to ask you to please share your success stories of getting PG post 30-ish?

[MoodyDidIt]

i am 33 and dh and i are ttc

just come on today and i am so sad

we have only been ttc 3 months (i KNOW its no time at all) but with dd it happened so quick. like, days after we decided to ditch the contraception. i was only 28 then though. and i got pg with DS (from prev relationship) when i was 25 by accident very quick too

and to top it off i have read a scaremongering article in the sun newspaper this morning about how womens fertility sharply drops after 32

we were TTC 2 years ago but stopped as it was not a good time financially, now i wish we had carried on trying as now it might be too late

please please share your positive stories :( sorry for being a drama queen. but it actually scares me how much i want dc3

[Carrie37]

Buy the book "Taking charge of your fertility" by Toni Weschler it will tell you how to recognise your body signs and speed up the process of getting pregnant.

[MaisieBean]

I had my first baby 2 months shy of my 34th birthday and my second 6 weeks shy of my 37th birthday. First time round it didn't seem too difficult to conceive but second time took 9 long months (I know that is nothing next to how long some cpuples ttc and I totally understand the desperation that grows each unsuccessful month). I think that on some ways the more you desperately want it, the more anxious and stressed you become which seems to work against you. I know (from bitter experience) that it is easier said than done but if you can relax about it all, it might prove easier. Good luck OP.

[faulkernegger]

DD at 40, DS at 44. Good luck!

[thegreylady]

My dd was 32 and 34 when she had hers. It took about 3 months with no 1 and 4 months with no 2. That's what she told me anyway :-)

[ChairmanWow]

DS at 38. I'm currently 40 and am 37 weeks preg with DD. Both times I got pregnant on the third month of trying. However the first time I came off the pill 6 months before we started ttc as I'd been on it a number of years and I didn't go back on in between pregnancies so please be aware it can take time for your cycle to adjust back to its natural state.

I'd strongly recommend the Sperm Meets Egg Plan. Worked for us. Good luck!

[WillowKnicks]

Had 1st baby at 27, conceived as soon as we started trying.

Had a miscarriage 4 years later & then tried for 4 long years with no luck, was just about to start chlomid when I found out I was pg naturally with twins at aged 36.

I honestly think it was because I stopped stressing over it, as I was about to start the fertility treatment. Just try & relax about it & let nature take it's course...easier said than done, I know.

Good luck!!

[AyeOopMoose]

36 years old, came off the pill, which I'd been on pretty much since 16, in the Nov. Took a month or so for periods to return and pregnant by the February.

Following July DD2 conceived (still BF DD1) and born when I was 37. I was told it often took longer to get pregnant second time round...erm not in my case

I was also considerably overweight & stressed at the time of DD1.

I have a friend in her early 20s who has been TTC for 2+ years with no success.

I guess what I'm saying is there are always exceptions to every standard.

Try not to stress about it.

[maddening]

We fell pg when I was 32 and that ended in a mc (likely to be related to pcos as that gives a 45% chance of mc ) so after thatbat 33 I started using cbfm, getting fit, lots of vitamins and minerals for me and OH and I even had a spreadsheet. I was anything but relaxed about it haha :)

5 mths after my mc I fell pg with a healthy and beautiful boy who is napping next to me now - all snuggled in - he is 2 now.

I wanted to ttc #2 by now but have to get a hernia fixed and want to get my tummy muscles sorted before I go ruining them all over again :) I am 35 now so will be 36 at least when I ttc #2 fxd hey!

[maddening]

Oh and we did the sperm meets egg plan - with the cbfm I guess we covered as many bases as poss.

[MooseBeTimeForCoffee]

I came off the pill in 2009, aged 35. No period for 12 months afterwards, then very irregular.

Discovered I was 17 weeks pregnant shortly after emigrating to Canada. Absolutely no symptoms until my stomach expanded! :)

I'm 39. DS is 14 months.

[PassTheSherry]

Hi OP

We left it incredibly late to ttc - not until I was 38.

We didn't take any special steps - just tried to be healthy, stopped using contraception, didn't even use a fertility chart etc., but just tried to relax about it all, and let things come naturally. At the same time, we were also psyching ourselves up for a life with no kids, possibly.

It took about 10mths to conceive dd1, who is a gorgeous healthy 5yo now. When she turned 1yo we decided to try again - and conceived very first try, that same night! Dd2 was born when I was 41.5.

We did the NT test for down syndrome and both times the risk was 'low' - so didn't bother with amniosentesis. I enjoyed pregnancy but had problems with excema (massive itching) in last trimester. Both were delivered via emergency C-section though - couldn't dilate. Both bf until they were 8mths ish. Both are lovely, happy kids, best thing in mine and DP's life!

[Dogsmom]

I'm expecting my pfb in 10 days (I'll be 38 in April), It did take us 3 years though, the only thing that changed was my weight, I lost almost 4 stone taking me from 'obese' to 'healthy' and was pregnant 3 months later.

[bigbuttons]

I had 6 children when I was between the ages of 30 and 38. I also had 6 miscarriages, so I managed to conceive 12 times. I would fall pg within 1-2 months of trying each time.
Perhaps fertility does drop off BUT it very much depends on the health/genes/ issues of each individual woman and man involved if you ask me.
stop reading articles, it won't help. If you are stressed about it i think it can make it harder.

[Pigsmummy]

Started trying on 36th birthday, got pregnant during my 37th birthday "celebrations" had a great pregnancy and a good (if you can call it that!) 5 hour labour. DD is 4 months.

[Alligatorpie]

Unplanned pg at 34, decided to try for another at age 40, got pg the first month we tried. I know i am very lucky.

[zoobaby]

I'm sitting here reading MN as I nurse my first little boy, now 5 months old. Trust me when I say I'm much closer to the landmark age that comes after 30-ish .

Honestly, Peaceful makes a lot of sense. I'm definitely not of the "oooh let's stop contraception and see how it goes" persuasion. Sounds like a lot of faffing about, potential for disappointment and general cluelessness to me. Plus I don't want to go through a 28-odd days of "I wonder if it worked THIS time". Eurgh! Nothing worse.

DP and I held long discussions about ttc due to both of our ages, fully aware of the fact that it might actually be very difficult. So I decided to find out as much as possible to improve the chances. I ended up buying a book called "Taking charge of your fertility" by Toni Wechler (discovered through MN reviews). This book seriously opened my eyes and answered so many questions that I was too dense to even consider previously.

The book shows you what to look for and how to interpret your cycle to identify your window of opportunity. I followed it to the letter (mapping cervical fluid, charting temperature etc - there is one to photocopy and lots of examples with explanations) and I found it immensely helpful. It's all quite straight forward and makes a great deal of sense once you start to actually look and record things. After about 3 months I thought I had some real understanding of my cycle. The month we decided to go for it, success.

I know this approach is not for everyone, but it really suited me and wasn't onerous at all. I also had a good laugh when DP came home one day to tell me how he'd been advising a male colleague on how to conceive. Haha!

[Pigsmummy]

Just thoughtthat i woukd add that my GP laughed at the idea that I thought that I should have been trying for a year before asking for help from her, she said if aged over 35 and trying for 6 months ask to get checked out sooner. Also if your husband smokes get him to quit, I suspect that was why we got lucky when we did (after 12 months) tmi but my DH produced noticeably more "stuff" after quitting.

[Ricola]

OP, please keep the faith! i had my first child at 41 and my second at 44!! it was a little harder the second time around but with very healthy diet(low carbs plenty of protein and veg) i did it!!! i wish i had my children earlier though as at 45 now and with two rubbish sleepers i feel like i am 145 years! good luck

[BonaDrag]

DD at 32, second cycle. Friends had babies at 33, 38 and 40.

Don't give up hope, it's very early days.

[BumBiscuits]

First time at 32, conceived first try. Second time at 35 it took 8 or 9 months.

[Bue]

I will be using zoobaby's approach too when we start trying next year (I will be 33). I don't see the point of "just seeing how things go" when we can plan and prepare in advance and therefore hopefully start out with a much higher chance of success.

[PessaryPam]

Aged 32. Gave up the pill beginning of December figuring it would take time to clear my system, spent Christmas in the usual haze of partied and alcohol, ditto NY. Actually conceived on Christmas Eve with twins. What a present from Santa that was!

[quesadilla]

I got pg at 38 and a half after 6 weeks of really half-arsedly ttc. Not intending to sound smug: was probably lucky but 33 is nothing and don't believe all the hysteria about this.