Over 40 ttc - August baby dust for me!

[Orchid222]

Ladies, here's our 2nd summer thread :)

ok just read that tests only detect oestrogen rises so first day of testing is always negative as this is your baseline..🙈🙈🙃

Hoping Im still in with a chance..and all of you..
Please let there be a BFP on this thread soon. ....😍😍sending love to everyone.. 😘😘

Big hugs @weasledee

I never got the hang of those sticks, @Funkypuzzle maybe I should've read the instructions!

@Weasledee - so sorry you got a BFN. I think we all had our fingers crossed for you.

@Funkypuzzle those tests can only show negative on the first test of a pack - it’s how they establish your baseline oestrogen. You are supposed to start using them just before FW starts so that they can detect the oestrogen rise. Even if you’ve missed the oestrogen rise they can still detect the LH surge and show your peak though 😊

Thanks ladies, pulled myself together now :)
One more month...... x

Hi all just popping in again to say hi. Nothing to report here other than my hormones seem much more balanced finally. Waiting another month or so then will think about ttc again. Hope all you ladies are ok. I’m sorry ive not read all your posts but hope you’re managing to keep up some positivity. Baby dust galore from me x

Sorry Weasledee. That's a shame. :(
It's been nice to see a few new group members recently.
I'm due AF tomorrow. Every month I find something new and ridiculous to google. Last month was spotting, this month it's chances of BFP if you only TTC 2-5 days before ovulation. I suppose it's good in a way that I find some hope in obviously negative aspects!!

PetraRabbit I’m currently 5dpo and watching every twinge. I had a really vivid dream last night about stealing a shed?! I literally have no idea what that was, and I have swimmers ear. So of course both of those I’ve googled to see if a weird symptom! If we’re not lucky this month, with my partner’s work travel spanning all 3 of my next peak fertile days it’s unlikely we’ll be lucky next cycle, so of course I’m worried that will be the golden egg we miss and hope either I ov late, or we time it right and get lucky 3 days b4 ov

CD1 and I was so hoping this was it. Gutted.

Haha @PetraRabbit that's me, too! AF was due today but she's awol so I'm spending half my time convincing myself that it's the oestrogen tablets that have put my cycle out of whack and the other half googling 'pregnancy with no symptoms'

AF due here today too, still no sign....

WEASLE - I could see a line in yesterday’s photo on the frer early result. Have you do another test?

Hi all, been off the thread for a few weeks.. quick update (sorry for the downer!)

Age 43
TTC #1 for around 2 years

Im feeling really down today, AF arrived bang on cycle day 28, really feel like crying my eyes out, just really feel like staying in bed and hiding away, have never really felt like this before, just at a loss, can't find the push in me to research clinics, research the unknown that I WANT so much, I've got car/home insurances to sort out and work to do but just have been feeling like a procrastinating F**K for the last few months that all just seems to have come to a head!

As supportive as hubby is, it's all on my head the OPK's the research, he does work really hard, however its just all become a bit overwhelming, I even had a moan to my poor mum earlier about how I should count myself so lucky that everything and all information is at the touch of a button and so many people to offer advice on the internet however it feels like a huge mountain!

Just feel blocked thats the only way I can describe it, like i'm just hoping for appointments to fall into my lap, sorry for the huge moan everyone, had a huge panic watching Sharon Marshall on This Morning and her 7 attempts at IVF, we don't have that much money ... just feeling so so down today.

I just passed 3 people and all of them were very pregnant women :( Grr

Weasle and karryk I hope AF doesn't show for you.

Lets sorry to hear you're so down. I felt like that 3 weeks ago when af arrived, I honestly lost it for a while. I know I'm very lucky to have ds but still trying for so long and not getting anywhere is so disheartening. The only thing I can say is the worst will pass and when you're ready to research clinics it will make you feel better that you're doing something. Don't pay attention to Sharon Marshall's story, there are many women who were successful in the 1st or 2nd round and you could be one of them. Take care of yourself, sending you a big hug x

Weasle you are not out until AF arrives!
Sorry to those that are having a hard time this cycle. I think a fair few of us have been considering IVF.
I went to the zita west open evening yesterday. The clinic looked really good and I liked the way she intertwined the medical side of things with holistic. She highly recommend acupuncture and suppliments alongside ttc weather naturally or IVF.
Has anyone ever tried inositol? It's one I'd never heard of but apparently very good for us oldies.

Sorry to hear about all the disappointments this month. @letsdothis42 I am sending you a whoosh of baby dust and a hug. Please don’t despair. Have you had your bloods done? Have you confirmed you are ovulating? What does your GP think? Hope you are able to pursue all avenues including alternative therapies.
I am totally curious about acupuncture. I might give it a go if this cycle does not work.
This is my first cycle post Mirena removal and I’m approaching my 42nd birthday. I am blessed with 2 DS but want to try for 3rd before it is too late that is if it is not already too late. I fell pregnant 2 years ago and had a termination after my harmony test was positive. I couldn't face trying again until now!! I hope I don’t live to regret not trying again straight after the termination..

Floof and Squidgy! (Those user names combine so beautifully hah)....dreaming of a shed....that is surely one of the top ten signs of pregnancy!!
Lets- I'm really feeling for you. I think it's a reminder to the ones here with children already (I have just one) that we are really blessed. But don't get disheartened....doing things, meeting people....It's all positive steps to take you closer to your goal.

@Orchid @Funkypuzzle and @petrarabbit

Thank you so much for the positivity, had bloods done about a year ago and all was fine then, think I should go again? GP's are about as useful as .... everytime (maybe once this year) Ive gone in its always an unknown GP had a quick glance at record and thats it... I would be so beyond happy with one teeny tiny one..youve all been so great and with everyone chasing that BFP I know I am in a great supportive group, sometimes just sometimes I feel overwhelmed, think its more to do with AF and hormones this month!

Sending big hugs @Letsdothis42

Have you tried or could you try Five Elements acupuncture? I found that when I was going through my miscarriages and generally feeling rubbish (personal and work life was getting on top of me too), it really helped to re-balance and ground me. I went into it thinking if this helps with fertility then fine but if not, I'd just like to feel like me again and that I have a grip on things. It sorted out my (ahem) toilet habits as I was prone to chronic constipation and was worth it for that alone! I also started to take time out to just incorporate things I enjoyed doing, like taking walks. Little things, but they gave me a way to just get back in touch with myself and do some self-care.

Ooh @Letsdothis42 sending big hugs it's hard going... have you tried maybe some swimming or yoga.. something to calm the brain... but if you want to sob, just sob or want to stay in bed... do it.. you don't have to justify your actions to anyone..
The urge will come to spur yourself on, but for now you need to go with your emotions.. and rest yourself.. it's a damn hard path and nope we all don't have 70k to spend on ivf..
but there are plenty of stories out there of people who have conceived naturally in their 40's and it was all happening in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's with no intervention.. keep faith xxxxx

Well said chat

Still no period here....... I'm never late so all I can think is, it was a chemical and the slight HCG has messed my cycle a bit? Who knows

Weasle-fingers crossed! I'd be testing tomorrow if af doesn't show.

Lets-take the time you need. As Chat said, it is possible to conceive naturally, Faith did it at 43, my grandmother got pregnant with her last one at 44 and that was in the 50's. There are many, many examples like that so it is possible. I do think though that we also need to be realistic because not everyone can get pregnant naturally in their 40's and they might need help. I don't mean to sound discouraging at all but I think, while it's possible naturally, there might be a better chance with some kind of intervention so if you can afford it I think IVF is worth a shot and you can find good pricing like Critter did. Of course the decision is entirely yours but you've been trying for 2 years and whilst you might get pregnant next cycle you might spend another 2 years trying...you just never know but if you can help the process why not try? These are my thoughts anyway because that's exactly what I'm doing. It took me a whole year to get pregnant only to find out that it was an empty sac and I don't have another year to keep trying plus everyone around me is pregnant and I want to join the ranks so looking into various options.

Cleo-interesting about zeta west, what supplements did she recommend? As for inositol did she say what it's supposed to do? I've read online it promotes female fertility. I stupidly stayed up late last night reading IUI success stories over 40 and there was a post from a woman who listed various supplements her RE had her take, one of them being inositol. Of course now I can't find it....but it had that, melatonin, CoQ10, DHEA (interestingly Faith took DHEA prior to her bfp) and something else that I can't remember.

Critter-when does the IVF process start? We'll probably be going on holiday next week and AF is due between Sunday and Tuesday so I think I'd have to write next cycle off but it would be possible to go for it the cycle after right?

Russkispy-your IUI success sounds encouraging and I am tempted to try that before IVF, on the other hand I do think you were very luck to get pregnant on the first cycle both times (even though the 2nd one didn't end the way you wished). How does it work with IUI, do they start monitoring you on CD1? I'm wondering if I could somehow squeeze that one in after my holiday but we wouldn't be back until my cd7 or cd9...I normally ovulate around cd17 so from that point of view there'd still be time but I have a feeling they have to start monitoring much earlier, am I right? Which means either way next cycle won't work.

I found the post re: supplements the lady was on before IUI:
Inositol 2 grams twice a day
Melatonin 3 mg at bedtime
Co enzyme Q 10 200 mg twice a day
Folic acid 1 mg once a day
DHEA 50 mg once a day
L-Arginine 1000 mg twice a day

And prenatals of course. I have read about melatonin before but not sure about L-Arginine, any thoughts?

Orchid - she mainly mentioned inositol and vit D. She said something about it helping the egg quality I think?
They have a nutritionist who you can book an appointment with who would go through diet and suppliments suitable for you individually. I'm tempted to do that.
I've also considered a more local appointment with a clinic to discuss options, have more tests, and consider IUI (with the drugs)

Critter-what success rates did your clinic give you? I just rang one that does mild and natural IVF's and they said 14% for mild and 20.3% for natural IVF for my age group which I thought was quite high, no?

Cleo did she mention dosage and whether you take both throughout the cycle?
Do you know how much that appointment with a nutritionist is? The clinic I just rang does a scan during initial appointment and one of the things they look at is ovarian reserve, how can they check that with a scan? Interesting. Bloody expensive but I'm sure it'll be expensive wherever I go.