I'm so glad I found this subreddit. I finally feel less alone. I've been trying to get pregnant for a quite a while now and whenever I confided in anyone that I was worried it would always be shitty advice. "Relax 🙄". Now I'm at the stage of infertility testing and people still don't seem to be taking my worries and sadness seriously. "You're still young yet". "Yes i know I'm still young mum but that doesn't make it any easier!!" This has made me feel like I can't talk to people about how I feel. I can't think of another health issue that would make me feel so isolated. I'm just glad there's a place where I can talk about fertility without starting with, " I know i need to be relaxed but.."

Our first baby was an ICSI, frozen transfer. We were very open with our journey using assisted reproduction.

The amount of people that tell me "So and So fell pregnant nAtUrAlLy after having IVF" and implying we won't need it any more is the worst.

I don't care that your sisters aunts dog-walkers neighbours mate didn't need to use IVF after having one baby, we still will.

Hello all! I had a transvaginal exam done and my ovaries are measuring at 2.7 x 1.35 x 1.22 with a volume of 2.5. Both ovaries are pretty similar in size. I am 30 years in age and wondering thoughts on whether“smaller” ovaries cause significant decreased chances of fertility. I have never been pregnant but it is a desire within the next 2 years. I am reading up and seeing that my ovaries are definitely on the smaller side. Does anyone have experience with this?

I was a labor and delivery nurse and just started trying for a baby. I had told my coworkers as it was a very open, no boundaries, work place atmosphere.

I came into work one night and a coworker asked me if I had sex before work. I told her no. She said you’re not going to get pregnant like that. I said I’m calculating my ovulation and just need to have sex in that window. She told me “that doesn’t work, you can ovulate several times a month, just have sex everyday, that’s what I did when I was trying. The first month I didn’t get pregnant and cried so the next month we just had sex everyday and I got pregnant.” 🙄

So after 3 rounds full IVF and 5 transfers the 5th one has finally worked yay you might think- it’s still early days but fingers crossed.

We had got to the point of that’s it, after this 5th one we are done- will be childfree, in fact we started planning for that.

This last one we changed everything, tried a different protocol and medication.

Now it’s worked all I hear is “see all you had to do was not really want it” “it’s because you were relaxed this time because you had come to terms with it not happening” “oh you had all those plans, are you a-bit disappointed it’s now worked?”

Of course it had nothing to do with science and yes after 5 years and thousands spent: of course I am sooooo disappointed I might not go on the cruise we talked about!

You can’t win when it isn’t working, can’t win if it finally does 🤷‍♀️

I am a 31 yr old with an AMH of 3. I am not in the position yet to try naturally for a baby so have been advised to go down the egg freezing route. I have been told with my low AMH I will likely need a few rounds to collect enough eggs.

Is there anyone else in a similar position to me who has gone through the process who can share their experience? How many eggs were collected etc.

I am currently researching what I can do/take to improve my chances and came across CoQ10 but with so many brands I have no idea which is the best quality to take. Does anyone have any recommendations on which supplement brand I should take for this?

I assume I should also start taking folic acid, is there anything else people may recommend I do?

I also have a partner (new relationship) who is willing to come on this journey with me and is willing for me to use his sperm should I want to create embroys. I am aware men can also take CoQ10, any recommendations on male supplement brands and anything else he can take?

I've been told by a fertility specialist due to the number of eggs that could be collected that it may make no difference in success rates in freezing all my eggs v using a round to create embryos as not all are successful/survive the journey.

Bit depressing that even after discussing all this the specialist said my best chance of having a baby is to try naturally and now as even doing all the above is only going to have a 6% success rate. But I'm thinking of still going ahead and doing it rather than living in regret not doing it and wish I had...

Any advice, tips, etc are appreciated.

My BOSS (of all people) said “just have sex everyday for 30 days straight! You’re bound to get it right eventually!!” Well Mrs boss lady seeing as how my tubes are 100% blocked with hydrosalpinx, no we aren’t “bound to get it right.” 🙄 but thanks for that advice….

My husband (24m) and I (22enby) just looked at his sperm under a microscope I received for Christmas and have some questions and concerns(?). His sperm looks viable and everything we saw was moving around rapidly like a normal but we saw blue crystal like clumps everywhere and can’t find any info on google about it. If anyone has had similar results from looking at sperm, or the equivalent of an obgyn for men I’d love to know!

Edit to add: I think these blue crystal/ globules cause issues in his vans deferens and urethra because after he cums he feels like he has a UTI but he doesn’t. But I can’t find anything on google to help. A lot of it directs me to the color and consistency of semen and not the actual issue at hand. Another thing it directs me to is prostatitis (uric acid crystals in semen).

Um…. OK, thanks

I’m 41. I’ve have a six year old with whom we had success on my first try at 34 with IUI (no sperm issues, in a same sex marriage). I’ve done 5 IUIs in the past year. The last three with clomid. Cycle before last was chemical. Last cycle no success even though I had 5 mature follicles. Doctor thinks issue is egg quality. She says do clomid again because it’s not affecting my lining. Anyone else been in a similar scenario and had success? I realize anecdotes are not science but I could use some optimism (though am ready to hear all kinds of replies, including: hey what are you doing move to IVF already (in which case my answer would be, tried three times, two times we canceled as only 1/2 follicles and then cycle with 8 follicles resulted in one mosaic which am reluctant to use).

So We’ve been TTC for 6+ years, the only diagnosis I have is PCOS, and hypothyroidism. Should be simple right? Well my employer does not believe In anything other than natural and the insurance they provide follows the same. So natural is not for me. Anything medicine related is a no go so they just want you to track everything through the creightons model and when you don’t ovulate that does not work. I love what I do and don’t want to switch jobs but seeing a fertility specialist I literally have to pay out of pocket for everything and my husband can’t provide insurance as his employer is so small they don’t offer medical insurance and he loves his job as well and is not willing to switch employers. It’s so irritating that I feel like I have no support and who can afford paying out of pocket for everything?

My HCG was 41 at 14dpo and dipped today at 16DPO to 21. So it’s a chemical. My doctor was pretty equivocal about when I would get my period. Anyone in a similar boat willing to share her experience? Any success stories from the 40+ Crowd post chemical very welcome. I’m 41, have a six year old, and been trying for number 2 for a while now. It’s a very different landscape 7 years later …

My partner and I are arguing, but I’m ovulating. It seems like a waste of a whole month, but I’m so irritated right now. How does everyone else deal with this?

Sorry for the rant. I'm tired of people around me who have no clue what I'm going through minimizing my fertility journey. I'm not looking for sympathy, I don't talk about my journey unless someone asks, ”how are things going?” but then actually have no real interest in knowing or say insensitive things. I try to be understanding, but when someone tells me “i know a friend of a friend who has gone through this, you’ll be fine” and then quickly changes the subject to be about them and what they are going through. Or come to me crying about how they are so exhausted and just need emotional support…so you can come to me for support but have no genuine interest in supporting me? Im a very empathetic person but I don’t have it in me anymore. It’s like no one actually cares and so I just started lying and saying things are the same with treatment.

I work as a postpartum doula and my clients often ask why I don’t have my own children. My most recent client wouldn’t stop asking me why I don’t want children so I blurted out “I’m as infertile as the day is long. I don’t have any Fallopian tubes” Her solution? I need to try acupuncture, crystals and massage - it helped her sister when she was struggling to get pregnant. Remaining professional was difficult that day.

I fucking kid you not. My husband had to restrain me from launching it across the library.

I have been through 6 full rounds of ivf. My last round I got my first positive result ever in my life but I miscarried at 8 weeks. That was last month. I received a call a couple of days ago from an ex-coworker who is also an evangelical Christian. This call was totally out of the blue. We haven't kept in touch that much although she was aware I had been trying to conceive and that I had been through multiple failed IVF cycles. She called up and said 'I have been thinking about you lately and I know it's God telling me you are pregnant.'
Ummmm no. I am not pregnant. I was....but now I am not. Thanks for reminding me of my trauma.

40 days ago my little sister told me she was pregnant and I’m still struggling with the news… Well the day has come and my little sister is announcing her pregnancy today …… My husband and I have been talking/trying for kids for about 5 years now with no luck. I have CAH and so I don’t ovulate. I’m on my 9th medicated cycle to help but no luck. My sister(19) doesn’t want kids and found out in may that she was 7 weeks (she told me on Mother’s Day) I can’t control when my emotions come and I get upset and cry sometimes and my family keeps telling me I’m over reacting but I’m hurting and having a really hard time😞 I’m putting on my happy face and I’m excited for her but I can’t help but be heartbroken and it hurts. Her and I have a very close relationship and nothing has changed between us which is awesome!! I’m just heartbroken that it’s yet another person announcing and not me😞

A “friend” after my second miscarriage at 9 weeks ended with 3 D&Cs and being life threatening Intramural... yeah I would have known. I’d be dead.

I feel like I keep getting my heart ripped out..... In the last 2 months I have learned of 8 girls at my work getting pregnant that had just started trying or that it just happened. Due to infertility I haven’t yet been successful. My husband and I only have 2 more medicated cycles left before we must move on to IVF which costs a fortune. My husband and I also just accepted that we may only be able to have 1 child instead of 4pike we always talked about. Now to put the icing on the cake....I just learned today that my little sister who is 19, has only been with her boyfriend for 6 months and doesn’t want kids is 6 weeks pregnant. My husband and I have been trying for years and I’m happy for her and she is going to make an amazing mom but I am absolutely crushed that it’s still not me....💔

This may be a little long but just wanted to post somewhere.... When I was young I always wanted a big family. I am the second of 4 children. We were always fairly close with one another and I always dreamed of having a house full of kids. Fast forward, I’m 13, my Mom and I discussed birth control, she was a teen mom and wanted to make sure I was protected. I hadn’t had my first period yet but my Dr said I was okay to start it anyways. Couple years later, I’m 16 and meet my now husband. After some struggle with weight gain and other things I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome and told I may have issue having children. Not a big deal I was 16 and having children wasn’t really in the plans but started on metformin. When I was 17 and in college I decided to stop my birth control and my hubby and I didn’t really use condoms. After 6 months of no period and negative pregnancy tests and blood tests I went and saw my Dr. He said it could take up to 2 years before my periods returned to normal but told me to book an appointment with my Gynaecologist if I was really concerned and so I did. After having a roughly 2 hour visit, my Gynaecologist referred me to a Reproductive Endocrinologist. He ran AMH levels and some other blood tests and it was discovered that I was born with a rare genetic disorder, non classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, that caused me to not be able to ovulate. It was determined through AMH levels that I had never dropped an egg and was told that with treatment I would have a very high chance of conceiving as long as my partner had good sperm quality. Again, we were 18, and not ready for children yet. A couple months before my 22nd birthday, we made an appointment with my Reproductive Endocrinologist to discuss treatments options. We were told that there were a couple options for us but we would start with oral medications and that my hubby would have to do a sperm test. It all came back with passing grades and so we figured perfect this will be a breeze. Well let me tell you it has been the farthest thing from a breeze. The first lockdown began just days before my 22nd birthday. My husband and I decided we would wait till the pandemic calmed down before trying and we were told the same. It wasn’t really a big deal because It gave us time to establish our careers and buy our first house!! We officially started trying for baby #1 in October of 2020. We were confident at first and figured it would take 3-4 cycles to get pregnant. During my 3rd cycle of Letrozole, we had a a appointment my and were told if that cycle didn’t work we would up my dose and try that for 3 cycles and then talk again. During my 6th cycle we had another appointment and we were told that if this cycle didn’t work that would be the end of medicated cycles and we would be on to IVF. We were absolutely crushed and heartbroken. He said normally they would try Intra Uterine Insemination first but due to covid and us living almost 9 hours away that wasn’t an option. He agreed to let us have 3 more rounds while we wait on the IVF list for the call. That afternoon I took a test and had a second line! It ended in a chemical. I am now on cycle 7 and waiting to see if this is the month I see those 2 perfect lines. It’s been a hard 7 months learning my body and adjusting to all the new hormones that I am not used to. All I’ve ever wanted is to be a mom. They never tell you how hard it can be and how mentally exhausting trying to have a baby can be. It’s been a rough month. I only have 2 more chances before I start IVF. My husband and I have talked about this and will only be doing 1 cycle due to costs. I have accepted that I may only be able to have 1 child and I am honestly just looking forward to having 1 perfect healthy little bean to call our own❤️

3 years of trying to get pregnant

3 rounds of IUI

One failed

One was successful but miscarried

The most recent was successful but was ectopic on the scan

I confided in a friend that also went through and ectopic and she said "yeah but it's a good thing! After mine it only took 3 months for me to fall pregnant again, so you're bound to be pregnant again soon!"

Her first pregnancy was accidental and she was actually using contraception at the time. I tried to explain that the major difference is that she wasn't infertile to begin with....but she thinks that because I fell pregnant with IUI, I am also fertile 🤦

Umm...what are you talking about?! We've done this three times. Medications that make me super emotional, constant tracking and doctors appointments, stressful two week wait...and I had a painful miscarriage. What. the. hell.

Update: He acknowledges that it was a shitty thing to say. He thought he was being encouraging. I don't know on what planet he thought that would be encouraging. I'm still pretty pissed at him.