30 something and TTC #1 for a year

[MrsPTTC]

Thanks aleja, I have read that the chances decrease after 3 months too, but I have seen people get BFP's on here at 4-6 too. It seems common practice in the UK to do 6 months, but then again we don't have to pay for our treatment, its through the NHS so as IUI/IVF is costly to them they probably don't want to go down that route too soon...I have thought about changing FS but that hospital is really handy for me for work & I'm sure all the FS at the same hospital have the same ideas so its probably not worth it. I'll just have to persuade him to test my progesterone again & look into my spotting issues. Main thing is I know he will go down the IUI/IVF route this year!

Is normal IVF not am option for you hun? ICSI is the next/final step isn't it? x

 

[mk8]

Hey girls - quick hello only. Hope you're all doing ok. My my, many of us have moved on to the next stages of TTC, whether it be pregnancy, looking into assisted conception options etc... Positive vibes all round- our bfps will happen!

 

[MrsG2010]

Morning gals. 15DPO and spotting. I haven't felt that awful feeling of disappointment yet. Maybe it'll come later ...Or maybe I'll feel Ok this month.

Hope you guys are all well!

 

[aleja]

Hi mk and mrsG
mrsG do you test anymore? i think i remember you said you just wait around for the witchy.. hope its just spotting and not AF

Mk- yes you are so right about stepping up the action to other forms of ttc. i wish there were more natural bfps happening but unfortunately in my case it is unlikely to happen. however we will give it a shot again this cycle and hopefully i will be one of those lucky gals who miraculously fall preggers just before the ivf starts

mrsP- i really hope you don't have to think about ivf/IUI i guess the upside is that it free for you so that is so fantastic. I wish they had a similar arrangement in Australia but our govt is not as generous!

normal IVF is not an option for us as DH's sperm count is so low and they are pretty lazy swimmers. we will need icsi as it they can choose the best sperm and insert it directly into the egg so that way the spermy doesn't have to bother swimming at all
i think icsi is becoming more common these days and getting better results. i have been trolling the IVF forums and noticed that most ladies are having icsi cycles.

 

[mk8]

Hi girls

Mrsg- hope you're still feeling ok

Aleja- on to the next stage! Good luck.

As for me, went to my first acupuncture session at zita west clinic yesterday. It was fine, not painful. She didn't understand why I wasn't pregnant already either but said my spotting may be due to low progesterone (mrsp, keep note). She put the needles in on my ankles, wrists, tum and forehead- not painful. Not feeling any diff yet but here's hoping eh?

 

[MrsG2010]

Aleja No I do not test anymore. I haven't in like 6 months.

So AF arrived yesterday. Cycle #15. I'm going to try to talk to DH tonight. See what he wants to do.

Mk - I'm so interested in this acupuncture. Sounds interesting. What made you decide to start?

I hope everyone is well.

 

[aleja]

hi ladies,
sorry to hear about AF Mrs G...wow cycle 15...when did you start TTC again? what do you think your DH will say?
funnily enough i went through my FF cycles and noticed I am only on cycle 7 but i think that is since i started on using FF. plus my cycles are soooooo long i wouldn't be surprised if I am only up to cycle 10 or something...but it has now officially been 12 months for me and i am already heading for the help of modern medicine.

mk- i have heard of that name zita west...did she write a book or something? the acu sounds really interesting and may help get your system sorted very soon. how often do you have to do it?

 

[mk8]

Hey girls,

Mrsg- cycle 15? Try cycle 17 baby! Though it's month 15 for me. If its any help, another lady on this forum hit the jackpot on cycle 15

Zita west did indeed write a book Aleja.

I just decided to try acupuncture as I figured it wouldn't hurt. I've known people to try it for other reasons and they found it beneficial and people tell me it can balance hormones and I'm hoping that's my issue. I'm waiting for my hsg still so may as well try something. She suggested I go again 5dpo to help with implantation. So will go again. Another lady on this forum who now has a beautiful baby girl now liked it and the month she got her bfp the acupuncturist said her energy was rebalanced. Maybe it was that or the hsg she had that did it, either way, it was a positive story.

She said my 26nmol/l progesterone level on day 21 (was actually day 22/5 dpo) is quite low and could expl my spotting.

Aleja, remind me- do u have pcos?

Mrsg- whats your lp?

 

[Sarahrn04]

Just checking in. cd33. First round of clomid...+opk at day 11 then I had 5 days + at cd 28-32. No symptoms of anything, and no bfp....soooooo weird.

 

[mk8]

ohhhhh pos opks are a great sign of a bfp! what hpt r u using?

 

[aleja]

mrsG Mk is right...any cycle can be the one, even Cycle 15 so don't lose hope.

Mk, i think some of the ladies on another ivf forum were talking about a zita west diet or something? Its really great you are being proactive and not just relying on western medicine. I am thinking of doing the same as i hear Acu is great for preparing the body for ivf and after implantation of course.
In terms of your spotting...at what time in your cycle does it start? is it after OV? if so have you tried herbs?? I think i remember you may have used something before but chasteberry is supposed to be good for regulating hormones and increasing progesterone. I truly believe it helps me - i take it everyday after I ovulate and it helps with a long LP too.

sarah, thanks for popping in....wow it sounds promising....did you use a digi HPT?? if you haven't I think you should!!! GL

 

[MrsG2010]

Aleja, I started end of Oct/beginning of November 2010. So I'm opposite of MK. I'm cycle 15, month 17. She's cycle 17, month 15.

Fingers crossed Sarahrn!

I think I'm just now fully realizing that a lot of us are on Clomid. I am not. Anyone else not on it yet? I did not talk to DH last night. He got home late from a tough day at work. It wasn't a good time. Financially speaking, we'll be doing slightly better when May rolls around. I'm thinking of making that my first IUI goal. (I'm ashamed to say I don't have any hope of a natural BFP. And then because I'm feeling extra negative I doubt IUI will work either. )

 

[GettingBroody]

Fx'd for you Sarah!!! Keep us posted!

MrsG, I'm not taking Clomid (yet!) either. DH's blood work came back fine so he's going for his second SA on Tues. it's actually very bad timing cos I'll be cd14 then... Thought about changing it but not sure how long we'd have to wait for another apt so I think I'd prefer to just keep the ball rolling there. It means I'm probably out this month before we ever start but I've kinda given up on a natural BFP too so Going to use opks again this month (haven't in aaaages) cos af was so early last month. Not sure if I ov'd early or if lp was shorter than usual...

to all!

 

[aleja]

Hi mrsg thanks for clearing up the cycle mix up .. I've actually been off the pill since August 2010 for ntnp so it reality we are actually in similar situations in terms of how long
On your ticker it says that your Dh SA was normal but low end .. Did they do the DNA fragmentation or sperm antibody testing? Just a thought... Apparently after a woman's age male factor is next reason couples need AC .. It's a bit grim but even in my own circle of friends the few ppl I have told about our issues they tell me about either their own spermy related stories or of people they know..
As for Clomid I'm not on it either .. I tried to tell FS about my long annoying cycles (not Pcos related) but he didn't seem fussed he reminded me that I am ovulAting and good hormones so there is no need to take it. Plus he said its a bit futile give that the real reason there ain't no baby is because of Dh's sperm
I know it's hard to stay positive but at least you have a plan in the works. Whether its a natural bfp or not in the end it won't matter when u are holding your precious babyx

Gettingbroody hello! Great news about bloods one thing less to worry about. Yes the SA timing is bad but I think it is worth doing sooner rather than later for peace of mind

 

[MrsPTTC]

Welcome Prolifer!

Aleja, I see with regards to the ICSI – anything to get the best results! Re your FS not putting you on the clomid. I’m sure my FS said the longer the cycles the less your chances of a “good ovulation” are as opposed to “weak ovulation” like he thinks I have. And I’m sure I read that long cycles mean older eggs and aren’t as good. It’s funny how all the FS have different ideas/opinions on everything!

MK – interesting what they said at the Zita West Clinic! How much was your accupuncture if you don’t mind me asking and how many times should you go? It’s the cost that’s putting me off – I’m sure I heard £40 a session!

Sorry about AF MrsG

Sarah, your positive OPK’s are a bit odd! When did you take your clomid? If I test a few days after stopping my lines are darker (not positive though) and get lighter before getting darker again when ovulation happens. It tricked me the first month thinking ovulation was coming but it wasn’t! I think it must affect OPK’s. Could that be it? Of course you could be preggo, but I’m sure a HPT is supposed to pick it up before an OPK .

Gettingbroody – the SA timing – what a bummer! But it is very important and needs to be done I guess!

AFM – I took DH’s 2nd SA in on Wednesday, results take 2-3 weeks to be sent back to the Dr. I’m not worried as the first one last May was brill, and DH has continued his Wellman and Maca and stopped smoking 3 months ago. It will be interesting to compare the results though..5.5 weeks til my FS appointment, yay! And 6 weeks 7 days until Turkey! (Not that I’m counting of anything )
Just waiting to ovulate, though it’ll be a few days yet. Did AI last night and will BD over the weekend.

x

 

[GettingBroody]

Just popping in to send you all lots of Mother's Day !!! Hopefully it's extra strong today!

 

[MrsPTTC]

Are you girls finding mothers day hard this year? I am... x

 

[Trulyoo]

Hello Girls!!! Popping in again after another hiatus. Anybody get BFP's while I was away??? As for me, this month I got really anxious again about this whole journey. My good friend fell pregnant on her honeymoon last month. Truth be told, it makes me so pissed off about my own situation. This month we did the best we could in regards to timing and my temps showed an ovluation cycle but lo and behold, I feel AF is coming; starting to spot already. I really don't know what the heck to do anymore. Aside from starting fertility drugs which I'm still a bit apprehensive about, I don't know why it's taking sooooo darn long if all the tests came out okay! I want to start using the clear blue easy fertility monitor to take all of the guessing out of the equation. Are any of you girls using it?

I can't believe how long our journey has been. We should all be pregnant by now....

So mad at the universe right now!

 

[GettingBroody]

Aw Truly and MrsP. Truly has your dh been tested? Were his results fine too?

 

[Trulyoo]

Hi Broody, yes he's all good. Actually, he did exceptional after we thought it was him since I've always had regular periods. Now even after the tests are done, I'm wondering if its just that his sperm doesn't like my egg and for some reason they are not jiving.

Do any of you ladies wonder about that??? I'm thinking that maybe on a chemical level, the two guys just don't like each other. Haha.......What else could it be when all of us have given our best shots? Well, seriously, I'm starting to think maybe its my environment. I know for a fact that for several months now I don't seem to have any Eggwhite CM at all! Don't know but as I get older, I'm dry as a prune (lol!!!). And maybe I'm too acidic up there. I know DH deposits a lot (sorry TMI) and I've been hanging upside down on the edge of the bed so what the heck??? Maybe the sperm dies off right away and no one makes it to the egg =(.

Right now we are trying to save up for a house and so I'm hesitant to do the IUI treatments. I'm thinking I'm going to take cough syrup all month next cycle and see if it improves my environment and maybe get acupuncture at my DH's chiropractic office. What do you guys think? Any suggestions???

I had a talk with God this morning and I was really mad. Hehe... I wish I knew what he was planning. Gosh, I'm starting to go loonie.