40+ and TTC? Join the club...

[cloudjumper]

To continue the support for everyone 40 and over who is or wants ttc. Lots of hand-holding and understanding, we're all together in the uphill struggle.

Another one here who wipes and looks. 45, two degrees from uni. And my plastic sticks do not even have to smile at me, all they need to do is have that weakish pink line. Blue paper went into toilet today, that one is not capable to show pink, so somewhat less mad here for now. Apart from lookin up hpt srick photos to compare them to mine, well knowing at this stage I can easily compete with many freshly pg women. Sometime end next week when all other women sould have stopped testing I have to do it daily to see whether I will have the famous hcg dip or not....All my mc have also shed at least a drop of blood before 14DPO. I am only 12.....None of my fruitful pregnancies ever did...
Cloud, pls test, with triphasic graph I am now dying to know what is up with you! Pretty please!

reni Overall, my charts can look quite different from month to month. Sometimes I get text-book graphs, with a lovely, clear rise at ov' time and everything as it should be, then in other months they look like the skyline of the Himalayas... But most of the time, they make sense and tell me pretty accurately when I have ovulated, even when the lines are a bit erratic. However, I tend to use OPKs in parallel, just because I'm a bit of a gadget freak...

Well, speaking of which, my temp started to head downwards today, not a lot yet and it's still well over the baseline, but I've had definite spotting today, so I'm convinced that AF is on her way I'm gutted, to say the least. If our marathon shagging didn't do it, then what will?!

AF has well and truly arrived today, together with a sore throat and blocked nose
Feeling very sorry for myself.

cloud It's all annoyingly random. My successful conception happened in a month I'd written off because of only DTD twice at what seemed to be totally the wrong time in the cycle. Go figure. Be nice to yourself especially if you have a cold or bug breaking out.

cloud can I join you on the pitiful bench? I am pretty sure I am ovulating today, but feel horrendous and really puky. I know DH wouldn't come anywhere near me for contagious reasons, even if I could summon the necessary enthusiasm!

Cloud and Diva- tea and duvet on the sofa I'd say.

Hee hee loving the 'wipe & stare' conversation. It's so good to be on a thread where you realise every weird thing you do is actually quite normal!
I felt AF twinges this morning. They've gone now but not due til Thursday so I'm sure she's just getting prepared.
Was thinking I had a metallic taste in mouth too but I dyed my hair this morning so it's probably just that (not that I swallowed any so not sure why that happens but there's probably some science behind it!!)
Going to the Lake District next weekend to stay in a lovely lodge with a hot tub. At least if AF arrives I can look on the bright side & use the hot tub freely. Would happily sacrifice it for a positive pg test though!

Cloud, so sorry...
Grizzer, hope you are still in with the chance!

. The spotting business I hate so much, esp. as I now think that it is NOT normal, it is an indication that the uterus is somehow in trouble with itself....I started to have it after 2nd mc, and every single doc in the world told it is so normal to have a slow AF start. And after last eprc - all the oh so normal spottting suddenly just packed up and left. Normal? I do not think it was!

I don't think it's normal either Jass. I always had it until I started acupuncture & now it seems to have stopped so it obviously shouldn't have been happening.
My cousin has just announced her 3rd pregnancy. Happy face happy face happy face!
Actually I am happy of course, but what has annoyed me is my mum asked me if I'd heard from her. I said no, & she told me she was pg but wanted to tell me herself. There has clearly been a conversation on how to break the news to 'poor grizzer!' (They don't call me that btw!!) humph

Grizzer, I can see how relatives conspiring behind your back can feel bad, but at least they care enough to think how you might feel. Maybe its a good thing a little bit? It might be worse if they flaunted it into your face and suggested you just relax about ttc or some other rubbish innocent instadiffers suggest to other people struggling with ttc?

jasS! BFP!!! Fantastic, v pleased for you tho of course I know it does merely move you to a new worry level. Fx for you :)

Grizzer maybe you'll have news for them of your own soon?

Sorry your af arrived cloud. Was it at the usual time or a bit early?

Am due af next week and have no symptoms of any kind of anything pg or af whatsoever. Which makes me think actually (since this month was such a total write off) that most months body must be making some effort to get pg and it's just not working out for some reason. It's kind've a relief not to be constantly twitching with every cramp and niggle so I tell myself anyway

Cloud - I'm sorry to hear AF turned up - and surprised too, as it seemed like there were good vibes. Are you thinking about scheduling your MRI now? If so, hope you'll get some reassurance that the fibroid is not 'in the way' after all, or at least a positive treatment plan.

Grizzer - I hesitate to say this, but tingly pings in abdomen and AF type cramps before AF would have been due, just remind me of when I was pg with DD .... And if you are pg this month (FX) I'm buying a copy of that 'mummy's pregnant' type book your DD brought home from nursery and gaffer taping it to my stomach!

Can I ask - is anyone taking DHEA? If so, have you noticed any changes to your cycle? I've been taking it since mid Dec (3 x 25 mg/day if I remember, but more often twice a day). AF in Jan was fine. AF just now (I'm on CD3) was 4 days late and lighter than usual - only 3 days, its pretty much stopped already. I've asked Dr Google - of course - and found a few comments about late/light AF, but would be interested to know what anyone else has found?

Its so flipping typical that the first month I can start TTC again, cycle has gone weird! I was usually 26 days like clockwork, had +ve OPK on day 12 or 13 (I tested even in cycles when we weren't trying). Plus I had some miscarriage tests in Oct/Nov, and fertility tests in Dec/Jan (FSH, Oestradiol, Antral Follicle Count, US to measure lining, check ovulation etc) and all these were fine, well some were not great, but at least acceptable - so I'm trying to tell myself it would maybe be a bit bizarre to be suddently hitting the unmentionable 'M' word. Not this month already, surely!

Anyway, we've still decided to give SMEP a go. With all the enthusiasm about temp charting on here, I'm inspired to do that too, if it helps to tell you if you've actually ovulated?

Chewy - I'm taking DHEA, started a few weeks ago. I'm doing 2x 50mg/day, simply because I couldn't find 25mg capsules. I ovulated earlier than expected, but this keeps happening recently, and has done so before o was taking the DHEA. My cycles have changed in the lat few years, in that they have become slightly shorter, af is stronger, but less painful. Ive been blaming the miscarriages for that, rather than age...

Hello ladies.

Please may I join you?

I'm 40, and we're TTC # No 1. Have been trying since Nov 2013 and have been on a self imposed break since Christmas. DP and I are getting married later on this year and hoping that we can celebrate a birth as well as a wedding!

Currently on CD9.

Lying!! CD 11 - dtd planned already for this evening

DP will be delighted at the return of the shagathon.

Hi paper. The shagathon can be exhausting at times.. Good luck and make sure to buy a stretchy wedding dress in case it all works out. Are you doing the whole opk/temping thing or just dtd and see?

Cd12 here, temps still low, cb opk was peak on Friday 7am, Sunday pm the old-school opk stick turned positive . Three methods, three messages, not sure which to go by, maybe I don't ovulate?

Thanks for the welcome. At the moment we're just dtd and have got our fingers crossed. I have OPKs but haven't as yet used them.

GP did the 21 day blood test with me and my results were great so I am ovulating, just not lucky enough to have sperm meet egg as yet.

reni Yeah, that's the downside of tracking your cycles with different methods - very encouraging when they all match up, but confusing as hell when they don't!
I have found my CBFM the least reliable in the past, but only because my temps and the OPKs usually agree! I think in your case, you probably just have to shag through it all and hope for the best... Not very helpful, I know, sorry!

paper Welcome! And good luck with your efforts!

jass How are you doing?

Grizzer and wilting Your not out until AF arrives... Who knows!

I'm feeling a bit calmer now. Hating the fact that I fall into such a hole every time AF arrives... But it always brings up the question of why on earth I am putting myself through this and for how much longer I will be able to face it...
My throat is getting worse and worse now, I'm hoping it won't get too sinister. Losing my voice gradually, and feeling very annoyed about it all. I had to take an enforced break from exercising while DH was away last week, but with a throat like this, the last thing I should do is to go for a run in the cold! Grrr. Hoping it'll go as quickly as it arrived.

Hi Paper.
I'm on cd13. My temp has gone back down again to sort of the mid range of where it was. The higher temps went along with my two days of sore throat, so will attribute them to that.
I don't know. According to how I feel I won't be surprised if I turn out not to ovulate this month.

So I've just done a crazy thing & based on nauseous feeling last night & tonight I peed on an opk. Positive. Decided to waste a pg test. Negative. I assume I'm having an LH surge so AF is imminent. Gutted. Really feel this is my last couple if months of TTC, I'm so tired of the constant obsessing.
Glad you feel a bit better Cloud (in terms of AF showing - not in health terms by the sound of it!)
Welcome Paper
Sorry to be a misery!!
Thanks for positive comments re relatives Jass & Wilting I know they are just being kind. I think it's just embarrassment that they all know we're desperately TTC!!
Don't think DD bringing home the pregnancy book has done the trick Giraffe. This week she brought home 'I've got nits' so hoping that one doesn't come true either!!

God almighty, what do you think arrived today, the blasted AF. 2 days early (was due 11 feb).

Fecks sake .

Sorry about neg, agrizzer, ai have fallen into the positivish opk trap also at least once. I also get s faint line there toeards the end of the cycle!

Wilting, sorry about AF coming early. Might there be a reason? Did you Ov early as well or is it Luteal phase playing tricks?

Cloud and Wilting, AF is just too depressing. I find it easier three days in, feels more like a new beginning.

After the mixed messages from cb opk and old school opk my temps went up for the first time today, by 0.4C. At it like rabbits until AF shows is our chosen ttc method this month.

We could call "At it like rabbits until AF shows" AILRUAFS, to go with all the other acronyms .

Hello everyone.

Sorry to hear about AF cloud and wilting. It's bloody depressing.

Jass, how are things with you?

My AF is due on Wednesday. I hate this last few days leading up to it.
Very tempted to test tomorrow morning with IC.