trying for a long time now but I'm so scared of scarring my uterus. Oh girls, what to do?

 

[MrsPTTC]

Just rang the fertility nurse to ask for bloods. I really don't like the woman, not as much as I hate the FS, but I just think neither of them have any people skills or are sympathetic to our struggles. Anyway, she said "they don't do it like that" and just to ring when AF comes and she'll show the FS my charts. I warned her when I didn't ovulate last time I had a normal cycle so I'm not sure what she'll determine from it! I don't think my GP does those kind of bloods as the last ones were done by the FS.

MK gosh I wouldn't know what to do if I were in your situation I'm sure the docs will tell you what they recommend though and what is more risky for you fertility wise?

x

 

[MrsPTTC]

MK did you mean me or MrsG in your post above? If me, then I'll see what they say when AF arrives, if they scan me again then great, if not, I definitely think it's worth looking into private. I've also been hearing of all these blood tests that are available and I've not had, and there is a CM test as well though I'm not sure that's available in the UK x

 

[GettingBroody]

Mk8, I'm really not sure what I would do either, I guess I just don't know enough about it. (sorry, we're not being of much help to you!) I really feel for you ladies who are still unexplained. For me it definitely helped when our problem was figured out. At least you can tackle something once you know what it is!

MrsP, it might be worth checking with your gp just incase he/she will do your bloods. It's funny how things are done differently in different countries - I had to go to my gp for all my bloods and so did dh. The results were sent on to the FS then. The only bloodwork the FS had to do was dh's karyotyping. Mk8, are you in the UK too? If so did your gp do your bloods? By the way MrsP your nurses reaction reminds me on when I rang the FS asking if I could start bcp while waiting for dh's results. It's really annoying when they won't even try to work with you to figure stuff out!!!!

Everyone else - hi! Hope you are all well!

Afm, nothing to report. Af arrived yesterday (well actually it was about 930 the night before. It always confuses me when she arrives late in the evening - never sure which day to call cd1! ) Just whiling away the days waiting for my July af so I can get started I'm bcp!

 

[mk8]

Hi girls.

Mrsp- I meant you. Think predictive typing defaulted to Mrsg.

I suggest you go to your gp and ask him/her to do your bloods. I had mine done that way. Then you take all your results to a private specialist for another opinion.

Broody- id say today is your day 1.

 

[aleja]

Mk I am still confused about how you could have fibroids when they didn't come up in 2 ultrasounds ?? I know you are looking for answers but darl you may be jumping the gun

MrsP I finally understand why the FS says that you are not unexplained..because he thinks you don't ovulate?? I really can't believe they won't offer you a simple day 21 BT . This is one of the most basic things.. And what does "Raggy" mean anyway ???!!! When I read about your FS and nurses I feel frustrated I can't imagine what it would be like for you.
I agree with the others that a private consult is way to go . Even though they think you don't ovulate well surely they can try to find out why rather than month after month of Clomid .

Broody one month to go!!! Yaaayyy

Cupcake, any news with your IUI? GL hun

Me: I had my first BT today to see if I am closer to Ov.. I have to go back tomorrow for an ultrasound and another BT..apparently something is happening down there

 

[mk8]

Hi Aleja- the reason I suspect I have fibroids is because my hsg report said I might have them due to the irregular shape of my uterine cavity. The fertility specialist has suggested a saline ultrasound as it is clearer than a normal one. Hoping this is worrying for nothing. The saline scan is similar to an hsg in that they stick a catheter up me but inject saline not dye. Rather than an X-ray, they stick the probe in me to do the ultrasound. Technology these days! Haha

Hurrah to something happening down there!!!!!! Come on eggy!

 

[MrsPTTC]

Broody I love your howdy emoticon

Aleja I think raggy must be a local expression if you're not sure - it means ragged or rough around the edges. We used to have a cartoon here called the Raggy Dolls when I was little, I used to love it. So on Saturday when it was 22mm they said it was beautiful and round, by tuesday they've have expected it to have gone completely but it was still there and "raggy" and hemmoragic which I think means it's bled into itself (the same as my cyst) but is normal. I might ring the GP tomorrow, it can't do much harm to ask! I found out the costs of a private consultation and it's £460, I'm sure DH won't pay it so I'm not going to push it.

Broody and Aleja, great things are starting to happen! MK, good luck with your SIS.

x

 

[mk8]

Hi Mrs P- wow, £460 is a lot! I think I paid £180 for mine. Who is yours with?

 

[MrsPTTC]

I just looked on the Newcastle fertility centre website, it's at the Centre for Life, some big newish genetics & biomedicine place. I had the option of going there when I chose my hospital, but went for Sunderland instead, possible big mistake? Or maybe they are right and I just don't want to hear it lol x