[sykes]

Hello,
My wife Kyla and I are trying to understand why we're not able to get pregnant. None of the normal causes of infertility seem to apply in our case.

We started trying for a baby in 2004, at which time I was 29 years old and Kyla 28. A few months later Kyla became pregnant but the first ultrasound showed it to be an ectopic pregnancy. Thankfully no surgery was necessary since it was caught early and methotrexate was used instead. We were advised not to try for a while, so we waited about six months before trying again. The following year Kyla became pregnant but again it was an ectopic. So again we waited a few cycles. Unfortunately since then we have not been able to get pregnant at all.

We consulted an OBGYN doctor who ran some tests. The semen analysis and count were fine. A HSG dye test of the fallopian tubes showed no blockages. And ovulation was fine with both ovaries producing eggs. No PID or Endometriosis. Kyla does have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) but is not obese and there has never been any issues producing eggs.

So we cannot understand why we're unable to get pregnant at all now. In the last couple of years we even tried five cycles of IUI, but the results were negative every time.

We're now seriously considering IVF but before starting this procedure we just want to understand what could be the reasons why we've not been able to get pregnant at all.

Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
John

[Koshveily]

Hi, John... seems like even if the HSG was clear, Kyla may still have a problem with her tubes... like me! The fallopian tubes have little hairs inside (cilia) that scoot the egg along and down into the uterus. Well, my tubes either don't have the cilia or the cilia don't work, in which case, the sperm will find the egg in the tube and fertilize it but it won't get pushed into the uterus. I had a VERY clear HSG and went on to have two ectopics in a row (I lost a tube as result.). So we moved on to IVF.

It sounds like IVF would be your best bet.

Good luck and !

[ekb88]

Hi John. This journey is filled with challenges - I'm sorry you and your wife are going through it.

I myself was blessed to get pg after 2+ years of trying, and after being told it wasn't very likely. I feel like I learned alot through this. I think a big part of the reason why I was successful was that I kept trying and learning and adding new things to my regimin and finding new doctors if I had to. Even though my bfp was on a "natural" cycle, I think it came about because my body was as prepared as it could have been for it to happen.

I notice you mention your wife has pcos, but is ovulating and doesn't have the typical weight issue. Do you know how the doctor diagnosed it? Does she have other signs, such as the annoying extra hair problem or odd hormone levels?

One thing I found in my journey were studies that showed that women with pcos had lower levels of vitamin D in their system than women in the general population. It's not something any doctor of mine ever looked at or mentioned, but I think it's something your wife should check out. You can supplement up to 2000iu without getting your levels checked (use the d3 form of the vitamin, in softgels to aid absorption), but if you've been through 5 iui's, perhaps you can get your RE to indulge you and test for it.

Many women find acupuncture helpful. I do think it helped me alot. You should find someone who works on fertility. I know it impacted me - it practically eliminated my monthly cramps, which surprised the heck out of me. I definately think it's worth doing.

Another thing to check is her thyroid level. This is another under-diagnosed cause of infertility. Her tsh should be below 2.5, some even say 2.0. This was likely tested in her initial bloodwork. If it wasn't, it should be done. It is helpful to get copies of all her bloodwork and check it yourself. Many labs will report a tsh of up to 5.5 as normal, which it isn't for trying to conceive.

There are some pretty generic supplements you guys might want to try. You can take "Fertilaid for men" to make sure your swimmers have all they need to be the best they can be. There's a version for women as well, but I never took it as I relied on herbs from my acupuncturist (the women's version includes alot of things you'd find in a multi-vitamin - your wife should be taking one of those anyway for her general health).

Sorry you are going through this. Your ages are on your side, so that is a plus. If you want to learn more about the acupuncture stuff, you can get a book by Randine Lewis called "Inconcievable" (it's on Amazon). There's lots of good info there. Best of luck to you!

[Cathi025]

Originally Posted by sykes

Hello,
My wife Kyla and I are trying to understand why we're not able to get pregnant. None of the normal causes of infertility seem to apply in our case.

We started trying for a baby in 2004, at which time I was 29 years old and Kyla 28. A few months later Kyla became pregnant but the first ultrasound showed it to be an ectopic pregnancy. Thankfully no surgery was necessary since it was caught early and methotrexate was used instead. We were advised not to try for a while, so we waited about six months before trying again. The following year Kyla became pregnant but again it was an ectopic. So again we waited a few cycles. Unfortunately since then we have not been able to get pregnant at all.

We consulted an OBGYN doctor who ran some tests. The semen analysis and count were fine. A HSG dye test of the fallopian tubes showed no blockages. And ovulation was fine with both ovaries producing eggs. No PID or Endometriosis. Kyla does have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) but is not obese and there has never been any issues producing eggs.

So we cannot understand why we're unable to get pregnant at all now. In the last couple of years we even tried five cycles of IUI, but the results were negative every time.

We're now seriously considering IVF but before starting this procedure we just want to understand what could be the reasons why we've not been able to get pregnant at all.

Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
John

John, your story sounds a lot like mine. My hubby and I tried for 4 years to get pregnant...two years into trying I was diagnosed with PCOS I am not overweight or have any of the usual symptoms of that condition so I wasnt diagnosed until I was 30. We got pregnant 2 times one resulting in ectopic the other chemical. We did the HSG test to make sure my tubes were not blocked they weren't but still no baby...We skipped over IUI and went straight to IVF...It was a true blessing we got pregnant the 1st try. We did lose our triplets,(But it was not fertility related) we went on to do a frozen embryo transfer and am expecting a girl in December... My advise would be to stop throwing money away on IUI and do IVF....I wish you guys the best of luck..

[HopefulinCO]

I just wanted to say I completely understand your frustration. I know the diagnosis of "unexplained" infertility (which in your situation sounds like what it comes down to if your DWs PCOS truly is not impacting her fertility) sometimes seems like a cop-out. Unfortunately as much as medicine can explain, there are always going to be unknown reasons for not being able to conceive. I agree that you should do as much research as you can so that you can work with your RE to find an answer if possible. Get second and third opinions if needed. I also agree that especially for people with unexplained IF it seems like IVF is a great answer. Sometimes when I got frustrated with the fact that no one could tell me why DH and I couldn't conceive on our own it helped me to focus on the fact that at least there was a treatment to try. Finally, some women in your wife's situation have had luck with taking Metformin, even if they have no overt symptoms of PCOS. I'm sure you can find threads on here addressing that. Keep your chins up and keep supporting one another - it's not an easy journey but it can bring you even closer together. Good luck!

[sykes]

Thank you all for your kind wishes and detailed replies.

We had not considered the possibility of missing or inactive cilia in the fallopian tubes. I'll definitely read into this.

Thyroid levels are fine and so too vitamin D. We've always had a good supply of prenatal vitamins and omega-3 DHA.

Eileen - in answer to your question about pcos, Kyla occasionally had irregular periods and others in her family also have pcos, but we didn't know for sure until her first blood test with our obgyn. The doctor said it wasn't a problem though since she is ovulating.

Its wonderful that IVF has worked for you all and I'm certain that's the path for us too. But I wanted to see if there's anything else we can try beforehand. Clearly IUI will not work for us and we don't plan to try that again. But we are concerned at the thought of having eggs surgically removed from the ovaries, and I know Kyla would want to avoid the daily intramuscular progesterone injections if at all possible.

[mt.herblvr]

Hi John,

Have you ever heard of the PCOS diet?

A big part of the problem with PCOS is the high insulin resistance. Resistance to insulin increases the bodies insulin levels which effects normal ovulation by preventing the body from ovulating or limiting the maturation process of the released egg.

Women who are insulin resistant are also 4-5 times more likely to have a miscarriage. Imbalanced insulin levels due to PCOS make it difficult for the embryo to attach properly to the uterus.

Eating a specific PCOS Fertility Diet is one of the best things you can do to improve your chances of becoming pregnant.

You and your wife can learn more about this way of eating at this link: PCOS Fertility Diet Guide | PCOS Fertility Foods

One great thing about this diet is that even if you are on fertility medications you can still do it! Anyone with PCOS will benefit from changing their diet to a diet specific to PCOS.

I wish you all the best on your journey!

Dalene