Feisty Fabulous Forty somethings - part 3

[Curlylox]

As you were ladies

Hippy I'll pop over with my duster. FX for viewings, interviews and poo-hardening.

docs gave anti - b's as this is day 5. dry food only. can take imodium if really necessary but feels that the anti b's will have killed the bugs by tomorrow. Thanks to all of you for your advise (except the bloody nurse who just buggered off on a spa break without me!)

hippy good that you got an appointment so soon for ds. So does this mean you'll still do the cinema tomorrow?
lou I hope you and Ant have a very chilled out weekend, you both deserve it.
Not much to report here, other than I have a shed load of ironing to do but going to walk the dog instead . Have got an appointment to see a consultant obstetrician & gynaecologist next Thursday. Oh dh got his result, sperm count low quite surprised to be honest. Does anyone now what is a normal count please?

Curly if I remember right anything upwards of 20 million per ml?

Sorry curly I don't know but I'm sure others will pop on and advise you soon. Try not to worry (easily said).

how did viewing go, hippy?

Good thanks. I said "I'll leave you to it" and me and DS2 hid out in the playhouse in the garden whilst the lady and estate agent looked around the house. Fortunately DS2 didn't need the toilet (the playhouse doesn't run to a loo).

Her partner is the viewing tomorrow at 11am (they couldn't make it together). So we are all gonna have to move to a travel lodge for the night (so that it looks this tidy again in the morning!)

I have booked a day off school for the boys for Monday so that we can view the High School we are interested in. It is gonna be a long day - very early start!! But I will be in my beloved IOW for 1 day

Anyone else wanna work in the Bistro tonight?? I found it way to hard to make all those different choices last week!

You mean you lasted one week as chef Hippy? . I will take the reins again, but choices are still limited - nothing spicy or requiring the preparation of meat or seafood please.
Hippy viewing sounds positive, though nightmare re: keeping the house tidy over night. Sounds like the squits will be over and done with by tomorrow too - phew. It's a shame you can't tempt him into a pull-up
Many congrats Lia! I was thinking it must be any time now after the show you had.
Curly, sorry, pretty clueless about sperm counts; might it be worth starting a thread about?
lou enjoy your spa! I do actually have pair of biscuit-coloured cashmere lounge pant, with matching zip-up hooded cardigan that I bought years ago in the Boden sale (natch ) so will they do? They are a little bobbled and tight of arm, but better than those chavy trackies the others are wearing
My bistro order? Well, tea-vomit has not materialised, so going to push the boat out and have stir-fired tofu in blackbean sauce and boiled rice. NO pudd. Anyone else got an order?

Oh come on you lot, there's a only so long I can keep the kitchen open!

chicken soup - the Jewish kind
apple crumble and cream
thanks diege x

Ooh yes, good choices Jolls. Will prepare and deliver asap.

I'll have one of your yummy roast dinners please diege (lamb i think) - lots of gravy and make sure it's mint jelly not mint sauce please - followed by jam roly-poly and custard. fat? moi? not in a million!

diege i like the sound of your 'tracksuit' - but you do realise she's buggered off without us - don't you?

Did you start a thread about sperm counts curly???

Going to pick DS1 up from his friday night club later and then need to pop to co-op (now where did I put that bullet proof vest???? )

I remember a couple of months ago I was thinking oohh if I got pregnant I'd be 12 weeks by the royal wedding, then I was thinking oohh I'll have an 8 week scan by the royal wedding and now I'm thinking, i could get a BFP for the royal wedding - WTF????

Need some comfort food please, I'll let you choose for me. No haven't started thread about low sperm count, can't bring myself to do it. Am feeling very very deflated, wondering whether to just give up, slighty annoyed as had been asking dh for another baby since early 2008 and he refused, all that time wasted, thinking it's too late.......... ....

Just booked the cinema - anti b's seem to be working - fingers crossed!

Watching Wall Street - I'll have sushi. No Hippy do not tell me I am too late!

Curley sorry you feel so down.

A normal sperm count according to www.babyhopes.com/articles/normal-sperm-count.html

here

Is 20 million per ml. How the heck do they count all the little blighters! Below is some info from this site, I CANNOT state that any of this is true, but it looks good, and I guess if you want to validate any of it you just need to Google around and find other sites saying similar things. What was your hubby?s sperm count?
The site says...
?Normal? sperm count, as defined by the World Health Organization, is characterized by:
? The concentration of spermatozoa should be at least 20 million per ml.
? The total volume of semen should be at least 2ml.
? The total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate should be at least 40 million.
? At least 75 per cent of the spermatozoa should be alive (it is normal for up to 25 per cent to be dead).
? At least 30 per cent of the spermatozoa should be of normal shape and form.
? At least 25 per cent of the spermatozoa should be swimming with rapid forward movement.
? At least 50 per cent of the spermatozoa should be swimming forward, even if only sluggishly.
These numbers amount to averages; Having a sperm count below these numbers does not guarantee that a man will be unable to father a child; likewise, having a sperm count higher than these numbers does not guarantee that a man will be able to father a child.
The site goes on to say ...
?There are several things that may help increase sperm count, including:
? Exercise. Regular exercise will help reduce stress, but be careful. Excessive exercise can cause harm, as can certain exercises that may negatively impact the testicles, such as bicycling.
? Ejaculating less often. The more often a man ejaculates, the less dense the semen will be. Maintain a gap of three days between ejaculations.
? Refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol.
? Massage body with herbal oil, which may improve blood circulation.
? Have sex in the early morning or afternoon. It is believed that sperm levels are often highest in the morning.
? Avoid tight underwear, saunas, and whirlpools, all of which may increase the temperature of the testicles.
? Use natural supplements and vitamins that may assist with sperm count.
? Maintain a high protein, low fat diet, rich in vegetables and whole grains. Avoid bitter and spicy foods.
There are also a variety of vitamin supplements that may assist with low sperm count. They include:
? Vitamin C
? Vitamin E
? Vitamin B12 Selenium
? Zinc Arginine
? Carnitine
There are several dietary measures that a man who has a low sperm count can take to attempt to increase his sperm count, including:
? Eat a diet that includes whole, unprocessed foods. The best foods for health in general, and also for sperm count problems, are whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
? Eliminate alcohol intake. In addition to the general nutritional benefits of avoiding alcohol, avoiding alcohol may also assist with sexual performance issues.
? Identify and avoid food allergies.
? Raw sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds have been shown to help with male fertility. It is recommended that a man with a low sperm count eat 1/4 cup of raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds each day.
? Drink at least 48 ounces of water every day.
? When possible, try to eat organic foods. Some studies suggest a connection between chemical fertilizers and pesticides with both male and female infertility.
As you can see, many of these dietary changes are not only useful in increasing sperm count, many of them just make nutritional sense as well!?
Look here too!

www.babyhopes.com/articles/quick-tips-for-increasing-your-sperm-count.html

here

Totally your call but don?t give up if you are not ready to. You are 41, aren?t you, that is young compared to me!

Hugs

Oh Curley more info ...

www.justmommies.com/getting-pregnant/male-fertility/sperm-411-7-little-known-things-that-can-affect-sperm
http://www.justmommies.com/getting-pregnant/male-fertility/sperm-411-7-little-known-things-that-can-affect-sperm here

Again, it says 'Morning sex = higher sperm count' good news if you are a morning person!

Italian thank you for the hug and your post, although I haven't read it all yet. I wish I was 41 , I'll be 44 next month eek! The thing is with me I've put my life on hold forover a year now because I so want to have a baby........

Curley I totally understand about putting your life on hold. But for now I have not actually put life on hold. I feel quite liberated but it has taken about 5 years to get here and I am now close to the end of it all. I think your mumsnet thing says 41 -
Congrats Lia.
Well Hippy hope DS2s bum stops running long enough for you to catch the ferry to your beloved Isle of Wight.

Trouble is Gum that the word pants means underwear in UK but possibly trousers in Oz, well certainly in USA. So not sure but got images of hippy in pants!

Tina sorry about the house evaluation. Can I ask why you are moving/where you are moving, I mean generally, not street name and number!

Brinjal I think you are bringing out the flash in us, we never used the helicopter before and no one mentioned a spa!

Diege hugs to you, and your little one.

Jolls how you doing?

Muchlove are you still there?

Panshe thinking of you.

HUGS to all, lol, Mitzimaybe, shandy, minmooch, Tank, Beattie and lovely Lou*.

Congratualtions Lia! I hope you'll tell us what you named baby Lia, but I do understand if you don't want to. I hope the birth went well, and would love to hear about it.

Oh dear, Italian, I actually did mean trousers! Over hear we call "pants" "undies" or "underwear", "knickers" for girls and "jocks" (short for "Jockettes") for men.

Curley, I used to know a lot about sperm counts because my DH had a vasectomy reversal. As I remember it, it's not the total count that matters, it is the percentage motile, as compared to the total amount per ml, I think. I will see if I can find the equation that is used. Do you feel you can tell us the details?

I know it is no comfort to hear this right now, but I do know of several ladies on another site (vas reversal support group) whose DH's had counts and they miraculously fell pregnant. I think the count can really vary day to day and can depend on many factors. The count is often better in the morning, and having a strong coffee or energy drink can boost motility. And there are many things that can be done to improve quality and quantity.

I understand what you mean about putting your life on hold.I think we all feel that too, if not now, at some point in our ttc journey.

Try this link: vrsupportgroup.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=discusssemenanalysis&action=display&thread=215
At the bottom of this explanation is the equation.

Also, this one about supplements to take:
vrsupportgroup.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=discusssemenanalysis&action=display&thread=289

Hope this helps.

How did it go at the IOW Hippy?

Curly, that should say "whose DH's had zero counts".

I wish there was an editing function on mumsnet!

gum you can preview your message and edit it that way before actually posting. I always do that - that's why thoerew arre npo8 mistakes in my poststs -

curly so sorry, I didn't see your post when i posted about my sons bum. I was NOT ignoring you and was mortified to read that you were all down and I came on and said nothing - sorry, honey. I know what you mean about time passing. We first talked about another baby when I was 42 nearly 43 and I said, yes we might have time! Now I'm bloody 44 and a half! I know we get mad at these men but this isn't actually his fault, (but it may be his fault that you had to wait so long to get to this point). italian seems to have given you a lot of reading material, along with gum and I hope they've been of some help. Thinking of you. Next time I appear to ignore you, please give me a slap!

Dear all, yes i am extremely cosmapolitan and I KNEW that gum meant trousers. I DID NOT plan to go to the spa in just my holey knickers!!!!

I know this week-end will be tough on tank and lou. Thinking of you both and hoping that next mothers day will be so much better for you both.

Love to all the mummys and would-be mummys. XXX

Hello . Hope you all enjoyed your bistro orders. Curly I took the liberty of making some chicken pie with mashed pots and lots of butter, lots of gravey, and apple pie and custard for you x
Hippy no way am I cooking lamb . YOu had chicken instead, hope it was ok. More importantly, how is The Bottom today??? Are things holding?
Thinking of you Tank and Lou xxx
Had a letter for my 12 weeks dating scan through this morning. I'm presuming they must have generated it via the epu as I've not contacted mw yet. Have 10 wk scan to get through first, so they must have faith! Have been umming and ahhing about a nuchal scan, and have decided not to book one. For me personally I'm pretty sure we wouldn't terminate for ds, so (in my mind) better not to open the pandora's box of screening tests. I understand that everyone has diferent ideas on this though (indeed, have had nuchals, triple tests, amnios myself in past).
Hope everyone is ok. Beautiful day here; ds has taken all 4 out on the bike/trailer/tag-along/their bikes to see his friends so (contrary to the plans I had) I am sitting here in my PJs still trying to muster up the effort to turn the emersion on for a bath .

That sounds yummy, thank you diege, hope you don't mind but think I'll add some grated mature cheese to the mash potatoes. Hippy you're forgiven, not in your nature to ignore anybody I don't think. Italian and hopefulgum thank you for your posts, quite informative. I don't know the full details of dh sperm analysis as Dr called him whilst at work so either Dr did say and he can't remember or she didn't mention it. So will get Dh to telephone Dr to get full results, however we are seeing consultant on Thursday so he may have the details? Remind me gum what we should specifically be asking please? Can't seem to shake off feeling down but will just take one day at a time. Apologies for self indulgent post. Hope you are all having a lovely weekend. Oops nearly forgot again.......CONGRATULATIONS Lia, we're eagerly waiting to hear from you when you have time of course

Curly, ask the consultant what the "Total motile sperm" is. It's the motile (moving) ones that matter. You could have a count of 300million but it would do you no good if there was zero motility. And depending on the answer, then you need to know what can be done about a low count or low motility. I know in the U.S there are different therapies, including clomid for men ( I'm not sure how it works, but I've heard of it being prescribed).

Deige, good to hear you have scans planned. Actually, I feel the same way as you do about the nuchal scan. I had decided that if I got pregnant again, I would do the 20 week anomaly scan but would skip the nuchal and the blood tests.It caused so much worry for me last time, I wouldn't want to go through that again.

But it is looking like I won't need to worry about any of it. I know I have said this before, and almost didn't want to say anything again, but this time I'm pretty sure my ttc days are over. I didn't sleep much last night. DH and I had that talk again, and he said he's 100% sure he doesn't want a baby. So, I just can't knowingly continue to ttc.

Right now I don't feel like I could even have sex with him, but I guess I'll stop feeling so devastated with time, and will have to get over it if our marriage is going to make it, and I don't want to leave him, it's not like that, it's just that sex is all tied up with conception and at the moment I feel too emotional.

Ugh! That sounds so convoluted.Sorry. A bit sleep deprived, emotional and lost.
I will be alright and will have to focus on something else. Just would have liked to end my fertile years with a bouncing bundle of joy rather than a hole in my heart. But I've five wonderful children to be grateful for and will continue to enjoy them.

Hippy, how did IOW go? It must feel really exciting to be starting a new life there.

It's a beautiful day here too, Deige. The beach will probably be nice, might have to take a very long walk there today.