Mothering Forum banner

Regular periods and ovulation amd still not able to conceive and DH with no problems,what gives?

83K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  Alexandra K 
#1 ·
I have 29-33 CD every cycle which is pretty regular. I have been temping and using opks and I have ovulated before CD 20 every time. I have gotten a trans vaginal ultrasound to check for cysts and pcos and I do not and everything looked good including my uterus. They saw no abnormalities.My bloodwork for hormones etc were all normal. We also got DHs Sperm analysis and his count, mobility and morph is all normal. What is the problem do you think? I asked if she thinks my tubes are blocked and she said no and that there is a 0% chance since I have never had an injury there, never had an std or pid. Ugh this is so frustrating. It has been a year ttc and not one BFP when we have been timing and also relaxing and enjoying. What gives? What do you think?

Oh and I have also tried 2.5 mg of femara to strengthen my ovulation but nothing is helping.

Any insight of what you think is the problem etc would be great.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Sunshine - I'm sorry you haven't gotten your BFP yet, I know how upsetting that can be.

I disagree with whoever told you that there is no way your tubes could be blocked. Most fertility clinics do an HSG test routinely for all new patients to check whether the tubes are blocked. You should request this test, and if they won't do it maybe try to find another place that will.

There are plenty of people who never get a diagnosis for their difficulty conceiving. That doesn't mean that there isn't a reason, but there are a lot of different things that can affect fertility and there aren't tests for all of them. Also a lot of fertility clinics won't bother with many of the tests because they know that they will recommend the same treatment no matter what the result of that test is. For example, there is a test called a post-coital test where they check how your DH's sperm reacts when it comes in contact with your CM (some people can have hostile CM that kills sperm). My fertility clinic never offered me that one, because they were going to recommend IUI to me not matter what the result of that test was (often the goal of fertility treatments is to get around your problem, not to solve it, which can be frustrating).

From what I've read, about 30% of people who go through fertility treatments never end up getting a diagnosis of why they can't get pregnant on their own. I don't think that being labelled as having "unexplained infertility" really decreases your chances of getting pregnant, but you should definitely make an appointment with a good RE/fertility clinic because there are many things they can try beyond Femara.
 
#3 ·
sunshine - I think Sourire is exactly right! If you're for sure having strong ovulation and think it might be your tubes then request the test. There are things other than what your Doctor mentioned that can cause blocked tubes. Endo can cause blocked tubes and you might never have any symptoms. You can also have had a PID not know it.

My RE never really thought my tubes were blocked, but during a lap guess what we found! I've never had an injury, std or pid. What I did have was endo that no one really suspected. So, yeah if your doctor says 0% she's wrong. It might not be a huge %, but there is a chance.

Also, I have very regular cycles, but my O was never really good.

Also, trying fertility drugs for one cycle and not getting pregnant that cycle doesn't mean it's not working. It can take up to 3 or 6 months for it work or you might need to increase or change medications. Did your doctor check your CD21 progesterone?

If you don't have an RE, it might be a good idea to at least have a consultation with one. An RE is far more experienced in IF than a regular ob/gyn.

Hope you get some answers and BFP soon.
 
#4 ·
I highly recommend the book Making Babies to help figure out your fertility diagnosis. I'm reading it right now and it's extremely helpful.
 
#5 ·
Thanks ladies. We have been trying so long, I am losing hope. I am going to demand an HSG. I will probably have to pay cash for it but hey. Thanks a lot and I will go and see if that book is at the library.

I was misinformed about DH's results. They are. I am not sure if his morph and his normal count is bad or what. They didn't tell me much.

His Count is 93 million- they want it atleast 40 million so he def. passed that.
74% are moving rapidly while 3% are moving very slowly.
Morphology is at 2%, they want it at 4%. She said of those are 12% are normal which I don't understand.
 
#6 ·
Hi, Sunshine. FWIW, I thought I'd share a bit of my own journey with you. I too O regularly and my cycles are like clockwork. I had no reason to think I'd have trouble conceiving. But I did, and once I began seeing an RE I got a lot of answers.

While I do have other factors in play, I wanted to address the issue of having an HSG. I agree with Wissa and Sourire. It's a good idea to have one done, no matter what. Especially since you are undiagnosed. I have never had any injuries and to the best of my knowledge I've never had PID or and STD (I do know that many STD's that can cause tubal issues can go undiagnosed, as can PID) and yet when I had my HSG done last week, it was discovered that my right tube has a condition called hydrosalpinx, which pretty much just means it's deformed and filled with fluid which may be infectious. This fluid can possibly wash into my left tube or into my uterus and wash away any embryos that are trying to implant. I'm having lap surgery to remove the tube and to confirm and treat a suspected diagnosis of endometriosis.

I am not symptomatic at all, yet here I am.

My husband also had less than ideal sperm analysis and we were able to remedy it with a high dosage of Vit C, selenium and Zinc.

I just wanted to say that if your doctor isn't digging deeper, it may be time to advocate more strongly for your own self car, and do the digging yourself for awhile. After all, it'll feel good to cross as many things as you can off the list of possible reasons, right?

I wish you lots of luck.
 
#7 ·
Thanks Charley, I am going to find my 5th Dr. that is willing to help with the HSG. I am just out of options what else it could be for not conceiving. It is nice to know that you had no signs of needing one. Did you happen to do a vaginal ultrasound before hand? Since my came out normal, they all have said its not needed but I will demand it. It will be 1700 dollars. I wish they would code it as diagnostic since I don't have any infertility insurance.

My husband is on the same supplements! Not sure what is has done because he didn't take for a week :( He forgot them at home while out of town for work.

I am so sorry your hsg turned out the way it did. I hope the lap does wonders for you.
 
#8 ·
Hello, Sunshine.

ASM, I did have an internal ultrasound. That was the first step. They found a polyp in my uterus, which is on the large side and in the "sweet spot". My RE told me that it could be acting like a natural IUD - preventing implantation. I'm not sure that they could even see my tubes during the ultrasound, so I don't know what having an ultrasound could have to do with the HSG. In fact, the HSG isn't even 100% indicative of problems if I understand it correctly. That's why they suspect I have endo, rather than coming right out and saying I have endo for sure. The only procedure that can diagnosis me for sure is the lap surgery. Which I'm having the at the same time as the polyp removal. So, at the same time they would be able to diagnosis me for sure as having endo, is the same time they will fix it, if that is possible.

As for insurance, ours isn't great either. In fact, it only covers diagnosis, and not treatment. So while the HSG is covered, if I was having the lap just for fertility reasons, it would not be covered at all. Problem, because it's expensive. In fact, I didn't even ask how much it is, because no matter what I want to have to have it. So I may as well find out the cost later, since we feel it's non-negotiable.

However, when I said before I wasn't symptomatic, I actually had things going on, I just never related them to my reproductive system. Does that make sense? Now that I know about the hydrosalpinx, a lot of what has been going on with my body makes much more sense to me now.

For example, about 3 years ago my cycles became longer and heavier. I started clotting more. Like, big, big clots. I chalked these things up to age and personal history. Every 8 years or so, my whole life, my cycle has gone through some kind of major shift. I just thought I was amidst another change. Also about 3 years ago, I began having trouble going to the bathroom. I feel constipated a lot of the time and frequently have trouble going to the bathroom. I don't have any real pain, just "trouble". Also around 3 years ago, I began feeling some pressure in my right side. I thought I had an obstructed bowel. In fact, I have had x-rays and ultrasounds trying to figure out the bowel thing for a long time to no avail. I just thought it was my body and I'd have to learn to live it. I now rely heavily on a hot water bottle to help ease the discomfort - which is something I never had to do before.

Well, now I know that pressure isn't an obstructed bowel, it's my right f-tube! So those reasons alone should help cover some of the costs of my surgery. I had a frank talk with my doctor about our insurance coverage and how strict they were with fertility coverage and that really helped. We talked about the many different ways she could code it. If I do indeed have endo, which she is certain that I do - it just can't be diagnosed by her office without the lap, then that will help too, because even though removing it will help us get pregnant, it will reduce my flow, my clots will be different once the polyp is gone, and frankly, the insurance company can't stop me from receiving benefits for the surgery if it helps with other conditions - so there you go.

The point is, I was so sure I had bowel issues and not reproductive issues. Partly because my cycle is so regular, I O on time, my Day 3 tests were wonderful (have you had those?) and my husbands SA became acceptable, I've never had an injury, no STD's... you know. Tubal issues were the LAST thing on my mind.

During my cycle I sometimes have cramps, and sometimes not, but I did play them up a bit, because it gives her another reason to use a different kind of code. I know that may seem dishonest, but while I feel like I can handle the cramps and wouldn't have sought out treatment for them generally, I feel like I should tell her everything, even if it seems minor, and let her make the judgment on how it's reported.

The truth is, it can be really hard to get a diagnosis. My DH and I have not prevented pregnancy for the past 8 years. It's true that we haven't exactly been trying that entire time either, but still - no BFP for me. And even with the pylop, endo and tube, no one has said I'm infertile or going through infertility. Hopefully because all of my issues are treatable. After they are all gone, if I still have trouble getting pregnant, I guess that will be another story. And I'm sure it would be even hard to give you a label or diagnosis without ruling everything out, and they can't rule things out if you're not checked out, right?

If you are really looking for things to "work on" to help you get pregnant, there are other things to try aside from your doctors visits. You could see a recommended Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner and get a work up from them. They will usually tell you something after a simple examination and then you will have something concrete to work with. I went to one and was amazed at what she told me. About being hot vs cold etc. She also gave me some herbs to drink like tea and that made me feel proactive. There are also countless books which will have general advice, yoga for restoring fertility and all kinds of things that may give you some kind of direction.

I know it feels so rough JUST NOT KNOWING and that it can be especially tough if you're actively trying to get pregnant. But just know there are lots of ways to help yourself, without a doctor. After all, what's the worst that could happen from doing some yoga?
smile.gif


As for your DH's SA, I was told that one sample isn't enough to get a complete picture of any MF (male factor) issues. That most labs need 3 samples over time and then create an average. My DH's first test had him with 8M sperm. His second test he had 38M sperm. Go figure. Still not HIGH, but acceptable. Thanks vitamins! We didn't even do the 3rd one. When we had our first IUI he reported good numbers then too, but they didn't share them with us.

I wish you so much luck and I encourage you to keep posting. If you have any other questions about my own experience, I'd be happy to answer them. I hope you have a great week.

Xo, Charley
 
#9 ·
I would 3rd (4th) the suggestion of an HSG, and it SHOULD be coded as diagnostic, because it is. I would fight the doctor/insurance on this, if you have diagnostic IF coverage. HSG treats absolutely nothing - it's like saying an x-ray of your arm to see if it's broken is a treatment.
orngtongue.gif


I am sorry your doctors are being so unhelpful. Like Sourire said, so many focus on just getting you pregnant, without ever figuring out what your issue is. Which works for some people - they can get a decent percentage of women pregnant without figuring out what's wrong. But it doesn't work for everyone.

You could also consider having an exploratory laproscopy, as that's the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis, which you could have, even without symptoms. Another possibility is a genetic incompatibility between you and your dh - I don't know a lot about this, but I do know there are a few different genetic and chromosomal issues (like translocations) that could affect your ability to produce a healthy embryo together. That would be another thing to ask about. Also, there is the possibility of immune issues. You could be conceiving, and then your body could be attacking the embryo and keeping it from implanting/growing. From what I understand, a lot of REs don't accept this possibility, so it can be difficult to get testing/treatment for it. I know blueyezz4 (on the IVF thread) has dealt with this, along with a genetic thing I don't really understand, and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to talk to you about it. Blood clotting issues can also be a factor. Again, I don't know a lot about the testing, but I do know a couple of ladies who've successfully gotten pregnant after using either aspirin or heparin treatments to help with blood clotting issues. So yeah, there are definitely a whole host of things that you can still check for, if you can find the right doctor for it.

Best wishes to you!
 
#10 ·
sunshine - Monkey gave some good advice about the insurance stuff. Is the HSG going to cost you 1700? When I asked the price at my hospital it was like 879.00. You may want to call the hospital and ask them if they will discount it, if you pay cash up front. Paying cash up front to the hospital tends to get you a lower price...that and I would look around. (My 2 cents. Whatever it's worth)

Also, I would make sure you get the hospital to tell how much a lap is going to cost you in writing before the surgery. You don't even want to know what the hospital listed as the cost of mine before the insurance company came in. It was more than the c-section for my DS!
 
#11 ·
Sunshine,

I recommend that you read Randine Lewis' book The Infertility Cure, in addition to having the HSG test. Also, sometimes polyps can make it impossible for the embryo to implant. They can only be seen with a saline sonogram, which can be done in a doctor's office. Randine's book is great support in understanding the body as a whole, and strengthening it through mindfulness, diet, acupuncture, and herbs. Have you ever had your thyroid checked for TSH, T3, T4 and thyroid antibodies? It seems to me your cycle is a bit long. I would guess you have slow metabolism and tend to be cold rather than warm most of the time? Good luck with the tests!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top