We might be over 40 but we are young at heart, taking our supplements, shagging on time and waiting for the precious BFP!Over 40's TTC, join us here...

[Gumblossom]

Starting the new thread, Cloudjumper.

Anyone over 40, trying to conceive, whether it is your first or 6th (or more), we're facing the obstacles together.

I've been at it for 6 years now, but there are plenty of good news stories from these threads over the years.

Come and join us with your worries, woes,successes and milestones, we are here to support one another in our quest.

Cloud, so it means the reasons for bleeding are related to the blood thinners and do not affect the pregnancy! So good to hear!

Flotillas, you are of course less likely to have a BO with normal beta rise, but frankly while it is still in hundreds and even low thousands or even normal at 6w, BOs can still happen. Of course not to you, not this time! It is too ealry to know, but fortunately also too early to worry! So far, so good!

Brilliant Cloud! What a relief. It must have been amazing to see .

Welcome Monkey, sorry to hear about your mc. It's such a pain in the ass having to wait for the next cycle but you'll be back on the horse in no time and hopefully will have had a fertility boost.

Hang in there Gum. Enjoy the garden, I hope you get some time to free your mind x

awesome news cloud :)

hope you feel better soon gum, we're all rooting for you

and big ((hugs)) monkey

Cloud, what a fantastic relief. Such good news! I am so pleased for you. I hope this means you can go on holiday and really relax and enjoy yourself.

Thanks, everyone, for being so kind and thoughtful. It did me the world of good to go out into the garden, and the sun. Then I went out for lunch with my sister and just felt more positive. I realised that having an enlarged yolk sac may mean I have a 1 in 3 chance of poor outcome, but those odds are actually better than the odds I thought I had before having the ultrasound, which was 50/50 chance of miscarriage at my age. Now that I have seen a heartbeat, my odds for miscarrying have lessened.

I have decided to organise another scan, but probably not until 9 weeks (by my dates) as that is when I have miscarried before,and it would be good to see what's happening in there at that stage.

Also, an enlarged yolk sac doesn't always mean miscarriage, it may mean chromo issues, but it also may not. It's all very unknown. I also realised that it is my job to love and honour the child I am carrying, not to allow comments made by careless health professionals to have me give up on my child.

Then, driving home yesterday evening a funny thing happened: I had to stop to let a row of ducks cross the road.It is uncanny, as my doctor had said over and over at my first visit, that "all my ducks were in a row" and she had a good feeling about this pregnancy. I wish she wasn't away for 4 weeks, it would be good to talk to her about all this. The fact that,after having an ultrasound report say something very worrying, "associated with poor outcomes", the Dr I talked to and the practice they work for didn't offer me any support whatsoever ("wait and see"), which I think is very poor. I will be having a word to my Dr when I see her next.

I also started feeling quite sick in the evening, which means there must be something going on in there

Grizzer, it sounds like not being too sick is probably a good thing for you? The scan was reassuring wasn't it? Do you have another scan planned?

Welcome Monkey.I am very sorry for your loss. Hope your wait for a BFP is short.

Oh Cloud, that's fab news! I'm very ver pleased for you xxx
Grizzer - it does feel a bit daunting, but will keep going...

I'm so glad you're feeling better Gum, and for good reasons too. A few weeks before your next scan then? I think you've got a great attitude and hopefully when your proper fr returns she will be able to reassure further xxx

Welcome, monkey, you have been though the mill, so sorry about your losses.

Gum, glad to hear you are feeling more upbeat! One day at a time, and planning another scan is a good idea.

After all the anxiety of the last 2 weeks, I feel shattered today. But it's DS's birthday party, so I need to get stuff done. I wish I could stay in my pyjamas all day, sigh.

Just catching up. So glad you had a good scan Cloud, and that you are feeling better Gum.

Cloud, off with the pyjamas and on with the party! And good that you are feeling more optimistic, Gum! We badly need the success stories here, so it is good to hear that things look good and you have every reason to be happy today!

HI ladies. Over on the pregnant after miscarriage thread I am on, there was mention of a study of taking paracetamol in early pregnancy, which sid that prolonged use (7 days in a row) can cause testosterone production problems in baby boys.There's so much to worry about, but it seems that for every study that tells you one thing another will say the opposite. Like taking aspirin while pregnant, or progesterone.

I have certainly had my eyes opened to the fact that studies vary over the last few days.The scientific literature about yolk sac size is all so different. One study says that anything over 5.5mm is consistent with poor outcomes, then I read that 6mm is the threshold, then today, a more recent study said that anything under 7 mm is ok, then again another study says, as long as it is not misshapen, under 8mm is nothing to worry about.

It has me so confused. Then there's all the anecdotal stuff online. Many women have stories of having enlarged yolk sacs, the biggest one 8.1mm, and having perfectly healthy babies. But for every one of those stories, there is a story of someone with an enlarged yolk sack who miscarried.

Ultimately my enlarged yolk sac is my story and it could turn out either way. At least I have a healthy heartbeat, which I consider to be a plus.

For now I have resolved to believe I am pregnant and will try to enjoy it as much as I can without thinking too much about the future.

I had a dream last night that I was at a student's home and she was pregnant and very unhappy about it, I told her "it is the single most wonderful thing you will ever do, there is no joy higher than giving birth to your child". The funny thing is that I was not pregnant in that dream (which now has me worried) and also that when I left,my car had been stolen: is that a metaphor for losing this pregnancy?? Dreams are so weird and just give me questions rather than answers!!

I hope everyone else is doing well.

cloud - when are you going on holiday? I hope DS's birthday went well.

Hellooooooo.......to those who remember me.
It looks like there is good news on this thread..long may it continue.
Especially lovely to see Gum and Cloud are expecting....me 'ol muckers. I know from skimming the past few pages that it been tough but fingers crossed for you both...indeed for all the up-duffed on this thread.

Many commiserations to those for whom things didn't turn out so well. :(

To those who don't remember me, I used to post fairly regularly on here.
Sadly over time the ttc effort took its toll and I dropped off the radar. We continued to ttc for some time using IUI but to no avail. Eventually we bit the bullet and decided "it's now or never" and in April we had two embryos transferred using egg donation and I am happy to say that I am 9 weeks pregnant with twins.

Its been a very long 9 weeks I have to say. The progesterone caused me to spot (still does) and my symptoms have a mind of their own. I had really sore breasts until about 6 weeks, and then they just disappeared. This to me meant impending doom, but a scan at the EPU revealed two lovely heartbeats. I had a further reassurance scan last week where I had convinced myself that one or both beans would have disappeared.....but no, both still growing well (although measuring differently...one 2 days behind and the other 4 days ahead) and heartbeat reassuringly fluttering away.

Egg Donation has answered my prayers. I know its not for everybody, but now they are "on board" they feel every inch mine xxx

jass You'll be pleased to hear that I did make it to the party and even managed to make the birthday cake (this year's theme was 'Minion') I collapsed on the sofa afterwards, but at least I managed to get through it all. DS had a whale of a time, we had a very happy and tired little boy last night who wanted to play with all his presents at the same time

gum If I were you, I'd stop googling for yolk sac sizes... I really don't think that there is any scientific consensus behind this, it sounds very random. You are not doing yourself any favours if you keep fretting. Right now, there is nothing you can do, so better to focus on the things that you do know.

As for paracetamol - it is safe in pregnancy. But, like with any other pain medication, if you are in that much pain that you have to take it longer than 3, let alone 7 days, you would (hopefully) not do that without supervision/guidance from your doctor anyway! So I don't understand the scaremongering on the other thread, it's all taken out of context. Everyone knows that Paracetamol is by no means a 'safe' drug, it can cause horrific liver damage, but it's the dose that is important, and for how long you take it.
In our day and age, where we are so flooded with information, it is easy to get panicked - sometimes, the internet is more of a curse than a blessing.

I am 10 weeks today - feels surreal. Waiting for my 12-week scan appointment now. Sod's luck has it that we will be on holiday just as I turn 12 weeks! So unless they manage to squeeze me in before we leave on the 13th (when I'll be 11+3/11+4, just within the window), they'll have to scan me when I get back, at 14 weeks - pushing it to get the nuchal and blood tests done... Bit worried about that - that's when it all started to go wrong last time. If they scan me before, I'll be on tenterhooks during my holiday, waiting for that call to let me know the Down's risk. If they do it afterwards, it might be too late. Of course, there is still the Harmony test, but that is really expensive.

cali Oh my word, that is just amazing! I am so happy to hear from you again, and even happier that it is such great news! Congratulations! I have often thought about you and wondered how you are getting on. That is wonderful news

Great to hear your news about the scan Cloud! If your holiday is going to interfere with scan dates could you book an extra private one either before or just after you get back depending on when your "official" one is, just for reassurance? Harmony is expensive, but could be worth it for peace of mind?
cali what fantastic news,I have wondered how you were doing,it's nice to hear from you again (not sure if I'd namechanged when you were last on the thread, I was irish). Twins!! That's absolutely brilliant, your DH must be thrilled. Never mind if it was donor eggs, they are most definitely yours!
Hang on in there Gum and enjoy your pregnancy!

Hello everyone, I'm new to this board. I'm turning 42 in July and trying for baby with partner, though I might be pregnant as missed a period which is unusual for me I am regular. I did a Clearblue this morning it said 'Not Pregnant, really disappointed. Could it be wrong? I tried for a baby 15 may and now it's 1st June, my last day of last period was 4 May so have completely missed one. Also my partner was previously tested when he failed to conceive in a past r'ship and it said he had low motility sperm. I'm really wanting to be pregnant confused

Cloud, good to hear you are happy and looking forward to thr next scan - I would have two, to be honest, before I go and then afterwards, plus Harmony anyway! I think harmony can already be done in week 11, so maybe get it done and have results already when you are back?

Gum, stupid dreams are just part of an early pregnancy. Nothing more. Keep your calm!

Calibee, so great news! Especially in your situation where your DH had no kids of his own. I would not have hesitated one second if I had the donor egg option under these circumstances. Wonderful!

Fairygreenwitch, how long is your cycle? You said you had one at fourth of May, which would put you now on cycle day 28, so you have not missed anything yet? Why do you say you have completely missed one? Did you mean you were Trying once in the middle of cycle without doing ovulation tests/temping, this 15th? Or it was the ov day according to the ov tests? If that was the case, you might be too early to get a positive digital test, they are not so sensitive. Try with a FRER or sth similarly good.

How amazing Calibee. Congratulations. It's such a lovely feeling when you see your babies heartbeat.
Have you booked another scan Gum? I'm having one on the 11th when I'll be 8+9. I've got midwife appt tomorrow but I assume that's because I'm 'high risk' with dvt & mc history.
Glad ds had a lovely birthday Cloud & you managed to stay awake!
It's dh who is coming home from work & going for a lie down in our house! Grrrrr
Hello Fairy. I agree it doesn't sound like you've missed AF. Hope she stays away for you though.

Hi ladies I posted on your previous thread at the start of the year. Started TTC at the end of last year, got a BFP in Jan but it turned into a chemical a week later. Have been TTC still but my teenager has been seriously ill so haven't posted for months.

I just wanted to say - huge congrats to all those now expecting - wonderful news for you all as I know that several of you have been on this journey for some time. Thank you for generously sharing your stories and knowledge. Now that my DD is on the mend I'm going to get myself some more supplements and try to focus on my own health a bit more which has gone out if the window in recent months. DP doesn't have his own DC; I'd love us to have our own together and haven't ruled out going down the donor egg route abroad. I'm almost 44 so don't think we should leave it too long to explore this option but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the prospect fairly daunting.

Congrats again to the preggos and fingers crossed for some more BFPs on here!

Oh my goodness, loads of action on our thread

Calibee !!!!!

How exciting: twins! I am so glad it is all going well. I'm chuffed that some of us oldies,who've been on this thread forever, are upduffed! I hope everything goes smoothly and we are both parents to new babies in Jan 2016 (though with twins, you may deliver earlier?). You Dh must be over the moon!

Cloud - would you have the Harmony between 10 -12 weeks? Perhaps before you go away? I know it didn't work properly for you last time, so perhaps you may not want to go there? My Dr has suggested that I only do the Harmony (at twelve weeks as it has a better chance of working then than earlier) and not bother with bloods and nuchal scan. Which I agree with, as I know the odds will be terribly skewed due to my age and the Harmony will hopefully give a definitive answer.

I am feeling a little optimistic as last night I had the worst sickness yet. I went to bed at about 4 pm, slept till 7,then got up and had dinner. It was so similar to when I was pregnant with my daughter (who is now 15), it felt incredibly like deja vu. I don't remember it ever being that bad with the miscarriages.

Grizzer, I haven't booked the next scan, because it will only be done if I lie about bleeding, so as soon as I phone about it, they will probably want me in asap, so I won't organise it till I reach 9 weeks (a week today).

I suppose, if it wasn't for the worrying scan, and the measuring under, I'd be happily celebrating that I am 8 weeks today. This is the scariest week,I think, because in both my missed miscarriages, it was estimated that the baby died around 8 weeks, but I didn't get bleeding till 10 weeks and 9 weeks. I hope the week passes quickly and uneventfully with lots of symptoms.I should celebrate this little milestone, so I will

Welcome back mustbemad71, sorry to hear your daughter was ill, and glad she is well again. Welcome back to the roller coaster of TTC!

Morning

Hope all the upduffed ladies are feeling well today. Gum that is good news about your symptoms. I think the harmony test sounds like a great option; if I'm lucky enough to ever get there I'd do what you plan to do and ditch bloods and nuchal in favour of the harmony test.

I POAS today as CD 25 but BFN. Not surprised as not enough SWI this month. Been driving myself mad symptom spotting this week. Cycles are usually 25 to 27 days with 11 LP. Had a mirena for 5 years and I'm sure that they used to be longer so now worried that this is perimenopause.

Cali congrats to you, twins!! I'm considering ED IVF too - my DP would dearly love his own DC. I feel that he has taken on and loves my DC therefore I should be willing to try every option open to us to have our child together. I understand that it improves the odds of a THB massively once over 40. I know DC would be behind us, my eldest found out about my mc in jan and was very supportive although she did say "the thought of you bonking still is really grim mum!".

Anyone else testing soon? Surely there are more BFPs to come!

I guess I am testing Friday, as we did not avoid ttc anymore this month, long enough after mc. But for some reasons I do no thave much hope this cycle. And I have a serious cold, not the cold before bfp which is common for me (and unfortunately is another indication of immune-related repeated mc).

Hi everyone, just wanted to wish all those pregnant ladies the best of luck. It is so reassuring - fingers crossed the rest of us will join you soon!

Lovely to hear from Calibee too. I remember you from a couple of years ago on this thread. Really happy for you!

I've decided to be a bit more systematic with supplements, and am in the middle or ordering loads (my credit card is weeping!). A new order of Angus castus just arrived. The bottle says 'do not take this product if trying to become pregnant' . My previous brand did not say that. Does anyone know whether different brands might use ingredients that might make it less suitable for ttc?

Sad news. Just back from 9 week scan and Embryo died at 7 weeks and 2 days. I'm being very strong though. It wasn't meant to be xxxx

oh annie im so sorry sweetheart, huge massive hugs for your loss xxxxx

So so sorry annie It's not fair that you have to go through this. Please look after yourself xxx