Trying For A Baby - Anyone Else Out There...

Lounge By emmascakes Updated 1 Aug 2008 , 7:41am by KKC

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emmascakes Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 5:48pm
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I thought it might be nice to have a thread for those of us who are trying for a baby so we can sound off about it without further boring our friends and partners with the woes of it.

We've been trying for about five months now. We know my fallopian tubes are blocked from a previous (non conception related) procedure I had several years ago, before we were even trying. At the time the gynae said one was completely blocked and the other was mostly blocked - despite this he said to try naturally for a year anyway...

I've registered with 'fertilityfriend.com' and am doing my charts to help. Anyway - who else is out there - welcome!

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GLEIGH75 Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 7:13pm
post #2 of 48

I think it's a great idea for a thread.

My hubby and I just decided to start trying for a little one about a month ago. I have something called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which makes it difficult for me to conceive but like you the doc wants us to try naturally for a while and see what happens.

I hadn't heard of the fertility friend website but I will have to check it out.

Thanks for starting the thread and keep us posted on how it's going icon_smile.gif

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jen1977 Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 7:07pm
post #3 of 48

We aren't trying, but when I was with my first, I used to go to www.tryingtoconceive.com It was a wonderful place for support with message boards out the whazoo. It was huge, and I'm sure it's bigger now. Boards for people having trouble, not having trouble, twins, etc. Good luck ladieS!

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emmascakes Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 7:31pm
post #4 of 48

I use the fertility friend web-site for their charting facility, I enter in my tempertaure, cervical mucus (sorry if too graphic) and the results of any ovulation testing and it pops up a chart which tells me when I am likely to conceive. The main reason I do it is because a friend told me that when she went to the doctors after trying for a year she was sent away to do charts for six months before she was referred further - I want to make sure I'm armed with charts so I can't be fobbed off in the same way!

I don't use their forum and to be honest I don't fancy it - far too many desperate unhappy women. At least here we've all got cake decorating in common so I thought, if people wanted, we could support each other.

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darandon Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 8:00pm
post #5 of 48

[quote="GLEIGH75"]something called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome /quote]

I have the same thing also! It took me 4 years of "trying naturally" , poor husband was on a "sex schedule" and 6 months of clomid before I got pregnant. My daughter is now 14 (or will be 14 on the 26th of this month). Have you tried Metformin yet - it helps to get you regular (it is a diabetes medicine but works for PCOS).

Good luck to everyone that is trying. I remember it all very vividly - hoping every month...

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mawagner Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 8:00pm
post #6 of 48

emmascakes,

Thanks for starting this...I know that it is nice to be able to talk to others that are going through the same thing. I have endo. and "a hostile environment". I have had 1 IUI and go in for #2 next week. We have been TTC for about 6 years now. www.tcoyf.com is another site that has lots of info, as well as message boards. I will have to check out the fertility friend website. Thanks for sharing!

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mitsel8 Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 8:59pm
post #7 of 48

Hi Emma,

I also had 1 blocked tube and 1 partially blocked.
I was 32 when we first started trying, took 2 years before we got pregnant. 2 years later miscarried and then 2 more years had my 2nd daughter at 39. I believe that when I had an exploratory surgery for the tube blockage, my Dr. tried to clean up some of the scarring.
Hang in there, I think your thread is a great idea.

Leslie

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divaricks Posted 17 Oct 2007 , 11:25pm
post #8 of 48

Oh Emma - I feel your pain. We are trying for number 2 and have been trying for a year and a half, using a fertility monitor, charts, etc. I am so frustrated and this month began my first does of Clomid to see if that will help! It has given me mood swings and headaches so I hope it works! I had a bit of a hard time getting number 1 but not as bad as this has been! I have my fingers crossed for you! Keep us updated!

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tchrmom Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 1:05am
post #9 of 48

Good luck to all of you. I have been there. I have totally blocked tubes; no idea why. We had IVF. 4 embryos were viable. They implanted two and we got a beautiful son who is now 4. We tried the others (1 at a time) about 2 years ago. The first just didn't work. The second didn't survive thawing. That was a tough call-- we were on our way to the clinic when they called to tell us that. Again, good luck to all of you. I remember . . .

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shooterstrigger Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 2:04am
post #10 of 48

I also have PCOS. We have been dealing with this for about 7 years now with out much luck. I wanted to do things naturally. I think everything is tied to my Pill usage. I gained a lot of weight when I went off and everything snowballed from there. I keep thinking if I get my weight under control, everything else will work out. I have been resistant to Clomid...ect. In april we adopted my DH nephew. He will be 3 next month. I am so thankful to have him and can't imagine lovig anyone more. But it just seems to make me want a baby more. I want to exsperiance a pregnancy. Is that crazy? My DS thinks so. Anyway. I have just started seeing a new doctor. I am 32 so I am becoming more open to all the ideas I have shunned before. The doc started me on the metformin. We will see how it goes. It is hard for me to form the pill taking habit 2x a day. Once sure 2x...

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adknight Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 3:06am
post #11 of 48

I too have PCOS and have not prevented getting pregnant for about 4 years but have actively tried for about 6 months with no luck. I do have a 7 year old that is the light of my life, but I realized yesterday when he told me he no longer believes in Santa how BADLY I WANT another baby! My son is growing up very quickly, and I am afraid he will not have much of a relationship with a sibling 8, 9, or 10 years younger than him.

Thanks for the great thread!

~Amber

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emmascakes Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 8:42am
post #12 of 48

I almost feel left out that I don't (as far as I know anyway) have PCOS! My period has ended so now I'm watching for signs of ovulation...

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Shelle_75 Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 10:26am
post #13 of 48

Hi! My hubby and I are currently trying for #3. I don't have any fertility issues (that I know of). Good luck to all of you hoping for a baby!

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darandon Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 12:23pm
post #14 of 48

I think one of the hardest things about trying to get pregnant was the "well meaning fertile people" that would constantly say things like - Just Relax, it will happen - Gee, It must be fun trying - or the churchy one of - God will bless you eventually.
I know they mean well, but there is no rexlaxing when every month brings that stress back up when the period starts. It isn't fun any more when you have it marked on the calendar when its the best time for sex. Or the people that think they know more than the doctor. My family thought they knew all about fertility medicine and that I was going to have a litter if I kept using it.
Even 14 years later as I sit here looking at a picture of my daughter, I can still feel that anguish of everyone around me getting pregnant, and it not happening.

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darandon Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 12:23pm
post #15 of 48

I think one of the hardest things about trying to get pregnant was the "well meaning fertile people" that would constantly say things like - Just Relax, it will happen - Gee, It must be fun trying - or the churchy one of - God will bless you eventually.
I know they mean well, but there is no rexlaxing when every month brings that stress back up when the period starts. It isn't fun any more when you have it marked on the calendar when its the best time for sex. Or the people that think they know more than the doctor. My family thought they knew all about fertility medicine and that I was going to have a litter if I kept using it.
Even 14 years later as I sit here looking at a picture of my daughter, I can still feel that anguish of everyone around me getting pregnant, and it not happening.

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monizcel Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 6:18pm
post #16 of 48

I'm doing IVF. We did a cycle this summer and got pregnant, but had a miscarriage 6 weeks ago. We are going to try again in the New Year. It's very hard since all our friends are having babies or thinking of having babies now.

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emmascakes Posted 18 Oct 2007 , 8:00pm
post #17 of 48

I'm sorry to hear about that Monizcel, that's really hard. Keep posting here so we can help you out if we can. My friends are also falling pregnant or have already had children. Even the ones who were 'never' going to have them... I'm a primary school teacher and find parent's evenings really hard.

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Shamitha Posted 19 Oct 2007 , 5:53am
post #18 of 48

Hi Emma. Thanks for staring this thread. It's a great idea. I have the same problem .We've been married for 14 years and still no luck.I did IVF twice and miscarried both times. The first was 8 weeks later and the second five weeks later.I will be doing it again in January 2008.Good luck to you and to everyone else that's trying.

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Memie Posted 19 Oct 2007 , 3:16pm
post #19 of 48

i think the worst part of trying is the monthly highs and lows you go through. Every month it's like, "Please God, please, please, please!!" And then when you start your period, you're devastated. People just don't understand why you're crying and so depressed. Ive quit going to baby showers because of all the "when I was pregnant" stories.

And when women complain about their pregnancies it makes me want to just knock them down and stomp all over them. THEN, they'll have something to complain about.

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emmascakes Posted 19 Oct 2007 , 6:22pm
post #20 of 48

I find it hard when people say stuff about me, assuming I don't want children as I haven't had them yet. Or I have to be excited about their pregnancy news. I'm gearing up to ovulation again now.

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mawagner Posted 19 Oct 2007 , 8:06pm
post #21 of 48

I agree...I am so tired of people just assuming that we don't want kids. And I'm tired of hearing about all the money we save by not having them...yea right...have you looked at the cost of treatments?
And as far as the pregnancy complaints, give me a break! I want to ask them if they have any idea how much I would give to go through that! People take so much for granted. I am a teacher and I find it very frustrating to see how some of our kiddos are treated. It breaks my heart! Why do they get to have children while people who would make wonderful parents are denied the chance?

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emmascakes Posted 20 Oct 2007 , 6:35am
post #22 of 48

I'm a teacher too! At the moment I have a class of 7 and 8 year olds. I find it very hard too. One child is never washed and reeks, he'#s the lovliest little lad and it's really hard that his Mum has kids coming out of her ears. I just have to accept that life isn't fair. I don't believe in god so I can't blame any higher being for anything, it's just the way things are.

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Missyleigh Posted 20 Oct 2007 , 8:18am
post #23 of 48

I just wanted to share my experince with you all and maybe give some hope to somebody.

Me and my husband tried for four years to get pregant. I had surgery to look at my tubes and was told they were scarred and I would probably never concieve. I got depressed gained tons of weight and just existed for about 1 year.

So I finally go to see a specialist that is 3 hours from my home ( this is no small feat for me because of my limited resources) She says tubes are scarred and I really need IVF. Try an IUI and it probably won't work but you can try, So we save and finally get enough money for the iUI.

IVF is out of the question because it costs more than I make in a year.

So we are scheduled for the IUI and I am waiting to start... and kept waiting. Tested I got a postive test and it is still hard for me to believe. I won't be confirmed till I see a dr.

I just want to say don't give up. I lost weight, got healthy , started taking care of myself shook my depression and it has apparntly just happened!

Also my advice is to not waste your time with a regular gyno. They just arn't skilled as much as a fertility dr and it can save a lot of time, money and grief. Believe me I wasted 2 years on one.

Best wishes to all!! I know it is chiche but it WILL work out!!

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emmascakes Posted 22 Oct 2007 , 1:35pm
post #24 of 48

Wow! What a good news story well done! So when are you going to get the pregnancy confirmed? What is an IUI?

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indydebi Posted 22 Oct 2007 , 3:33pm
post #25 of 48

Current hubby and I tried for 4 years, through 2 miscarriages, before we ended up with our youngest (now 15).

The "well meaning" comments that burned me was "well, at least you know you can have kids" because I had 2 from a previous marriage. How did THEY know what things may have changed in my system? How did THEY know how 12+ years of being on birth control affected me? How did THEY know what my current husband's situation, fertitility wise, may have been?

Fortunately, we didn't have any physical barriers. What really helped was when I started charting my periods and found out that I had a 35 day cycle and not a 28 day cycle. That means when I was calendaring "prime time" for sex, we were scheduling it a week too early! icon_surprised.gif

It's a very stressful time for anyone who is trying. So here's hoping everything goes well for you!!

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mawagner Posted 22 Oct 2007 , 7:59pm
post #26 of 48

Emma,

IUI stands for intrauterine insemination. Basically they wash the sperm to get rid of all the extra fluid around it and then thread a catheter up through the cervix and place the sperm in there. I am supposed to have my 2nd one this week, as the first one didn't work in September. I have my fingers crossed and hope that the second time is the one!!!

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KathysCC Posted 23 Oct 2007 , 2:53am
post #27 of 48

I always wanted lots of kids and have never prevented it. After 20 years of marriage and only 4 pregnancies (one miscarriage), I thought I was finished. My youngest was 12 and I was 39. I have the symptoms of PCOS but have never been diagnosed. By the way, the four pregnancies that I did have happened after a 20 pound weight loss. I am more fertile when skinnier. I believe weight gain makes PCOS systems worse and makes fertility drop. BUT after a huge weight loss at age 38, nothing.

So, skip to 2004, Christmas. I had the worst sinus infection of my life. I am not a medicine taker but the doctor told me to stay on Sudafed for 3 weeks. He said I could have prevented infection in the first place if I had taken some. So guess what, I got pregnant during those weeks. I read somewhere a long time ago about Sudafed making mucus thinner (the "little guys" can swim around in it easier I suppose.) It's the real Sudafed that they hide behind the counter now, not the new Sudafed PE. I'm sure it won't work for everyone but hey, talk about a cheap fertility treatment, and it can't hurt if you aren't trying anything else at the time.

I thought this might be something some of you would want to try. It took me three years to get pregnant with my first so I can understand all of your feelings to some degree.

I had my 4th child three weeks before my 40th birthday and three weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit us (which is another story for another day). What a miracle I feel he is and a blessing. I pray that God grants you the children you all want so much.

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emmascakes Posted 23 Oct 2007 , 6:15am
post #28 of 48

Well I've never heard of IUI, learn something new every day. Have any of you been diagnosed with blocked tubes - what happened next? I got told I have them years ago, before we were even trying, and in five months time I will have been trying long enough on our own to go and get medical help. I'lll be taking all my charts with me to prove I've been doing all the right things. What I don't know is what they can do for someone with bunged up tubes...

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Missyleigh Posted 23 Oct 2007 , 12:20pm
post #29 of 48

I was diagnosed with "constricted" tubes that were partially blocked. Something that the dr will do first is an HSG. Basically the inject dye into your cervex to see if your tubes are defective in any way. My hurt because of the needle at the injection site but it was no that bad. This procedure in its self might possibly help because it can "flush" paticles out of your tubes that might otherwise prevent conception.. Pm me any time if you have any questions .I did a lot of research and learned a lot.Heck I could practically be a fertility dr. Sometimes I felt I knew more than my gyno...that was a bit upsetting.

HTH
melissa

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emmascakes Posted 23 Oct 2007 , 4:03pm
post #30 of 48

Thanks Melissa, I have PM'd you about this. (What's HTH?)

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