Trying to get pregant

Preconception & Pregnancy Fertility Issues
1

Hi Mamas,

I am trying to get pregant again. I have a 13 1/2 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. My husband and I want to have another baby. We have been trying to get pregant right after my son was born. I have tried fertility drugs, tried the ovulation kits, and just about everything else I can think of. I don't want to go to a specialist. And I don't want this issue to take over my life. I have tried to tell myself that I need to be thankful for the two beautiful children that I do have. I tell others that, but my heart is not there yet.

I am a bit over weight, and I started going to the gym to help drop the pounds. This might sound gros.. but my period gets twice as heavy when I go, but I am still willing to do what I need to do to drop this weight, not just to have a baby, but to be healthy as well.

Any advice I can get will be better then what I have now. My husband said he is ok have two children but one more will be nice. I don't want to get rid of our baby stuff, the bassinet, walker, bathtubs, bottles, etc. but if I dont' get pregant then I have to, it is taking up a lot of space in our house.

Thank you,

2

Two things to do before considering a specialist (I know you said you don't want to go...but more on that later):

-Go to www.fertilityfriend.com. It will be so helpful. You'll learn a lot about your cycle, when you are ovulating, when to have sex to have your best shot at conceiving, and signs that you might be pregnant. It is totally free and unbelievably helpful.

-Read Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. It is very similar to the fertilityfriend website, but with more detail.

Both methods include BBT (basal body temperature) charting and cervical mucus observation. Your effort in all of this will be: reading the material, buying a BBT thermometer, taking your temperature as soon as you wake up every day, and then charting the temp/cervical mucus/and when you have sex.

If you try ovulation kits, weight loss, and charting and still don't get pregnant, you may wish to seek the assistance of a specialist. There are so many things that contribute to the infertility puzzle: not enough of certain hormones, too many hormones, lack of primary follicles, lack of a trigger hormone to release the egg at ovulation, blocked fallopian tubes, inability of the uterine lining to support a pregnancy, inability of the pituitary gland to produce enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy...and those are just the female issues. The issue might not even be with you - the male could have low sperm count, high sperm count but the sperm are not viable, high and viable sperm but they don't travel they way they should. Seeking the support of a specialist could be helpful because you may be able to find out exactly WHY you're not having success and specifically target your particular issue. At the same time, I totally understand not wanting to go that route. I did that for 3 years and it was exhausting, both physically and mentally not to mention it was exceptionally time-consuming.

For what it is worth, I have dealt with PCOS and fertility issues all my life. For my last pregnancy, I used the fertilityfriend website to chart my temps and read the Taking Charge book to learn more about how I could maximize my success. It took a few months but I did manage to conceive without medical intervention and I successfully delivered about a month ago.

Good luck and definitely check out the fertilityfriend website as a starting point.

3

Lisa-

I, too, want to have one more child. My situation is a little different. I found a swollen lymph node when our second child was 7 weeks old and was soon diagnosed with cancer. My oncologist says the chemo shouldn't affect my fertility, but having been diagnosed right after the birth of a child, I worry it had to do with the pregnancy and worry if it returns what life will be like for my husband having to raise children on his own.

Losing the weight is a very commendable goal. I wish you well and hope you are supported in your efforts. Everything I hear is that weight watchers is a great support plan (especially since they now offer it completely online) in addition to going to the gym.

I wouldn't be against going to a specialist if that helps (you're very lucky to have a supportive husband).

Like you, I feel I have room in my heart for another child. I hope we both get clarity soon.

4

We wanted to get pregnant with our third but my cycle was out of wack, wasn't sure when I was ovulating etc, so we did "it" every day for a month and got pregnant that month....

5

Lisa:

have you tried accupuncture?

you can find a practitioner at www.birthlink.com

Patricia, RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

6

Lisa -

I too am going through a similar situation. My husband and I had no problem conceiving our first child but things are very different this time around. I bought a Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor online and am on my second cycle using it. My periods have never been regular so it was hard for me to tell when I was ovulating especially since most woman I have been told don't ovulate on the same day every month. The monitor is a bit expensive but I say its definitely worth it as then I know exactly when I am fertile. I bought mine online at amazon.com for about $150.00. My OB also said that it is clinically proven to be more effective than taking your temperature and using the ovulation kits. Here is a little bit of information on it...

The Clearblue® Easy Fertility Monitor is the most advanced method of maximizing your chances of getting pregnant.

Most home ovulation tests identify the 2 Peak Fertility days during your cycle by detecting the surge in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) that triggers ovulation. The Clearblue® Easy Fertility Monitor is unique as it tracks 2 hormones to typically identify up to 6 fertile days – it not only shows you your 2 Peak Fertility days, it can also inform most women of an extra 1-5 days of High Fertility prior to their Peak Fertility. Since your partner's sperm can survive in your body for several days, having sex on all of these days can lead to conception.

Good Luck and I hope this helps! If you have any other questions send me a message! :)

7

I found this book to be super helpful, and a more holistic approach. Way cheaper than going to a specialist too! It's called Taking Charge of Your Fertility, The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement by Toni Weschler. It's waaaaaaay more interesting than it sounds too :)

8

Two pieces of advice:

1) Get your thyroid checked if you have not already done this

2) Get your husband's sperm checked. A large percentage of fertility problems are not with the women but with the man. A man trying to conceive should be taking folic acid, it assists with the motility of the sperm.

9

After a miscarriage, I started seeing a Traditional Chinese doctor. Chinese medicine strives to get everything in balance, to make you healthy, making the opportunity for the pregnancy to occur. It took about a year and a half, but with taking the herbs the Dr. prescribed (and sold) and with seriously working on lowering my stress level, I was successful! TCM is very different than our Western medicine, but if you can pay out of pocket and are willing to be open, it's helped a lot of people. Please message me directly if you want more info! Good luck!

10

You mentioned that you've tried a lot, so maybe you already tried acupuncture, but just thought I'd put that out there. Best of luck!

Jasmine Sassack
Founder and Contributor
www.UrbanSuburbanFamily.squarespace.com

11

Talk to your OB about going on the pill for awhile to get your period back on schedule. I've been told that the easiest time to get pregnant is right after you go off the pill. That's what happened for me & my sister. We were both pregnant within 2 weeks of going off the pill. Good luck

12

Thanks to everyone who gave me more information on this. My period is so out of wack. I am on day 19 with a three day break in there. I have an appointment with me ob next week, we are going to talk about this. I did not have any proablem with getting pregant with my first two. I am a little older and my mom and grandmother did go through menaupause in their mid-30’s and I am 33. Not sure if this is part of the cause… I SO HOPE NOT!!! I am going to get some blood work done to see where all my levels are and I am so hoping. If it is meant to be then it is ment to be. If anyone else has any more information please feel free to send me an @.com. Thanks again!