35+ TTC#1 Thread 4

[BambiOnIce80]

We're very close to maxing-out our previous thread, so time to start afresh 🙂

To borrow the intro from @Blondcat (our old threads founder):

A wonderful bunch of ladies supporting each other through the ttc journey when trying for a first baby after 35.

Good luck all!! 🍀🤞🏻🍀🤞🏻

@BambiOnIce80 i know how you feel wrt missing potential opportunities. I feel like i did that this month. Only 1 dtd this fw. In fact this month. And after me rearranging my HyCoSy to before ovulation. Urgh. AF arrived today with ALL the cramps ☹. Ive rang up to arrange an US scan for Tuesday. I have to say Bambi once your in the system, it seems to be quite well organised. So once you get your initial appointment hopefully thinhs will start to move forward 🤞
I spoke to a colleague about ttc today. Mainly so ive got some cover for appointments etc. She has been through a similar thing, and then fell pregnant naturally just before her last ivf cycle at 40. Shes really reassured me. She also made me feel quite normal as she had been obsessing over temping, opks etc. Phew!! Feels a bit of a huge relief to have her support in work.

Thanks for the kind words @CNizzle ❤️ You've had a hell of a month it, so hats off for managing to DTD even once! So sorry that AF has turned up 😔 Getting the ultrasound out of the way sounds like one more step to getting to the goal though 🙂

I'm well jeal that you've got an IRL person to speak to! I did tentatively start talking to one of my friends about it (I knew she'd been trying for 18months with no luck yet), but it turned out she'd decided that she wasn't going to track her cycle, have any investigations or look at IVF because as a couple they'd decided they were happy where they are... I'm pretty envious of their strength of resolve, I have to say. Felt I couldn't go into my TTC obsessiveness after with her after that though 😏 I think you really need someone who gets it and it's great you've found that in your work mate 😊

I also said I wouldn't use opks until after Christmas yet here I am ordering a bulk pack from eBay!

@BambiOnIce80 - I feel your pain. I'm still waiting for my letter to come through with my next gynaecology appointment so that he can then refer me on to ACU. He sent me a letter a couple of weeks ago saying he saw that he had an appointment with me lined up where he would review my info then refer me on for IVF, and I phoned the clinic because I didn't get the notification of the appointment, and they said he's on holiday until mid december so they would schedule it when he comes back. So doubt I will get referred until january at the earliest. Which is fine, as I was planning on delaying for a couple of months or so to make sure i'd given natural attempts enough of a shot, but it would be very frustrating if I was desperate!

Well done @CNizzle for getting one in.

Ugh I'm so done with work today already and it's not even 10am. I am hating my job at the mo! When I know whether I need the mat leave or not it will make me feel so much freer. Roll on 40 and the life decisions!

Oh @79andnotout, that is a very frustrating consultant situation! 😤 I'd go light if he said he'd got an appointment lined up with me and then he was on holiday/no appointment appeared! 😡 At least the time line still fits with what you wanted though 👍 I think I'm going to be joining you in imposing a 40th birthday deadline on the whole TTC thing. I can't cope with this level of head-fuckery indefinitely 🤯

CD14 here, BFN OPK yesterday. Pretty sure it's the cysty right ovaries turn to have a go at releasing an egg this cycle, so might ov tomorrow or even later (if at all, of course 🙄). We're actually on course for achieving SMEP so far this month (😱), so relying on a BFP OPK to tell me when we need to do the 3 days in a row and bring the shagathon to an end! And there was me worrying that DP's night shifts would thwart fertile week- in reality they seem to have been a help! He's only just waking up when I get home and we're taking advantage of his, ahem, 'morning glory'! 😳

Ha that's good, @BambiOnIce80! Yeah my partner is the same, much easier to get going in the morning. Probably because I haven't had a chance to piss him off yet by asking him to do some washing up or something.

Morning Glory here too. Although I wonder if I'm missing the target in case I ovulate in the night. I just had a look at the smep plan again and realised I am doing it wrong 🙈😫

I couldn't help but lol @QuantumGirl - we're usually night time DTDers, so I'd been thinking maybe I'm missing my egg release if it's morning and that's why I'm not getting pregnant! Great minds, just opposites! 😉 And you know what? I've never actually googled SMEP myself; just read about it on a thread and got the vague gist that you DTD every other day when AF stops and for several days in a row when you get a BFP OPK (3 days in a row is my max or I'll be broken!). Am I in the ball (pun intended) park or am I way off?!

I did read somewhere that sex in the morning is more successful but I'll have to dig around to find my source!

@BambiOnIce80 loved your pun 😂. You're not far off on the smep schedule but the 'fun' starts CD8 every other day till you get a positive Opk so it gives you some resting time. I had 2 days of ewcm this FW and didn't DTD the day after. We were both knackered and I worried I was going to miss my train that morning (why I worry about petty things like this when I am ttc I don't know 🤔). Next FW will be the week after Xmas when we are both off work. Now, how many times do we have to shag in a day in order to get a BFP??? 🥵😂

It only happens in the morning at the weekends at our house. The alarm goes off so early it takes at least an hour to string together a complete sentence.

I think we basically manage SMEP because we’re fairly diligent in that area and always have been although we’ve only been together just over 4 years so still fairly new I suppose.

So, my bleeding started on Wednesday night and I noticed that by yesterday night it tailing off and today it has stopped completely. So a oneish day period! Mine are usually three days.

Also rather than the usual darkish ruby red it was a bright cranberry red.

I also did a pg test on Wednesday because of all the spotting and it was a bfn so I am ruling out pregnancy.

Just weird how the bleeding started and then suddenly stopped after a day. I was hoping things would go back to normal.

Ladies! I haven't been keeping up with the goings on! Life has been a bit wobbly and I took a breather for a bit!

What have I missed? Are the thread 2 and 3 ers still here?

Minor update here.... turns out the high testosterone result that I got in May was not 'elevated but ok' after all. Received a letter from my GP saying blah blah,error with texting results in May and June, affected my results (which I phoned and got, nothing to do with texts) and I need to get my ass back to the surgery the next day.

So, Testosterone of 2.0 - 2.5 is high, but consistent with PCOS. Mine was 4.5.

She did confirm that all the other levels are absolutely fine....

I'm shitting myself. Treat bloods this am and if still 4.5 off to endocrinologist.

Sorry for essay! I'll look forward to hearing your news! @BambiOnIce80 @QuantumGirl @79andnotout @CNizzle @Kescilly @Melamine @Blondcat - you all till here? 💞

@TheNewbieStep nice to hear from you 😃. Sorry about your exam mixed up, what a pain! When will you know the results of today's blood tests?

@QuantumGirl that's good to know I'm on the right track with my interpretation of SMEP, thank you 🙂 We even started on CD8 this cycle, which is crazy early for us (we are so, so lazy!). I didn't think it made a lot of sense to DTD several days in a row without a break because I thought that wasn't great for sperm quality 🎈🤷‍♀️

I'm with you @MrsRRC 👍 Only DTD in the morning on weekends under normal circumstances. DP does seem to get some kind of middle of the night 'sleep sex' thing going on sporadically, so I've recently been rolling with that instead of growling at him for waking me up (as would be my normal response at 2am on a school night 😬). Sorry AF got you and it's not completely as you expected. Fingers-crossed for normality (or a BFP!) next cycle 🤞🏻

Welcome back @TheNewbieStep! I was wondering where you were 😊 That sounds like unwelcome high drama with your testosterone result 😕 It is unbelievable how they can balls it up completely! Given they've screwed it up this far, please try not to worry too much. Hopefully the repeat will show that there's nothing to worry about 🍀

Well, TFI Friday one and all! 🎉🎉🎉 I hope you are all doing lovely things this weekend? We're kicking off tomorrow with a gin lounge (whatever that's supposed to be?!🍸), so hope my BFP OPK can wait until Sunday... Very much doubt either of us will be in any fit state for DingTD tomorrow 🙄

I'm on the train home with a tray of Tesco luxury mince pies in my laptop bag. Cheers to a good Friday night in 😊🥧🍷

Off to the local microbrewery to sample the rhubarb cider. I need it after my commute, people who have loud telephone conversations on trains are just awful people.

Ooh @BambiOnIce80 Im off to a gin tasting tomorrow. Hoping to pick up my new car over the weekend too. Tonight is just a quiet one. OH is working til late, which is pretty standard as he's self employed. SO I've got the remote to myself and a lovely bottle of plum & vanilla gin with my name all over it!

Hello @TheNewbieStep! I’m still here! That’s so disappointing about your results. As if there wasn’t enough to worry about without having them give you incorrect info! Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

What about the rest of you, any good plans this weekend? What’s everyone doing over Christmas? I haven’t done any shopping yet.

FFS! 😩 Just got home to find DP with the start of some viral lurge and what could be the beginnings of a cold sore. So much for our SMEP efforts! I don't want his mouth anywhere near sensitive bits of my anatomy! 😕 BFN on the CD14 OPK though, so maybe there might still be time to monitor his lurge and get another DTD in before my LH surge 🤔 Or not 😞

Looking like some very exciting weekends all round for you ladies 😎 Enjoy your assorted boozes, cars and mince pies 😉

Lovely to hear from you all!

I'm out tomorrow for my besties 40th so quite pleased to not have got a possible opk! I'm not even going to pos tomorrow! DP has stinking cold and don't I know about it. So no chance of dtd anyway! I plan on getting on the fizz and will enjoy every wonderful sip!

Results Tuesday- fingers crossed it was a blip/bogus level and all back to normal!

Do you lovelies avoid the completely - or just in the TWW? Asking for a friend x

Avoid the 

Emojis not showing - the gin/wine

Went to the ObGyn and she thinks I have PCOS. Wants to start me on Metformin and Glucobay.

@TheNewbieStep do you have regular periods?

@terriwrist

Hi to you!

I do. Since embarking on the TTC highway I have started to monitor more carefully!

27-29 days, for 2-4 days, 'mini' tampons normally suffice - ovulation all over the show. Day 12-16. I used cheapo OPK for a year and never got a positive. Then I got a clearblue monitor and it seems to be finding a LH surge and a Peak every month.

What tests have they done to confirm the PCOS? It really ranges why they base a diagnosis on. This isn't terrible news, so keep chin up. In some areas you get referred to fertility clinic sooner if you have PCOS.

Ask away if you have questions, nothing is out of bounds here x

I'm on metformin x