Fab Forty-Plus! Where are the BFPs...

[JBrd]

To keep this thread going, proving support to all of those of a 'riper vintage' wishing for a baby...

I have received so much help, advice and support here, so although I technically have graduated, I thought I'd get the next thread going to keep the momentum.

Green - what fabulous news: twins. How exciting, I hope that all continues to go well.

Jass, I am so pleased that things are progressing for you. It certainly brings me hope, when you've had so many early losses, maybe this one is your little miracle!

Thanks for asking after me Diege. I am amazed every morning when I wake up and have another (reasonably) high temperature. However I took a test today and it is very negative (Bah, humbug!). I am now of the opinion that I didn't ovulate until after I got back from my little trip, either on the Sunday or Monday, which makes me 11 or 12 DPO. It is usually 12 DPO when the temp drops off, the boobs stop being tender and I know AF will show her face. So I am probably only 11 dpo and tomorrow I'll lose the tender boobs, metallic taste in my mouth, cravings for carbs and get a low temp. We shall see. Despite those few symptoms (common inthe tww for me) I don't feel pregnant.

Fireflies, how are you?

Hi all, hope you're all ok in the heat (for those of you experiencing it). I like it but dd is very grumpy and not sleeping well at night.
Grinch I'm so sorry to read your news. I hope you are able to rest and take some time for yourself. Thinking of you.
JBrd I'm glad you have some answers even if it's not really a solution. Hope you're getting the support you need and the counselling goes well.
Jass I'm quietly excited for you. Enjoy your daughter's wedding x
Green twins?? So lovely. Everything crossed that all will be well with both babies.
Gum maybe the month you don't feel pregnant will be the month....
No tww for me this month which is actually quite nice. Dh is away so we've only dtd once! We are off to butlins on Monday so I can relax & drink wine & coffee without worrying. Back on it next month & who knows, after a month without thinking about it I might get lucky!
Enjoy the weekend everyone xx

Good morning, everyone!

Grinch - I hope you are holding up. We're here if you need to talk.

Can I ask about vitamins and supplements to improve egg quality?! I am starting to think that I want to try again ... Am I crazy?!
I know that the stats are against me, and I know that I'm potentially heading for a bad outcome again. But if chromosomal abnormalities are the main issue for me, there isn't really anything I can do about that So I need to take the plunge.
So - what can I take to improve egg quality? On my list so far I have DHEA, CoQ10 and Royal Jelly. Anything else? And what can DH take? His chromosomes are important, too...
I'm willing to throw some money at Holland & Barrett, so any wisdom/knowledge/anecdotes you have, please share with me! Goodbye for now, lovely Boden Mac...

Thank you all for your thoughts and good wishes. I have the ERPC on Monday, and will be back again after that. In the meantime I am lurking away and reading everyone's posts .

Good for you JBrd, I don't think you're crazy at all. I don't have any advice about vitamins or anything but I think just go for it! I know it's impossible not to worry but I'm sure it can happen. I've was told at our 12 week scan with dd that she possibly had Edwards syndrome but almost certainly downs. She had neither and is perfectly fine. My next dd was downs but she didn't survive. I guess the odds are against me too but I know there is another baby in my future and I just believe in relaxing and trying not to worry. We know we are strong women and can deal with whatever may happen, no matter how heart breaking it is. I think it will be worth it in the end xx

Jbrd, you are not crazy at all. There's a very good chance that your next pregnancy will be your THB. If if you don't try, you will never know. Take those supplements you mentioned. I think if you aren't taking Vit D, then it is a good idea. Many people are deficient in it, even Australians who have heaps of sun. I had been taking a fish oil supplement that is supposed to be extra good as it is fermented (sounds ghastly but isn't) but it is expensive and I started taking regular fish oil, I've decided to order some more as I believe it is also high in vitamin D and pretty good for the immune system.

If you can be bothered, there's quite a good transcript to read here about nutrition and supplements for conception.

Grinch, I hope all goes well for you on Monday, though I know how sad a time it is for you.

Grizzer, are you going away to butlins for a holiday? Have fun, nice not to have to worry about drinking etc.

Well, it seems I was right about when I ovulated.Tiniest amount of blood this morning, will be full flow tomorrow I expect. I guess we really didn't get enough swi happening in the run up to it, and the one off time we did may have been too late, but that's ok. At least I know now that O might not happen til day 16, which means my cycle may be lengthening (another death nell to fertility I think). Hey ho, not much that I can do about it.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. I am planning to spend some time in my garden today (if the weather holds off, it rained most of yesterday), also have some cooking planned, and the laundry to get through. Happy Days !!

Hey all

Sorry for the radio silence. Thanks for asking after me Gum. DFIL passed away 8 days ago and I haven't felt like posting since then. Apart from the obvious grief there's a whole host of family c**p been thrown up into the mix so it's been quite a trying and tiring time.

Grinch so sorry to hear your sad news. I hope you are doing ok in the circumstances, and that you recover quickly from the ERPC.

Green wow! Twins?? Amazing.

Jbrd you could take Alpha Lipoic Acid too. I've taken most of my supplement info from here: www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=226042.850 Go to the OP for full info. She has good info on what men should take as well.

Gum fermented fish oil??!! !! However, I will look into it and see if I can bear to add it to the list.

I have discovered and tried the revoltingness that is 'Eat Water, Slim Pasta/Noodles/Rice'. Fairly evil stuff, but I had a large bowl full of noodles with a handful of prawns, steamed veggies and sweet chili sauce, and reckon it had probably the same calories as a slice of bread, and disguised like that it was quite paletable. I had better order a good supply as I need to lose a lot of weight.

No 2WW for me, but I'm kind of glad, like some of the others of you not to have the stress for a change.

Off to meet my neice soon so lots to do before we leave. Waves and big hugs to you all. Sorry not to name check you all, though I guess my thorough posts can be a little dreary sometimes though. FF xx

Fireflies, sorry to hear your sad news.

Grinch Hoping it all goes as smoothly as possible for you on Monday and that you can find some peace. It is tough on both body and mind, look after yourself - healing takes time.

fireflies Sorry to hear about your FIL and that there are family issues, too.
I've not heard about that 'Eat Water etc' diet, is that somehting new? Or a specific brand of diet food? Sounds...interesting. Is it bulk food that you then try to spice up?

I had a lovely day today with a group of friends at a picnic - we all met at a parent group 3 years ago, so all have children at the same age. Who all had a great time running around with each other, while we adults chatted away.
But now I'm shattered, and my mood has plummeted. I feel a bit overwhelmed, in the 'what the hell am I doing?!' kind of way. Questioning my decision to ttc again. Because as much as I would like to believe that I have a really good chance of all being well next time, I've been there before, and it wasn't.
And it hit me that there really isn't much I can do to improve my egg quality In my zeal of getting going, I'd overlooked the fact that we are all born with all the eggs that we will ever have in our lifetime. So nothing can be done to change them, what's there is there. And has been for a long time! Which is quite depressing.

DH, on the other hand, will now be put on a low caffeine, low alcohol, more exercise regime, with all the supplements that I had planned to get for myself (well, most of them, anyway)

Thank you Jass and Jbrd for your kind words about DFIL. It is another tough time for us to deal with, but I think we will come out of it as a stronger couple.

Jass how was the wedding? Or did I miss your post on that? I will always regret not going to my Estonian friends wedding in Tallin. Sounded fantastic, and I bet your daughter's was too.

Jbrd the noodles/rice/pasta stuff is a very low calorie food substitute. One portion has about 20 calories. I devised the absolutely 'delicious' recipe for my lunch today all by myself . Yes, it's a bulking fibre which fills you up for minimal calories.

WRT your thoughts on egg quality, have a read of this; natural-fertility-info.com/increase-egg-health . I have scanned it and seems to contradict what you're thinking. I don't know if this is what you want to know, but it does seem that you can affect the quality of eggs to some degree in the 90 days prior to them being released. The 90 day thing ties in with other recommendations that supps need to be taken for about 3 months to be effective for women. One of the Lister specialists recently was quoted as saying that making sure the environment that eggs mature in is key.

I suspect you probably have the strength to cope with whatever life throws at you as you continue TTcing. I think you'll know when the time is right to stop. I learnt a lovely saying from one of our former members. 'If you're not happy, it's not the end of the story'. Or something like that.

Fab afternoon here with DNeice out at botanical gardens, and then back to ours for a Barbie. And DS actually wanted to go to sleep earlier tonight which has given me a bit of a break. Think it's because the weather's cooling off. Will make the most of it and get to bed soon and catch up on some rest and sleep.

Sweet dreams all. FF xx

Fireflies, I am so sorry to hear the news of your DFIL. It is sad that there is family crap to deal with too. It seems common that it surfaces after a loved one has passed.

Thanks for reminding me about the "zero" noodles I still have in the cupboard. I had forgotten all about them. Apart from the smell (fishy) before they are rinsed off, they are quite palatable. However, I have learnt that they can't be reheated in the microwave. I once made a soup and added the noodles, then reheated at work.The noodles had turned into a plastic like,hard substance, which was inedible! Won't do that again.

I used them a bit when I was doing the 5:2. That diet really does work for shifting weight.But like all diets - if you stop, the weight comes back. I keep starting it again, only to fail, I just can't find two days a week when starving works for me

I have been trying to keep up with low carb/moderate protein as is recommended for ttc, and for the most part it is working, I certainly feel less bloated. I decided to make it doable I'll allow one carby day a week (Sunday), so yesterday I made bread, had a couple of gluten free cookies and had mashed potato with dinner. Yum! I enjoyed it, but I have to admit to feeling rather bloated and farty! That may also be related to AF turning up.

So another month begins for me. Not sure how much longer I'll do this, but right now I am happy to see what happens. I still can't seem to remember to take my supplements all the time. But I'll make a bigger effort, and maybe DH's thyroid meds will be working and making his swimmers a bit more Phelps-like.

Jbrd, although we are born with a finite number of eggs, I have read over and over that we can make a difference to their quality through supplements and lifestyle. This may not be true, but I like to think it is.Only you know if you can go through the terrible roller-coaster that is TTC. I know it must be overwhelming, but you can go at your own pace. I hope you'll continue the counselling? It sounds really helpful.

It is Monday here - I need to get motivated to go to work. Yesterday was such a good day: I had a couple of hours of back breaking work in the garden, weeding and tidying, as well as making chicken stock, beef casserole, bread (gluten free and normal) and yoghurt. I also did the weekly menu and shopping whilst sitting in front of the fire (I love online shopping!). So I feel relaxed today.

Love to all xxx ( waving to Calibee, mumalah, irish, mozzamama and others I've not seen for a while)

JBrd, the egg seldom has the makings of the common chromosomal diseases - Down, Edwards, Kleinefeldter, Turner - the syndroms are more related to the egg meeting with sperm and then the first mitotic divisions. Hence, the term "bad egg" is not in this sense exact at all. The possibility of a genetic disorder rises with age, true, but very much depends on how it "activates", which happens about 3 months before it releases. The science does not know why and for which biochemical factors things start to go wrong, but an egg asleep is not likely to have the makings of a common syndrome. These are dupications/ lack of a chromosome or big part of it normally. The type which is already predetermined in egg is a rather random and small deletions of part of individual genes or really small pieces of chromosomes, but none of these deletions or duplications are tested as causes of common syndromes. true, they may kill a fetus, but then the common screening results return a "normal" result.
That is why taking wellman and wellwoman conception or sth similar may help. Also, women who fall pg quite often in later years, are usually those who are less selective to "refuse" a fetus with a prolem. Some endometriums are better at this screening and some are worse. The women who rarely fall pg are "choosy", the instadiffers are not at all picky, they try to grow everything which looks like fertilised egg. i really do not know which category is better, both have their pitfalls. Having a baby is such an impossibilty, if you think about it......:-)

I am now 6w3d and still no spotting or any indications this is not a "real pg", with a fetus and everyhting. Stretching pains, sore boobs constantly. At my daughter's wedding there were loads of bumps and I felt a bit sly for having the same dream as these young beautiful creatures - I am a mother in law, for godsake, so what am I doing trying to walk in their shoes.....
The wedding though was beautiful. Little brothers handed over the rings, the whole event was not in town, but full countryside close to sea, an isolated party place with all the facilties to have a comfortable party for at least 150 people. Perfectly sunny day. A bit hot, but nothing to ruin make-ups and hairstyle or make elderly grannies too exhausted. Very well thought out program, smooth organisation, not too overpowering party manager (these tend to be sometimes too boisterous and propose ridiculous games to amuse the crowd, but this time it was really tastefully managed). The first waltz was one I suggested, very different from what is normally used, but suited this couple perfectly. You can youtube it "Orelipoiss, valss", if anyone is interested:-) All centuries-old traditions were honoured, but food was modern and very good:-)

Hello all....sorry to have been quiet, its been such a busy time. I've not had chance to read up properly but I believe there are some congrats in order....oh and *Green...TWINS?? Wow!!! Fantastic news. Not so good news for some though sadly as is always the case in this group unfortunately :(.
AFM...I have just returned from a lovely 2 week holiday in the Caribbean with DH's family, where I had the most fantastic time and didn't want to come home for sure. Dh left for a 7 month tour of duty in Afghanistan yesterday and I am on the waiting list for IUI. I realise the odds of IUI working are very slight as it obviously doesn't tackle my poor quality eggs but I am of course very greatful for the chance whilst hubby is away. We have made the decision to go down the donor egg route once this tour is over (if IUI is unsuccessful)...I really feel time is on its last few ticks now.

cali Great to hear from you again! Your holiday sounds amazing... Was it the first time that you met your DH's family? Whereabouts in the Caribbean did you go?
Sometimes I miss exciting and exotic holidays...

How long do you think that you'll have to wait for the IUI? Don't rate your chances so low - we can still be hopeful!

jass You're still going strong! Your daughter's wedding sounds lovely, so glad that you could enjoy it.

Thank you all for sharing your wisdom on egg quality and how to improve it! I've read all the links and more, and I feel a lot better now and more optimistic about being able to improve my egg quality - ordered CoQ10, Omega Fish Oil and Royal Jelly today, which will hopefully arrive tomorrow. Not bought any DHEA, as I'm a bit weary about taking hormones without any doctor's input... Mostly due to having had the DVT a few years back, which was most likely caused by the combined pill I had just started taking again.

DH has agreed to cut back on alcohol and caffeine, without me having to work hard to persuade him! Sometimes I don't give him enough credit...
Renewed my FertilityFriend prescription, the BBT thermometer has been brought out again, exercise and weight loss regime are back on track. Not using my CBFM again just yet - I missed the set period, as I'm now on CD8, will start using it again next cycle. If those sticks just weren't so expensive...

My first counselling session is tomorrow - I wonder what it'll be like. Better make sure I have enough tissues with me

Hello everyone!
Grinch so sorry to hear your bad news, hope your ERPC went as well as it could today and that you have plenty of support at this difficult and heart breaking time.
Fireflies sorry for the loss of your FIL too, even when you're "grown up", the loss of a parent is still very hard, hope your DH is ok.
Green how are you doing now? How exciting to see twins on the scan!
*Jass" , everything sounds promising, when are you going to have a scan?
Your daughter's wedding sounds like a wonderful occasion.
JBrd hope your counselling goes well tomorrow, I'm sure it will be emotional but hopefully talking will help. Good luck with stepping back on the ttc rollercoaster! I never found out the cause of any of my losses as I was refused testing on the NHS due to age. I don't know if taking aspirin helped or it was just a coincidence that after four miscarriages I went on to have a normal,healthy pregnancy , but it obviously can happen (even at 45!) , I hope it does for you too x
calibee glad you had a good holiday. I'm sure you'll miss your DH now, it's such a long time to be apart but it's great you can have the IUI, good luck with it all!
Big wave to gum ,"Diege" and any of the original thread members still lurking! x
I'm doing fine, slightly sleep deprived and still a bit overweight but feel so blessed to have little DD3. She's a really happy baby, very smiley and chuckly and doted on by her siblings. I'm the oldest mum at playgroup but it doesn't bother me at all and she doesn't seem to mind !
Sending positive vibes to all those TTC x

*jbrd...yes it was the first time to Grenada. A very eye opening and humbling experience I must say. As part of the commonwealth, I guess I expected a modern, somewhat similar experience to the UK....how wrong I was. It was however a very beautiful country, full of beautiful happy (mostly) people, who appear to live life on a totally different timescale to the UK.
We were told the waiting list for IUI was about 3 to 6 months, this was in June, so hopefully things will be underway sooner rather than later.
Good luck with the session today, let us know how you get on.

*Irish...so happy for you. You are indeed very blessed x

JBrd, really hope the counselling session made you feel better.

Calibee, great to hear you are not giving up at all! Donor egg could be a solution, as the main problem is that your husband has no biological children, so it is more important to get him one than relying on your own genome - I totally understand that.

Irish, good to hear that all the scares came to nothing and you are a happy family!

I took the big step today and booked my scan. for next Monday. Actually, just booked an appointment with my doc, I know She will scan me. Of course before doing so I had to find something in my house to pee on, only to convince myself I stll have hcg in my (very diluted afternoon) pee. Remember - I am a highly educated professional, normally calm and sane, who already 5 days ago got 3+ on CB digi, and I needed to check again today. Fully aware that even if I am incubating an empty egg, it would still give strong positive. But it was still reassuring to see that the stick had almost black test line before the control line appeared. Monday will be a big terrible fall off my cloud nine if there is just a blighted bloody ovum again.

Off to other end of the country tomorrow, am a bit tired of sitting on the beach and decided to go down south to visit some friends and sit on lakeside beaches instead the seaside. No water is no option, i am weak on heat tolearnce even if not pg, and we are having the heatwave from hell. About 1000km south of polar circle only and temperatures stay on the wrong side of 30. With daylight being 17 hours long..... And I still have stretchy feelings, though my breasts are not too sore. Worrying.

jass you are totally right. As much as I would loveour baby to be biologically "ours" if its not possible then donation is a great option. I have heard/read that DNA can actually be passed in some form to the developing fetus from the Pregnant Mum. So pleased to hear your pregnancy appears to be progressing well for now. Fingers crossed for your scan next week

yes, Calibee, it is true that lots of mitochondrial material in a baby would come from carrier, as all the building blocks of the baby's body anyway.

i am rather hopeful about my scan, even if I know i had fluctuating beta levels in week 5 - normally a sign of a mc. But since i feel so fine now and doesnot have even spotting, i cannot feel totally down to earth about this pg....

Evening all

Thanks for kind words Gum and Irish re DFIL. Sadly the funeral is going to be a total ordeal but I can see past it

Thanks for the top tip on not re-heating those noodles, Gum. I will bear that in mind. They’re on special offer at the moment so going to stock up. I can see now how the 5:2 diet could be possible with those. You sound like you have a very disciplined diet. I keep being derailed by one thing or another.

Lots of interesting stuff on here about eggs. What a knowledgeable group we all are! It’s making me feel quite optimistic, though I have slipped a bit on the booze front recently. I guess, based on what jassS says, I have a choosy uterus as I have only been preggers once. Until then I really thought having my own children was never going to happen.

I’d also heard reports of DNA passing from the mother even to a donor egg. I guess it does make sense really and it quite nice to be reiterated.

JassS the wedding sounds great, as does your pregnancy. I hope it keeps going well for you. Have you found a nice cool spot by the lakes?

Calibee v of your holiday. I hope you’re doing ok without DH. Good luck for the IUI!

jbrd go girl!! Nice to hear you sounding so positive. I hope the counselling isn’t too wearing.

Super-strong PMT symptoms here – shopaholicism full-on as is on-line snooping. Such weird symptoms! I probably shouldn’t admit them!! Doesn’t bode well for meeting lots of weirdo family in the next few days as I just won’t have the patience to deal with them. Help! Still, on the other hand, it does at least mean that it is not long before we can DTD again.

Night all. FF x

FF I love your description of PMT symptoms. ....online snooping...hehehe. I seem to get paranoid during the build up. Its a horrible feeling as it feels perfectly reasonable at the time. :)

calibee I can relate. I do too. Feel like the world is out to get me. Makes me tearful too. Hate it. At least I have learnt to avoid conflict and reassess any perceived injustices once af turns up.

I have been home the past couple of days. Dd was vomiting all day yesterday . I went into work today but came home after a bout of diarrhea. Didn't want too many dashes from the classroom so came home. I feel nauseous and tired so I have called in sick tomorrow too. I wish we could all just be well for a few months!

Hello from sunny Butlins!! This is such an exhausting holiday but so perfect for dd. We have been swimming every day & she is loving the fairground & all the character shows. We ventured off site today & collected weird & wonderful stones from the beach, a mini train ride & a pedalo around a lake. Even better is that my mum is taking dd & my brother's 2 dc next week to her house so I have some time to recover!
FF sorry to hear about dfil, I hope the funeral is bearable & dh is ok.
Jass your daughter's wedding sounds beautiful. Has she gone away for a honeymoon? Everything crossed for Monday.
Cali your holiday sounds lovely. Almost as exotic as Butlins.......
Hope you're feeling better Gum. I think we often go down with things after a holiday, we get back in the classroom & the germs hit us!!
Very interesting to read we can help our eggs quality. I've never really considered it before. This week I'm am definitely not helping in any way unless strawberry daiquiris (one of my five a day) count? I will return to a healthier lifestyle next week but I challenge anyone to survive the madness of a butlins holiday without alcohol & a few tubes of Pringles!!
Better go to sleep now, it's fireman Sam on stage first thing in the morning.....

fireflies so sorry to read about your FIL. Hope you and DH are doing ok? Times of high emotion often bring stuff to the surface - hope you manage to get through the next few weeks intact.

calibee glad your holiday was good and you met DH family - how was that? Really hope that IUI works out for you but I wouldn't rule out donor eggs if you need to but I would say that though I did read up on epigenics which was interesting.

grizzer butlins sounds tiring...Fireman Sam, live in person, first thing in the morning - yikes!!

grinch hope you are ok. Thinking of you. It does get better but feels rubbish for a while. Take good care of yourself.

jass hope your are enjoying swapping one beach for another . Excellent news on continued dark lines on the sticks. Glad the wedding went well. As for looking at the younger generation I think look at the jagger's - birth mother and daughter have given birth within 4 weeks of each other - so why not us?? I will keep everything crossed for you and your scan in Monday.

gum hope you feel better soon. You have gad a run of it.

I had my scan today which is 7 weeks. Was feeling ok about it despite having had another bleed last week - this has mainly been because I have been feeling really sick and my boobs are killing me (I can no longer sleep on my front ) and I am tired. The scan revealed one embryo measuring 7wks 2 days with a really strong heart beat the other was hiding behind it and she couldn't get a good look at it but thought she could see a flicker of a heart beat. I will need to be rescanned on the 11th by which time they should be able to see it even if it is lurking behind the other one. Apparently they grow quite fast at this stage.

It is really funny because I was shocked at the twins news but I have managed to get myself attached to the idea in a couple of weeks and I am now really praying they both make it - I certainly feel sick enough for two!

I am relieved though and happy to be scanned again in another week or so - if I had my way I would have a scan a week. My sister in law guessed the minute she saw me last weekend - she said it was female intuition so I am not sure how long we will be able to keep it a secret. Discretion is not one of her strengths

On the subject of improving egg quality. I used to take EPO up to ovulation, DHEA and q10 and a conception vitamin. I don't know if it made any difference or not but I did get pregnant twice in six months (even if I didn't keep them) I guess they were good enough to fertilise if not go all the way. I also put Do on man vitamins and I. Think they made a real difference to the quality of his sperm - which were at the low wend of normal and considerable improved over six months of taking them.

Hi green, it is lovely to hear your news. I am so happy your little twin has a healthy strong heartbeat, and I hope your other LO comes out of hiding for the next scan. Oh my goodness, reading about your scan has just made me feel soooo broody.

I have just spent the last two days telling myself there is no way I should keep ttc, as I haven't been well, and how on earth would I cope if I had a baby in the mix. I do this to myself every time I have a tough day or feel exhausted, or get sick, or one of the kids is sick. It's mad, I know, this ambivalence. However I always come back to the "I really want to do this again" feeling. Of course it is mostly in the lap of the gods at this satge of my life. I keep reading about donor egg ivf and wish that my Dh would feel the same way as I do, but I know, unequivocally, that he wouldn't be the slightest bit interested in doing that. Sigh...in another life perhaps.

In the news lately, there has been an uproar (and rightly so) about an Australian couple abandoning a baby boy they had a surrogate have in Thailand. She had twins, and the little boy has Downs, so the Australian parents left him behind It is such a sad story. I took one look at that gorgeous little boy and thought, I'll take him home. Of course that isn't possible, but I realised how much a I really would like another child. Thankfully, the birth mother loves the little boy and the Australian public have donated $60000 to help with his medical bills. I cannot believe that the couple could just leave him behind.Heartless bastards. It also means the Thai government is cracking down on surrogacy which is pretty heartbreaking for some genuinely lovely parents who still have surrogates in Thailand.

Green, I haven't heard heard about the two Jaggers having babies - which ones? I might have to google that (Thank goodness we have google, 'eh? Otherwise how on earth would my curiousity be sated??)

Jass, I am really, really pleased that your pregnancy is going well. I can't wait til you have the scan. You really are a bit of an inspiration to me. I have always felt that despite our age (I know I am older than you, but you know what I mean), that if we persevere, eventually a good egg will be the one that is fertilised. I think it is true that some women a have very selective uterus' which don't allow the fertilised eggs to implant, and others have less fussy ones, but still the embryo doesn't develop. I remember there was someone else on this thread a few years ago (I've been here for 4 or 5 years) who would get pregnant almost every month, but had miscarriage after miscarriage and she was diagnosed with an "unfussy uterus" or something like that. I can't remember is she went on to have a baby, but I suspect she did.

Jbrd, how did the counselling go? I hope you found it helpful.

Diege, how's life for you?

Fireflies, I hope things aren't too awful for you and DH. I am thinking of you at this tough time.

My FIL is still going, despite being quite frail. The good news is that he got out of hospice, was sent to hospital and is now at home with a nurse visiting daily for 12 weeks, to give the family time to find a nursing home. Which is great. However, MIL seems to be going down the dementia path, she has become very forgetful and is doing weird things (like waking DSIL at 4 am to go to an appointment which wasn't until 11).Anyway, my DH is on the phone daily about all this stuff, as well as having his uncle calling constantly about organising things on the farm, selling things, getting rid of the guns before the police come to check the gun cabinet, etc, etc...Poor thing. Plus his pile of marking is getting higher and higher. He just isn't organised like I am, and is the world's greatest procrastinator. I am hoping that things even out for him soon.But with his elderly parents, I doubt it.... You can see why having a baby wouldn't be on his list of priorities I think we'll just keep it in the "women's business" basket

I am feeling better today. I really only had a mild case of the gastro: DD was much sicker with vomitting, and still had diarreah two days later. I felt better yesterday, though I had a headache and still had a dodgy tummy. I feel ok today, but it is only 8 am, so we shall see.

I plan to take it easy this weekend. Might go see what's ready for picking in the garden. The last couple of days I've eaten nothing but white carbs, so it is back to high protein and low carb. I read on one of the "infertility" threads on mumsnet about the success rates for ivf with a low carb diet (less than 20% carbs), the rates were so much higher than normal. I know that is ivf but it has to do with the quality of the eggs I think. From the thread:
"I read a study that women with previous IVF poor embryo quality were put on a high protein low carb diet for 3 months before repeating IVF. The embryo quality improved, the % of embryos that made it to blast was 50% and the preg rate was 80%"

Well, have a nice weekend everyone. I think I'll boil the kettle and have another