It’s onto the next chapter in this, much longer than anticipated, story. Four pregnancies in, one living child, two births and two surgeries for silent miscarriages. And potentially the last try. One attempt to chuck everything at this before throwing in the towel. It’s early days in this TTC chapter, but let’s start with the five things I’ve tried to improve my fertility.
Please remember I am in no way a medical professional and everything mentioned in this post are things I’ve discovered online. It’s important you make decisions that suit you, your journey and most importantly- your mental and physical health!
Access NHS Testing
If you follow me on Instagram – and if you don’t, you can here- @Flicks_and_Red_Lips – you’ll know we’ve had a bit of a rough ride with NHS testing. Currently in England you need between 2-3 recurring miscarriages to access testing. At present, my losses aren’t recognised as recurring as the middle loss was a termination for medical reasons You can read more about this here-https://flicksandredlips.com/2024/01/21/i-had-a-tfmr/ . In fact we were told ‘Try again and if you have another loss, we can get testing done then’. Hardly helpful, but on we go!
Thankfully this is where our GP has stepped in. Currently I’m booked in for a wide range of blood tests- from full blood counts, diabetes and thyroid checks plus hormone panels. It’s worth noting that some tests should be performed at various points in your menstrual cycle, please remind your GP of this if it’s not mentioned!
Once we have discussed the results of these bloods, there’s potential for a referral to gynaecology for further investigations. A bridge we’ll cross (and fill you in on!) when it comes to it!
Invest in private testing
An area we’ve only just dipped our toes in- private testing. Expensive, hard to find and in all honestly, quite overwhelming. There’s lots out there. Some are easily accessible home test kits, others involve a trip to London to see a specialist. Some require cutting back financially for a few weeks, others need a good few months to save up for.
Thanks to the latter I’ve opted for a reasonably priced home test to start with, and one that’s not offered on the NHS, even if I was entitled to it.
Vagina Microbiome Testing. Yes, just like our gut, our vagina also needs to have the perfect balance of good and bad bacteria. And sometimes an in balance in this bacteria can lead to a number of things- one being a greater risk of miscarriage and preterm birth.
It’s super easy to test at home and there’s a number of companies who offer it, each using different methods of testing. I’ve booked with Screen Me who use Next Generation Sequencing for a more detailed analysis, which takes 3-6 weeks for results. You can see the range of testing on offer at Screen Me here- https://tshop.screenme.co.uk/microbiome
Five things I’ve tried to improve my fertility- Supplements!
Yes between us there are five supplements we’ve invested in!
I’d already switched to Wild Nutrition Fertility Supplements in January for my preconception vitamins (& their pregnancy supplements for those 12 weeks too) and I’m a big fan. They aren’t the easiest things to take (highly recommend taking them with juice to disguise the aftertaste!!) but they aren’t full of fillers or artificially derived like many others.
Following my Screen Me testing, and prior to receiving my results, I’ve added Optibac Female Probiotics to my pill box. They are packed full of the friendly bacteria our vagina needs, and I’m hopeful it’ll make a difference to whatever my results show!
For my husband we invested in a Zita West package, It took a lot of research to select a range for him, with many MANY sources recommending Proxeed and Impryl. We’ve opted with Zita West for now due to the deals on offer, but may switch as time goes on.
He’s currently trying their Male Fertility pack, consisting of Multi-Vitamins, Omega 3, friendly bacteria’s and Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is important for both of us, and with a lack of vitamin D now being linked to miscarriage it’s more important than ever for us both to take this daily.
Eating a rainbow
Eating a rainbow and aiming for 30 plant types per week. Sounds simple enough but with busy work life, a son who struggles with food & a need for convivence, we hadn’t been achieving this for a long while.
Now? I have a chart attached to the fridge to help me keep track! I never thought it would be possible, but we were hitting those 30 and eating a plate full of rainbows by the end of week two. It’s honestly simpler than you might first think.
A typical day might be-
Breakfast
Homemade pancakes (banana, oats and egg) topped with mixed berries, peanut butter and kefir. Plus a warm cup of herbal caffeine free tea.
Lunch
2 eggs scrambled with avocado and roasted cherry tomato’s on toasted sourdough.
Dinner
Beef chilli (using organic beef when I can!) with lentils, kidney beans, peppers, mushrooms, grated carrot and tomatoes served with a jacket potato and steamed kale.
Snacks
A handful of nuts with some dark chocolate, a green smoothie or cheese oatcakes topped with seeds.
If you’d have told me a year ago that this typical day would please me, I’d never of believed you! But it’s true when they say taste buds change- and I’m enjoying my fruit and veggies more than ever before!!
The Worst Girl Gang Ever Course
There’s A LOT I could say about Bex and Laura’s wonderful community, The Worst Girl Gang Ever. And every single word is a positive.
Their book, podcast, Instagram page and Facebook group have wrapped me in a virtual hug since the moment we lost our son last September.
I first invested in an online course with them when I fell pregnant earlier this year, to meet other mums who were PAL (pregnant after loss) and to help ease my anxieties.
When we miscarried a few weeks later, I delved straight into a TTC (Trying to conceive) group- not because we were, but because I wanted to know all I could before we did.
This course was filled with information on testing, lifestyle changes, nutrition adaptions and general support. The WhatsApp group of other women on the same journey has been invaluable- knowing these warrior women are in my pocket and there to hold me up at a moments notice.
Social media might get a back wrap- but communities like this are worth a weight in gold. Not only helping my emotional mental health but my physical one too.
You can read more about The Worst Girl Gang Ever course here-https://theworstgirlgangever.co.uk/product-category/merch/
Five things i’ve tried to improve my fertility
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the five things I’ve tried to improve my fertility so far! It’s only the start and I know we have many, many hurdles before us. It’s a big world of information out there and some of it is harder to navigate than others.
There’s more things we’re planning on slowly implementing into our lives, so if this post has interested you, please do subscribe for future posts.
If you’re on this journey too, I’m sending you much love and hope. My inbox on Instagram is always open if you fancy a chat in a safe space.
Sian x
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