Join us for a fertility webchat with expert Zita West between 12-1pm TODAY Monday 17 August - as part of Make A Baby Month on Babyexpert.com, in association with Pregnacare.

[Modified by: webeditor on 17 August 2009 10:33:04 ]

hi zita thanks for coming

i was just after a little advice as we have been ttc for 14 months now with no luck yet,i had a little chat with my doctor back in FEB who said she recommended i stop ttc and lose weight,i am over weight by about 3 stone,and that they wouldnt start any tests until we had been ttc for 1 year,so far i havnt been able to lose weight through no fault of my own but we have kept on ttc and i am now on month 3 of the clearblue fertility monitor and know im ovulating.

i have decided that i will seek doctors help if by the new year we havnt got pregnant as i just cant bring myself to go back but might ask my husband to go and get tested before hand,were 26 and 28 and already have a little boy who is 26 months.

i was just wondering if there was anything else apart from the obvious that we could try to help improve our chances of getting pregnant

thanks again Lisa

Hi Zita

I have been trying to concieve for jus over a year...starting charting etc this month..got a positive on OPK on Friday...
I went to the Drs at beginning of July..going for 21day bloods on Friday.

Any tips on getting that BFP???

Thanks xx

[Modified by: ~Cupcake~ on August 17, 2009 11:30 AM]

Hi Zita

I came off the pill a year ago and since then have only had 2 periods, the last one being in December. I have had a scan and blood tests that say I dont have PCOS and had a lap & dye 4 weeks ago which the nurse said seems to look ok apart from a small bit of endo. Do you have any advice and is it normal to go this long without a period when it was a year ago I came off the pill?

Thank you

Hi Zita,
I have been off the pill since January. My cycles have been 39, 31, 37, 37, 31 and 37 days long. I am 30 my husband is 34 and I'd say we are an average couple with regards fitness and diet. We are both taking a vitamin supplement.
We have had a past pregnancy although that was 7 years ago and only atarted trying again in January.I have used opk's and invested in a Clear Blue fertiltiy monitor and both have shown I have ovulated each cycle.

Have you got any tips for us?

Thanks
Rosie

My daughter was born with IVF in 2007. My husband had a pituitary tumour just before she was born and is now infertile. he has been taking drugs to make him fertile for a year, but they have not worked yet, we have been told it could take up to another year for them to work. Having had to have IVF before as we were unable to conceive due to an unidentified problem I worry that we will struggle again even when my husband is fertile. How can we maximise our chances of success. I have irregular periods so do not know when ovulation occurs. I also have been told I have PCOS.

Also if my husbands medication does not work and he remains infertile are there any other options for us?

[Modified by: Jane Shaw on August 17, 2009 11:57 AM]

hi zita.

my hubby has recently been diagnosed with very low iron,we think its been going on since january this year as he has no interest in making love...not great while you are trying for a baby!!
he has been prescribed ferrous fumerate 420mg a day...........he should start to feel better in a few weeks,but will low iron affect his sperm?

thanks veery much.

Clare

Hello everyone. I am delighted to be here on Baby Expert again and I hope to be able to answer some of your questions today. I will try to answer as many of them as I can but may not have time to do all of them. I'm sure you understand. Best wishes to you all, Zita

Hi Zita,

Thanks for giving us this opportunity. I just wondered if you could offer some advice. I'm 30 and hubby is 35 and we've been TTC No 1 for 2 yrs. After 13 months we got a BFP but m/c naturally at 7wks, and after IVF recently, we got a BFP but there was no heartbeat at 7/8 wks and I m/c naturally at 11+1.
All my tests have shown that I ovulate, and an HSG was normal, as was TV USS. My cycles are pretty regular at 26-29 days. Hubby has done several samples which have varied quite dramatically. The week we conceived naturally, his sample was almost incompatible with spontaneous conception, and the IVF one was virtually normal. Nothing in our lifestyles has changed in that time to justify such a difference.
We are both pretty healthy-eat well, exercise, don't smoke and don't drink to excess. I have managed to get an appointment at a recurrent m/c clinic to look into this aspect. Otherwise, we are both at a loss as to where to go now.

Just wondered if you had any advice for us. Many thanks in advance.

JCB

Hi Lisa. There may be other factors that come into play if you have been trying to loose weight and it's not happening for you. It might be worth your GP doing some blood tests to check your Thryroid. It is very difficult when you have a 26 months old I can imagine to find time to exercise and diet and exercise are crucial factors in loosing weight. The fact that you have a child already so young indicates that your husband shouldn't need to be tested too soon. The most important thing is to keep having sex two to three times a week.

Hi Zita,

I'm 23 and my husband is 29, we are both non smokers with healthy BMI's of 23.

I am taking both folic acid and vitamin B complex, last month we started using preseed.

We are 'baby dancing' pretty much solidly for 2 weeks around ovulation.

I came off the Pill after 8 years in April and have since have 3 regular cycles of 30 days, however my last cycle was 37 days. Do you think this is due to my body still getting back to normal or just a blip in the month?

Thanks

Hi Sparkly Flump. It can take many months to get a regular cycle following having been on the pill. It does seem like you are under the care of your doctor who I am sure would do all the necessary tests to check for other causes. Its worth looking at lifestyle factors - being overweight or underweight are the main considerations to think about. You need to keep an eye on this and return to your GP if you periods are not returning.

Hi Clare Hair - with low iron you do feel very tired and I am not surprised that his libido has been effected. As regards to sperm, every man is different and it is hard to know without doing a semen analysis whether it's affected, It may be worth him taking some extra vitamin C as this helps with iron absorption. The most important thng is to keep trying and having regular sex.

Hi Babydancer. It's great that you are doing all the right things to prepare. I would add Omega 3 (DHA) to what you are currently taking as it's good to build up this Essential Fatty Acid into the body prior to getting pregnant. It takes time for your cycle to become regular post-pill but your periods as they are sound fine to me.

Dear Zita,
I am still on the pill (approx 6 or 7 years) but hoping to try to conceive next year. How long do you think one should wait after coming off the pill before TTC and when should we begin to take supplements - I feel silly still being on the pill and staring longingly at the Pregnacare and Wellman!! This might be a silly question but do men have to take folic acid as well?
Thank you.

Hi JCB, I am very sorry to hear your news. However I think it's a good thing that you are going to a Miscarriage Clinic as there may be some extra blood tests that you might need to have done before you embark on IVF again. What is hard when you do miscarry is having the confidence next time you get pregnant, so you will need a lot of support in early pregnancy. Make sure you are taking a good multi-vitamin and mineral and omega 3 as well.

Hi Susiee - you haven't mentioned how old you are but do start trying the minute you come off the pill. Fertility is often better in the initial months after stopping the pill. It won't do you any harm to build up your stores of Folic Acid. This is also good for men and for healthy sperm as well.

thanks zita thats what we have been doing so far so we will just keep carrying on

Thank you very much Zita. I am 31 next month and hubby will be 34 in Oct.
I have been told that it's best for your hormones to have normal cycles before beginning to try?

.

[Modified by: Lottie+Neve on August 17, 2009 04:16 PM]

Hi Zita

I am 30 and my hubby is 32 We have been ttc our first baby for 14 months now. Unfortunately I have miscarried twice is this time one at 13 weeks and another at 7 weeks. I am currently taking a preconception multi vitamin, am a non smoker and drinker, Is there anything you suggest that may help us have a successful pregnancy....many thanks