what should i be asking for at appt - ttc 3 years now

[kristy87]

hey,

not posted in here for a wee while..... guess ive just been blocking it out. but one of my best friends is pregnant, by accident, and today phones to tell me its twins. i mean im happy for her but it breaks my heart in twwo.

thats my dream. whats wrong with me?? ugh you know, its just one of those days it all gets on top of you.

so anyway, me and oh, 3 years ttc..... seen gyne oct and made appt for 6months down the line so that we would have been trying 3 years. dh had sa done 1 year ago - high count but high count deformed sperm. me - had cd 21 bloods, sti tests and hsg. all fine. so unexplained infertility.

what do i ask for?? i need to push to move forward as they are not too fussed as im only 21. but to be honest - age doesnt matter, the point is ive still cant fall pregnant after 3 years.

do you think i should push for a trial of clomid? at least then id feel as if i could get somewhere.....

and girls who have had iui/ivf how long did it take after being put on waiting list (in scotland)

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[clara belle]

I think I would push for Clomid as the waiting must be incredibly hard. I feel for you, 18 months feels like a lifetime for me. I have my appointment coming up soon and have had same tests as you, I am going to ask for Clomid as need to feel something is happening (think I might be a bit of a control freak!) Dont let them fob you off with your age though, you know how heartbreaking it is. Good luck x

 

[kristy87]

yep, i think im defo going to ask for that... at least in my head we will be moving forward xx

 

[Omi]

Hi Kristy,

the waiting times are dependent on which nhs board you fall under in Scotland. A few of my friends who are doing IVF told me the list in Glasgow was about 18-24 months. however, Arcanegirl (preggers on iui after 3 years ttc) got through to treatment in 9 months, also in Glasgow.

Ive heard the waiting times in south lanarkshire etc are higher so it all depends really.

Have a good long chat with your oh present with your GP and insist on a referral and/or ask about clomid.

All the best, chicken!!

 

[CurlySue]

To be honest though, love, the first thing people seem to suggest is asking for Clomid but if your CD21 blood tests were fine that shows you are in fact ovulating. Clomid would be more or less useless to you. I would not recommend that drug to anyone who doesn't need it. It's not particularly pleasant and if you ovulate successfully on your own it'd be like taking migraine medication without actually having a headache.

What you need to look at is whether there is an internal abnormality that is preventing you from getting pregnant. Your ovulation is fine, it's your husband's sperm that is most likely the problem, seen as how it was the sperm that they found the problem with. It could be that there is a blockage in your tubes preventing the decent sperm from getting to the egg. It could be that you have a uterine abnormality. Or, indeed, that it is simply your husband's sperm that is not quite good enough to get to your eggs. If that is the case, sperm washing and IUI would be beneficial and afterwards ICSI.

A hysteropylogram (sp) would have checked for blockage so if that was clear then perhaps the problem is something else. An internal vaginal scan might detect any structural abnormality. An ultrasound scan would be able to do a job, too, and if you have any other symptoms they might suggest a laparoscopy to check for endometriosis.

If you ovulate, though, then I wouldn't recommend simply asking for Clomid because it sounds good. The side effects can be horrific and if you don't actually need it, why put your body through that?

 

[Omi]

I didnt really wanna mention it but Curlysue got a point. I actually asked for it but the same week i went in the new study came out indicating that for people with unexplained fertility clomid did not make them conceive any more than couples that didnt use it. In response to that my doc declined my asking for it..and as i ovulate fine, he's probably got a point.

As this is not my area of expertise id listen to CurlySue and co!

 

[Puddleduck]

Hi Kristy87,

I too have just gone through the same thing...best friend falls pregnant by accident !!!! how did I feel ....gutted absolutely gutted that we try for over 2 years and cannot fall pregnant and she was trying to prevent it and falls pregnant anyway. Life can be very cruel sometimes.

Anyway I am on the investigation stages too, have tried Clomid for 3 months even though my 21 day bloods have shown I ovulate, to be honest I hate the drug and it's side effects. It has not worked so far and I am having a month off this month much to my relief. The sleepless nights, hot sweats, emotions all over the place are awful. Due to start Clomid again next month at 100mg for a final 3 months so not looking forward to it. Like the girls have said I think it's pointless using it when you ovulate anyway and it hasnt worked for me so far. I do think a US of your pelvis might be a good idea, I have just had one of those and also have you had a Laporoscopy ? This might be able to tell you a bit more.

Good luck xx

 

[latestarter]

Hi Kristy,

Your story is a bit like mine. All my tests came back normal. Clear HSG. I ovulate reguarly - there was no reason why I wasn't getting pregnant.

It wasn't until my IVF cycle, that I had a pelvic ultrasound. They found a cyst. Its between my right ovary and my tube. They couldn't tell if it was blocking the tube or not. We didn't explore it further because my RE says its harmless, and since we are doing IVF now, I don't need my tubes.

She explained that the HSG, looks at the inside of your tubes and ovaries to make sure there is no blockage, but doesn't assess the outside of those structures. If I didn't do IVF and went on to injectibles, they would have had me do a laparascopy first to check the outside of things. Not sure if I'm explaining it clearly.

She said it was like checking out a house. You can walk inside and check out everything (the HSG), but you still don't know if the house is worth buying until you check the outside too by walking around it.

Good luck!

 

[CurlySue]

They say that if you ovulate, Clomid isn't going to make you ovulate more than you do, if that makes sense. If your CD2-5 bloods show a decent quality of eggs and your CD21 bloods show ovulation, Clomid would simply feck around with body chemistry that does not require tinkering with. To me, it's prescribed too freely. Infertile? Oh, here. Try Clomid. Who cares if you actually ovulate? It might keep you off my back for a few months.

I don't know how many people have wasted months on Clomid when they didn't need to be on it but it sounds good. Fertility drugs sound like you're actually doing something when it might actually be that you're making matters worse.

I told my doctor that Clomid actually stopped me from ovulating altogether. I used to ovulate every so often, not regularly, perhaps once every two cycles. She said "Oh, it made you stop completely? Yeah, that happens, sometimes."

I was worse off ON Clomid than I was off it. It didn't regulate my ovulation. It halted it completely.

Push for IUI. It'd be your next best option.

 

[babyorchid]

Hi,

I would recommend seeing a Reproductive Endocrinologist. Have u seen one yet? The reproductive hormones and fertility/infertility is their specialty- they can do much more and know exactly what to look for in a patient ttc for 3 yrs.

I hope this helps, it never hurts to trust your gut instincts about getting a second opinion also.


Hope this helps hun

 

[kristy87]

thanks girls. yeah, think ill push for iui. i mean 3 years is a heck of a long time, especially for a young couple eh

think i would like oh's sa checked again too, hes always been a drinker but seems to have spiralled out of control in last 6 months, so dont imagine it will be any better than it was......

and i think ill try at home insemination lol.... tried handstands and all that...


oh and the mate thats pregnant - she works in same place as me but diff dept - comes down n shows me her scan pic.

the thing that bothers me.... i cant ever imagine myself pregnant. is that an instinct? or just coz ive been trying so long....