I was just wondering if anyone else has been told themselves and partners have unexplained infertility and also never gotten pregnant before?
I am waiting for my first IVF appointment which is next month but this whole situation stresses me out so much everyday, and takes over my head.
I suppose I just wanted to hear some success stories for people in exactly the same situation as myself when IVF has worked. I have one round free on the NHS and then up to two FET as well. Already thinking the worst and thinking I will never get a positive pregnancy test 😢 And myself and my husband don't earn a lot of money so would never be able to afford IVF privately. Having a down day I guess, any advice greatly appreciated. How do you all deal with the stress yourselves? XX
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megad26
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Lots of us on here have the same lack of diagnosis. Just want to ask, have you ever had a laparoscopy? I had never been pregnant and was unexplained but they removed two endometrial spots, widened my cervix and flushed my tubes during a lap and I got pregnant the next month. Unfortunately I had an early miscarriage but I have two friends who also got pregnant straight after laps.
I'm doing ivf as I'm worried about my age (38) and losing the option of an NHS cycle, but I can't help thinking they ought to do laps on everyone undiagnosed before heading straight for ivf.
I had the Hycosy treatment if that's the same thing? Had the dye pass through my tubes and they said there was nothing wrong and everything was normal. Hubby has had the sample tests as well and everything normal with him too. I have always had this strange feeling since I was pretty young that I would have trouble conceiving and then low and behold I find myself and husband struggling we have been trying for 3 years and I'm 26 and he is 28. XX
No, hycosy is not the same. Robert winston says we should insist on a hysterosalpincogram as minimum (also a dye test but they take x-ray photos of your womb) to check for uterine abnormalities too. I definitely recommend having a read of his website... you can find loads more interesting advice from the link I posted. Also at just 26 you might be eligible for iui treatment before jumping straight to ivf... it's less invasive and also cheaper. It depends on where you live but in my area couples are eligible for three funded rounds of iui then one funded round of ivf if younger than 35. I know it won't feel like it at 26 and 28 but you do have time to make sure the treatment is necessary and right. Ivf is a last resort but I think some fertility clinics make you think you need to do it no matter what.
Incidentally, my sil tried for over three years to no avail, unexplained, but they did eventually get pregnant naturally (quite some time after a laparoscopy so not definitely due to having a lap) and have got two gorgeous daughters now. So it can still happen!
That is really interesting that they don't do that before offering IVF as I assume it costs the NHS a lot more to do IVF than the laps. If they were to uncover and underlying problem with me once they start the IVF treatment then I assume that's your one NHS funded cycle done.
I have had a glance at the website you linked but will definitely spend some time looking at it in more detail.
I don't suppose you know how I would go about getting the laps? Can you pay privately for that if they don't offer it to you on the NHS? XX
Are you under a fertility nurse at your local hospital? I have the phone number for mine and I would just ring her and ask for an explanation of why they feel Ivf is the next step for you rather than laparoscopy or iui. I think they don't automatically refer for lap as it is under general anaesthetic and that obviously carries risks. With any luck you will be able to get an appointment with either your fertility nurse or even better the infertility nhs consultant at your hospital in order to talk through options in more depth. Have a really good read before you do this though because sometimes you have to push for what you want... different consultants do things differently according to their own preferences but if you have done your own reading you can push them for better explanations of their decisions. You may read up and decide you don't want a lap, that's fair enough, but it's worth looking in to.
Re private laparoscopy, I didn't manage to get it done privately as the hospital would not tell me how to, and I had to wait ages on the nhs waiting list, but I have since worked out that you'd probably have to contact bupa and get a private consultation with a gynaecologist.
They may try to fob you off by telling you that you have no symptoms of endometriosis but they can't really know that unless they go in and look.
We were referred to the hospital for the initial fertility appointments and the consultant there then referred us for IVF. She said IUI hasn't got great success rates and for unexplained infertility IVF would be the best option?
It's funny you should say you have always had a feeling you would struggle to conceive. I have always felt like getting pregnant wouldn't be easy for me, this was laughed off as lack of confidence in adolescence by my consultant. But I know I have always genuinely felt like this wouldn't be easy for me. My diagnosis is 'unexplained' -way to give a girl closure eh! What have people said about you always having this feeling? Xx
Yes, I can imagine. Check whether you'll still be entitled to the iui if the Ivf fails. And remember it's in the Ivf consultants interest to get you to do Ivf... that's how they get paid! You may after all this decide to still do Ivf, I did a cycle privately before I was entitled to nhs, and it was worthwhile as they learned a lot about my body's response, but it is a hard process.
We are going down the IUI route while waiting for a referral for IVF, this is allowed on the NHS and doesn't affect our referral. It's definitely less invasive and worth a try!!
In a similar boat to you although I'm older! Wishing you all the best on your journey and here to support! Xx
Thank you so much! Same to you this forum has really helped me as sometimes you feel nobody understands but there really are so many people going through the same thing. X
Like you, we were diagnosed with unexplained infertility having never been pregnant before and only got one free fresh round. Our fresh round unfortunately ended in a chemical pregnancy but we paid for a FET with our 2 frozen embryos and it worked and we are expecting our little girl on 16 August! Please don't be down, it can and does work! X
Thank you! Of course I don't mind! We had to pay £400 to freeze the embryos and then £900 for the FET. We had a completely natural transfer though, so we didn't have to pay for any drugs or scans apart from one where they checked that my lining was thickening enough by itself. I'm not sure how much it would have been medicated.
I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling down :(. My husband and I also have unexplained infertility after trying for three years and I know how you feel when you say you don't feel like you'll ever get a positive pregnancy test!
We have been told that IVF would be the best for us too. I have to loose some weight to do it but the clinic are ready when we are. I too am worried about the effects of IVF. Lots of people have told me that it isn't as bad as how you read it. I know when I read about it for the first time I got upset because I thought that it looked painful. I think if you talk to the clinic about your worries or concerns about IVF they'll be able to ease your mind about a lot of it. We would go private too but we can't afford it.
I wish you all the best for your IVF journey, and lots of baby dust to you! X
My husband and I have also been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. I am 38 and he is 42. I had a laparoscopy around a year after trying, after the initial fertility meeting diagnosed ovarian cysts. We have since gone through one round of IVF which was unsuccessful. We are lucky enough to able to have 3 funded rounds in our area.
It certainly does feel like we will never have a positive test, especially after one unsuccessful round with no additional embryos for freezing.
However, to reassure you, I didn't find the actual IVF to be quite as bad as I imagined. I didn't have any major side effects. I had to get over the horror of injecting myself daily but in the end it was easy. It was the emotional toll afterwards that was more difficult.
I dealt with the stress with fertility reflexology and acupuncture. I also told some close friends and family - I think it's easier if people know you're going through it so they can support you.
Oh yes we were in the same situation as you. Everything came normal, along with the dye test (HSG) to check if tubes are blocked. I was pregnant 2 years ago naturally but then miscarried. After trying for 2 years still no success. Doctors ran the usual test and everything looked perfect. Until we started IVF. I responded poorly on meds by which they concluded I have low AMH(low egg reserve). Though I have low FSH (which is a good thing). I would advice before starting the IVF request for AMH test. As it can impact your IVF treatment a lot. At my clinic they don't do it by default. You might have to pay for it(£60) but it will help them to decide which protocol to choose. As ladies with low AMH should undergo short protocol instead of long(long protocol is a default for low FSH as they think that you will respond good by first suppressing your natural cycle and then stimulating it). I think it's a good investment. As you are relying on your first cycle and 2 frozen. So in my case they should have chosen short protocol instead of long. I m still thankful to my clinic that I am able to achieve my BFP but the journey could be little better. I only had 3 eggs and only 1 fertilised none frozen. Good luck honey take a calculative decision. 👍🏻
Hello dear, I hope you are enjoying your day. I can understand your situation. Infertility is hard to handle. It is a long journey that requires your patience and struggle. You have to be very patient at every step. I feel sorry that you are dealing with unexplained infertility. It is really hard. I am also struggling with infertility. I have a strong desire for my baby. But this can't be done naturally. As an anorexic woman has not enough ability in her body to so. I am also thinking of the alternatives now. I wish you luck with your IVF. I hope it will be a great help to you. You just need to stay positive. And don't let anyone make you weak. Stay strong.
Hey dear, I am glad to listen about the struggle you are doing. I mean you are not the one weeping at the side. But you are strong enough to deal with all the bad situations. So, you are thinking of IVF. IVF is a great option. It has much success rates. And it will be best for you. You must opt for it. I am also thinking of surrogacy as it is a long period of TTC. And after the last miscarriage, it is not easy for me to conceive again. Well, I need to gather a lot of information. I will be remembering you in my prayers. Stay happy always. And don't stop trying. Life is not the bed of roses. You will have to pass many ups and downs.
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we have been trying for 3 years and I'm 26 and he is 28. XX
this forum has really helped me as sometimes you feel nobody understands but there really are so many people going through the same thing. X 
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