35+ TTC #1 thread 2!

[SoozC]

We maxed out our last thread, so I've started another one for us!

Welcome, all those over 35 who are ttc number 1! Whether you're just starting out or you're an old-timer, come and chat with others who know what it's like to feel as though time is not on your side. When you feel like all your friends and family your age already have children and you need someone to moan to, we are here!

I got the weird taste in my mouth... from about 5 weeks... fingers crossed for you @PixieN

Thanks @TheNewbieStep - it’s disappeared today so may have been imagining things lol. It’s too early anyway. Not going to get my hope up & will see if AF appears (& stick to the shade!) x

Fingers crossed @PixieN and hope you're feeling better @TheNewbieStep xx

Hi ladies, long-time lurker here. This is such a great supportive thread I hope you don't mind me picking your brains on OPKs? Sorry!
I'm 39 next month, DP and I have been TTC for about 6 months but only started "taking it seriously" the last couple of months (I've started using OPKs and tracking in a diary, DP has bought himself men's multivits which he seems to think are a magic pill and now he's taking them success is guaranteed! ) He also thinks that as he had two children in a previous relationship 23 years and about 40 kilos ago that he's a proven breeder and there will be no problems there, bless him.
My problem is that I never seem to get a positive OPK, I have heard a lot of people say they always have a faint line and it gets stronger when ovulating but mine are snowy white until about CD17 when i have a faint line up to and including CD19. I'm now on CD20 and have gone back to completely white so thinking I'll stop testing for this month and hope I do actually still ovulate and not just old and barren (woe is meeeeee... )Not sure if it is relevant but I always have heavy periods, filling up my mooncup twice a day on my heaviest day. Not cripplingly painful but on my heaviest day i feel a bit crampy and nauseous. In my head my potential risk of barren-ness is negated by the fact I have heavy periods but that's probably just some head-in-the-sand thinking!
Has anyone else experienced this before? I try to test 2 - times daily, fulltime work makes it difficult to test in the middle of the day but usually FMU + 4/5pmish + later in evening if I feel like I'm nearing "positive" Also prone to getting UTIs (how on earth does anyone ever feel like BD when you are almost guaranteed to get cystitis afterwards?!) so I hate "holding on" for too long, probably max 3 hours.
Thoughts really welcomed everybody!! And good luck to everyone on your journeys, I am following them all with lots of hope for you!

Hi @Chelonia, I found the most reassuring measurement of ovulation was temping - I see a nice clear rise every month that corresponds to my cervical mucus. Have you ever charted? I use fertility friend and take the readings vaginally as I never got anything sensible orally.

Also, never really got many UTI's except for when my thyroid was off - I got thrush all the time then. It was a sign in the chemists that said 'if you repeatedly get infections go to the doctors' that helped me get diagnosed for thyroid problems. It's possible you may have an imbalance.

My doctor wouldn't run any tests until I'd been trying for 12 months, despite being over 35. It depends a lot on your doctor, I think.

Hi @Chelonia UTIs are a nightmare so you have my sympathies I used to get frequent attacks of both UTIs & thrush and felt tired all the time. I would definitely second going to see your GP. In my case I had some vitamin deficiencies which I only found out about when I had a blood test. I’m much better now, but I can still be prone to attacks if i’m not careful.

Make sure you drink plenty of water & have a glass before & after dtd. Also, visit the toilet before & after. I know it’s supposed to be better for ttc to lie down & wait, but I won’t risk more than 15 mins. Also don’t overdo it with dtd. Change underwear regularly, especially if you exercise. I would also advise eating lots of natural yoghurt to build up good bacteria & have a probiotic every day. Hope some of this helps.

@chelonia I read somewhere that you only need to lie down long enough to get your breath back and the little swimmers that were going to make it have made it to the correct place. I certainly was able to get pregnant doing just that as I always have to pee after sadly it was a mc but that had nothing to do with it.
I also second what @pixieN says about changing underwear and pro biotics. I also take zinc a couple of times a week which is meant to help with thrush (not had any attacks since).

Thank you so much ladies! I don't tend to have a problem with thrush, its usually more BV that plagues me. Doctor actually ran bloods a few months ago as I mentioned we were trying, and everything was above board, including thyroid. Have been taking multi vits + folic acid. I've been paranoid about getting UTIs for years, have always been prone since i was a teenager, to the point I drink (and pee!) constantly to avoid them and nag at DP to be particularly gentle etc in bed as I know what tends to set them off.
I guess I need to google where to get a thermometer then! Two points of a degree right?

@Chelonia yeah, I picked mine up on amazon for a few quid and has been giving me good results for over a year now, brand is iproven I think.

Also great news about the tests. Was that for progesterone, oestrogen etc as well?

Hmm, no I think it was just regular biochemistry/cbc + thyroid. Need to go back soon for something else so will ask him about hormone testing, he did say if we tried a few months no results we should go get a fertility consultation - we left the UK a year ago and now Down Under so things work a little differently here.

@Chelonia I could never pick up my LH surge on the basic/cheap OPKs despite testing multiple times per day so I started to worry I wasn’t ovulating. However when I switched to the clear blue ones they worked like clockwork on daily tests with FMU. The only month I didn’t get a solid smiley my period was about six days late so I think I was just late ovulating. The downside is they are expensive.

@PixieN we only managed to dtd twice in fertile week the month we were successful (the day I got a solid smiley and two days later) as we were on opposite shifts so I was convinced I was out. Fingers crossed for you x

Hi everyone waves. Been dotting around here on and off, you all seem lovely so thought I'd say hello :)

Am 39, been ttc for seven months. Started taking progesterone and pregnanalone three months ago as all my hormone levels were whacked after years of work stress!! My boyfriend is 49, with two kids from previous marriage.

I've had at least one CP (ie with a hpt bfp) but suspect several others due to implantation bleeding and other symptoms.

And I think I know now all the acroymns!

So... Right now I'm 12dpo, AF due in two days, and am in the usual state of questioning everything! I had very light pink when I wiped on 8dpo, some bright red heavier for about an hour on the next day, and since then some pinky brown the twice we've dtd - including this morning.

I also got a disappointing bfn this morning, waaah.

I'm snuffly, a bit nauseous, and had a metallic taste on and off. I've been having cramps since the initial bleeding, and my boobs are sore in a different way from usual. But not sure if that's my period on its way, or....??

Anyway I know in reality all I can do is wait... But just wanted to say hello, and maybe to hear if other people have been in the same boat.

(it can feel like a lonely boat at times! Lots of my friends seem to be have no issues, even the ones the same age or older)

@chelonia I never got any positives, or even close to positives with the cheapie opks I got on amazon. I tried last month with clear blue, and boom, surges exactly as my Clue app predicted. I was worrying about the same thing :)

@Lepatz - ah, the dreaded TWW symptom spotting, where your mind takes every twinge and pain as a sign! Fingers crossed for you in a couple of days time. But yeah, could mean anything, dammit.

Conversely to some of the rest of you, I get massive stonking positives on internet cheapie and clearblue sticks. My LH line is really really dark and lasts for about four days. Unfortunately I suspect this is a bad thing, and I'm waiting my LH blood test results with interest. LH goes up as you crack on towards menopause as your hormones become more uncoupled from each other.

Another mooncup user here, so I'm interested in how much blood/gunge you have. My periods are light, and I calculate about 20ml total over my three days. I wish I'd swapped to mooncups years ago, it would be good to know if the amount has changed over the years.

@79andnotout Hello from another 79er and thanks for the reply :)

I also use mooncups, love them. My dr says that a light flow can be a sign that the body isn't creating enough progesterone, or that you are oestrogen dominant. Either way it means your lining may not be thick enough to sustain. Since I started taking the progesterone supplements, I think my flow has increased. I didn't think to note down the measurements though.

I hadn’t thought of taking zinc. How much do you take @Blondcat & is it alongside multi vits/prenatals?

Thanks @Darkstar4855 - I really don’t want to test so will just try to be patient over the next few days.

Hi @Lepatz I’m due AF in 2 days too. Fingers crossed for us all x

@pixieN I take 15mg a couple of times a week alongside folic acid and vitamin d. I also take 100mg coq10. I give dh zinc daily for his swimmers too

Thanks @Blondcat - that’s reminded me to get some coq10 too. My DH is taking the Wellman vits, but not exactly happy about it lol.

Well, unfortunately I’m definitely out as I woke up at 4.30am this morning to AF a day early. Also managed to step on a dead mouse left at the foot of the stairs by my killer cat Not the best start to a morning!

Sorry to hear about both the early AF and the mouse @PixieN - look after yourself today and better luck next month.

Re supplements, I feel like a rattling jar at the minute - my doc is big on topping up!

One thing that I definitely recommend is high dose magnesium at night. She said it's ok to take up to 1000mg. I currently take 2*400mg capsules just before bed, and am sleeping better than ever before.

I also tested really low on vit D - which apparently can cause issues for "women in my age group" trying to conceive, so have started supplementing that too.

Thanks @Lepatz - I’m watching the footie with a glass of pink so it’s not all bad

Hello ladies, Back from Lanzarote. Back to reality. Which is a bit grim but must go on. While away bleeding started and continued for a week. Couldn’t swim understandingly and didn’t want to take any risks. Have to take a pregnancy test on Friday as per hospital’s request and hopefully it will show negative. If not, was told to contact EPU. Like I said hopefully it will show negative so I can close the chapter altogether. No plans made going forward. Think will try naturally and see how that goes. Maybe for a couple of cycles. My fertility doctor asked to consider IVF and I don’t want it just now. And hopefully won’t need it.
Hope we all get out BFPs soon! The fight is not over yet!

Sounds like you're in a good from of mind @Russkispy. Hope everything is clear on Friday.

Sorry about AF @PixieN.

I'm still waiting for my blood test results. annoying.

Hi @79andnotout have they given you any idea of when you can expect your results? How frustrating
@PixieN our delightful feline was thudding around the lounge last night obviously had caught something and has spent the last few hours staring intently at the gap down the back of the bookcase. No feathers scattered anywhere so definitely going to be a rodent. I've opened the french doors to the outside and closed off the lounge and planning to completely ignore the situation for at least another few days. Seriously though, I'm sorry about AF
I'm still trying to figure out my cycle but I'm on CD 27 today and possibly 6-8 dpo... have promised myself I'm never going to test until I am sure my AF is late so doing some thumb-twiddling... my usual pre-AF symptoms of sensitive nipples, horrible skin etc but also noticed a lots of twinging in abdomen the last couple of days.. so frustrating that preg symptoms are so similar to PMS!! And that I never paid such close attention to degree of symptom and timing when I wasn't trying, it would have been so useful now! (Suggestion: girls in health classes should be taught to chart their cycles and encouraged to chart one month per year until such a time as they want to conceive - I reckon there would be an increase in successful conceptions!)

Hello all!

I never got a reading on cheapo OPK's - don't even now, even when I get a big smiley face on clearblue!

I had all the blood tests and everything came back normal (whatever that means!) even my usually high testosterone wasn't 'that' high.

Had a weekend without the stepchildren, which for once coincided with popping an egg out so basically spent weekend DTD! Ha!

Love to all xxxx

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