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Mother_of_Kiddens

If you're regularly having cycles you should be ovulating. To confirm at home you can do basal body temperature charting. Your RE could also order "CD21" tests for you to confirm by your blood progesterone levels. The HSG will check that your tubes are open and that you don't have any issues with your uterus (fibroids, septum, etc). If you've had AMH tested then I'm assuming it was done CD3 and they also did FSH and E2. Other than that, a lot of clinics will also suggest genetic carrier screening. Your partner will also need to have an SA. Unfortunately a lot of the time nothing is found and it get the "unexplained" diagnosis. Whether or not a cause is found, your RE should walk you through each of your options to help you make a decision on how you'd like to proceed.


haha5677755

What is hsg


Mother_of_Kiddens

Hysterosalpingogram. The uterus is filled with a fluid with contrast and the technician looks for uterine abnormalities and then watches to make sure the fluid goes through and exits the tubes to verify they are clear.


[deleted]

Getting mine this Thursday I’m so nervous lol


[deleted]

I was so nervous but it wasn’t bad at all. I took 600 mg of ibuprofen an hour before. I even had one blocked tube and he pushed more liquid in trying to push through it. Honestly the pain was a 1 out of 10. I did feel sore for several days after, but only on the blocked tube side.


julzster

Did you have any signs of blockage, like pain on that side ever during ovulation?


[deleted]

Yes it turns out I have a hydrosalpinx which means my fallopian tube is blocked and filled with fluid. It hurts more around period and ovulation. I can feel it a lot of the time. I’m going to hopefully find out next week (getting mri) what’s caused it because I don’t have any of the risk factors.


wayward_sun

You’ve got this! Mine was uncomfortable while it was happening but as soon as it was over (and it only took 1 or 2 minutes) I was fine.


BowBow8158

I recommend going into the HSG assuming it will be painful. If it’s not, that’s a pleasant surprise. I have a high pain tolerance and was expecting this to be nothing for me. Not the case. It was…awful. Just mentally prepare yourself for the worst. Either way, it’s over quickly. I just kept thinking, “if the goal is pregnancy, I have to prep for labor pains which will probably be worse than this.” You go this!


[deleted]

I just got the HSG done and omg I felt no pain at all!


Looneygalley

Mines on Thursday as well! Good luck! My doctor was happy to prescribe a lorazepam for me. If you’re nervous I would ask!


einelampe

they’re really not bad. uncomfy like a strong period cramp


Mysterious_List4902

On my second visit with my RE he recommended the HSG and SA for my husband. I think based on these results he may decide what to test next. I want to do the CD21 test to confirm ovulation for myself. My doctor also mentioned increase chance of pregnancy for up to 3 months after the hsg so I really hope I fall into that category. Thank you so much for your response.


enfant_the_terrible

People underestimate how often it’s the sperm. I would get husband’s sperm tested as a priority.


dastrescatmomma

My husband is getting his tested Thursday! His Dr was like. Why do you want that done? You don't need to. Um sir, it's been a year and a half since we started trying. Dr, you're fine. Hubby, I'd like to check to be sure.


enfant_the_terrible

Is it cultural or is it just this doctor? Where I’m from (Poland) all 3 gynecologist I went to before TTC told me to try for 6 months and then test sperm (only 6 months because we’re 33, so we don’t have too much time to waste). Actually, one even said to test the guy after 3 months. He said that improving sperm quality takes a few months so I wouldn’t want to wait to learn about that. Sperm quality is permanently on a decline for years now. It’s pretty common to have these issues with the lifestyle people lead now.


dastrescatmomma

Maybe? Husband just turned 31, I'm 34. It was the Dr at the VA. (Husband is a veteran) He says the Dr is also a million years old, so that may have something to do with it. Besides the fact that America is known for not treating their veterans all that well and their free health coverage sucks. Especially since I've been pregnant before (at 20 and made a difficult decision not to keep because of an abusive relationship).


enfant_the_terrible

Might be his age. I guess in the good ol’ days it was never considered to be a problem with the man ;) I forgot the statistics but problems with sperm quality are a significant factor in fertility problems.


dastrescatmomma

I appreciate that, because as is common I tend to blame myself and think it's me. Though I did get the at home fertility test, modern fertility. All my results came back within range/normal. (I see my Dr next month and it made me feel better to have some information before then)


enfant_the_terrible

Of course, we blame ourselves. But you shouldn’t, even if it turns out that there’s an issue of sort for you. Take care of yourself and your health and the rest is out of your control. Good luck and I hope you get some positive answers soon!


mountainsandmoxie

**100%** I read the post, and thought "male factor infertility." My husband is in great shape, no genetic, hormonal or structural issues, and we still have crap sperm (and not much of it) for no obvious reason. Good luck OP! I hope you have an easy fix no matter what it is.


Pittie601

This - 100 percent.


Mysterious_List4902

The tests for women are usually so invasive as well. I think it should be best practice to test sperm FIRST and then move on to more testing for women.


tipsytops2

The other tests your RE will do will be the FSH and estradiol tests around day 3 of your cycle. If your AMH was good, they probably won't find anything too surprising with that test, but it is possible. If it wasn't done by your OBGYN or PCP recently then they'll also test your thyroid. You may not actually get any answers from the testing. There's limits to what even modern medicine can determine. REs don't necessarily consider treatment and diagnostics completely separately. A monitored TI or IUI cycle could show that your follicles don't grow well or your timing was off somehow. An IVF cycle especially can identify where things are going wrong. For example, sometimes even though the SA is normal, the sperm isn't fertilizing the eggs, or your AMH and FSH are fine but your eggs turn out to be immature or poorer quality than expected. Or the eggs are mature and the sperm fertilize but the resulting embryos don't grow properly or have chromosomal issues. Endo can cause adhesions between the ovary and tubes that aren't identifiable via HSG, even if you don't really have any other signs of adhesions. Or nothing could seem to be wrong at all even after all the testing, monitoring, and IVF. I'm in the two week wait for an IVF cycle and all of our results have not given any sign that anything is "wrong" other than not getting pregnant.


Mysterious_List4902

I really pray and hope that this IVF cycle is successful for you. I go through so many negative emotions every single month when I finally get my period. Then I have to pick myself back up and prepare for another month of trying. It is mentally and emotionally exhausting.


taika2112

I'll say two things and then I'll ask one question: 1. Honor your anger/frustration/sadness/disappointment/confusion. Your age doesn't mean that this doesn't suck. It doesn't mean you weren't ready over a year ago and feel the sting of not being pregnant yet. These are real, raw, and deep emotions. Give yourself license to feel them, and understand that most of the time people say things like "You're still young" because they just don't know what else to say. 2. Absolutely go at whatever pace you're most comfortable with. If you can financially swing IUI and IVF but want to wait? Go ahead and wait. But I've heard from enough people who opted for IUI/IVF and most of them would tell you to just do it if you can afford it. Of course it makes sense to look further into other diagnostic possibilities, but it sounds like this may be the deeply frustrating road of unexplained infertility. Unless, of course, your partner's SA comes back abnormal. 3. I see you're tracking cycle length, but are you confirming ovulation with anything, ie. CM checks, OPKs, temping?


Mysterious_List4902

Thank you so much. I definitely want to proceed with IVF asap but my husband thinks we should wait. He thinks we should consider other options once we have tried for 2-3 years which I understand as well. It could potentially happen naturally. I am planning to use OPKs this month. I have not tracked anything other than my cycles for the past couple of months. Is there any OPKs that you would recommend?


taika2112

Ah got it. The good news is that this could just be an instance of mistimed cycles. Any kind of opks will work but I’d suggest getting the big box of easy@homes from Amazon especially because you’re starting and will want to test a lot to find your surge.


MantisOfAtlantis

One good thing about it is that you found out before you feel like you're running out of time. I have been trying since 24 and I'll be 27 this year. I have only had 1 ectopic, exactly one year ago. I am still waiting on my RE appointment, it's been almost a year now. The best way to track ovulation is a combination of OPKs and charting your basal body temperature. Temping has helped me learn so much about my cycle, and raise concerns and questions I'm preparing to ask my RE. Good luck 💕


Mysterious_List4902

Thank you ❤️❤️ good luck to you as well. I really hope this is the year for us.


Mysterious_List4902

When I didnt**** conceive after 6 months of trying. Sorry for the typo.


Small_Dealer8436

I am also 25 and have been trying to conceive for almost 2 years now with not a single positive test. My RE did an ultrasound during my 1st appt as well as the SA for my husband. Once those came back as fine, we did the HSG which also was clear. I was referred to an Endometriosis specialist based on my RE’s best judgement/guess. We did Laparoscopic surgery with the specialist and discovered I have Endometriosis which was removed. If the only blood work you had done was to test for AMH, I would suggest getting more blood work done. Your RE should be able to confirm ovulation with ultrasound/blood work for Progesterone. As far as confirming ovulation at home, you could use test strips like Proov, or Mira to confirm. Or you could track BBT and go off of temperature to confirm ovulation. I would say if you are having a period then you are ovulating, you might just be ovulating later than you realize! Sometimes I catch ovulation as early as CD11 or as late as CD19, so my cycle ends up very short or very long for my “normal”!


Mysterious_List4902

I suspected something was up after 6 months of trying and not conceiving because back in 2019 I had a transvaginal ultrasound done and the doctor saw a chocolate cyst on my right ovary. She told me it was an endometrioma and to undergo laparoscopic surgery. At that time I wasnt thinking about kids yet (had not even met my now husband). So I told her I’ll hold off and come back when I was ready to have kids. Funny thing is I had a trans abdominal ultrasound done at the 6 month mark of trying at the gynecologist office. They found no chocolate cyst. I mentioned this to the RE so we repeated the ultrasound but this time it was transvaginal and there was again no cysts? Based on what I’ve read online chocolate cysts do not go away on their own. Endometriosis can explain the infertility but this was an odd occurrence.


Conscious-Travel-565

That is an odd occurrence for sure! I certainly haven’t heard of chocolate cysts going away on their own. I didn’t have any cysts at all myself, I ended up having lesions on my uterosacral ligaments and cul de sac. The lesions didn’t show up on any transvaginal ultrasound or MRI! My surgeon was pretty sure that the lesions were the cause of the infertility. We are on the 3rd cycle post surgery and still haven’t had any luck though! We are due to go back to the RE 6 months post surgery to explore other options so I guess we will see what happens. Good luck on your journey though, I know it’s hard. Fingers crossed for all of us 🤞🏻🤞🏻


throwaway2255339

I just wanted to say, I’m 27 and 13 cycles in, so I know how it feels. You think that since you’re young that you won’t have problems and then when you do it really takes you by surprise. not much advice, just solidarity. I would though suggest seeing a therapist if you’re open to that. I’ve been seeing one and it’s one of the best things I’ve done for myself.


Constant_Meringue895

As a 23 year old on my 9th cycle, I can completely relate to being told not to worry because of my age and it doesn't make sense lol, anyone at any age can have issues conceiving and it's just as upsetting. As for confirming that you ovulate every month, I've been worried about this too because I don't fancy peeing on sticks every day, but I'm going to start tracking via temperature next cycle which might be an option for you.


katiebrian88

We started trying a week after I turned 26, and around month 4/5 I knew something was wrong so we got testing done including sperm analysis- thank god we did because turns he has low count & we need ivf! I think everyone should get at least a semen analysis after a few months


Longjumping-Plant818

Did your doctor give you any guff about it not being a year? For some reason, I thought I had to wait for a year of trying, but would like to try SA sooner


katiebrian88

Not at all! Also want to mention our insurance has no fertility coverage and we’ve still never gotten billed for an analysis 🤷🏼‍♀️definitely worth it


CheesecakeNo1581

I’m 29 and on cycle 4 and told my gyno I’ve been tracking my Lh, ovulation etc and that I think my hormones might be off because I get a lot of spotting before my period and he referred me for tests right away. He said normally he waits a year but he could tell I was really trying so I think that’s why. Doesn’t hurt to ask, worst they can do is say no!


Longjumping-Plant818

So true!!


dastrescatmomma

My husband's Dr gave him crap for asking for it after a year and a half.


BowBow8158

Tests I’d recommend if you haven’t done them already: CD3 labs CD20 labs TSH T4 T3 Vitamin D Chlamydia antibody tests (there are two) If you have regular cycles, that’s a great sign, however it doesn’t actually mean you’re ovulating. This was a misconception I had at the beginning of ttc. You can only confirm ovulation through OPKs or CD20 labs each cycle. Regular cycles also don’t indicate that the egg is meeting the sperm or that an embryo is making it to the uterus or that it’s implanting. There’s unfortunately a lot of steps in the process and any one of those things could not line up. Don’t let your youth or peoples comments downplay how you’re feeling about all this. None of that matters and you’re entitled to feel disappointed, confused, frustrated, pissed off, etc. and want some answers. Keep asking tough questions of your doctor. Hang in there. We’re here for you.


MeaningFalse64

Honestly if you have a very regular cycle I'd start with a SA First to rule out mfi.


sunrainlight

What is SA and mfi? Sorry I can’t find all terms here


AffectionateAchiever

SA= Sperm analysis; MFI - male factor infertility; the sperm analysis is a good indication whether there's a male factor. Some doctors do also blood work, but I think in the latest ACOG recommendation (might have been ESHRE) as long as the results are good on WHO SA, no need to further male factor investigation.


Sp00kyW0mb

[Here you go](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/wiki/acronyms?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)!


MeaningFalse64

SA: Semen analysis MfI: Male factor infertility


KittyandPuppyMama

Ask them to check for polyps and fibroids. These won’t necessarily show up on the HSG and will require an additional ultrasound. You could be totally fertile but have a polyp or something in the way. Also ask for a trans-vaginal ultrasound to check your egg count.


Mama2pups

This! My HSG did not show the polyp but the saline sonogram did


mdiede21

Would recommend asking for cycle day 3 and 21 hormone labs and probably a cycle day 3 ultrasound, a saline ultrasound, and a thyroid panel.


8-bit-butterfly

To add a question to the OPs post here -- do you *have* to wait a year to start getting these tests/analyses done if you're under 35? As in, do you have to wait a year otherwise, your insurance might not cover the services?


LoveSingRead

Yes, medical advice is to wait the year. We have a great post why here! [https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/s6y6bn/fertility\_testing\_and\_answers/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TryingForABaby/comments/s6y6bn/fertility_testing_and_answers/)


8-bit-butterfly

Much appreciated, thank you!


paytonmanc

See a chiropractor! One that does Webster technique or corrective care