Trying for a Baby Part 9

teaandcakeordeath

Welcome Bambi. I suppose my only advice to you would be to make sure you're getting busy under your sheets at the right time of the month! A lot of us on here do that via temping (basal body temperature), using OPK (ovulation prediction kit) sticks to detect LH (luteinizing hormone) surges and looking for CM (cervical mucus) changes. Not sure how much of the TTC abbreviations you know!

The danger of this approach is you get obsessive (and potentially turn into a lunatic like me...). If you have no fertility issues, regular cycles etc. and depending how long you've been TTC I'd hold off going down this route for as long as possible as it does (IMO) put stress on you and your partner. As for his SA results- you'd need to know what the 5% was in relation to before you get worried. The WHO SA parameters are as follows:
Semen volume: 1.5 ml
Total sperm in the ejaculate: 39 million
Sperm per ml: 15 million/ml
Vitality: 58% live
Progressive motility: 32%
Total Motility: 40%
Morphologically Normal: 4%

If it's morphology then he's still 'normal' if it's something else then maybe he can look at lifestyle changes to improve sperm quality. I have a friend expecting in the next week who's husband's SA was so poor they were put on the IVF list and told their chances naturally were slim to none- it only takes one tenacious sperm though!

Sorry that you had such a rough year last year. Has the hospital given you advice with relation to what happens if you get pregnant again and your rhesus status? Will they look to give you anti-D earlier if they suspect antibodies are present? Have they tested your blood to see if you have developed antibodies to rhesus positive? I'm just curious as I'm B-neg. and i work in the blood service so am a bit of a blood geek...

teaandcakeordeath

Mrs TM. I forgot to say as well- my friend has suffered with depression. She experienced two different GP approaches to it. The first was 'here's the citalopram now go and pull yourself together'. The second time around (different GP) was 'here's the citalopram- they're not a fix by themselves- have some CBT sessions alongside them'. She hasn't struggled with her depression since completing the CBT and has managed to slowly come off the citalopram. Might be worth a thought for you as pills alone might not be the answer you need. Good luck.

Bambisbelle

teaandcakeordeath wrote: »

Welcome Bambi. I suppose my only advice to you would be to make sure you're getting busy under your sheets at the right time of the month! A lot of us on here do that via temping (basal body temperature), using OPK (ovulation prediction kit) sticks to detect LH (luteinizing hormone) surges and looking for CM (cervical mucus) changes. Not sure how much of the TTC abbreviations you know!

The danger of this approach is you get obsessive (and potentially turn into a lunatic like me...). If you have no fertility issues, regular cycles etc. and depending how long you've been TTC I'd hold off going down this route for as long as possible as it does (IMO) put stress on you and your partner. As for his SA results- you'd need to know what the 5% was in relation to before you get worried. The WHO SA parameters are as follows:
Semen volume: 1.5 ml
Total sperm in the ejaculate: 39 million
Sperm per ml: 15 million/ml
Vitality: 58% live
Progressive motility: 32%
Total Motility: 40%
Morphologically Normal: 4%

If it's morphology then he's still 'normal' if it's something else then maybe he can look at lifestyle changes to improve sperm quality. I have a friend expecting in the next week who's husband's SA was so poor they were put on the IVF list and told their chances naturally were slim to none- it only takes one tenacious sperm though!

Sorry that you had such a rough year last year. Has the hospital given you advice with relation to what happens if you get pregnant again and your rhesus status? Will they look to give you anti-D earlier if they suspect antibodies are present? Have they tested your blood to see if you have developed antibodies to rhesus positive? I'm just curious as I'm B-neg.

Hi teaandcake,

Me and dear OH are very busy under the sheets around my fertile days (according to the iPhone app) we've always been like that even before I fell pregnant last year. He has had children but that (in his words) 'was when his sperm was good but his choices in girlfriends were bad' :rotfl: (can't disagree with him on that one!)

You'll laugh at me for this one but I have no idea how they told him he only had a 5% chance because, well, let's just say he doesn't do going solo guess they used the needle method for it. :rotfl:

They haven't done any more tests only when I was in hospital they gave me and Anti-D injection and they did say if I was to fall pregnant again they would give me a few anti-D injections throughout the pregnancy (she may have said first trimester only, but I was so morphined up when she told me, I could have had two heads for all I knew ) I had to have tests earlier on that year as I had a small femoral hernia, when they did the lapiroscopy they said I was ovulating correctly and everything seemed to be fine. So far I've looked up lifestyle changes and even looked at acupuncture, I'm kinda at a loss..

Bambisbelle

Also might be worth a mention I was on citalopram and oxazepam from April- Aug last year (long story) but as I was receiving a lot of counselling and help so managed to take myself of them almost instantly when I found out I was pregnant although carried on with my counselling and *touch wood* I've not had to go back on them since... It might not work for everyone but somehow has worked for me..

teaandcakeordeath

I'd be wary of apps as they are based on averages. I had one called pink pad which I'm sure was fine if you were 'little miss perfect' with a text book 28 day cycle and 3 day period. For me (my cycles range from 33 days to 40 +) it was next to useless- it was constantly telling me my period was late or early and only got ov right on one occasion! It was only when I started temping/ using OPKs and DUO monitor that I realised how wrong the app was and how we'd been ramping up BD up to 10 days too early... D'oh... :doh:

I can't believe your OH would rather use the needle method than go solo... :eek: I think my OH would've died if they'd told him that was what they were going to do to him!! I think you need to find out what his SA results were though and maybe help him improve his lifestyle (if it needs improving). Especially if you're 'problem free' as it were...

I think you've been quite unlucky with your anti-D. If I was you I'd want confirmation of what they will do and when they will administer anti-D in future pregnancies as you'll want to make sure you get it when you need it. My Nan lost a lot of pregnancies in the 60's before anti-D was discovered so I definitely don't want to go down that route! I was told by my doc (and our testing lab in work) that I'd only need anti-D at 26 weeks (ish) and post delivery unless there is massive blood exchange between mother and baby (which usually happens at delivery if it's going to happen at all)

Bambisbelle

teaandcakeordeath wrote: »

I'd be wary of apps as they are based on averages. I had one called pink pad which I'm sure was fine if you were 'little miss perfect' with a text book 28 day cycle and 3 day period. For me (my cycles range from 33 days to 40 +) it was next to useless- it was constantly telling me my period was late or early and only got ov right on one occasion! It was only when I started temping/ using OPKs and DUO monitor that I realised how wrong the app was and how we'd been ramping up BD up to 10 days too early... D'oh... :doh:

I can't believe your OH would rather use the needle method than go solo... :eek: I think my OH would've died if they'd told him that was what they were going to do to him!! I think you need to find out what his SA results were though and maybe help him improve his lifestyle (if it needs improving). Especially if you're 'problem free' as it were...

I think you've been quite unlucky with your anti-D. If I was you I'd want confirmation of what they will do and when they will administer anti-D in future pregnancies as you'll want to make sure you get it when you need it. My Nan lost a lot of pregnancies in the 60's before anti-D was discovered so I definitely don't want to go down that route! I was told by my doc (and our testing lab in work) that I'd only need anti-D at 26 weeks (ish) and post delivery unless there is massive blood exchange between mother and baby (which usually happens at delivery if it's going to happen at all)

:rotfl:Pinkpad was useless for me too!! Its was ok before I got pregnant as I used it to track the days me and OH had done the deed, but after losing the baby I range from 28-36 day cycles. The first time after losing the baby it said I was late and I panicked and went into overdrive thinking by some miracle I was pregnant again so did 3 tests, needless to say I lost out on £20 and a few of my marbles to go with it LOL! After that I just gave up hope with that app.

Tell me about it, he's terrified of needles as well!! Yet he'd rather that than do it himself into a specimen jar?:huh: I think he's definitely going to have to go back to the docs again to find out all the details (he forgets all important info, like most men) He's making some lifestyle changes he's now working as a fisherman during the 'good' months only and does building works etc for the rest of it. And although he won't give up the cigarettes he is cutting back.

With regards to the anti-D, I had no known pregnancies beforehand and the docs never raised any concerns with my blood group (I didn't even know my blood group until I was in hospital!), so the nurses were at a loss as to why the my blood group would affect it as it usually happens when youhave a second child. I know there will never be a definitive answer, as it's impossible to give it. For a (very short) time we even decreased our BD to once a week to let his little swimmers have time to regenerate (all on the advice of online communities), well needless to say that lasted less than a month and ever since we've been back to our usual BD ways.

I think I might give it a few more months before I start temping and using OPKs etc. Just keep trying with what we're doing and hopefully with a lot of luck 2013 will be our year :A

codemonkey

Morning ladies. Can't believe it's Monday already. Been totally spoiled all weekend for my birthday so not looking forward to going back to work today. Also starting on the 5:2 diet with my first fast day and my body must know I'm planning to restrict food because I've woken up ravenous. I usually feel sick in the mornings. I don't care if you're hungry, body!!!

Congratulations sweaty betty.

Welcome bambi.

Good luck for today Mrs T_M. Would it be worth asking your GP to refer you to a dietician because of your food intolerances? I have some food allergies and it means that some diet plans are really questions quite difficult for me.

Yargo1

Hope you had a great birthday codemonkey.
I know! Monday already!
Must get off the Internet and get ready for work lol

Have a good day all x

Mrs_T_M

codemonkey wrote: »

Good luck for today Mrs T_M. Would it be worth asking your GP to refer you to a dietician because of your food intolerances? I have some food allergies and it means that some diet plans are really questions quite difficult for me.

I am going to request this, and I'd like to stay off any medications if at all possible. I despise pills and am terrified of needles. I'm not eating breakfast and drinking lots of water in the event that they want to check anything that requires a fast before. The front desk person who made my appt mentioned this and it's why they did their best to get me into one of the earlier appointment slots.

I really do think my hormones or something is screwy. With the way I'm currently eating, I *should* be losing weight! I've stayed within 10-15 pounds of my highest weight for the past 5 years, so that shows something, even when I was being very strict with what I ate. Something isn't right and I want to do everything I can to fix it.

I'd like to do the dietitian/food and exercise (what little exercise I can do at the moment) route first for both weight and depression. Medicines would be next. Surgery is my last option, but if it comes to that, I'll definitely need the anti-depressants! My aunt (not by blood) went through the stomach stapling procedure before they had the other options like the band and such and ended up losing the weight she wanted, but then she lost too much weight and had to have a hysterectomy because her body would not stop bleeding.... That is something I *definitely* do not want to happen to me. Then again, I definitely do not want to be like my other aunt (dad's sister) and not be able to hardly walk due to my weight.

Everyone on both sides of my family become overweight once they hit puberty and everyone on my dad's side of the family have been or are clinically depressed. So, double whammy on the genes there.

Mom's side also has breast cancer, heart attack, heart disease and stroke in it, and dad passed due to lung cancer (and I had to live with a smoker for my first 23 years of life, so that's not good).

I'm rambling again.... Sorry!

becca0417

Stop me SS at 3dpo! I'm crazy!!