At our last RE appointment our doctor mentioned that given our history and all our tests being normal it looks like we may be dealing with unexplained infertility and it's weighing on my mind a lot. If you had unexplained infertility what worked for you? How did you deal? I'm having a hard time knowing there doesn't seem to be any physical reason we aren't getting pregnant.
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I don't know where you are in your journey but that was our diagnosis as well. We got lucky and clomid worked in the 2nd month.
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@jetsa: I just started my first month of clomid. Hearing your experience helps so much! Thank you. You were ovulating regularly I assume?
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I was also diagnosed with unexplained fertility. My 4th IUI was the lucky one and we now have a 9 month old. I hope you're lucky soon!
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We had unexplained infertility as well. IVF is what worked for us, and I now have 2 one year olds. It was indeed awful, and a frustrating diagnosis to get, because there is nothing specific that can be done.
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@mrsbookworm: thank you! I really hope we get lucky soon too!
@meganmp: I think the hardest part is that there isn't a specific plan, with a specific diagnosis we could at least have a plan in place.
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Unknown here too. Ivf worked for us, we have almost 2 yo twins with another one on the way. This one was done without intervention!
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My initial infertility was pcos but my recurrent pregnancy loss is unexplained and I find it difficult. My 4th round of clomid, at a higher dose, got me my sticky baby. We don't really know why that one worked - was it the dose or just luck? We're facing the same issues for #2 and I still am just wishing and wishing I knew what my chances are. One good stat I have seen - can't remember exactly - is that a high percentage of unexplained patients will eventually succeed with help.
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My cousin has unexplained infertility, and I know she struggles with it a lot. She does have a son though, that they conceived on their own after giving up on interventions. It took a while, which I know you don't want to hear, but it did happen. I'm sorry you're dealing with this! I'm sure it's incredibly upsetting.
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I think my chart says unexplained. After 3 IUIs and my RE saying she doesn't know why it's not working, I would assume that's what they have diagnosed me.
I think looking forward to IVF is what is helping me.
Since I have never been pregnant or have seen a BFP, I'm thinking maybe it's a sperm meeting egg problem. Hoping IVF will help that.
Also, the one thing in the back of my mind is maybe I have a hostile environment down there. If IVF doesn't work, I will be pretty devastated. Money will be really tight but I guess that would mean adoption would be next.
But, yeah, I wish my RE would straight out say that I could never carry a child, so at least, I can jump to adoption.
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@tequiero21: awesome that you didn't have any intervention for your third!
@bhbee: that's a stat my doc shared with me and it helps a bit to know that something should work. I'm sorry it's happening for you again.
@Torchwood: thank you, even if it took a while it helps to know it happened.
@bluestriped bee: I finally am starting some treatment and that helps. Has everything been clear, HSG, hysteroscopy, etc? It is a worry for me too that maybe I just don't have a friendly womb but my HSG was clear and my doc refused to do a hysteroscopy. I really hope ivf is it for you.
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@MrsTal: we started out as unexplained, but it kind of shifted over time. I took Clomid and it thinned out my uterine lining. The first cycle after that, it was still too thin, then it got to a normal range, then thin again. It was clear I had a problem with that. It was also not until we discussed having lap done that I saw them write "probable endometriosis" on my chart. But we still don't have any definitive diagnosis.
I don't have any advice for you and we're still in the thick of it! I can only say that I know it's tough and I understand.
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@Happygal: did you have endo symptoms? My doc wants to do lap but only gave me about a 28% of finding something so I'm not ready to go to that yet. Also the only monitoring he's doing is blood work, so how would I know if my lining is thin?
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Not knowing was really hard for us too since there was nothing we could do to "fix" it. After ttc for around 2 yrs I got pregnant naturally but had a m/c. We then saw a RE and did 2 cycles of clomid + iui...both bfns. We decided to take a break from intervention and miraculously got pregnant and had our lo last sept. It IS possible so try not to stress and stay optimistic. Best of luck to you!
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@MrsTal: No, I wasn't actually, the clomid made me ovulate. I really think it takes 2 months of clomid to work so don't be too discouraged if the first month doesn't. its just a hunch on my end but both a close friend and I got pregnant on our second month
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@MrsTal: your lining is easily measured through an ultrasound. I posted about my problem when it happened, and found out others have had the same problem: http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/uterine-lining-due-to-clomid
Another risk of Clomid is the formation of cysts, something that can also be checked out through an ultrasound. I know people have had success without being monitored, but based on my experience and these risk factors, I think it is an important step in the whole process.
28% would not be enough to get me into surgery! I have a strong family history and a specific area that is painful, but no other strong symptoms. My doctor says he thinks based on the length we've been trying and those other factors, we're looking at at least 80% chance is endo. @MrsWin: has shared that she had a blood test done to give more information about whether endo is a possibility. I will also share that my RE said if we lived in a place with mandatory IVF coverage, we would likely move to IVF over surgery.
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We were diagnosed with unexplained fertility - I ovulated on my own, tubes clear, bloodwork normal. DH had a borderline low sperm count but it wasn't anything severe - after taking Fertility Blend it raised his counts substantially. I am currently 19 wks pregnant after our 5th IUI and first month on injectibles (Follistim). I actually responded well to Clomid the first 4 times (first go around I actually ended up with an ectopic pregnancy) but it didn't take.
Not knowing why we couldn't get pregnant was very hard to understand. I coped with yoga, sometimes wine but most importantly, I was honest with DH and we both shared the same frustrations. I grew very jealous and resented anyone who got pregnant. It is a tough journey emotionally and financially. They say it's worth it and it is! Truly! But while you're on the path it can be increasingly frustrating with no end in sight - Do what you love and what you can do to take your mind off things (easier said than done). When we got pregnant we actually had a 3 month old puppy that we adopted a couple months prior so I was focused on him rather than figuring out what day in my cycle was after ovulation. It was a good and cute distraction -
That was my diagnosis for a long time (over 6 years), we tried 4 unsuccessful fully medicated IUIs and decided not to move forward with IVF. We adopted a beautiful baby girl last year and to our surprise I am now 21 weeks pregnant with a son! We believe strongly that there is a plan for all of us and while it's hard to accept at the time, had we gotten pregnant earlier we would not have been blessed with our daughter. Thoughts for patience and for everything to work out how it should!
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I had a PCOS diagnosis but then had six rounds of drugs that didn't result in pregnancy and then that was unexplained. The RE said "there is no real reason for you not to get pregnant". I wanted to slap him. Eventually I did get pregnant on my own with no interventions.
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After quite a bit of testing, etc, I was also diagnosed w/unexplained. It was very difficult and I honestly wished an issue had been discovered so we had a reason and something we could work on fixing. Around the 3 year mark I did get pregnant naturally but it ended in a mc. We tried everything, clomid, femara, IUI's w/follistin (I also had a hysteroscopy w/D&C where they also fixed a questionable uterine septum) before moving to IVF. IVF was successful and resulted in our 3month twin girls. It took a little over 5 years total.
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@MrsTal: Yup, everything has been clear and 'healthy'. I don't know how they would test for hostile environment.
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@bluestriped bee: I've read where about doing a post-coital test to see how sperm is doing in there. Some doctors test cervical fluid as well, measuring how long it can stretch.
ETA: my RE hasn't done either of those tests, and since I've come to trust them, I wonder if that means they aren't seen as very reliable or worthy of testing.....
@mrstal: one thing I just learned about endo is that it's not only blockages that cause a problem, but the inflammation it causes makes things an unhappy place for both sperm and egg.
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