[KarenC]

Hi,
I'm 39 & husband 32.  Neither of us have ever been pregnant but have been trying since we got married in Aug 04.  Been for various tests (blood, scans, HSG, Sperm etc), but so far no problem diagnosed.  Just finished 3rd Cycle of Clomid but doesnt seem to have done the job! - Blood tests show low hormone levels at day 21, numerous Ovulation Kits do not detect any surge, but very regular periods.  Does anyone know if I could still be ovulating when I cannot detect any surge?  I'm not convinced & think that there must be something else we can try before IVF.  We've been advised that because of my age and the amount of time we've already been trying that IVF is our best chance.  We're on the waiting list (about 5 months to go).  Am worried that either no eggs or poor quality, hence no ovulation, & think there must be some way of confirming this before the expensive & emotional journey of IVF.

 

[cleg]

hello there Karen + welcome to FF

sorry to hear you too are having troubles conceiving, very frustrating especially when there is no specific cause i am going to leave you some links to have a peek at

unexplained infertility click ~ http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=111.0

clomid board click ~ http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=34.0

what every new member needs to know click ~ http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=101841.0

there are also locations boards where you can get support from people in your area but i cant see where you are from but here is the link for you to have a look through ~
counties in england ~ http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=218.0
counties in scotland ~ http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=259.0
counties in wales ~ http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=260.0
ireland ~ http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=264.0

as for OPK's i used these too when on clomid + didnt really get a true +tive reading, i will say i was ovulating as i was given clomid only as a boost, sometimes OPK's can be very tedious + i personally would say the best method is to have BMS as often as you can in a bid to hit the right time

if you werent ovulating i am sure that your GP or con would have picked up on this problem especially as you have had all your bloods done to check on everything, if you are really concerned this may be the case i would contact then asking to be checked over again, are you still going to continue with the clomid ? if so it may be worth asking for them to track your cycles so you have a better understanding of what is happeneing

i wish you lotsa luck, if you have any ??'s dont be afraid to ask someone will always answer

xxx

 

[Avon Queen]

hiya karenc

those ovulation kits got me in aright frenzy convinced i wasnt ovulating but when the hospital tested me i was so i got all worked up about nothing.

regular periods is good. nobody has advised you you have not many eggs have they? you are like me! before you start ivf they check your womb is ready and they do blood tests and stuff fresh before that even. the professor or dr at ivf clinic will look over your concerns, they are experts, mine sorted me out in 10mins flat! ive just had an ivf waiting to find out if its worked (aaahhhh!) and i got it free (in in sheffield) on the nhs, though i had to wait a year. then if this doesnt work i will pay. so maybe is that the list you are on? to get the nhs one? depends where you live how many free goes you get and how long you have to wait

ivf isnt that bad, its not easy but i am so relieved to be finally doing something after 4 years!

whoever advised you, maybe go back there and rrequest more testing?

good luck

 

[Banana Girl]

Hi Karen - good luck with your journey

Sorry to hear you are having a confusing time - I was in a constant state of confusion during our hospital visits, not helped by having conflicting diagnoses.  If you are concerned that you dont understand something - or that you need something retested/explained - go and talk to your GP and they may be able to find you a second opinion or get you another appt.
Its worth a try - my GP was certainly very helpful when I got 2 contradictory results from my cons.

We finally conceived using the Foresight programme.
Not that it is quicker - the average conception time can be 2 years (though we did it in 5 months) - but it works out a lot cheaper and it is all natural so there is less to worry about.  They are particularly good with "unexplained" IF as they are holistic, so look for things your cons may not (lead piping in your house, overuse of laptop computers etc etc)

www.foresight-preconception.org.uk

they have a higher success rate than IVF - about 78% live healthy births.
xx

I also sorted my atrocious ovulation with acupuncture. 
x

 

[Caz]

Hi KarenC, welcome to Fertility Freinds.

In myu experience ovulations tests are not always terribly reliable and it can take several months to interpret the results. I presume from your post you are having blood tests to determine if the clomid is making you ovulate? What I don't get is why, if you've been told there is no problem, are you now seemingly not ovulating with clomid? Are you on 50mg dose? Go back to your cons and ask if this can be increased (I think it is increased on 50mg increments up to 150mg). Maybe push to see if you can have some sort of monitoring scans around the tiem you think you might ovulate as this is by far a better measure if if you do that a blood test which can be as misleading as a OPK sometimes as they don't paint the whole picture.

Do check out the excellent links cleg has left for you. I know you will get plenty of support, especially on the clomid boards where you should be able to see what other ladies taking it are doing / having by way of monitoring.

Wishing you lots of luck!

C~x

 

[dakota]

Hi Karen,

Welcome to Fertility Friends, this site is fantastic for support, information and friendship 

Good luck on your journey

Nikki xx