is there anyone else trying to conceive later in life, 37

Oof! Zombie thread 🧟‍♀️

38, ttc #1, 7 cycles in and we are starting checks. I actually had fertility mot before we started ttc and it came out ok, but DP now having tests. I don’t know what to think, it seems to be possible but it is very hard month after month to see a BFN. I am taking almost everything possible (not DHEA) but it feels like it is never going to happen.

Well spotted, catacombs!

OP's baby is 13 now hopefully

I had my first one at 37 having tried for 9 months to get him. The second one was one night of carelessness and I was 41 when she was born and I was very lucky to swan through both pregnancies despite being an "older" mum.

Starting trying at 41 and fell pregnant at 41 currently 15 weeks +1 day. 😀

Not trying Abby more, but had my tow when I was 38 and 41. Don't lose heart op.

You can also have cffDNA testing very early on, it is very accurate (not just for downs) but you can (rarely) get false positives so if you get a positive you need an amino to confirm. www.rapid.nhs.uk/guides-to-nipd-nipt/nipt-for-down-syndrome/

I'm 37 and lost my first baby (MMC) 3 months ago now at 17 weeks. I hope to goodness it's not too late. I hate how the media make out like we all deliberately left it this long because we're selfish etc..I just honestly had not met the right man, and did not want to just get pregnant with anyone. I see a child as an extension of love. Now I have met the right man...just HOPE that my first experience wasn't my only hope.

Hi, thanks to you all who replied to my original message, you've given me (a) a great deal of hope regarding risks and (b) some great information.

And added to the other tips from some other messages, I'm going to quite enjoy trying for number 3!

Thanks again.

I got pregnant by accident at 36 (got positive test on 37th birthday); and deliberately, after about six months of 'trying' at 39 (bearing in mind the exhaustion that a small child has on the libido, I wouldn't say trying very hard!). Had dd2 two weeks after my 40th birthday. I think fertility and age is a very individual, personal thing; HTH and good luck.

I think the best advice is masses of sex...

I became pregnant with my DD at age 38 and had her at 39. The conception took 3 months,I didn't use any of the ovulation predictors, but I hear they are fantastic. We were making love a great deal especially mid cycle. I was eating a healthy diet and getting exercise, but I was about 35 pounds overweight at the beginning of the pregnancy. I opted to have the amnio because my blood levels were not where they were supposed to be. I had no fear of infection or complication. I had a wonderful experience with this (the injection is quite a deep one) and I watched the monitor as my baby moved aside as they took the sample. If this is the way that you need to go, try to have the most positive attitude and all will go well for you. Lots of other wonderful advice on this string also. All the best to you.

Agree tables are useful, but hospitals differ quite a bit in how good they are at diff procedures. I think Kings is excellent as they invented the Nuchal fold test.

This might help? Its the most recently published UK data on all the tests and the table in the Exec summary does a comparison of the detection rates and false-positive rates for each: www.ncchta.org/fullmono/mon711.pdf
(If you cant get it just go to the ncchta.org website and search on SURUSS)
The table shows that nuchal has the highest false-positive at a given detection rate for any of the tests.

I think it depends on several things, including how afraid of having a child with Downs you are. If you really, really don't want to have a child with Downs and are very afraid I'd go for the CVS, which has a miscarriage risk but is done very early so any termination will be relatively straightforward. The problem with amnio I think is that it is slightly safer in terms of causing miscarriage but it is done late so any termination would be more tricky and more upsetting, I would have thought. The nuchal fold scan is done at around 11 weeks, and is much more accurate than blood tests, esp if done by an expert. I had it with my first pregnancy aged 37 and the scanner was so confident ds didn't have Downs that she almost begged me not to have an amnio with the risk of m/c that incurred. Ds is very healthy and doesn't have Downs. The Nuchal fold is a good screening tool, accurate, though not as accurate as CVS, and totally non-invasive with no risk of miscarriage. Not all hospitals offer all tests. I was at Kings which IMO is fantastic for testing. At 40 your risk for Downs is higher but at least 99 out of 100 babies don't have it.

Sorry should have said. The nucal fold test is done as part of an ordinary scan - just takes them a couple of minutes to take the measurements. I think it's done fairly early on in the pregnancy - end of first trimester. This might have changed - DD is nearly 18 months now.

I had the nucal fold test (measuring the thickness of the neck) with my DD I was 38. I was at UCH in London. I think this is becoming more common as a test now across the country. I think that combined with a blood test it can give you pretty accurate odds on whether your baby may have Downs - the consultant told me it was allowing them to do fewer amnios which must be a good thing.

I'm a "virgin mumsnet user", this being my first message to you all, so please be gentle with me!

I'm also a "later in life" Mum of 2 who is thinking about trying for another baby. Already have 2 boys - one 5 in Oct and one just turned 3 and I'm 40.5!

Have been talking to midwife about tests for DS but am still confused and concerned. CVS, amnio, blood tests and also test to measure thickness of neck have all been mentioned. Has anyone else had any other than amnio?

I had amnio with first child but refused with 2nd. Thank you.

It took me three years to conceive ds who was finally born when I was 34. Started trying again for no 2 when I was 35 because I thought with my track record it would take ages then got pregnant the first month. It really seems to be a complete lottery (whatever age you are!). I'm so sorry about your previous pregnancy - that must have been very difficult.

I was 38 when I had my son (only one). It took a year, and I conceived after I'd decided it probably wasn't going to happen for me. So I upgraded my career, took out a loan to buy a fancy big car, and BANG.

Interestingly, we had both started taking zinc supplements (just to ward off colds) about a month before I conceived. I later read that a diet rich in zinc helps fertility so perhaps that is what did it (well, sex too i guess), worth a try?

I had my dd when I was almost 36, am now almost 37 and thinking about trying for another. It took us 3 years to conceive dd so am not holding breath!

Very sad about your termination, I hope you get pregnant again soon. Do you have any other children?