Trying to become pregnant for 7 years.... (test, rate, medicine, chances)

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Kobber

It's a shame that your husband is hesitant about being checked out, but there is a test you can have which will provide info about the number of eggs you have left. My daughter had this test when she was about 33 and had been trying to become pregnant for 3 years or so. It was discovered that she had far fewer eggs left than most women her age. They had to take the IVF route (which, thankfully, did work out for them, twice).

The test is Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH). At least, that's what it's called here in Australia - your doctor will know. Of course I don't know how much it costs in the US - perhaps having your husband checked out would be a cheaper first option.

It's AMH here too. That one's pretty important because you can't really move the needle on that one. It goes in pretty much one direction: down. Some women claim they've raised their AMH with supplements (like CoQ10) but I wouldn't put much faith in that.

I have had low AMH readings consistently through my 30s and now in my early 40s, they are hopeless (0.06).

OP is still young and there's still time. She should beat a path to a fertility doctor STAT.

Young healthy people should see a specialist after one year of trying without success. Over 35, cut that to six months. Over 40, you should start at the fertility doc.

[germaine2626]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

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(snip)

OP is still young and there's still time. She should beat a path to a fertility doctor STAT.

Young healthy people should see a specialist after one year of trying without success. Over 35, cut that to six months. Over 40, you should start at the fertility doc.

Those are usually the numbers that I have read. If the OP has been going to the gynecologist on a regular basis I am surprised that after seven years of trying they have not been referred to a specialist. Did you actually tell your gynecologist that you wanted to have children or just gave the impression that you would not care one way or the other?

The tests for men are so easy (ejaculate into a cup) and they can do a variety of tests just from that. If he is reluctant to do that are you sure that he really wants to have children? IMHO, most gynecologists would have recommended that the man have his sperm checked out years ago, before any tests on the woman.

[tailsock]

good luck with this. my brother and his wife are agonizing about the same thing but have only been trying for 4 years. Chin up though, it's not like you're both in your 40s or anything. My wife and I used a fertility drug that helped with ovulation after trying for almost 2 years. That did the trick

[masterchef1]

Go to clinic that offers IVF, get checked out and do IVF if needed, best odds as far as getting pregnant.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by germaine2626

Those are usually the numbers that I have read. If the OP has been going to the gynecologist on a regular basis I am surprised that after seven years of trying they have not been referred to a specialist. Did you actually tell your gynecologist that you wanted to have children or just gave the impression that you would not care one way or the other?

The tests for men are so easy (ejaculate into a cup) and they can do a variety of tests just from that. If he is reluctant to do that are you sure that he really wants to have children? IMHO, most gynecologists would have recommended that the man have his sperm checked out years ago, before any tests on the woman.

Semen analysis is non-invasive and far cheaper than a vaginal ultrasound, an HSG, or a hysterosonogram.

[mshelen]

Young healthy people should see a specialist after one year of trying without success. Over 35, cut that to six months. Over 40, you should start at the fertility doc.

Agreed, I would add if a woman is over 40, then she should see a fertility specialist and a genetic counselor

[Taluffen]

Right now you need to do a few things.

Tell your husband to get over himself and get a semen analysis. Low sperm count or poor morphology can mean IUI or IVF and IVF isn't often covered by insurance unless you live in a state with a mandate.

Go to your gyno and insist on a HSG scan do see if your fallopian tubes are blocked. There is also an ultrasound test to determine if there are polyps or fibroids or any other uterine abnormalities by injecting your uterus with a saline solution and using a sonogram. If you have something it may be the cause of infertility and can probably resolved with a simple out-patient surgery. Again tell them you want those tests done and don't let them give you the run around.

[Icemodeled]

Catching up on posts, so encouraged to hear there are a lot of options and tests out there still to try and our chances are not zero!

I have made an upcoming appointment to a new gyno, due to moving I had to switch but maybe it's for the better as my old one never really said much when I brought up the subject of trying for a baby. So I will discuss it all with her and mention some of the tests that were said here and that my husband hasn't had any testing yet.

He does really want kids, but.. He hates going to the doctor for anything and he rather shy about the subject, meaning he doesn't feel comfortable taking to a doctor about 'personal' stuff. Not sure why, he hasn't really ever been to a doctors much at all. I think he keeps hoping it'll just happen without having to do anything else. After my appt, I will have a serious talk about it and try to explain why he needs to have it done. Also, he is more relaxed about our ages then I am. I feel we're getting to 'old' and see each day ticking by. He, thinks there's plunty of time still and isn't as concerned. I think that's why he has put it off to.

So, hopefully after seeing the gyno we can get a plan going and start checking off some of the tests and reasons we may not have been able to get pregnant so far. I will try and update after the appt!

KyraT - thanks for your experience! Wow if they offer a home test kit for the sperm analysis he would have no issue getting it taken care of! That is great, I'll have to check and see if ours offers that also. Just wondered, has your insurance covered most of this, if not do you know costs? We are thinking to start a fund and start saving in it for any expenses that may come up not covered by insurance. Just not sure how much would be a good amount to save.

[emm74]

You both need to be seen - in some cases, the issue is with the woman, in some cases it's with the man - and in some cases, both of them can have issues to contribute to infertility.

And I would strongly urge you to go to a fertility specialist - a reproductive endocrinologist. Many ob/gyns are not as informed about the subject and after 7 years without a pregnancy, you should be getting advice from a specialist.

It does not automatically mean IVF, there are lots of other interventions to try. But one thing to think about is if you are hoping to have more than one child, it could be less expensive in the long term because the odds are that you'd have embryos to store and use for a future attempt. Doing an FET (frozen embryo transfer) is much less expensive and invasive than a full IVF cycle.

Also, at your age, some IVF clinics offer guarantee programs, where you pay a little more up front but they will do additional cycles until you actually have your baby. That presuming your insurance coverage doesn't provide coverage, but some do, it depends on the state and the specifics of the plan you have. Resolve is a good organization for finding out more info

[CGab]

I would talk to an OB doctor and see what they suggest. You are still pretty young! I didn't get pregnant till I was 31 with my first child. My friend has a similar situation to you. They never used any contraceptives and after 3 years they got pregnant. She was 41! At 42 she had a healthy boy. 7 years is a long time however so I would definitely speak with a doctor! Good luck to you!