Vitamins - take or not to take

[Tomoliv]

I have joined this group because I am tired of “Dr Google” and I can use some words of advice… I have been keeping it all to myself, it has been “easier” to pretend that I don’t have kids because I am busy with my job, so as my husband… however living a lie isn’t easy, especially when everyone is getting pregnant, some with the second and third baby, my Facebook is overwhelming with fertility and pregnancy adverts, and here I am, month after month hoping that my period will not make an appearance! So many years of hoping that the period would actually be on time, for now to wish that it wouldn’t make an appearance.. every month I decide to make it worst to myself, do a pregnancy test (even if I have my period, god knows why!!!), and every month I cry inside a little more…

We have tried so many vitamins, I tend to loose hope and give up… I don’t know if I am making it worst or not, I don’t know what to do anymore!

Any advice on vitamins?

[Bump12]

Oh dear I’m so sorry to hear what you are going through. It is a horrible time and I doesn’t get any better when we see others have a baby or 2. The general vitamins would be Vitamin D and folic acid.

But then you can take omega-3 and co-enzyme q10 to improve your egg quality.

These are the ones I take hope it helps xx

[Tomoliv in reply to Bump12]

I will do it then! xx thank you for your kind words

[Savvy_teapot]

Hi Tomoliv, Sorry to hear you are feeling helpless. Hope you don't mind me asking but how long have you been trying and have you had any tests yet or treatment ? Sorry if you have had lots and this is an inappropriate question 💜

[Tomoliv in reply to Savvy_teapot]

Hi! We have been trying for over 18 months, I am 32 and my husband is 31. We tried to start the process of getting some tests, but we have not been successful, as I was explaining to Cinderella5 a few comments below.I don’t even know if we have any physical problem that is not allowing us to have children, I just needed to know if I can still dream about having a family, or if I should try to numb those feelings xx

[Daffodils140]

I was also advised to take probiotics. I just take the tablets and the drinks but if recommended by your consultant you can also get vaginal pessaries. Ask your clinic though to see what they recommend. xx

[Tomoliv in reply to Daffodils140]

Thank you!! Will look into the probiotics as well xx

[Cinderella5]

Sorry to hear that you're struggling. Have you been to your GP yet to get some basic checks done for you and your partner? The only key vitamins that I was recommended to take was vit D and folic acid. You can get carried away with lots of potions etc.xx

[Tomoliv in reply to Cinderella5]

I have tried my GP, but with covid has been hard to get their attention. Last time I had a telephone consultation with a physician associate, she was so kind and understanding! She referred us to the fertility clinic, etc.. the thing is, I had an US that I don’t even know what that was, took them 1 minute to do it, the person doing the US just shouted a few numbers to someone else that was typing them, I was never told the results.. I felt so sad on that day, the way that I was treated, when they finished the US the lady that was doing it just said that it was done and that was it, didn’t even had a chance to clean myself before putting my clothes on.

Then we had an appt at the fertility clinic, the lady that saw us said that it is normal to not get pregnant straight away, and 12-24 months of trying is normal. I am 32, my husband is 31. Now, the only thing I wanted was to know is if we have any problems, any barriers to get pregnant, but no one cares…

I am starting to save money, so I can go to a private clinic and get a check up, I cannot afford to wait much more to then restart the referral, wait for this and that, to then figure it out that it’s too late to have children.

[Peonie100 in reply to Tomoliv]

Did you get any blood tests? If not you should go back to your GP/fertility clinic and ask - don’t take no for an answer. It should be day 3 of your cycle and then another on day 21 (assuming your cycle is 28 days). Keep pushing. I annoyed my GP so much in the end they just gave me what I wanted. Don’t let them fob you off with statistics!Good luck with everything.

[Cinderella5 in reply to Tomoliv]

Your GP should do basic bloods to check your hormone levels are normal and on day 21 (if you have a 28 day cycle) to see that you are ovulating. Has you husband had a sperm analysis done? Your GP could sort that out for you too. To be honest it can take a while to get pregnant so there might not be a specific reason however if you could get some peace of mind that would maybe help.xxx

[Savvy_teapot]

It's very difficult. Maybe call the clinic is they can explain about the ultrasound? They are quite a quick scan but they should tell you the results. Some couples decide not to do IVF and it is hugely expensive. We decided to try it but it hasn't worked so far. We can't really afford private so arranged the NHS referral which was at a private clinic. It's also important to try to not let it take over everything and look after yourself and your partner in this. 💜 Unfortunately sometimes it is unexplained why couples can't get pregnant and a doctor won't be able to predict if you will get preganant. It's hard to face so I have organised a fertility counsellor to talk to.

[nadinenads]

Hey Tomoliv, sorry to hear that you are going through this. I get it.

I'd defo recommend a multivitamin when TTC - it's always best to get nutrients from food but environmental conditions and farming practices have depleted the soil of key nutrients we would typically obtain from food, making it impossible to get everything we need from food alone.

Which vitamins have you tried so far?

The general advice is to take Pregnacare. Unfortunately, these vitamins are synthetic (lab-created) which means the body doesn't really know what to do with them as they are not natural supplements and they lack necessary transporters and co-factors. I'd advise you to look into brands such as Cytoplan & wild nutrition, both are 100% food-based, natural nutrients & your body benefits from them, unlike synthetic nutrients.

Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate. There's tons of research about this online. Always look for a brand that includes folate and not folic acid.

I hope this helps <3