Over 40 TTC - lots of baby dust for us...4!

[SparrowSG]

Here's our new thread (sorry, not good at coming up with exciting titles!!)

SparrowSG: 44. 1 DS 2.5. TTC for ever! 1 ectopic 10 wks Feb 2014, 1 successful IVF 2016, 1 failed IVF 2018, 1 MC 12 wks Feb 2019. Planned IVF Oct 2019.
KCM99: 43, 2 DC, ttc no.3 since April. 3 early losses since then.

Thanks @CritterTamer and @littlemimosa for the HSG info.

It is a strange feeling to be medicalising it all now, but it is time. I'm actually mentally bracing myself to go through IVF eventually, will give it a few more months I think but am fed up of nothing happening....

In that vein, if anyone on here can recommend a good London-based fertility consultant, would love a DM!

Have just seen the film "Only You" which is beautifully done, a story of a couple going through their struggle to conceive, but have been sobbing throughout! Would recommend it (if you want a good cry!)

Hi all I wondered if I may join in? I'm 39 and ttc first DP is 40. Been reading what you're all going through. Have my fingers crossed for everyone.
I've had tests done and we are all ok but they want to flush my tubes in sept.
Worst thing is now my DP has been put on anti depressants and basically I've been told the motility of the sperm drops so basically stand naff all chance. At 39 that's not so great to have to wait but I'm hoping in 6 months we'll be able to try. Not entitled to ivf due to him having 2 DC already from previous but can defo go private .

Has anyone had their tubes flushed?

@NicLondon1 are you following emma cannon on Instagram.. Ahwaz supposed to be very good.
Welcome @dobzyj
@Russkispy hope all is well...
Atm af looming as I'm day 28, but it's been a shit storm cycle with family crap going on, hols next week so will stuff my face with cheese and pate and keep busy with other half... not my month this month x

Nor mine, Chatbash. Heigh ho.

AF due for me today too. Not my.month either, but then it never bloody is 🤣

Mimosa - good to hear from you. Hope you are doimg ok. I think famera could be a good idea for you to try. Do you think your clinic will prescribe it? My clinic were reluctant to prescribe anything for me. And they were supposed to be the ones more leaning towards older people. Apparently not, so I will be trying the one other alternative in my area if we do IVF.

Welcome dobzyj

Just read an interesting scientific journal last night on curcumin (active ingredient in turmeric) is just as effective as clomid in reducing PCOS.

I'm definitely going to up my routine of drinking golden tea. It literally makes cysts on your ovaries disappear! It also leads to amazing follicle development and maturation. So get drinking ladies!

1/2 teaspoon turmeric in a pan, add pinch of pepper to activate. Add milk and gently heat. Pour in cup and add a teaspoon of honey.

Research post - clomid & mc

"High follicular LH concentrations have also been related to an increased percentage of early embryonic loss (Shoham et al., 1990). In the present results, the percentage of miscarriages was rather high (40%), higher than the 16.6% of miscarriages previously reported in gonadotrophin/cetrorelix 0.25 mg cycles (Albano et al., 2000; Al-Inany and Aboulghar, 2002). This high miscarriage rate may be attributed to the low number of patients participating in the study. It might also be caused by the higher basal follicular LH in clomiphene citrate/gonadotrophin/cetrorelix cycles, compared with gonadotrophin/cetrorelix cycles (Tavaniotou et al., 2002). It may also be attributed to a direct effect of clomiphene citrate on oocytes and thus on embryo quality (Seibel and Smith, 1989). However, the effect of clomiphene citrate on miscarriage rates remains rather controversial in the literature (Adashi et al., 1979; Dickey et al., 1996)."

@KCM99 That’s very interesting, thank you for posting that! I’ve decided to not take the Clomid this month and see what happens 🤞I’ve upped my supplement regime and lost a stone since the D&C a month ago so we’ll see if that has made any difference.
Hope everyone has a good weekend x

Well clearly my idiot husband thinks it's ok to cover the shower with cilit bang and shower whilst cleaning it... showering in nasty chemicals... I try to keep them out of the house but no he has an obsession about limescale... flipping moron 🤬😡😡😡😡 doubt there are any sperm left now

@Chatbash72 thank you for asking after me. Had a little more brown discharge throughout the day yesterday and nothing at night. I have to say I'm feeling weirdly calm about this pregnancy so far. Will probably worry about the scan a day before but since last EPU visit, I'm feeling ok. I think I feel nausea in the mornings and maybe evenings too. But sometimes during the day I forget I'm pregnant. At the back of my head I said, everything will be just fine. And that was that. And if doesn't work out for whatever reasons, I'll revert to my plan B, donor eggs.

@Constance1234 you're welcome and by the sounds of things you are doing brilliant. What's worked so well for you?

I'm CD23 today and ovulating. We decided to try this month again. It's been 3 weeks since my emergency D&C and I really think if it had have been a molar then they would have told me by now as apparently they triage things. I had a pretty standard ovulation this month too and it wasn't a super high LH peak like last month. I think reducing the folic acid helped calm down the LH. Then I read (see my posts above) that a high LH surge is more indicative of poorer embryo quality anyway.

Since drinking the turmeric tea, my pains have massively calmed down. So I do think the pains were that huge right ovary cyst I had and the golden tea is obliterating the cyst and preventing any new ones.

@Russkispy - keeping calm and knowing things are good, is brilliant. Best best way to be and I am glad you have reached that space.

Everyone else - hope you are all well.

Thanks @KCM99 for those interesting research findings. I'm wondering how high the LH concentration would have to be to have an adverse effect on the embryo? Did the article mention any figures?
The trouble is that LH levels fluctuate so widely throughout the cycle (and varies from cycle to cycle),that what the research studies set as a baseline and on what day of the cycle would hugely impact the results...
I also found drinking turmeric tea/milk very interesting, I will give it a try in my next cycle as I also have an ovarian cyst which was discovered after my miscarriage and is still there..

@Russkispy, I'm keeping everything crossed for you and your little miracle bean.

As for me, AF is due either today or tomorrow and I'm pretty sure that it will show its face because I've been having lots of cramping today.
And after promising myself not to test too early, I did an impromptu test yesterday and of course it was BFN, I mean what an earth was I thinking.. such an idiot. It wasn't even FMU and only 9DPO! doh
I'm now fully expecting AF, so I'm already planning what changes I will make the next cycle, I will try SMEP and will be seeing a lovely lady in 2 weeks time who is a natural fertility specialist, and take it from there.

Wishing you all a great weekend.

@Zigzag11 - here's a link to the article: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2305050016000154 They induced the cysts on the rats with letrozole of all things! I thought letrozole was to help PCOS, didn't know it can cause cysts.

I'm really late to the party 🤣
4 amazing children, currently 42, blighted ovum sept and mmc 3 weeks ago.
I would love to know what vitamins etc your taking? Apart from folic? Looking into low dose aspirin atm does anyone else take this?

Hi i would like to join this thread.

Cd2 for me. Not disappointed, just expected now. And to be fair I am still grateful to see AF as it means I still have a monthly cycle. So not on the scrapheap quite yet.

Interesting to read about the LH. My LH surge is usually shit. So does that mean it's not a bad thing? Or is weak LH just as bad as strong LH but for different reasons?...why are our bodies so complex?!

Welcome mumof4, sorry to hear of your mmc, I had one last year so can understand the pain of that.
Suppliments I take currently are;

Vitex
DHEA
Wheatgrass
Seven Sisters trying for a baby pre conception
B complex
Ubiquinol
Ovarin
Evening Primrose Oil

Welcome @Kimm123 and @Mumof4andahalf
I take pregnacare Pre concep vits
Co Enzyme q10
Omega 3,6,9
Am tempted with the low dose aspirin but have tried it yet..
am currently reading emma cannons total fertility book, although I seem to be doing the practical things she recommends it's been a stressful time which I know doesn't help.
Af hit with vengeance this morning, but it's out the way before we go away, it's still a regular 29 days which at 46 is a comforting thing. So can get busy on holiday and also eat lots of cheese and pate.. trying to find the positives... not the right time yet x

@KCM99 I ovulated on exactly day 23 as well after my D&C! We did try again too but got my period on Friday so obviously didn’t work for us, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you :) What has worked so well for me in terms of weight loss so far is the 16:8 diet which I am finding super easy! In terms of the turmeric tea, does it matter what kind of milk you use - would almond milk be ok or does it need to be dairy? x

@Mumof4andahalf I am taking loads of supplements at the moment: prenatal vitamin, wheatgrass, inositol, royal jelly, 5mg folic acid, baby aspirin, CoQ10, omega oil, manuka honey and a vitamin D spray. I have also have been losing weight as I’ve read that if you even lose 5% of your weight it can kick your ovaries into gear - something to do with releasing oestrogen, and also reversing insulin resistance x

Ooh yes @Mumof4andahalf I have the vit d spray too

Hi Cleo - my gp said he’d prescribe it to me. It’s so weird how different areas vary so much.... Sorry AF hit but glad you’re ok. I agree that a regular cycle is a great positive sign in terms of fertility.

KCM - thanks for the curcumin drink tip. Did you know that castor oil packs dissolve cysts too? Google them.

Welcome new people.

My current supplement list (even though I swore off them a while ago lol):

Prenatal
Floradix (for the extra iron & B vits)
Coq10
Inositol
Vitamin C & E
Ashwaganda (an Adaptogen herb)
Taurine
Magnesium spray

I’ve tried loads of different things over the years, DHEA, Shatavari, Vitex, omega 3s, and others I’ve forgotten no doubt!

@Constance1234 yes almond milk is absolutely fine! Whatever works for you to enjoy the turmeric. I looked up the 16:8 diet, sounds fab. I like intermittent fasting, I lost loads of weight on it before. It is easy too once you get past the first few days.

I'm drinking turmeric tea every day now and it's greatly reduced cyst pain. I'm so happy i found something that's working for me.

I'm in my tww now. Pretty sure I ovulated yesterday.

Does anyone keep taking ubiquinol/CoQ10 during their LP?

@littlemimosa no I didn't know castor oil packs also obliterated ovarian cysts. Thanks for sharing!

Ooh I take co Enzyme q10 everyday.. @KCM99 are you not supposed to ?

@Chatbash72 I tend to as well but heard others stop after ovulation. I'm not sure why though. So thought I'd ask here what others do. Google couldn't really help clarify.

Does anyone keep taking ubiquinol/CoQ10 during their LP?

yes I do. There are very few things I discontinue in the LP. If I found I was pregnant I would probably wean myself off gradually off most things.