The Elderberry Pavlovas who occasionally sausage wang – a fabulous thread for 30+ ladies TTC #1 (Thread 8)

Hmm interesting merkin, thanks. Wonder what can be done about that then. Ill ask at the next appointment.

Stupid womb!

Oh and Yonis part 2

puppy there's not much research but this suggests so... www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/14664409/

puppy I am speculating but can a short cycle with a normal LP not give the opposite problem where the lining of your womb does not have enough time to build up post AF and pre egg arriving?

cherry just read your diet update. In all honesty I think it's absolutely brilliant that you potentially can do something to help, despite it maybe being tough/pain in the arse, its great to get some control back. The only think I'm surprised about is the go back in 3 months, my understand was that diet changes (including stopping alcohol) took at least 3 months to have any affect on your hormones. However I am basing that on Dr Google so on reflection I will shut up!!

Put your head upright, quick!

If I tilt my head to one side, I think I can feel my brain leaking out of my ear...

To clarify, when I say 'barely there' I mean they were barely in normal range. My last progesterone reading was 29.6 and the reference range was >30. Doctor seemed to think rounding up was OK . (I would say you've set it at 29.5, but what do I know...)

That was the noise of my brain exploding.

Who am I kidding. It's

Thunder, the FC took a look but wasn't interested as TSH was coming down. (4.6, then 3.9 then 3.6 over the last 6 months) However, to be fair, she listened to my worries about symptoms and she is going to check my prolactin and progesterone. My progesterone levels were barely there last time they were checked and that wasn't on the right day either. If progesterone is low, that could be causing high prolactin, which could be affecting thyroid...apparently!!!

Bodies are confusing!

Hey boodle what happened about your tsh in the end, I forget because I'm an old idiot

Did they say they'd look at it?

I am SO glad I don't live in the city; those 'Baby on Board' badges would really get me down! I sort of understand how they might be useful for the tube. However, giving your seat up for a preggo when you're desperately TTC yourself must be a real kick in the teeth.

*Wimwom" any idea when they plan to bring the TSH reference range down to 3? I've read about this online, but seems like it was suggested 7 or so years ago and it still hasn't changed.

Pip I have no idea about LP. I usually ov on day 10/11. So that would be 14 days ish? Is that as it should be? I have never had a cycle longer than 26 days.
I dont even use ov sticks any more as it was annoying me spending the money each month when it didnt help! We tried dtd for 5 days in a row before and over ov time. Pointless! So now we just dtd eod from day 7-21, less stress.

Just had a load of blood tests done for the fertility app in June so I guess if there is some ov/hormone issue that will pick them up. Fertility doctor was not concerned with 24 days, or even 22 which I sometimes get...

Am cross! Had 2 slices of cheese on toast, chocolate and most of a big bag of crisps along with a massive glass of prosecco to make me feel better!!

and puppy Bloomin AF

Don't beat yourself up Cherry you were just making the most of life and keeping active. It's not your fault. There are plenty of women who have done the same as you and not struggled ttc, it's not strict cause and effect it's plain bad luck 'cos life's not bloody fair. There are plenty of women out there who have completely trashed their bodies with bad diets/alcohol/smoking/drugs/no exercise etc and they've managed to get pg.

However, you might be able to turn your fortunes round with good nutrition so the best of luck with it. I am having fish and cous cous for dinner tonight (when DP stops grumping at the computer and starts cooking) so hooray for protein!!

Blimey Cherry this seems like a lot of work.
It makes you wonder how some people who seem to survive on Redbull and chips manage to get knocked up so easily.
Was this an NHS nutritionalist or did you go of your own volition?

Sorry to hear she is on her way Puppy 24 days is short, do you have a good length LP?

Fingers crossed all the hard work will be worth it cherry.

I am crampy this eve which means af is on her way. A day early by the looks of it which is a shame as I thought I had settled at 24 days. Also means I am now going to sulk for another month.

Fuuuuuuuuuuucccccccckkkkkkkk. That is all

While we're on the whole diet thing

I was told off for not eating enough protein as it's what hormones are made of, and as priority we have to regulate my sleep as 4hrs aint cutting it for hormone production either or indeed functioning like a rational human being

I have to do a home gut transit test too - with, wait for it, beetroot!!! Nutritionists must have to go there with poo in the same way gynaes reach for dildo cams me thinks! Apparently if stuff goes through you too quick you don't absorb the nutrients, and too slowly it can screw up your hormone balance as they are excreted through your digestion and can be reabsorbed if they're e in their too long.

OK, enough of the digestive chat... promise. Hopping off now to go for a facial, yippee, see what miracles she can work on my aged sleep deprived hag bag skin. :)

DH's first response was 'hmm, so you can't eat bread then... that means 90 days of being able to buy the stuff I like' ie the white stodgy stuff when I make him eat brown or granary!

I think read supportive to a point in this. I guess however it is me and me alone that has trashed my body to the point of exhaustion career ladder climbing like a mentalist, and running all over doing freelance work, trying to renovate a house, keep a horse, keep fit and generally galavant all over the place being on it too much and not resting enough. pales at realisation I is not invincible Is a hard lesson to swallow.

Wow, cherry sounds very positive but bl00dy hard work!! Is it both of you that have to stick to the diet or is DH doing it to be supportive?

If it works Thunder it will be fucking amazing advice and I'm backed so far into a corner by this I'll try anything right now. Pretty much everything in the endocrine system is inter-related so I guess the new regime is to hormone proof everything and all relates to thyroid too.

Also no deodorant with aluminium and no more lip balm with petroleum anything chemical in it.

I have a follow up in 10 days and then another at 6 weeks to tweak supplements, extra foods to add/subtract. Watch this space I guess...

cherry this nutrition advice is fascinating. It's easy to forget how much of an effect our diet can have on our bodies but brilliant that making these pretty drastic changes means you can turn the situation around.

What happens after 90 days? Did she have good advice about general maintenance for good (reproductive) health?

I wonder if there's nutritional advice about thyroid- maybe something to do with kelp?!

Chortling at Peanut's claim to fame and drinking tea-ness on telly.

I'm back from a very interesting consultation with a nutritionist - DH was right to mourn the loss of some our staple foods, bless him - but she offered a small glimmer of hope that my whole mess could be salvageable with some hardcore health food so I'm all in

I didn't think I did too badly in the diet department but turns out lots of things we eat and do are enough to wack out my hormone balance. Chuck in an uber stressful 2012 and apparently we're in the realms of adrenal fatigue, thyroid and blood sugar problems - and obviously ovarian malfunction too.

She said that pre IVF days, all fertility treatment was thyroid centred and it has to be working optimally for conception. Thunder your rant is totally justified I feel, WimWom again there's got to be something in this, damn GP's for their apathy.

Soo, I'm on a 90 day wheat, gluten, caffeine, alcohol, pork, milk, refined sugar free diet. I must drink sage tea, eat 60% green veg, 35% lean protein a day and take linseed.

A lot of what she said sounds painful to implement but perfectly sound in reasoning. Awaiting my detailed plans through savouring the last hot cross bun and then gotta take the plunge I think. I'll let you know how I go...

wim for me it wasn't really reluctance, it was just doing the minimum possible each time and having no joined up thinking whatsoever.

So my tsh was over 7 in Dec. rather than using her brain knowing we're ttc after mmc in Nov and mention it, she just said 'it's looking a bit high so we'll retest in 3 months'. I naively didn't ask for details as I didn't know much about it then.

Feb comes after 3 months wasted angst over ttc and now levels are 15.5 so she starts me on 50mg levothyroxine and tells me to read patient.co.uk and come back in 2 months for a check. Just a standard approach I guess. When I asked her how much the levels had changed she didn't have a clue and had to look them up- so no comparisons going on then.

So I do the reading and find out the risks associated with low thyroid, and that we should be aiming to get down to 2 and that I can be tested every 3-4 weeks so I get back on the blower and talk through it all. Making sure we're all aiming for below the magic 2 as well. And she agrees, saying 'you know more about this than me now'. Wish there could be a bit more joined up thinking.

Rant over.

I feel bad for katniss too. AND she was going to being cupcakes. Yum.

I like the idea of the badges. It means that people can offer a seat without insulting someone.

I feel really bad for Katniss but the reason this thread started was to get away from people complaining about TTCing #5 when some of us haven't even got to number 1.