I really need some advice. Or just what would you do? Ive been ttc fot 15 months. Got surgery coming up to check my tubes. If needed, IVF is included in my work insurance and they offer 6 months full pay maternity. Now here's the thing. I hate the place. My job, love. Management. Making it unbearable. It started in July, and its getting worse. I keep saying to myself ill wait until I've had a baby so i can get the benefits. But I also don't know how much longer I can take it. I did say this last year about being offered another job. Not thinking it would take so long to conceive! I thought, it would be silly to move and not get maternity. Now im back to square one. What if it takes another 15 months. I don't know if i could deal with it. How long are you meant to put your life on hold ttc? Do I stay, do I go. Im confused

TW: miscarriage/weight gain/bloodwork

Hi everyone! First I want to say I’m very sorry for this long post. I need a place to go that isn’t my husband for the 70th time today, not that he minds. I’m also aware I need to talk with my OB and PCP, I don’t see them until 10/29 for an ultrasound.

I’m really struggling with continuing with TTC. It exhausts me and every time I feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, something gets thrown on top of me.

My husband (25M) and I (24F) have been TTC for 14 cycles now. 10/25 of last year, we conceived and found out 11/5, by 11/19 I was already miscarrying. This month has been especially hard for us since we’ve wanted a baby so badly at this point. It’s heartbreaking. In August of this year, I decided to see an OB/fertility specialist.

I started letrozole this month, CD3-7 at 5mg once a day. I have had a flashing smiley face on my CBAD tests for 4 days now. This isn’t normal for me, I normally have a negative test and out of nowhere it turns out positive.

I had labs drawn the day after I started letrozole, CD 4. I just received them today CD13 and they aren’t as good as I’d hoped.

I have low estradiol, and I mean LOW. It couldn’t give me a number but it did say that I was <5.0 pg/mL. It says I am lower than the lowest range for post menopausal patients. I know that starting letrozole can halt estrogen progression, but I’m not feeling super hopeful. I also have lower progesterone but still within normal limits for the follicular phase (0.3 ng/mL)

TSH, FSH, LH, glucose, insulin and etc are all normal for my follicular phase. A1C is higher end of normal at 5.6 and AMH is 7.13. What really concerns me is my lipid panel.

My results (mg/dL):
Total Cholesterol: 208 moderately high
Triglycerides: 315 HIGH
HDL (Good Cholesterol): 42 low
LDL (Bad Cholesterol): 114 slightly elevated
VLDL: 52 HIGH

I’ve been told it’s most likely because my OB told me to start keto.

My PCP says she isn’t worried about these levels. She’s also aware I’m TTC and offered to put me on tirzepatide.

I am 24F, PCOS, Insulin Resistance, 5foot 9inches, 239lbs with a BMI of 35.4. I have gained 40 lbs since we lost our baby. I have tried many different health journeys and am at the point where I fear I won’t be able to have a healthy pregnancy.

I don’t want to start tirzepatide and still TTC. I feel like that’s wrong. But my PCP did not seem to have any issues with it, my OB shares the same system and is aware she put in a request for Tirzepatide and did not say anything. I will check with him, but I’m at the point where I feel like I need to just give up and take a break. Focus on my immediate health and go from there. I don’t want to get pregnant and immediately have complications because I couldn’t handle it.

I feel broken.

tldr: bad blood work results, overweight, been TTC for over a year and deciding whether I should stop and do tirzepatide and focus on myself.

Edit: typos

My little sister just told me she is pregnant. I’m four years older than her, and me and my husband have been trying for 10 months. This was her first cycle trying. She sent me a text to let me know that she’s 6 weeks pregnant, and I’m grateful she let me know that way instead of in front of the whole family, but WOW am I not taking it well. I feel such a mix of grief and joy, and then overwhelming guilt because I shouldn’t be sad about something so wonderful. In the past year, every single one of my friends has had a baby or is currently pregnant, and I’ve been able to go to my little sister to express my sadness and frustration with this season. Now, I feel like I have no one to take this too.

She told me months ago that she was going to start trying in the fall, and I prayed asking God to not have her go through the heartache I’ve been going through. I’m sitting here thanking God for answering that prayer for her, and wondering why He’s not answering my prayer for myself. Trusting His timing is so hard!

I keep running through all the moments that are to come. Telling the rest of the family, the impending pity for me and my husband, the baby shower, the bump, the everything. I’m supposed to be the one to help my little sister through it with experienced advice. I’m supposed to have the tips and hand-me-downs to give her. I’m supposed to figure it out for us first. Instead, I’m last, last, last (maybe never?) out of every woman I am close with.

Has anyone else been in these shoes? I just need to know how you coped with it.

Hi all,

I’m 31F and have been TTC for 6 months with no luck. I’ve gotten fertility testing done (multiple comprehensive blood draws, TVU, and HSG) and my husband had a normal SA (3% morphology was only yellow flag).

I keep coming back to my short/light periods - they’ve been like this for almost 2 years since iud removal. My cycles are regular, 28-32ish days.

I use light or regular tampons for 2 days, and it never soaks fully. The blood is almost like bloody mucus instead of a blood flow so doesn’t fully absorb. It’s a really dark red (sometimes bright red) or brown. I spot brown or red the day before and for a couple days after.

My doctor does not seem concerned about this, and on my TVU (day 8 of cycle) my lining was measuring 5.22mm which they said was normal for that point in cycle.

Has anyone else experienced this? Curious on any insight if this really is normal or if I should push harder for this to be examined.

My husband and I recently had a miscarriage at 8 weeks. My HCG never doubled and my GS measured a week behind the embryo although we did hear a heartbeat at both 7 and 8 weeks 💗

I started bleeding on October 9th and just finished yesterday on October 20th. I passed the GS and embryo naturally on the 11th but at an ultrasound on October 15th, they found “a few small filling defects seen in the endometrial cavity. This appearance would be compatible with minimal retained products of conception.” I do realize we for our ultrasound fairly quickly after the miscarriage and I was still bleeding so these wasn’t deemed abnormal. My blood test on the 16th said my HCG had gone from from 6000 something to 120, and I have another blood test today. Pregnancy test is negative.

All of this to say that my MIRA machine that reads my hormones every day predicts that I might be ovulating in the next three days. In your experiences is it safe to try again? We don’t want to waste this cycle, but obviously you want to make sure that ut is safe and healthy to do so!

Thanks 💗

Hi all, I paid for a private gynaecology ultrasound last week and I'm very confused about the results.

I had a C Section in 2024 and was told they found a large cyst on my right ovary and removed it. I had a lot of pain in that area post c section but then carried on with my life and raising my newborn and didn't think too much about it.

I'm cycle 2 of TTC and I have long cycles (normally 38 to 40 day cycles) and quite painful periods since having my copper coil removed so I thought I'd pay for a scan to have a check up because I'm in the UK and gynaecology referrals take a while.

The scan found my right ovary was under the uterus. "Positive sliding between ovary and uterus. Loop of bowel persists on pressure. Adhesions between bowel and right ovary."

I've quoted directly from the scan report. I was really overwhelmed during the scan and feel like the information just didn't go in. I remember her saying I had multiple follicles and my tubes looked OK but im just distraught with the thought that this will prevent me from being able to conceive. I can't stop thinking about it.

Does anyone have any similar experience? This is all so complex and new to me and i simply don't know enough about female biology to make any sense and think clearly about how difficult our TTC journey will be. Thank you so much in advance for any insight.

Starting progesterone to help aid in conceiving.. anything I need to know?

TTC "seriously" for 4 months now, I came off of birth control last November.

I was just prescribed 200 mg of progesterone to take during my luteal phase of my cycle because I'm showing signs of not maintaining a high level post ovulation. I was told to start taking it within 24 to 48 hours after ovulation, at night. She wants me to try these for at least 3 months before moving forward with anything else, that's fine.

I don't know anyone personally that has taken progesterone so.. what's the good, the bad, the ugly? lol. How did it make you feel? Anything I should know? Did you experience any new symptoms?

I was on birth control for at least 9 years and I had to switch a few times early on due to bad symptoms, is it similar to that or similar to starting BC?

Last month, I found out my AMH was .46. I was devastated. I’m 33, have been TTC for 8 months with no BFP. I was referred to a reproductive endocrinologist.

They did a saline sonogram. Clear. Tubes, clear. They did an AFC.. 13 which is great for my age. All day 3 testing showed perfect estradiol perfectly at 51 so it wasn’t affecting my FSH. FSH was 5.1, perfect. TSH, T4, iron, ferritin, vitamin D, DHEA, literally everything, perfect. No signs of DOR. But my AMH is still low. The retest jumped a little bit, but it’s still low at .48.

None of this makes sense. My tests are perfect. What do we think would cause AMH to still be low when my tests are saying I’m perfectly fine and fertile for my age? Is AMH kind of a scam sometimes? At this point does AMH even matter???

The fertility clinic we went to (at 7 months of trying because of my low AMH) is not in network. We got the tests done and I’m great. Is it stupid for me to think we should try until it’s been 12 months before proceeding with treatment? Or should we do the treatment they are going to recommend even though my body is clearly doing its job and maybe it’s just taking a minute? We are so confused, and feel like after getting these results back, we don’t need a fertility clinic yet when we have only tried for 8 months and I’m under 35… Advice appreciated!

TIA!

That question you've been wanting to ask, but just didn't want to feel silly. Now's your chance! No question is too big or too small.

I can't do it anymore. I used to loved my job but now I feel bitter and resentful. All of my friends are having babies. My little brother just had a baby. I can't deal with being confronted with my own infertility every day at work too. Next steps for us would be IVF and for financial and personal reasons we are likely not pursuing that. I can no longer provide unbiased care to many of my patients and I leave work feeling emotionally drained so I knew it was time to move on.

I just took a position on an adult medical unit and I feel nothing but relief (I worked with adults prior to working postpartum). The schedule of my new job will align better with my husband's schedule and I am looking forward to having more free time with him.

Has anyone else had to quit their job/change specialties due to infertility/ttc? Many of my coworkers look at me like I have 3 heads when I tell them I am leaving postpartum since it's a pretty cushy unit. Luckily my manager was very understanding and I am transferring internally within the hospital.

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for 6 months.

Yesterday, on cycle day 14, my gynecologist performed a transvaginal ultrasound and found an endometrial thickness of 7.1 mm and two follicles measuring 18 mm and 20 mm in the same ovary.

She prescribed Ovitrelle that same evening to trigger ovulation, as she was concerned that, given the size and proximity of the two follicles, they might interfere with each other and potentially fail to release an egg. My LH was only 0.14 at the time.

From what I understand, ovulation should occur approximately 36 hours after the injection.

My question is: Is it possible for the endometrium to grow further between the injection and ovulation? Could Ovitrelle interfere with endometrial growth in any way?

I’m worried that 7.1 mm might be too thin, and I’m wondering whether there’s still time for it to thicken before ovulation.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation or have any information about this?

Thank you!

Are you in the dreaded two-week wait, or waiting to ovulate? What have you done to ease the stress?

I have crohns (in remission) and PMOS/PCOS and have been ttc for some time. I did two IUIs medicated with a fertility clinic which were not successful. The doctor at that clinic said my crohns doesn’t impact fertility since I’m in remission. I also did a saline sonograph and it showed one of my tubes may be blocked but they were fine with going forward doing IUIs since one of my tubes was open.

I got into a new clinic after waiting several months and this clinic is known to be the best in my area. The first thing the new doctor said was she is concerned about my tubes being damaged due to crohns especially in light of the results of my sonography so I have to do an HSG. She said she’s seen this a lot of her crohns patients. She said if my tubes look ok on the HSG then we can do 2-3 more IUIs before going to IVF, otherwise if they see damage go straight to IVF.

Anyway, does anyone have insight on this? Are there any other tests I should ask them to run? Anything else to consider? Im 30 y/o so I can wait a few months before going to IVF if the doctor thinks that’s the best course of action but I’d obviously like to have a kid as soon as possible and it sucks going through failed IUI cycles.

I also saw there was a recent study that came out about reproductive technology for IBD patients and IUIs seem to be less successful for IBD patients than your average “healthy” person. Thought that was interesting.

If you were diagnosed with endometriosis, I’m curious to hear your story and how you got diagnosed. I have always had awful period cramps. Some lifestyle changes have helped. But my teenage years and early twenties were brutal. I basically could not function and missed school/work etc for the first 1-2 days of my period.

I am going to ask for a screening at my next appointment with my GP —at the very least a questionnaire. But I wanted to know how the whole process typically goes. Did you get an ultrasound or did they just diagnose you based on symptoms?

Let me know! I’ve always been so curious if my cramps are really “that bad”.

I have a family history of ovarian cysts, fibriods, and ovarian cancer. Idk if there is any overlap with these and endo. But painful periods run in the family… So it’s been pretty normalized for me.

Hi everyone,

Title is basically explanatory. In my experience I hardly need to test or wait for my period, because around 11/12DPO my breast tenderness (which in the earlier part of my luteal phase is really strong) noticeably subsides. It’s one of the only PMS symptoms that I feel can’t really be confused for early pregnancy symptoms. Basically just feeling bummed out at 12DPO that even though my period isn’t due for another couple of days, I know I’m out. Anyone else notice this? Sounds stupid but I almost would have preferred to have an extra few days to hope. Starting to really struggle emotionally with the process. It really doesn’t help that the most sensitive time of your cycle (ie finding out it hasn’t worked) coincides with all those low hormonal feelings anyway!

31(F) and 35(M) TTC 8 months - PCOS and endo.

I’d like to open up this discussion because I’m genuinely curious about what people think.

Do you think some couples exaggerate or lie when they say they got pregnant on the first try?

I’ve noticed this with a few friends. When they initially told me they conceived on the first try, and I asked a few more questions, it turned out they had actually been trying for three or four months. Or they’d been trying for a year, but not actively tracking ovulation or timing sex, so in their minds, it didn’t really count as trying.

In fact, my husband and I were talking about this today, and he said that when we eventually get pregnant, he’ll probably tell people it took us two or three months, even if it actually took longer.

It got me wondering whether this is more common than we think. Maybe some people feel embarrassed to admit it took them longer, or they simply don’t want to share something so personal.

Obviously, I don’t think everyone does this, and I’m not saying that people who conceive quickly are lying. I’m just curious about whether you think some couples downplay how long it actually took them to conceive.

Have you ever suspected this, or do you think most people are being honest about it?

Hi! 34f I am trying to conceive my second , just got my period so beginning cycle 9 now.

My luteal phase is typically 8 days. My OB referred me to a reproductive endocrinologist, but I was wondering if anyone has any anecdotal tips on how to try to lengthen my luteal phase on my own as I know several cycles will go by as I wait for my specialist appt.

Had my bloodwork done - My levels and thyroid all look normal but I usually do not ovulate until day 16/17 and usually only have a 24/25 day cycle. Has anyone else had an experience similar to this?

I have read about b6 and vitamin c-would that be on top of prenatal vitamin I am already taking? I asked about progesterone during the luteal phase and my in said she’d get back to me. I am just feeling frustrated and want to do what I can to improve my odds on my own if I can! Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I had a transvaginal ultrasound this morning on CD14 and my gynecologist found two follicles measuring 20 mm each in the same ovary.

For context, I’ve been TTC for seven months and I’m not taking any fertility medication or undergoing ovulation induction. These follicles have developed naturally this cycle.

My gynecologist mentioned Ovitrelle as an option to trigger ovulation if my LH test remained negative. However, when I got home and tested, my LH ratio was only 0.24, which seems surprisingly low given that both follicles are already 20 mm. Yesterday it was 0,14. She said I should take the Ovitrelle tonight if the salah test was negative. I don’t know whether I should wait for ovulation to happen naturally or not.

I’m trying to understand the relationship between follicle size and the LH surge. Can follicles reach this size several days before the LH surge? Or could an LH test still show such a low reading even when ovulation is approaching?

I’d be interested in understanding the physiology behind this, particularly when follicles develop naturally without medication.

Thanks!

It’s my 8th year trying..

I miscarried this year. A natural pregnancy. By accident. By chance. 14 months after being told it’s never going to happen by doctors. I was over the moon. Overjoyed. In complete shock at how it could be possible.

That feeling was indescribable. Terrifying but incredible.

Everyday I try to move forward from it, either pretending it didn’t happen or praying the baby was still with me. The due date is a few months away & it’s almost eating me alive. It feels like it’s creeping up on me. I’m hoping I can do something special that day to honour them I guess.

Despite having hyperemisis, the worst of all my failed pregnancies, I’m so sad. I get to all the morning sickness, the scans, this time I was so confident I even bought an outfit. Till I watched the heartbeat slow down & the pregnancy shrink… I’m heartbroken.

I’m just glad I didn’t get to choose a name. It would have made this all so much harder.

I just want to have that feeling. To be a mum. To hold my little newborn baby. I am throwing all sorts of manifestations and prayers out there.

If you are struggling like me, I’m so sorry.

Let's see those lovely charts, folks!

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Hi everybody :)

Yesterday I went for a HyFosy after a while of TTC with no success. It was day 12 of my cycle so sort of at the end of the possible window for this test but I was told that was okay. I was nervous for two reasons, 1) the pain that everyone warned me about and 2) the result, ofcourse. What I did not expect, was for the test to fail. The doctor had to use two catheters because it didn't go right away with the first one, she said it's possible if their are some curves in the cerviw. She then told me she had some issues getting the fluid to fill my uterus and my tubes (i guess, i was very nervous so i kinda forgot what she said unfortunately), she also pushed my stomach a few times to help the fluid but ended up having to say the results were inconclusive.

She said it definitely didn't mean my tubes are blocked, but she just couldn't say if they are or are not based on this test. She was gonna write a report to my own OBGYN and then said to 'see from there', whatever that means.

I also had ZERO pain. Which is good ofcourse, but also kind of strange considering I was warned multiple times by different doctors, nurses, people on the internet... that this was such a painful procedure?

Does anyone have a similar experience? I'm just confused now and frustrated because I wanted this to be a step forward and now it's not.

Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences :)

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I hope this is the right flair and I hope this is an ok post.

Every cycle I forget just how much this process overtakes my whole mind and system. I just completely lose my head to anxiety and hope and disappointment and it is just 30 days of riding this emotional rollercoaster. And it is Exhausting.

Overthinking Everything. Analyzing other people’s charts. Looking at my chart multiple times a day thinking I’ll notice something different-a clue. Getting anxiety over some random data point I’ve completely over thought (this cycle it was the length of my luteal phase.)

Then comes the TWW. And I get this ridiculous internal hope. We start talking about baby names and their room and who they’ll be. And then I test too early and it’s a BFN. And then I get disappointed but convince myself “it’s only 9DPO, still so early!” Hope again. Then comes 11DPO and still BFN.

And then I get so down. And I wish I could just flip on my period like a light switch and just be done this cycle because I think “I’ll reset and next cycle I will be clearer and less anxious.” Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Have you figured out how to not completely lose your head during your cycle? If/when I get my period tomorrow or Tuesday, I just don’t want to totally obsess over this next cycle. I want to have my little chart, I want to have sex with my husband and I want to have the mentality that the dice fall as they will.

But, this feeling that I can have any Actual control over this biological miracle is just, it’s going to drive me mad.