Fantastic 40+ Thread - Part Eight.

[goldengirl71]

"Come on ovaries! Let's get this party started, yeah?"

Seems like men,as we already knew, have it all. This will be off interest if all of us who have nagged our dps in the interests of trying to conceive. men

I find it hard to believe myself and still reckon cutting out or at least down on fags,booze and other drugs must help.

Did get a lie in after all! Ds only woke at 7.18am new time! Hooray! [hgrin]

Morning! Yes, I also wondered about the effect of pregnancies on egg supply, and also about age of first period. I have heard that the earlier your periods start, the earlier they stop which might therefore mean the later, then the later... I'm sure there are poeople who could disprove either way.

Well despite my cunning plan to get ds2 to wake usual time what with the hr, it has spectatculalry backfired. His meals/naps/final bedtime were all an hr later yesterday, with the planned effect he would wake an hr later (ie. the 'new' 6.30am which is his usual on a good day). But he woke after all efforts an hr earlier than his 'usual' (ie. 5.30; the new 4.30 ) Feeling very tired...
Have small party planned this afternoon for family and will post piccy onto profile later. Amazing the contrast with dc1 who had 'the works' for her first party. Dc5 has had £4.99 spent on him, though has also had 2 nice jumpers from The White Company and 2 Mini Boden outfits...
Good to hear you'll be ttc-ing soon fireflies!! Was it Xmas you said before?
Thermometer arrived yesterday, so starting to get back in the saddle. Still on af but the anticipation is quite exciting! Oh Gum meant to ask, do you stop your vitex after ovulation? Have read different things.

Funny that you should be talking about the onset of menstruation. I was 17 and at college doing my 'A' levels when my periods started. I had undergone rigorous hospital tests the year before as I was being horribly bullied at school because of my lack of tits/height/pubic hair (damn those school showers)/boyfriend. I was prodded and poked by a consultant whilst I lay naked on a bed with my father just beyond the curtain. She was looking for pubic/armpit hair. I was mortified. I was made to shit in cartons for three days running (they had to be stored in a cool, dry place - my shoe cupboard) and then taken to the hospital for testing. They were looking for coeliac disease. I drank more barium meals and swallowed more cameras than I care to remember. All the tests came back negative. I was a 'slow developer'. I remember the consultant asking Dad how old he was when he first shaved (21!) Mum was 15 when she started her periods and so was my sister.

All of this (but most of all the incessant twatting I was getting at school) made me terribly unhappy with my body and its seeming inability to just grow and work properly. What I didn't know about periods and the reproductive cycle wasn't worth knowing but my body just wouldn't do its thing. But, oh! when AF arrived! My body seemed to change overnight. I shot up, grew fabulous breasts, boys were very interested, and I responded...erm...enthusiastically. I finally lost my virginity at 19 and never looked back. I was hugely promiscuous and ending up becoming a stripper in my thirties. Ho-hum.

I often think back to those times though (I hate the word 'scarred'. I much prefer 'suck it up') and there are strange similarities to how I feel now about ttc. Once again I feel as though, until this body starts to work properly, I will remain a woman/child, always on the outside looking in at everyone else who has been there, done that and had the baby. Just as I felt that girls who had started there periods were in some sort of cult, I am more and more seeing motherhood as a 'cult'; one of which I will never be a member.

Ooh! Happy Birthday, Samuel!

My brave and foolish man has gone to run the Preston Guild marathon today. I say 'foolish' because he hasn't done a scintilla of training in the nine weeks since he started his job. He paid for the race yonks ago and yesterday he returned from visiting his son having registered for the race. All I could do was shovel kilos of pasta down his throat all night and lend him my vaseline for his nipples. My work here is done...

"RUN, FORREST DP, RUN!!"

Pink, thanks for that link, interesting. I also suspect diet and lifestyle are irrelevant. Look at malnourished Ethiopian women who have huge families. Look at the working-classes with their diet and lifestyle. Poppin' 'em out! [hwink]

Gum, thanks for the DHEA link. I read it trying to be objective, but it niggles me that the Centre For Human Reproduction, the leader in fertility treatment for women with diminished ovarian reserve, only talk about the success of DHEA when it is used in conjunction with their IVF programme. I'm with 10000fireflies in that I don't trust the ethics of IVF research and 'evidence'. It's all about the money.

10000fireflies, I agree it sucks that the NHS makes money out of infertile women (which is why I found the lionising of the NHS at the Olympic opening ceremony rather nauseating), but they don't make nearly as much as private fertility clinics. My Clomid, and all the wonderful help and understanding I have had thus far - from my GP, to the sonographer and consultant - have been free on the NHS and for that I am very, very grateful.

Hi again! Have posted a picture of ds2 today on top of profile picks. He doesn;t seem to be suffering any ill-effects for his mega-early start
Golden agree too about the ethics of IVF - my sister went through 3 lots of it and, as a midwife, she had lots to say about the ethics/costing of the treatments (she did her Masters on it). I would disagree though about the irrelevance of diet/lifestyle. Certainly, for the average joe I would agree they matter little (apart from smoking which does seem to have a significant effect, esp for men) but for those of us with other issues (eg. age, thyroid problems etc) I think they can at times shift the balance - not cause a conception, but at least create an environment more conducive to successful conception. After my mmc a few years ago I certainly cleaned my act up, esp diet-wise, and while it may have been a coincidence my bp did drop, ditto cholestrol levels, and my cycles regulated. I'm sure that had some effect on my successful conception, though of course I'll never know.
Horrible rainy day today - must go and make some fairy cakes and cheer the troops!

Hey ladies...I'm back. The evil deed is done. OH left alone at Catterick and I blubbed for most of the 3 hour journey home and again when I got in to remove his water glass from by the bed and his clothes from the floor.....why does it feel like he's gone for good when he will be home for a couple of days in three weeks time.
Had the most horrifying of embarrasing moments when his new Platoon Sergeant ( or whatever he was called) asked if I was his Mom or his partner!!!!! Raaa fucking raaa.....feel as low as low can be and need a cuddle.
I thought menopause was linked familialy i.e if your Mom was 50 when she had menopause then you could expect it similarly. My Mom got out of that by having an early hysterectomy at about my age (42) but mu sister at 51 has just about stopped her periods

Hi everyone! I've been lurking, reading your stories and following the thread for a while now. I turned 40 this year and with that came an overwhelming desire to have another baby. My dd is 11 and I haven't wanted a second child in any of the intervening years. So, we started ttc in August...and here I am! I think I have a lot to learn, acronyms notwithstanding! But, for the time being it would be share the journey.

.'..share the journey?'
'Good to share the journey'!

Hey Tiger.....big welcome to you x

Welcome tiger. May your journey to DC #2 be a short one! Acronyms here

Diege - Samuel is supercute. I can't wait to see what baby Fireflies is like in 8 months.

BTW, anyone looking into IVF will find that the NHS is about the same price as private clinics (ARGC excepted), and they may have you haning around longer. I object massively to just how much money even the NHS makes from IVF treatment.

I am clinging on to the fact that I was one of the last in my age group to start my periods and am therefore allowing myself to believe I have better fertility than the average 43 year old. There's nothing like a PMA to get you preggers. [hsmile] Must stock up on OPKs.

Big virtual cuddle for you Calibee. Realise what the Sarge said was a bit [hblush], but is quite funny and I am a bit [henvy] too.

Have a nice cosy Sunday pm all.

Hug very greatfully excepted FF
Agree with you about Sarge's comment...he got a very wide eyed "hey cheeky you're only jealous"...hehe , bet my OH was cringeing. Ah well...I am what I am and I was older than all those in charge today...they need to learn a little respect ? SIR!!!!!
Daughter has just popped out for a KFC for me and DS even came and hugged me when he arrived home from his Dads earlier. I like being spoilt I do.
Ladies please tell me why I have just spent £45 on an AMH home test just to double check my very poor results?? I really shouldnt do too much Googling but have found a few people saying that they got different results from 2 tests. My Dr seemed to think it was an unvariable test.

fireflies Is ARGC more or less expensive than most? I've got an appointment at another clinic booked in (lister, anyone using them?). Unfortunately the clinic seem to assume I want IVF and I'll be bringing dh. They've sent huge forms for us both to fill in before the appointment. I'm not even planning on telling him I'm going! I just want a check-up to see what chances there are of me conceiving naturally, and what I can do to improve things (eg. like take DHEA or clomid). I hadn't really thought of going to GP about it. I can't imagine them doing anything other than tell me that I'm too old and that they've no intention on spending money on any tests for me.

Golden, you're a youngster ! I have been enjoying your frankness. I'd love to share so freely or express myself half as well. Bit scared though

beancounter and triple, your comments are much appreciated here

A home AMH test? that sounds a lot cheaper

From Duofertility remnant
I have finally got round to updating my profile page with a pic.....eeek. Its nice to see a face behind the writing.

Ooh Calibee you are very gorgeous as is your man . Not being stalker-ish (I hope!) but you live very near to where I work (Wrexham) - lovely part of the world (your place, not mine!).
Feeling very sick after gorging on chocolate catapillar cake and my homemade banana and chocolate chip...>>>my face

Aww thankyou diege ....sadly not feeling everso gorgeous this evening. Infact I feel like a proper dried up old hag to put it bluntly. Pj's on, blanket to stop the draughts and only a bony greyhound to cuddle up to lol.
Oh Wrexham...I didnt realise you were so near . I actually passed through this weekend on my way oooop north.

Happy Birthday to samuel - once known as diegebean .

Auntie Flo turned up at my door today - is that odd? you ask. Well it was CD68!!! Think menopause is defo beginning for this old Hippy.

have only read the last few posts but see that diege is TTC - OMG you and your even numbers - you go, bezzie.

Sorry calibee I totally missed the bit where your other half left to do his training. so so sorry you didn't manage a sneaky BFP before he went. keep charting and fingers crossed an egg will co-incide with a lovely welcome home on your break shag soon. Virtual hugs from me. ((())) [hsmile]

Calibee, you sure are a beautiful-looking couple. I've added pics of me, DP and my mother! [hgrin]

Thankyou hippychick the house is a quiet one tonight. My bed will feel huge . He managed a quick call to say he had been allocated a bed in a room next to a guy who has already stunk out the dorm....sniggers. Phone signal was pants however.
I'm enjoying these pics ladies....diege such beautiful babies, and you too of course. And golden not atall what I expected...you look great x

Oh just re-read that.....golden...not that I thought you would look bad, just that I had formed a different "look" for you. Dont ask me to explain.....lol.