Over 40 TTC - lots of baby dust for us...3!

[SparrowSG]

New thread for us 40+'s

Hello ladies,

I was wondering if I could pick your brains regarding appropriate female fertility tests fo check hormone levels for ttc. I also have irregular cycles/possible pcos.

I had a full screen in my early 30s inc AMH, LH, FSH and testosterone. All normal but I did have poly cystic ovaries on an ultrasound. I'm now nearly 40 and coming to the end of a two month cycle. I just wanted to see if I could have the tests checked to make sure there's no issues. I've also just had a mmc and a cp.

The GP didn't know what AMH was (a little surprised) but he did order the other tests. Is there anything else they should be testing for?

I was on the whole pretty frustrated with the doctor. He didn't seem to know anything about pcos. I asked what else I could do to regulate my cycles he said nothing and that he normally just puts woman on the pill but since I'm ttc that won't work. It also looks like a DHs SA has been lost too which is frustrating as we couldn't dtd for 48 hrs before I ovulated on the sample day.

Any thoughts or experiences with fertility testing would be greatly appreciated! Xx

Thanks ladies. Onwards and upwards 💕

Chatbash, 46. kids 21,19,17,8 & 6
ttc 3yrs mc 9 wks, mc 5 wks
SparrowSG: 44. 1 DS 2. TTC for ever! 1 ectopic 10 wks 2014, 1 successful IVF 2016, 1 failed IVF 2018, 1 MC 12 wks 2019.
Booseysmom: 47, 1 DS, ttc forever too!
Rose68: 43 (44 in June 😭) 2 DS 9 and 7, ttc since Aug 18, 1 mmc.
KristieP2018: 43 (in April) TTC #1 since June
Samk79: 39. 2 DC 11, 16. TTC since Aug 18, MC Jan 19
Alibaba2, 43, DD 7 and 8, ttc 3 years with several CPs
Mellongoose, nearly 43 (June) DD4.5, TFMR at almost 21 weeks in Jan 19. Still TTC

Chat..sorry about AF coming. I too have had a hormone filled month.. got to be one of the worse ever. I feel AF looming and she's going to be either right on time or a day or two late so I'm not testing. I just don't need the disappointment.

Welcome to @kavanaughkj.. i relate to the constant illnesses. I think that was what prevented us from conceiving dc2. Plus my DH got hospitalised with pleurisy. So I know all too well what that's like. My last window of opportunity was well and truly closed then I think. I'm 47 and only hold out a min amount of hope but if I can be of help to others I want to stay here as I had DS at 41. So sending you a.sprinkling of baby dust! Good luck x

Do you ladies mind if I join in?
I’m 41 and ttc#2. I had a miscarriage last July and have hadno luck getting pregnant since. I’ve been prescribed Clomid for low AMH and am currently in the dreaded 2ww. Hope everyone’s having a good Friday night x

@Catconfusion hey! Been wondering how you were doing?

Sorry I can't help with your questions xx

Hey @Michellebops I'm not too bad thanks. I'm coming to the end of a nightmare 8 week cycle after my chemical pregnancy. I will be testing tomorrow as 11 dpo. Feel like I'm going mad as lots of symptoms. Not sure we caught though as DH had sperm analysis and we count dtd for two days and then Sod's law I ovulated on cd 36, the day of the SA. Anyway we'll see in the morning.

How are you doing? I've been wondering too! Xx

@Catconfusion Sod's law eh! I'd been wondering how things were for you. It was a rough situation and I'm glad you're nearly at the end of it.

I'm not too bad, af due today but no sign so officially late I suppose 🤞 other than extremely sore boobs and some cm I have no symptoms of it coming yet. Did an ic yesterday and was negative so I'm going to give af a few days to turn up before I test.

Good luck with your test tomorrow 😘

Catconfusion - gp's will usually only do FSH (day 3) and progesterone (day 21 / or 7 days after you ovulate) for fertility. AMH is only done privately as I think it's quite an expensive test. Gp's aren't too up on fertility from what I've seen, and unfortunately they tend not to refer if over 40, so it's just basic tests with answers (no treatments) or private.

Welcome constance. I'm surprised you have been prescribed clomid for low AMH, I was refused clomid and one of the reasons was because of low AMH! How low is yours? Maybe mine was just too far past the line.

EvalineUK - do you know what it means if temp rises much later than positive opk? My rise can be up for 4 or 5 days later. Could that mean ovulation happened just after peak but rise was slow, or that ovulation didn't actually happen until much later, on the day of temp rise?

Arh thanks @Michellebops yes I never thought I'd have two back to back miscarriages like that. I'm still getting a fair amount of pelvic pain from it.

Unfortunately a bfn today at 12 dpo on an FRER so probably not my cycle.

That's a good plan to test in a few days. You never know. Good luck. I don't think I'll waste money on FRERs again as it's so expensive if you're not pregnant. Literally throwing money away. Xx

Thanks @Cleozeta for replying. We might get a private consultation. I'm a little upset we wouldn't get a referral. It's our first baby and we met late in life. We've literally started trying as early as we can and I've had a mmc and a mc. I also have polycystic ovaries which I've had my whole life so would have caused problems whatever age I started. I might speak to someone within my ccg and find out for definite what the rules are. My gp seemed clueless. Xx

Welcome @Constance1234
Day 2 of af, we are away but like you @kavanaughkj we have had a very stressful job journey over the last few years... hubs started own business and the stress levels have been through the roof... but he starts a new job next week and I am cutting back my hours.. so we'll see if that helps.. I think we forget about stress on the sperm.. x

Catconfusion - it may be different in your area, it's worth checking

Morning @Cleozeta my AMH is 3.1, but I don’t have high FSH. I had all the signs of ovulating last month - temperature shift and positive opks, but a 21 day scan showed a small follicle and no sign of a corpus luteum (and I have regular 27-28 day cycles) so I was put on Clomid to ‘strengthen ovulation’ as the consultant put it. It seems to have worked as a scan on day 10 this month showed much more activity including a 18mm folicle and a much thicker endometrium lining. I’m not holding my breath about getting pregnant straightaway, but feel like at least I’m in with a better chance now!

Hope everyone has a good Saturday :)

@Catconfusion I found that the best, just not testing early. Fed up with the disappointment.

As I'm now officially 1 day late, I think I'm going to wait until Monday to test 🤞

Constance - that's really interesting. My AMH was 2.9 so not that different from yours, they didn't check FSH at the clinic. I also ovulate every month but was suspecting it was weak, which is why I asked for clomid to strengthen it. They refused, saying that it's likely with my low AMH that ovulation is weak due to my overies getting weaker and starting to shut down, so clomid would not help with that. How funny that you got such a different response.

Cleozeta That doesn’t sound right that your FSH wasn’t checked. That’s a reliable indicator of whether you are close to the menopause or not. You can be 21 and have low AMH, it just means your ovarian reserve is diminished not that there is no hope. I though I was ovulating every month too by the way, until a scan showed otherwise. I can give you the name of my consultant if you like? He said that half the women he sees in his prenatal clinic are over 40. A friend of a friend saw him for low AMH too, was prescribed Clomid and is now 8 or so weeks pregnant which is what prompted me to go and see him!

I don't think FSH is that reliable to be honest, I had mine checked when I was 40 with the GP, it was 10.4, checked it again 6 months later and it was 18.4, then about 10 months later (after 2 mc) it was 10.2, so not very consistant.

At the clinic the scans showed I had ovulated but no details on weather it looked any good or not. The first scan showed small cysts which were gone by the second scan (the next cycle) I had 8 follicles both times.

Your consultant sounds great, I'd love to see someone who specialises in the older person. Where is he based?

That’s interesting I did not know that it could fluctuate. I was told that AMH should be compared with FSH and LH to give a good picture of what’s going on. I’ll send you a message with his details. It cost £400 for the initial appointment including a scan, and follow ups are £150. So not cheap, but way less expensive than IVF :)

Great, thanks constance

Welcome and baby dust to @Constance1234

AF has landed ladies..very painful so far. I'm out

Hope everyone ok. How are you Russ? x

BooseysMom Thank you.
Sorry to hear AF has arrived. I think we all know the crushing feeling of disappointment that that brings :(
Hope you’ve managed to have an ok weekend nonetheless x

@Constance1234.. Ah, thank you! It's evil this time so currently laid up at home. I can't even talk to anyone when i get this..the emotional side of it can often be worse than the physical.
How's your weekend going?
Hope everyone has a lovely bank hol x

Hello ladies. I thought I'd finally stop lurking and actually join you now. I've just found out I've had a MMC at 9 weeks although the baby was measuring small all along so I wasn't super hopeful of a good outcome and hoping to start trying again asap. I'm 42 (as of a couple of weeks ago) and took 6 cycles to get pregnant so hoping there's a good egg hiding in there somewhere. I've got 2 daughters, 15 and 3. Wishing everybody in the 2ww good luck :)

Welcome @SomnolentSekhmet.. good to have you on board...You can stop lurking now! Sorry to hear about your mc. Remember you are even more fertile now..there's def a good egg in there for you! Good luck & baby dust x

Ladies, you are not gonna believe this and part of me wishes I'd tested and part of me is glad I didn't..but I think I'm having a v early mc. I felt really strange a couple weeks ago, nauseas and weak and very emotional and broody when I held a new baby of the family..everyone thought I was preg! Then i started AF 1 day over due date and it's vile with alot of pain and clots (sorry tmi). So could it be a mc I wonder??