40+ ttc: 2018 is full of bfp's!

[Orchid222]

Ladies, the old thread has finished, here's a new one.

Oh Cleo I’m so sorry to see you back here with a missed miscarriage. I really felt you must’ve ‘made it to safe zone’ as it feels like youd been gone ages:( The pain must be so tough. To have it in your grasp and then for it to go must be awful. Please try to look after yourself and take time to recover. I recommend Emma Cannons book ‘Fertile’ to minime as there is a section in recovering from m/c from a TCM point of view. Thinking of you x

Speaking of TCM, My acupuncturist advised me to stay away from cold food and drink too. I have to keep warm at all times (particularly feet and belly) and eat loads of soup, herbal teas etc. I’ve heard that lamb is good too. Supposed to be v nourishing.

Orchid - congrats! Perhaps it was the Hycosy!? Remind me how long you were ttc?

As for me, had my follow up consultation today and on paper everything is ‘beautiful ‘ apparently. The dye flowed easily thru my tubes, my womb looks ‘beautiful ‘ hubbys sperm results were ‘beautiful’. She did like the word beautiful. All very well but now I’m ‘unexplained’. She even said my blood results were particularly good ‘for my age’. Hmmmm. So that’s it. We’re discharged from her care. We either continue as we are or do Iui or IVF. Neither of which I can face

Matts so sorry. How are you feeling? I took it badly this time. Just getting back on my feet now on CD6.

Minime and Matts - I’ve had a few cycles recently where I’ve finished AF and had ovulation symptoms straight afterwards. I even had one or two where the tail end of bleeding has mixed in with ewcm. It’s sooo frustrating. I’ve researched it loads and there are no answers other than ‘age’. In fact it’s happened again this month. Sigh. I’m CD6 and I think ovulation is done. We only managed to dtd once as it’s gone and took us by surprise. DH even said ‘oh that seems to have come around quick’ ie FW. Sigh. The only link I can make personally is stress. The months I’ve got really upset about AF is when it happens.

Cleo- yes my TCM lady was very specific about not drinking or eating anything cold. I even had to warm up my salads which was awful! Wilted spinach and lettuce did not sit well with me...she was also very specific about my diet so I had to eat the same thing every day which I hated. Eggs, salads, fresh juice, black rice, beans, nuts and seeds every single day and oxtail soup in the evening. Plus fish 4x a week and lamb, chicken and beef once a week. It was sooo boring! But maybe it helped I don't know.

Mimosa- thank you! Maybe it was HyCoSy, we'll never know. It took us 12 cycles to get here, we started in May last year and I got pregnant at the end of April, nothing in between, not even a chemical. My results were great on paper too just unexplained fertility. I did ask him about IUI and he said it's only good for people who struggle to have physical intercourse but I thought it didn't sound right as I remembered Ali's consultant suggesting it to her. Perhaps you should consider IUI to tempt the fate- the thought of giving up and thinking of IVF seemed to have worked for me...how many cycles have you had since your HSG? Remember it's supposed to help increase fertility for 3 cycles so there's still a very good chance!

Sending you all lots of baby dust and hope it's catching, would be so great to see more bfp!

Matts- I think he wanted me to eat lamb as he didn't think I was getting enough nutrients and lamb is supposed to be nourishing. Dietwise that was the only advice I was given.
Sorry to hear AF has landed.
Hi mimosa, I must admit I had become a little confident that I wouldn't be back here after goos scan and getting so far, so yeah, hugely disapointing. Oh well, back on tbe horse.
Sounds like all your results came back good, so maybe just a matter of time now. Fingers crossed for you.
Orchid that diet is very specific! Think I would have struggled with that!

Can I be silly and ask what TCM means? Im assuming its related to accupuncture etc. Id heard about warm foods and drinks and keeping feet etc warm so will be continuing with this practice.
@littlemimosa i definitely feel i may have already ovulated as i had pains over the past 2 days but very little ewcm. Opks not registering a line today but had a moderate line ydau. I have just finished my af so havent dtd at all. Kinda hoping to tonight but fear its too late. Ive also been in the worst mood for the past 2 days almost pmting. I think im sinking a bit into a fug and i dont like it but know its likely down to hormones.

Hello, my first time here and first time TTC. Am in the 2ww and have had a pretty rubbish backache and bloating all week. I'm really hoping this is a good sign!

Minime - how long after your mc did your cycle return? I've heard it can take a while

CLEO - yes that makes sense really re; the lamb when you think about it.

LITTLEMIMOSA - thanks x. Although I do feel really down I’m nowhere near as bad as I have been at other times. That said I am very up and down and when I’m down I am down and feel really quite hopeless about it all. I certainly can relate to symptoms of ovulation happening much earlier and as you say starting almost as soon as AF has gone! My cycle always used to be 28/29 days and is now usually 25 (has been for at least 18 month) with last month being an unusual 28 Oh what to do? Sometimes I seriously doubt what I am trying to achieve now, but then Inget sparks of hope and optimism. We shall see ...... Rachel Weiz (not sure if correct spelling) is pregnant at 48! A little more hope for us xx

MATTSMAMMA ,littlemimosa I ovulate early have noticed it over the last 6 months, not every month but try to dtd with oh just before my af starts just to clear out his tubes ( sorry if tmi) and then if af lasts about 3-4 days I could be covered. My dear friend conceived her rather lushly bundle of 6 month baby on day 5 of her cycle. I conceived on day 8, 3 cycles ago I did mc at 5.5 weeks but did manage to conceive that early.
It can get so disheartening but yes older mums being pregnant does give hope. Trying not to stress is easier said than done.. fingers crossed for all. Xx

Orchid that’s pretty muchmy regular diet anyway so that’s encouraging!! I hate being cold and cold drinks so warming stuff is my go to. My TCM lady told me to have a hot water bottle on my tummy as much as poss and keep feet warm too. I always have my hot water bottle close by in the eves. I’m CD 8 - felt some twinges today too, also CM is back - I’m going EPO and grapefruit juice too... Thank God the boils on my face are going down since ending the TCM but they are now on the back of my neck 😬
Sorry about AF Matts but at least it’s still coming every month which is positive in terms of your body’s fertility.. that’s how I look at it anyway .. even with my poxy 2 day light bleed!! 😬 x

CHAT - good idea to start early with dtd. It’s certainly worth trying as current method isn’t working. Not even a sniff of a
chemical.

FAITH - yes I was thinking along the same lines - at least AF is still making a regular visit. Thanks ladies 😊

Thank you Cleo, I hope so. Sorry to hear you are feeling like that I hope you have lots of support. It does seem like fertility is high after miscarriage so I have my fingers crossed for you. There does seem to be such a high number on that December bus who have lost. It's so shocking.

Chat - that’s encouraging to hear about you and your friend conceiving on early ovulation.

Matts - I hear you loud and clear. Feel very despondent at times then I get those flickers of hope. And yes yes yes to Rachel Weisz becoming pregnant at 48! Very encouraging.

Orchid - I’ve had two periods since my HSG. So really this month is our second attempt but I’m pretty sure this month is now written off too with the crazy early ovulation/one single go at Dtd. Sigh. Again.

Cleo - still thinking of you. How is your body doing?

Anyone any thoughts on sperm results? The consultant today was very positive about our results. The count was 70million (apparently good) the motility was 55% (apparently good) but the morphology was 4%!! She said it was normal range but to me that sounds awfully low.... anyone any knowledge of this?

Sounds fine mimosa. Our results letter for dh's sperm test said 4% and above was normal - dh's came in at 2%! Everything else normal. Got a bfp earlier that day and pregnant twice in three years before that so didn't worry about it at the time but dh has been on max vit c since mc. If anyone has any other tips for improving morphology I'd love to hear them. He has v healthy diet, exercises, keeps the bits cool etc...

Cleo- I did struggle with that diet every day! I relaxed in on the weekends a bit and skipped beans, rice and salad in the morning because I couldn't stomach them. I was also told to do a foot bath and meditate every night...tried it for a few nights but was always running out of time so I skipped that, too but I suppose it's good for you to relax etc. Did you end up eating lamb like your TCM person said?

If any of you would like to give my diet a go and see if it helps let me know and I'll send it over though it's probably more helpful combined with acupuncture and herbs but still, I'm sure it helps even without them.

Faith- I was told about a hot water bottle during my period and my TCM also included a massage of my tummy to get it nice and warm as well as moxibustion again on my tummy and back but all around the ovaries area to keep it warm.

Mimosa- I conceived on my 2nd cycle after HyCoSy but I had high fertility flashing smileys on cb for 5 or 6 days and we dtd every day and then on the day of the peak and 2 days after so about 8-9 days in a row! My poor DH was exhausted...But I can't say that's what did it because we did a marathon like that a couple of cycles ago and I didn't even get a sniff of a bfp. But maybe worth giving a marathon a go on your 3rd cycle after HSG?
I'll also look at my dh's sperm results tonight, I have them at home and I think they give ranges of what's considered normals let's see if it's the same as shiny was told but if her dh's was 2% and she conceived then at 4% you're in a good place.

Jojo I really hope fertility is high after mc, would love another shot!
There were a shocking number of losses on the Dec thread, and most of them to young normal women. Goes to show its not just an age issue. It's surprising how commom loss is, particularly mmc.
I have been trying to feel a bit more positive today, and rather than be angry at nature for taking it away from me, I am grateful that an unhealthy pregnancy was stopped. It would have been much worse to have gone to term and lost or had a baby with severe life limiting problems. Next time I would just like a healthy baby please!!!
Mimosa - body doing ok currently. No more dramatics, just medium bleeding. Will be interesting to see what they say at scan on Friday, I really hope everything has cleared and I can move on.
Orchid - I did eat lamb, I didn't necessarily enjoy it though! Guess I'll be back on that. Think I'll skip the hardcore diet though...

Cleo, that's exactly how I looked at my mc, after the initial devastation. It's nature, nothing you could have done. Last year I had to spend an agonising week deciding whether to terminate a pregnancy after my 20 week scan. In the end we did, and I know it was the right decision, but it has changed me I think. This time I was just grateful that it was nature that decided.

Orchid222 how did you manage to have any dairy ? Warm isn't fab.. although was thinking a jacket pot with a big helping of natural yog on top.. I did notice that I was a little off kilter with my hormones after my mc, think I then had a very early one the following month and then last cycle my boobs were berserk and I was positive I was preg but test was neg.. but ovaries are niggling and oh is complaining about being tired.. but then during the tww I tend to be too tired and then he complains that he is deprived 🤦‍♀️ men !!

Shiny that's awful that must have been such a hard decision to have to make, but it sounds like you made the right one.
It is so much easier when nature decides and I am grateful for that.
Onwards and upwards.

Oh shiny I'm sorry to hear that. What a decision to have to make. Remind me again of your situation...how long you've been ttc and if you've already got DC, your age etc.....

Thanks for the responses on sperm results. that's reassuring, it just sounds so odd that 96% are abnormal!

Orchid - i'd love to have a look at the diet you followed, please could you PM it over to me hun?

Cleo - glad to hear your body's getting back to normalish. I can completely understand how you feel re nature taking its course. I had a mmc once (in between my two DC) and i felt the same. Was relieved that my body recognised that it wasn't right and dealt with it. It still didn't make it any less painful though x

@Cleo my mc was 2 weeks of spotting/bleeding from beginning to end. 2 weeks later i had a 4 day bleed which was like af. I then had a 29 day cycle which is longer than my usual 26 days. So im presuming that now things have kicked back into action. Ive invested in Clear blue ovulation tests. If i go by Ovia FW will begin on Thursday if its not alreaxy over. Although i was only briefly pregnant I so want that joy, excitement and sense of fulfilment back again. It really upsets me to think i may never feel those things again.

Sorry to read your story shiney.
Well AF turned up today as back to Day 1 again.....
And worse still next fertile week is when we're on holiday with DC and both sets of parents!!!

minime - i can so relate to everything you just said:(

weasle - so sorry Af arrived. BOTH sets of parents and the kids?!! youch. You'd better get practising some very silent sex