Trying to conceive after vaginismus

[Heather34]

Any thoughts on trying to conceive after vaginismus?

[lesoc]

For everyone I would recommend reading “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Fertility-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0060881909/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334268114&sr=8-1 I used the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) for over a year as birth control and it was very informative to know my cycle 110%. I think it would be a helpful and cheap way to pinpoint your ovulation (you don’t even really need the book, just a good thermometer and a free cycle charting site/app–I use femilia.com). I’m only very good at avoiding pregnancy, so that is about the only advice I can give you.

[Sofi]

Hi Heather,

Sorry for your struggles. I had my treatment recently and once my 4 months are up in June, I’ll be trying to conceive as well. I’ve been thinking about this topic and wondering how easy/hard it will be to conceive. It feels like after all the work we’ve done healing ourselves from vaginismus, getting pregnant should be the easy part!

you might want to check out this forum: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ttcwithvag/ . It’s for women with vaginismus who are trying to conceive. Of course since most of the women haven’t had treatment, a lot of the info is on how to get pregnant without intercourse, or how to make intercourse possible, but there is also a lot just about how to increase chances of pregnancy that might helpful.

Here are a few tips that I’ve heard/read. Some of them might be myths, but ya never know!
-After intercourse, try to have an orgasm – the muscle contractions are thought to help move the sperm up faster
-After intercourse, lay in bed with your hips elevated for about 15 minutes- don’t go to the bathroom right after sex in this case
-Try different positions- for example intercourse from behind allows the sperm easier and faster access

Also, at most drug stores they sell an at home male fertility test for about $40. It’s possible that your hubby has a low sperm count and might want to start taking vitamins to improve it. If nothing seems to be working, though, I’d try asking your doctor.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

[Sofi]

Also, I just read that 40-60% of infertility is traced back to the man… check out this article: http://malereproduction.com/male-infertility-2/scsa/

[lesoc]

Just read this today, Heather, thought of you
New face of infertility: Under 35, frustrated http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-04-23/infertility-young-women/54482470/1

[Diana]

Hi Heather, I recently had an OB/GYN appointment. She recommended that we buy the ovulation-predictor kits that you find in the pharmacies and that we have intercourse every other day around ovulation time (5 days before, the day of ovulation and the day after) to increase the changes of getting pregnant. She also recommended the lub ‘pre-seed’ that is fertility friendly. Also, taking a pre-natal multivitamin is considered important. Good luck, I am excited for you!!

[Diana]

Hi Heather. Naturopaths also believe that there are foods that increase the chances of achieving conception. You can google this or even ask for some books at your local bookstore, there is plenty of information out there! Out of the top of my head, I know that blueberries, almonds and spinach are ‘fertility-friendly’ foods. So is, any food containing omega acids on them, such as salmon! Just wanted to share this, as we too, will start trying in 2013! Hugs, Diana.

[arose]

Hi ladies,

I just read today that some lubes can kill sperm (“Semen is neutral to alkaline, so using an acidic lubricant at ovulation may damage sperm motility”), so if you’re having trouble conceiving it may be worth rethinking which lube you use. The Yes Yes lube company produce a fertility friendly lube. You can read more about this at http://www.yesyesyes.org/yesbaby.htm

Arose x

[rachel]

Another point to consider is stress! Those fertility books and timing of graphs makes something that is not supposed to be stressful…very stressful. I know it completely stressed me out to the point I started to have pseudo morning sickness and my body totally played tricks on me every month. I decided after 3-4 months of having no luck that I would lock the books away…relax and just go with having fun trying to conceive every other day. Many women have not be able to get pregnant because of stress…often when they stop trying they conceive. A colleague of mine tried to have a baby for just over 2 years, the day before she was to travel to the fertility clinic she found out she was pregnant! So, dont give up. Do go and get checked out though as I found out that after 11 years of struggling with Vaginismus…my partner has only just found out that he is infertile…no sperm present at all!! Hence the reason I wasn’t getting pregnant! We went for a few tests with the IVF clinic but I just can’t go through being poked…in appointments with doctors and medical procedures. We have started the adoption process now which feels right to us. It’s been a long and painful journey, but hopefully something positive can come out of our pain. Good luck Heather! Go get some wine..have fun booking some romantic hotel breaks and hopefully a little miracle will happen!

[Heather34]

Thank you. I am very, very sorry about the pain that you have gone through and I want you to sincerely know that I’m here for you. I think the adoption process sounds wonderful and I am certain that you will receive very, very positive results.

[sweetiani]

I agree overcoming vaginismus was the difficult part! I had lots of luck with getting pregnant and just gave birth to a baby boy 2 weeks ago! We pretty much got pregnant the first two months we tried. We got the Clearblue fertility monitor from Costco that predicts ovulation and I drank lots of raspberry leaf tea to be more fertile. After ejaculation, I tried to have an orgasm immediately which helps the sperm move to the egg faster (I used a small bullet vibrator from Amazon on my clitoris to help speed up the process) and kept my legs up against the wall while still laying in bed for 30 minutes afterwards. These were the “tricks” I used and I immediately got pregnant!

Good luck ladies! You can do it!

[Nakitalab]

Heather, like Rachel we found out that my husband had extremely low sperm count and virtually no mobility. This happened over 17 years ago and we were also struggling with my Vaginismus. Because a woman’s testing was so intrusive we decided to have him get tested first, which took some major convincing. It is so much easier for the husband to take a fertility test than it is for us. Before that I was taking my temperature every day and marking it on a chart to see when I was fertile. It was so stressful. It was like a job…hurry quick I’m fertile. Plus intercourse was so very very painful I would cry each time and my husband felt awful. Thank goodness for Dr. Pacik’s procedure! And I’m so very thankful that we were able to have two children through adoption. I want you to know that I’m here for you and praying for you. :0)

[GoldDahlia]

Congratulations on the birth of your boy, sweetiani! What a joyous event to celebrate, especially after the struggles of vaginismus!

I would second lesoc’s recommendation of the book ,”Taking Charge of Your Fertility” by Toni Weschler. http://www.tcoyf.com/ I haven’t been trying to conceive, but using what I learned from this book I’ve always known the exact day I ovulate and which surrounding days I am fertile for the past 3 years. It has also been convenient to know the exact day I will get my period in advance 🙂 A great resource for knowing your body better and saves money over buying ovulation predictor kits. The book is easily available at all of my local libraries. For infertility issues I would still consult a physician.