Over 40 TTC - lots of baby dust for us...3!

I've read back and caught up. Congrats to all who have BFPs and 🤞 to those still waiting. Extra special congrats to @CritterTamer on your beautiful twins and hello to @Hobbes39 who I've seen on other boards.

My history is this -
I am 40 and 6 months old!
1 DS conceived via IVF in 2013. TTC #2 since August 2016. Have had IVF twice - 1 x embryo transfer in 2016 BFN.
Frozen 1 x embryo transfer in 2017 BFN.
Fresh transfer in 2018 of 3 embryos ended in miscarriage.
Frozen transfer in 2018 of 2 embryos - BFN

Just completed another fresh ivf round in April this year - 6 eggs collected, only 1 blastocyst, PGD tested and not viable for transfer.

We have Male factor - low morphology but count and motility normal.

I really want to continue as I don't feel this is the end for us but am I throwing good money after bad?

I've had 7 embryos transferred since I was 37 and all I have to show for it is a mc and a lot of debt 😢

@Constance1234 Thank you for your kind words! x
I’m freaking out every chance I get. I think that’s normal though.
I’m 5+4 I think. If I can make it to the scan (6+5) I will feel I’ve reached a new level.

@karryk yes, there seem to be a lot of differing medical opinions. I’m following what the fertility clinic (and the British Thyroid association) have said, that your TSH should ideally be under 2.5 when you conceive, and you should increase the dosage of levothyroxine by 25mg per day as soon as you find out you’re pregnant, in order to keep it that low. The clinic wrote to my regular GP asking her to prescribe a dosage to get me under 2.5 and she hasn’t argued! It must be really frustrating to be battling to get the GP on board with this.

@turquoiseturtle ah ok fair enough! Thanks for putting my mind at ease :) Things going ok thanks, just trying not to be too pessimistic each time I get a slight twinge! Good you’ve got an early scanned booked. I have one booked at 7+4 - really hope I make it that far (I’m 5+3 at the moment)! Such a worrying time, I hope that you are coping ok x

@Constance1234 - I just meant that I'm a bit wary of taking drugs or supplements 'off my own bat' without a doctor prescribing them, since I'm already on a prescribed drug that I'm struggling to get to work properly. Haven't heard anything specific about aspirin and levothyroxine, and if your consultant has prescribed both, I'm sure it's fine.

Sorry didn't mean to frighten you!

How are things going with you?

@turquoiseturtle I'm on thyroxine too, but have been advised by my consultant to take baby aspirin - what makes you think it might interfere with the thyroxine? I haven't heard that before and now I am a bit concerned!

Sorry @hmmm123

@turquoiseturtle that's been a battle for me - my old gp and current one will not back down from their view that tsh does not need to be under 2.5. My old gp actually called up a colleague at some fertility hospital (forget which) while I was in the room and put him on speaker to tell me that she was right!

But it's contrary to what I learned at the private clinic I was briefly under for my second (unsuccessful) pregnancy.

Everyone has different opinions which doesn't help at all!

@hmmm123 sorry to hear that!

@Chatbash72 I'm hesitant in case it interferes with the efficacy of my levothyroxine. I'm struggling to keep my TSH low enough, and think thyroid may have contributed to earlier problems.

(I get mixed messages from doctors about this - the GP I saw on Monday 'corrected' me and told me that I didn't need TSH under 2.5, but I know otherwise from the fertility clinic!)

I'm out af has struck ☹️

I think the IVF success rates on here have been quite high, which is why I'm seriously considering it as an option now

@twinkledag - I had IVF last year aged 40 and my beautiful twins are 1 week old today 😊 feel free to message me if you want to.

Atm an odd cycle this month, not huge amounts of ewcm and ov sometime over the weekend, it's normally at the full moon but v achy R ovary.. only managed to dtd on thurs night and sat morning.. so fingers crossed there are some swimmers in the tubes..
welcome @AJy3llow5 and sending lots of love and baby dust to you all and those little beans 💕

Hi everyone

I'm about to read back but wanted to ask if anyone here has had successful IVF aged 40?

@turquoiseturtle do you take baby aspirin ?

@turquoiseturtle good stuff about the scan - fingers and toes crossed for you!

I've had less spotting today so I'm holding off going to the gp for now... I had breathlessness with my dd - less this time around but I do have quite the pounding heart especially at night!

Ha..oh to be 24

@karryk, how are you doing? I would be interested to know about the progesterone cream too. I seem to lose them like clockwork on day 39 of my cycle.

Caved in and went to the GP about the spotting and breathlessness, have been booked for an early scan at 7 weeks. The GP read my age backwards (I assume) and told the EPU that I was 24 - I wish that were so!

Good luck to you all!

Can anyone recommend a progesterone cream at all? I wonder whether it might be worth a bash. I've got some pessaries kicking about from when I tried (and gave up) the 'killer cells' steroid programme but they made me feel sicky and crap...not in a pregnant way either, just felt mentally and physically rubbish.

@littlemimosa.. Thanks for saying that

@mellongoose.. We're resigned to the same now and just need to accept and move on. DS is all the more precious for it and he never expresses any interest in having a sibling. I still can't quite leave the thread tho!

Sorry to those who have AF.

@CritterTamer.. Congratulations! Your twins are adorable. They look a lovely healthy colour! Thanks for posting photos. Fantastic to see them x

@turquoiseturtle the first weeks before you can have a scan are so nerve wracking. I am constantly knicker checking! I'm trying to be relaxed as there is literally nothing anyone can do at this point, but it is very hard! x

Thanks @karryk! I’m having a little brown spotting too. I hope it turns out to be nothing. It’s nerve-wracking, and it all seems quite random as you say! If this doesn’t work out I will be asking the GP for tests. Hope you are doing well

@turquoiseturtle thank you just waiting to see how it pans out... If it goes rubbishly then I might speak to the gp about trying progesterone and aspirin next time...not that it helped me with a previous loss so it all seems a bit random.

Hope you're well xx

@karryk I hope things turn out ok for you

@CritterTamer they are beautiful! Many congratulations!!

Afm I'm starting to get the beginning of spotting again at almost the exact time as the previous loss I'll wait and see what happens over the next few days...

Hope everyone is good xx

I’m in the same position. First time posting here - looking for some support!

Really feel like time is running out 🙁