Trying for a baby (12+ M/not straightforward)

angelavdavis

Hi everyone,

I have been tested and come back with a reading of 24 for my FSH, when the limit for NHS funded IVF is 10 or less. Bit surprised about this, considering I have been ovulating most months since I started monitoring in August.

I have struggled to find any methods for lowering my FSH online.

Has anyone got a link to somewhere I can read through tips?

Nicki, I have been using the Clearblue ovulation monitor and found that during the first three months it was quite erratic with its requests for testing. It seemed to standardise after three months.

Thanks everyone.

AnnieM_3

Hi all,

Hope everyone's ok - any news from Myaccount?

Just had our initial consultation with the doctor. She was pretty helpful, and I've now got to go for cd3 and cd21 bloods to be taken. OH has a pot to take to the hospital (bless - he's taking it in his stride).

I'm confused with my chart on Fertility Friend (this is my first month of temping). Monday it decided it thought I might have ov'd on cd11, but after I added my temp yesterday it gave me a proper cross-hair for cd12, which is when I got a positive on my OPK, and also when I got ov pains (which is usual for me). Today, my temp has gone back down to the coverline (why?????) and it has decided to go back to maybe cd11 again!

Normally I can bet on af showing up 14 days after the day I get my OPK positive, which would make Monday 26th cd3 if I've not managed to fall pg this cycle.

If it's right and I'm wrong the 26th will be cd4 and I'll have to cancel and try and re-book for cd5 instead (I'm guessing cd4 is no good, and I can't get the test done on a Sunday anyway). I just don't know if I should trust my OPK and past cycles or go with Fertility Friend's opinion. AF appeared a day late according to my OPKs last month, but using them has been fairly accurate previously... Any ideas/advice?

AnnieM x

nikkinoo_3

Js_Other_Half wrote: »

I waited 5 months for a HyCosy (similar procedure) as they only did it one morning a fortnight !

:eek: That's ridiculous!! I can't imagine what you must have been feeling by then! I thought once per week was tight, but once per fortnight is crazy!

AnnieM - when I used Fertility Friend, my OV day would sometime change, sometimes to a couple of days after it originally said I'd OVd. It can be quite frustrating. I'd say book your 3 day appt for when you think it should be, and if AF is late/early see if you an change it. A day or so either way shouldn't make all that much difference I'd have thought?

myaccount08

All these daft waiting times really annoy me. I was told 6-9 months for a lap and dye, then of course it also has to be at the right time of cycle. I wish they'd hurryed up about it and maybe i wouldn't be in the pain i am now :mad:

angelavdavis - acupuncture is meant to be great for normalising levels and (hehee i know everyone is sick of hearing this )... but fertility specific reflexology is fab for balancing your hormones too. I was very skeptical about these things (despite the studies) but they worked for me!

Annie - Glad you had a good appointment FF will regularly change it's opinion of your ov date, that's one of the reasons i didn't like it (although the good things out weigh that by far). Generally it will only give you an ov date after you've had 3 high temps, so if it drops at all during that time then it'll change the date back so it has it's nice "magic 3" again :rolleyes: If your temp goes up again tomorrow it'll change it back to CD12. Just as long as you keep active the day of the positive opk & the 3 days after, i wouldn't worry over exact temps. Try to get as close to CD 3 as possible for the bloods, i found that my results on CD 5 are totally different from those on CD 3.

News on me.. i've been unwell and unable to leave the house so didn't get my private beta. DH convinced me that an u/s @ 6 weeks is the only way to confirm molar anyway so i should just hold tight until then. He said he'd work double for the next week so we could afford it, bless him

I've been cramping since Friday night, it feels like heavy AF cramps. Just when i thought i could have a break from them :rolleyes:. I've also had pain on the right side since then too. It woke me up @ 4pm today, a pulsating pain just nagging away. Called the hospital many times but no-one is picking up. Just found the link online and they're shut until tomorrow morning, so i sat and had a good ol cry as i'm in abit of a panic. Trying to convince myself it's just a cyst. Not nice being in pain though, esp when you can't do anything about it

Hope everyones doing ok

AnnieM_3

myaccount08 wrote: »

Annie - Glad you had a good appointment FF will regularly change it's opinion of your ov date, that's one of the reasons i didn't like it (although the good things out weigh that by far). Generally it will only give you an ov date after you've had 3 high temps, so if it drops at all during that time then it'll change the date back so it has it's nice "magic 3" again :rolleyes: If your temp goes up again tomorrow it'll change it back to CD12. Just as long as you keep active the day of the positive opk & the 3 days after, i wouldn't worry over exact temps. Try to get as close to CD 3 as possible for the bloods, i found that my results on CD 5 are totally different from those on CD 3.

Thanks for that. We didn't keep that active this month, but did bd in the morning and evening on cd 12 (I'm not normally a morning person, but hey! ). I suspect my temp drop today could be the oestrogen/progesterone balancing act - apparently it's quite normal to get a drop 4 or 5 dpo when the progesterone is rising, and the oestrogen is still dropping. I learn something new every day! I'm hoping for a fallback rise tomorrow (see, I'm getting the bbt lingo!:p)

myaccount08 wrote: »

News on me.. i've been unwell and unable to leave the house so didn't get my private beta. DH convinced me that an u/s @ 6 weeks is the only way to confirm molar anyway so i should just hold tight until then. He said he'd work double for the next week so we could afford it, bless him

I've been cramping since Friday night, it feels like heavy AF cramps. Just when i thought i could have a break from them :rolleyes:. I've also had pain on the right side since then too. It woke me up @ 4pm today, a pulsating pain just nagging away. Called the hospital many times but no-one is picking up. Just found the link online and they're shut until tomorrow morning, so i sat and had a good ol cry as i'm in abit of a panic. Trying to convince myself it's just a cyst. Not nice being in pain though, esp when you can't do anything about it

That's sweet of your DH. Will you try to contact the hospital again when they're open?

AnnieM x

AnnieM_3

I'm sitting here almost in tears. I just discovered that throughout our entire TTC effort so far, we have been using something that may have been actually stopping us from conceiving! :mad:

We have been using Sylk lubricant in our bd-ing up until this month, having read it was non-spermicidal. I searched for info on the Sylk website and was satisfied that it wasn't going to be harmful to them. Since we've been using pre-seed this month, I thought I'd google to see if I could find any mention of Sylk causing issues for the little swimmers. Lo and behold I found a link to the Australian site for it, which has a section that says that its ph level isn't right for good sperm motility as it's too acidic against the natural neutral ph levels at your most fertile time and should not be used when TTC!!!! :eek: http://www.sylk.com.au/whatis/faq.html

I am so angry - why on earth doesn't it say anything on the UK website about this???!

Maybe you guys already knew this, but I just wanted to post this to save anyone else from making the same mistake we (I) have. I feel like such an idiot!

AnnieM x

liloandstitch

AnnieM, chin up - at least this my well be the reason why you havent been conceiving, and could mean your dreams are soon to be coming true!!

Lilo

nikkinoo_3

Oh AnnieM - how frustrating. They really should make that sort of information clear on the packaging. Are you sure the ingredients aren't different for the UK and Australia versions? Either way - I'm sure lilo's right... you could now be well on the way to realising your ultimate dream!

I'm getting more and more frustrated by the loo-trip now. For once in my life I just want AF to start so I can hopefully get my HSG done this month. It's a day late now, though I'm 100% sure it's going to grace me with its presence. If it's much later I'm most likely going to have to wait til next month for the HSG. Of course there's always that hope in the back of my mind that it won't start, but isn't it just sod's law that this will probably be one of the few months where my normal 28 days becomes 30!

nikkinoo_3

I hope you're feeling a bit better Myaccount - did you get hold of the hospital this morning?

AnnieM_3

nikkinoo wrote: »

Oh AnnieM - how frustrating. They really should make that sort of information clear on the packaging. Are you sure the ingredients aren't different for the UK and Australia versions? Either way - I'm sure lilo's right... you could now be well on the way to realising your ultimate dream!

Thanks to Nikkinoo and Lilo - I'm hoping we might start making some progress now!

The US, UK and AU sites all have the same ingredients (except the AU one says grapefruit seed extract instead of citrus seed extract as the preservative. It seems to be the ph that matters most though.

The US site even says it is a sperm-friendly lubricant and contains no spermicidal ingredients.

I think they confuse the terms 'non-spermicidal' and 'sperm-friendly' a bit. It even states the ph as 4.7 and then goes on to say that sperm won't survive at that ph, but doesn't advise against using it for TTC. It's much clearer on the AU site. The UK site does say it's the same ph as your skin, but doesn't go into any further detail. I think I may send them an email to request the add the info to their site.

AnnieM x