TTC 35+ Thread 6 Cougar and Silver Fox Club

[M4v3r1ck]

Hey ladies, setting up a new thread! 😃 Hope it works! 🤪

Hi everyone. I phoned the doctors again this morning and he said it's probably an ovarian cyst so just to take pain killers and stop worrying pretty much. Has anyone had any experience with this? He was quite dismissive saying even if eptopic it would show on pregnancy test by now (11 days late). He wouldn't talk about any fertility tests until everything has calmed down and basically said I'm not getting my period because I am worrying (even compared it to school children getting exams). When off the phone I burst into tears. Kind of felt like I was being fobbed off. The pain is getting a lot worse and focusing more on the left side, I feel so sick and have been vomiting too, boobs and nipples are so sore but doctor seems to think this is my period but it's not coming because I'm worrying. I actually feel a bit insulted - I didn't start worrying until I was a week late and the pain was getting bad so I honestly don't think that's stopping my period from coming? Feel really lost

@DawnWW your gp sounds like a twat!!! So sorry you had to go through that. Please ring 111 for advice. You know how you feel and what you are going through

How very dismissive of that gp!! Pissed me right off.
Please do what you know is right for you.
Sending you lots of positive energy.

@DawnWW that's a nonsense! Worry does not cause pain! And worry can only delay your period when it's at the start of your cycle, extending your follicular phase. Your luteal phase is pretty much the same every cycle so your period isn't going to be on hold waiting for you to stop worrying. Pain and vomiting shouldn't be ignored. I would phone back and ask to speak to another GP, or phone 111 x

@Sleeeeeepy yes I have! It's pretty straightforward to use and comfortable enough that you can go about your business with it, you can feel That it's there but not uncomfortably so. I will be persisting with it in the hopes that it helps!

@DawnWW that sounds completely wrong of your doctor to dismiss you like that! If the pain is getting worse I would definitely either call the surgery and ask to speak to a different doctor or see if you can call nhs 111 not sure what time you can do that though, but definitely get a second opinion and tell them abouf the pain making you sick too! Hopefully you will get some answers soon

Hey all,

Posted this on another thread I’m on about TTC over 40 but thought I’d add here too in case it’s come up before. :-)

Had a great chat with midwife post-blood results this morning.

All fine with me, AMH within normal range for age, low overall obviously!

I did ask her about progesterone as it’s come up a few times here so i was interested in current fertility practise. She said progesterone had a brief period of being used but no studies have correlated progesterone to preventing miscarriage. She said it’s occasionally used post-IVF egg collection, but it does nothing to help improve chances of conceiving or maintaining pregnancy and whilst some GPS might prescribe it to reassure women, it is not generally given to women trying to conceive or who have had miscarriages. This is in line with a study I read that was done in 2018 and found women given progesterone vs not given it had the same chance of pregnancy outcomes. Interesting.

Just posting to reassure anyone worrying about levels or something they might be ‘missing’. I might add I am not an expert so just relaying what she told me.

Ultimately she said it’s just a game of noughts and crosses with the noughts being the good eggs!

One thing I found super reassuring was she said any moment you feel a bit defeated by the statistics, imagine yourself going into a contraception clinic. Any woman under 50 with an AMH of over 1 would be told they were CRAZY to not be on birth control as you still have a significant chance of pregnancy. I rather liked that! X

@DawnWW Your doctor is an idiot. Go to A&E. You should not be vomiting like that.

Please phone 111 @DawnWW Your doctor sounds horrendous, hope you can get some answers soon xx

[quote Sleeeeeepy]@TTCat39 have you tried vit b complex? I was having ridiculously short cycles, shortest was 17 days, and it stretched them out to 25. I ovulate quite early so that seems about right. I've been back on it since the medical MMC management as I was hoping it might settle my cycle a bit faster[/quote]
I haven't, but I bought some last night on your recommendation so I will try that next month. Thanks!
I got a positive OPK on the morning of CD11, so I'm assuming I ovulated on CD12. If I get to a 26 day cycle I'll feel happier about that.

@DawnWW - My mum had a similar conversation over the phone with a consultant that told her to 'Google it when we get off the phone' when she raised a question about the results of tests on her heart function. Outrageous lack of patient care doesn't seem to be as uncommon as I hoped it would be.

Please do as others have said and get help from elsewhere. You must be exhausted by all of this. xx

@Geriatric1234 I'm getting my AMH tested in a couple of weeks and worried it's going to be low as I had a low follicle count (6) and borderline FSH (10.7). Did you have your FSH tested? Interested to see how these things all correlate x

@MgW1 well, I can’t say my EWCM is excessive so I’ll have to take what I can get lmao.

I just got back from my second set of NHS 21 day tests! Finally can get the results and an nhs referral next week, hopefully. I’ve waited two months for this second test, felt like six

I would get a second opinion from 111 for sure @DawnWW

Hiya @Kitekat81 - No I haven’t had that tested - sorry not to be more helpful!

FYI - I’m guessing by your username that you’re approaching 40 so your AMH will be low-ish just cos you’ve used up more eggs, but AMH is genuinely quite meaningless as it gives zero indication of egg quality. From what I’ve read I think people get needlessly (but understandably!) worried by low results. I think that it’s only really of any indicative use to IVF clinics in knowing how many eggs they’ll be able to get.

I’m trying to get in for a fibroid scan and AF count so will let you know what those results are (once I wangle the time off from work for a scan!).

Xx

@Geriatric1234 that’s a good way of looking at it!

My day 21 progesterone was slightly on the low side (26) but my first pregnancy went to term without any treatment. I think it’s easy to get focused on the numbers but they aren’t always a definite bad sign if they’re low.

I’m confused by the day 21 if I’m honest. I’ve seen some people say it should be 30 but the parameter on my last results said >9

@Darkstar4855 Agree!

I think over 35 it’s a different ball (fnar fnar) game. It’s egg roulette and lots and lots of women have children well into their late 40s. I think it’s really smart to do what many of us are doing and collect the concrete data like AMH/thyroid/AFC/FSH/vit D in order to plan action accordingly or to be eliminate any obvious MC culprits early (as we have less time to much about) but they aren’t the whole picture.

Just one good egg! That’s all we need! X

@Geriatric1234 yeh you're right, I think AMH is mainly relevant as an indicator of how responsive you would be to IVF. I think a better measure of my egg quality is that it's been 10 months and they've shown no interest in being fertilised Oh well will just keep trying! Yes do let us know how you get on with your scan!

@Geriatric1234 did you get your vit D tested on the NHS? Did you have to request it or did they offer it?x

@Kitekat81 Not NHS, I went private as I’m a little older so have even less time to mess about!

Although it must feel like it, I don’t think 10 months is that long to have been trying. If you think about how absolutely random conception maths is! But doing all this data collections is definitely smart - just don’t let it weigh you down. It’s also not a measure of quality. But it’s hard not to read into it, I know.

Has your OH had an SA?

@Geriatric1234 yeh I know that it's quite normal for people to take 12-18 months to get pregnant. The reason why I'm worried is that I was referred to the nhs fertility clinic, and at my appointment the consultant said that my low follicle count would probably indicate that the eggs I have left will be low quality (partner's SA was normal). She said that if we have the means, her recommendation would be that we start looking at private IVF as soon as possible. I do have some savings, though of course I'd much rather spend them on bringing up a child than on the act of getting pregnant! I'm also of course very nervous of ivf and putting my body through that. I'm trying to stay chilled about it. Going to get the hycosy and AMH done privately in a couple of weeks, so that will give me some more information, then I might get an initial consultation with the IVF clinic just to see what our options are. I'd like to have tried naturally for at least 12 months or I will always wonder, and I also want to try for 3 months after the hycosy just in case it flushes out my tubes and makes a difference! After that I think we might be heading down the ivf route x

Just a heads up ladies - if you give the fertility-lily cup a try DO NOT dtd then fall asleep for a while then think ooh I could still put it in and it may still help OUCH!! Moral of the story - always put it in straight after dtd 🤦🏼‍♀️

@Kitekat81 I think that sounds like a really solid plan :-)

@Kitekat81 Oh - and what is a hycosy?

@Marvellouslymadmum ah ha ha ha ha! Noted! I think I'm going to get one, at least shopping for stuff makes me feel like I'm doing something while waiting about. My bleeding had stopped but now started again, hospital is due to call tomorrow so will see if they think this is an issue 🤷🏻‍♀️

Oooh @Marvellouslymadmum ouch!!! 🙈

@Sleeeeeepy sorry to hear you're bleeding again. Hope you're ok x

@Geriatric1234 a hycosy is the tubes test. They squirt some special ink through your fallopian tubes then do an ultrasound to see it pass through to your ovaries. If it shows that both tubes are blocked or damaged then egg will never meet sperm so ivf is the only option. If they aren't blocked, some people have got pregnant after it so it's possible that it maybe clears out any "debris" which might be in the way. It's £500 to do privately but I feel I've reached that stage where I need to try it.