35+ TTC #1

[elisev]

Hi all,

Just wanted to start a thread for all of us over 35 just starting out.

I am: 36 (37 in Nov)
Cycle #1 CD 22

I've been 'prepping' my body for this for a year, lost weight, increased my fitness levels and been taking vitamins etc so I feel like I've been mentally preparing for this for AGES, as a result I'm finding the waiting game torturous! I've been tracking my cycles, 27 days average, and using OPK's - just started that this month. We dtd the day before getting a smiley face and then twice on the day we got one.

Are there others who feel impatient/worried like me because you feel time is not on our sides? So bloody stressful!

CD28, DPO11 (short luteal phase??), tender boobs, crappy skin & no other concrete signs of possible BFP. AF is coming, I am sure .

Hope rest of you are having a better month!

DPO8 for me, CD25.
My temperature spiked yesterday and is now back to 36.66. I've been feeling sick for days now and have a stomach ache and heartburn, plus a sore neck for two days. Not sure what exactly is going on. According to FF I should get AF a week from now.
It could still be PMS though or I am just taking everything into account.
I don't have tender boobs or anything like it, but I am not sure if I ever will because I had surgery on them 5 years ago and there's no way of knowing how they'd react to a pregnancy.

Blueberry I think you and me both should not give up until AF is there. :D

@mare I haven't been temperature checking (must buy BBT thermometer...), so am not very au fait with it.

PMS symptoms are due to progesterone surge after ovulation, but diminish/stop when AF arrives (or continue if you're PG). Nausea is not usual PMS sign, but can be sign of PG. Sore neck is probably from sleeping in funny position .

I keep going to toilet & can't decide if this is because I need to go more often (possible PG sign) or because I'm so nervous I keep having to check for AF

I am so sure AF is coming I want it to hurry up & put me out of my misery! Might do test tomorrow morning (which will be BFN) just to stop worrying..

I got the sore neck during the afternoon yesterday and it stopped overnight. Got it again now, plus some really bad lower back pain and pain between my shoulder blades. I also have awful cramps. I actually had to get up from the desk and walk around a bit it was so bad. It's been going on for at least an hour now.
Still having creamy discharge. That hasn't really stopped since OV.
I am carefully optimistic here, but I won't be testing until AF is a week overdue (which will be in two weeks) because I've had this before and it turned out AF was just late.

@mare you are strong if you can wait for AF to be 1 week late before doing a test. Don't think I could!

I've been doing (yet more...) reading & apparently luteal phase length only varies by +/- 1 day. So if you have been recording your cycle inc days from ovulation to AF, then you can predict to within a day or so when AF should come/will be late.

In my case luteal phase is 14 days so AF due Sat/Sun/Mon, which means no point doing test til Sat. In the meantime, I have to wait for disappointment and am suffering painfully tender boobs. I think I have more (watery) CM than usual & am making more toilet trips than normal, but could be imagining it

Am sure it's just really bad PMS (in which case should try to do something next month to feel a bit less crap!) not a munchkin, but I have to wait to be put out of my misery

CD29, DPO12. Thought AF started this morning (due tomorrow), but w/o TMI, now I'm unsure. Boobs painfully tender (not normally this bad) & now also feeling bloated & nauseous.

Am sure this is all wishful thinking/an overactive imagination (DP keeps warning me about this....), but would like to know either way ASAP as not knowing is doing my head in . Also would like to stop feeling this crap!

Without being too optimistic, I think this sounds very good, Blueberry!

I feel a bit better today, less cramps. It's down to feeling as if someone is sticking a needle into my tummy and I have a killer headache and still creamy CM. My temp is up again though and it might turn triphasic. Can someone else have a look? Am I imagining it?

@Mare am not sure what I should look for in temp chart. Temp still higher as expected in this part of cycle? Temp not going back down so AF not on way? I am going to start temp charting...

As for me AF properly arrived yesterday which was CD30 & DPO13. I wasn't even that surprised. I am however annoyed with my body misbehaving (light on/off spotting from DPO10, worse than normal PMS etc). At least I could safely drink 3 glasses of Merlot last night . Not that it makes up for anything .

Sorry blueberry I don't know anything about temp charting...
But had my first fertility appt at midland fertility clinic today so thought I would update-
They were running about 20 mins late which is a bit annoying when you have effectively spent £150 for a chat! And we were asked to attend 15 mins early...
They were nice though and nice premises, nice free coffee (!)
Onto the chat after looking at our SA and day 21 results she recommended another SA and LH , FSH and AMH for me as well as ultrasound scan to look at ovaries etc. If we need treatment we would need hiv hep b and Hepc screen which is all included in the £575 fee. But they do the infectious diseases screen just before treatment starts as they expire quickly.
I have to make sure my smear tests are up to date before treatment can start and will do this via go.
But next step for me is to ring them on day 1 of cycle so they can get me in for my hormone tests and ultrasound i think. Hormone tests have to be done between day 1-5. They would try to get OH in same day for SA but can't promise anything.
Hmmm what else, oh yes OH has delayed liquefaction time of over 2 hrs so she went to ask lab staff what that meant. Apparently it's not really anything to worry about but their SA will be more detailed so they'll look at it again. We were only in there for 40 mins but I suppose we're paying to get things happening quicker... I think this is our nearest fertility clinic but still 1hr30 away by car and I can't drive, also concerned about needing time off work last minute as I believe they only open every other Sunday (not Saturdays) but will have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
Sorry for long post but thought it might be helpful to some of you. Let me know if any of you have any questions.

Thanks mira, that is useful to read. It's a road DP and I are discussing just in case so good to see the process and also an idea of cost!

Very sorry to hear, Blueberry. But I am sure we'll all get there at some point.

About the BBT chart: The thing to look at is the second temperature jump after ovulation, which is the cross in the middle. Before ovulation the temperatures are mostly under the coverline, after ovulation the temperature goes up. Once AF comes it will go down under the coverline again. A triphasic temperature often shows up in early pregnancies. Doesn't have to and it doesn't always means pregnancy but there is a good change.
Triphasic from my understanding: Low temperatures before OV, then a jump in temperature after ovulation and in the case of my BBT above a second clear jump in temperature.
It's still up there by the way, hasn't changed. Which is a good thing because in pregnancy the temperature would stay up.

However, I think I can feel AF coming. I am having slight cramps and that "full" feeling I get before AF. So I am kind of expecting the temperature to drop either tomorrow or the day after which is when AF is due.

this is what I am talking about. Looks triphasic to me, but as I said, I feel like AF is coming...
I am quite happy about this though because this is the least erratic BBT chart I've head since I started charting a few months ago. Before it was all over the place. I kind of think it's due to the Maca and the Agnus Castus I have been taking.

Hola lovely ladies, had my HCG and progesterone blood tests today and results came to me after 3 hours! With a little message:

Please find attached your results which are indicative of a positive pregnancy test. You can print this PDF file and pass to your GP/Midwife team.
NORMAL Progesterone levels during pregnancy:
1st trimester (weeks 1-12):
32.6-140 nmol/L

And my progesterone level - 131.9
And HCG - 100.9

I can not believe it! And still can't believe it!!! I'm in shock, I think!!!
Called my clinic in Riga, chatted with my nurse (told me to carry on with my vitamins which I'm still taking after IUI), and then with my acupuncturist! DH is over the moon!
And I thought AF was coming as boobs became sooooo sore a couple of days ago! And nipples are sooooo sensitive! Don't even know dpos when I felt it as I've stopped following and monitoring symptoms. I haven't even POAS!
My next HCG and progesterone blood tests are on Wednesday. Will report then.

Oh russkispy! So happy for you, you've worked really hard for it. Enjoy it and wish you a happy and healthy 9 months!
Shows some hope for the rest of us
I think you're the first person I've followed some of the journey of that's got their bfp!
Well done x

Russkispy that it amazing news, congratulations! All blessings to you, big hugs!

Thank you, Soz and Flores!!

Want to make it more "believable" for myself and hold something tangible in my hands!!! So found a Boots pregnancy cheapie test and took it this morning. It's BFP!!!! I can now say as we use all these abbreviations. It's a BFP for me!! Oh wow!! DH is still very much over the moon!!!

@Russkispy - fab news. Congrats to you & DH. Wishing you a happy healthy baby in 9 months or so

@mare - any good news yet? (Cross fingers!)

In an attempt to not need IVF (which DP not keen on), I'm now taking a panopoly of supplements:

• 2x Boots conception vitamins
• 3x 280mg of ubquinol (just for 2 weeks, then will drop down to 2x)
• 3x 500mg of Royal jelly
• 2 X 500 mg evening primrose oil (from CD1 until ovulation)
• 2 X flaxseed (veggie omega 3, 6 & 9 supplement which I was already taking for eye health on advice of optician)

And as soon as I get the Maca capsules (ordered some, but they've not arrived), I'll start taking them. Am hoping if nothing else, the EPO and Maca might rebalance my hormones, which seem to be out of whack judging by extreme PMS symptoms last week.

My scientific training means I'm a bit doubtful this will make a difference, but coupled with more targeted DTD activity (during several months of TTC fertility window was completely missed...), who knows?

Congratulations Russkispy so happy for you!

I am out for the month. Temp went under coverline this morning and I have the usual AF cramps. Expect it to start today or tomorrow.
However, at least taking the Maca and the Agnus Castus seems to have calmed down my cycle again. After having it get longer and longer the last few months I am now back to my normal 29 days which I count as a success.

Thank you, Blueberry and Mare. Forgot to mention that yesterday's HCG and progesterone blood tests were done on cD27, 14 post IUI.
Just back from acupuncturist, she started a new way of treatment as I'm pregnant now. And will continue with it till I'm 20 weeks pregnant. The session was nice and relaxing and I fell asleep and snored like a boatsman! Hahaha she's happy with my strong pulse and everything else. Tomorrow I'm doing HCG and progesterone tests again as per my clinic's instructions.

Had my second bout of HCG and progesterone blood test and got results. The levels went up significantly from yesterday. progesterone is 176.5 and HCG is 324.8. I know I'm pregnant but the news hasn't sunk in yet! Tomorrow will be seeing a GP and will take it from there.

Hi all,

After starting this thread at the beginning of August and conceiving not long after I am unfortunately going through a miscarriage in week 8 of the pregnancy. I'll be going for a D&C next week so that I can hopefully move on from this very sad situation.

So, it's back to TTC again. I have to wait until my first period is out of the way, and then we can start again, I'm a little exhausted by the thought of it all but there we go, such is life.

Oh elise so sorry for you, that's so awful.
Hope you are not back here for long x

Hi guys,

Can I join this thread please!

Elise, so sorry for you

Miraflores, we have same stats I think ? What cd are you?!

Sorry to hear you had a mc, Elise.

Thank you ladies for the kind words. The worst part is I haven't actually had the MC yet, we went for a scan and found the heart had stopped beating so then I had to make a decision whether to wait for it to happen or have it done surgically. I'm going for surgical on Monday so that I can just move on x