Sophie’s TTC journey began in 2017, shortly after she and her husband got married, when they decided it was time they start a family. After two years of trying unsuccessfully, Sophie learned she has PCOS, something she had suspected for some time. To aid in her journey to conceive, Sophie tried several rounds of Clomid. By the time the couple reached their third wedding anniversary, Sophie had become pregnant, but unfortunately miscarried soon after.
Feeling lost and discouraged, Sophie decided to start tracking her ovulation again with OvuSense in January of 2021. She and her husband also tried using ExSeed, an at-home sperm testing device, while using OvuSense. After learning that she was ovulating naturally, that her cycles were back to 28 days, and that her husband's sperm was normal, the couple felt determined that they could conceive.
Just a couple months later, In March of 2021, Sophie and her husband found out they were pregnant. They couldn’t be happier to be preparing to welcome their little miracle to the world in December. Keep reading below to learn more about their journey in Sophie’s words.
Knowledge is Key to TTC
Anyone who has been a member of the ‘trying to conceive’ community for any amount of time knows that it’s a whole new world out there. There are just rafts of products, stories, and opinions, and at a really difficult time in your life, to say this is overwhelming is a huge understatement.
It’s safe to say my google search history whilst trying to conceive was, well, interesting?
How long should I put my legs in the air after sex?
Should I temp in my bum, armpit or mouth?
What am I even looking at with all these temperatures?
How do I thicken my lining?
Should I go gluten and dairy free with PCOS?
How much pomegranate juice should I be drinking?
In my opinion, the key to trying to conceive is knowledge. I recieve DMs daily asking if PCOS means you will struggle to conceive and if irregular periods mean you are not ovulating. Some of these messages come from girls who haven’t even started trying to conceive yet and are already scared it won't happen!
Gaining Insight Through OvuSense and ExSeed
The more you can find out about you and your partner's body the better; knowledge really is power. This is where OvuSense and ExSeed were an integral part of our journey and the reason I would recommend them to anyone on this journey also:
My gynecologist told me at our first appointment that you need only three things to get pregnant naturally: clear fallopian tubes, ovulation, and one healthy sperm. OvuSense and Exseed can help you tick off two of the three. Everyone who DMs me with fertility concerns, I ask the question, “are you ovulating?” You’d be surprised at the amount of people who have no idea!
Sophie & Her Husband’s Journey to Conceive
My husband and I got married in 2017 and quite quickly decided the next step for us was to grow our family. After a year of unsuccessfully trying, we just felt lost. We sought help from our general practitioner, who said we needed to be TTC for two years before we could get any further testing.
Fast forward to just before our second wedding anniversary, we had our first gynecology appointment. This was the day I found out I had PCOS, something I’d suspected for a while but never actually knew. During that appointment, the incredible doctor prescribed us six rounds of Clomid and sent us on our way.
In our first round of Clomid, I ovulated but it resulted in no pregnancy. OK, I thought, this is hopeful. In the second round, I didn’t ovulate. OK, this is confusing. During our third, fourth, and fifth rounds, I ovulated but it again resulted in no pregnancy. Here we are, our third wedding anniversary, time for the sixth and final round of Clomid. I got pregnant. Unfortunately, the pregnancy ended in miscarriage just after six weeks. After mourning the loss of what could have been, we were left feeling like we were back to square one. No more clomid, my BMI too high for National Health Service In Vitro Fertilization, and with PCOS, I was struggling to manage.
A Miracle & A Blessing
By some miracle, in January 2021 I started tracking my ovulation again using OvuSense. This was also the time we were offered an opportunity to test ExSeed, an at-home male fertility sperm test. It was at this point we realised I was ovulating naturally after my miscarriage, my cycles had returned to 28 days, and my husband’s sperm was dancing around as usual. We thought, we could do this!
In March 2021, we found out we were expecting. This was actually a scary time due to my previous miscarriage, but with every week we tick off, we feel one step closer to meeting our little baby. Here I am, sitting in bed grazing on ginger biscuits at 14 weeks pregnant and it's safe to say without OvuSense I wouldn’t have been here.
It’s a scary journey. Every cycle starts off with hope and counting down, then lots of baby dancing and legs in the air, then that two-week wait, the testing, the ‘is that a line?’ days, and the period arriving. The friends making pregnancy announcements and the baby showers you attend feeling empty. I know all those feelings all too well and I never thought I’d be on the other side of this, but I am somehow. For that I will be eternally grateful.