TTC 35+ Thread 6 Cougar and Silver Fox Club

[M4v3r1ck]

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

Welcome to everyone who has recently joined this thread, it is a wealth of support and knowledge. Good luck!

Oh goodness - my period was due today so I just tested and it’s positive! I’m so shocked, I was convinced my period was coming. I didn’t stop shaking for an hour 🙈 I just hope the little one sticks 🍀

@Geriatric1234 I don't know a lot about the progesterone levels and mc I'm afraid but it is the first test my doc has put me forward for, spoke to her yesterday to confirm my cycle and I'm booked in on day 21 she confusingly has booked me in for progesterone, Lh, oestrogen and fsh but I think the last two should be done on day three 🤔 but at least she's doing something! I would probably ask to get it done, I think as many test results as possible is the best way to put our mind at rest.

@MeltingSnowflake congratulations! 🤞🏻 it's a sticky one

Thank you @Marvellouslymadmum ☺️

I agree!! One day you hear one thing and the next day it’s the opposite position. I haven’t had the day 21 done so I think I’ll do it juuuust in case on next cycle. Can’t hurt to have more info.

PCOS is very interesting. Do you mind my asking the results of your scan? Do you have other symptoms consistent with it?

Ttc is crazy. You don’t want to find a problem but given almost every issue has a solution, it would almost be reassuring to find something was amiss! Xx

Forgot to tag you @thislittlebird. Really doing well today aren’t I?!

@Marvellouslymadmum Yes, I think you’re right. Might as well have the test and feel calm/fix issues. That’s what happened with the scan so it can’t hurt.

When are your tests? I think they can adapt some results depending on day, but progesterone has to be on day 20/21 ish. Xx

@MeltingSnowflakeNO WAY!!! YAY!!!

I think we can all confidently say that BFP is thanks to this thread. YOU ARE WELCOME Ha! Crossing everything for you! Xxxxx

@Geriatric1234 that's what I'm hoping, they're not until 9th March as I'm cd1 at the moment. Not sure if I'm hoping for all being good or an answer as to why there are issues to be honest! It would almost be nice to have an answer if there's a simple fix to the issue🤷🏼‍♀️

Welcome new faces, congrats @MeltingSnowflake and sympathies to @sickofthisyear for your tough time. It seems likely a lovely supportive thread with all the trials and tribulations of TTC in late 30s+ shared and eased.

Thank you @Geriatric1234 - I think you must be right! 😁

Mine always booked them together every time @Marvellouslymadmum. Worth asking about lh/fsh on day 3, but they may take them on day 21 either way, they always seem to with me.

@Geriatric1234 yeah day 21 won’t hurt, and your GP will do it eventually anyway. I don’t have any PCOS symptoms but the confusing thing is it can present differently so it sent me down a rabbit hole when I got the scan. I had 17 on one side and 11 on the other, which was initially reassuring and then you start to think what could be wrong.

Congrats @MeltingSnowflake and hi to @sickofthisyear

Just had a truly awful conversation with a clueless woman at the private clinic. Made me realise they’re way too geared up for ivf and nothing else, I think I’m just going to focus on acupuncture this month and use my money for that. Trying to get to the bottom of or get help with this progesterone result has just made me even more stressed and the admin at my GP still haven’t put my referral through

Hi @Loladoodle ☺️ and thanks @Pamparam. I definitely found this thread more suitable than the others where posters are mostly a little younger when TTC. 🙈
Omg @MeltingSnowflake congratulations!! hoping for a sticky one for you.

@thislittlebird ahh ok thank you, I'll just see what she says about the results when I get them then and go from there I think!

I do think that some places are worse than others for trying to 'sell you what they offer' you can just tell some people genuinely want to help you and others are in it for their gain 😕

Congratulations @MeltingSnowflake !! I hope it's a sticky bean and you have a happy and healthy pregnancy

@thislittlebird I 100% agree re: private clinics. Ultimately they make the most money from IVF so they are keen to push that approach. My clinic have been great but even they have repeated ‘at your age if you really want a child it’s now or never for IVF’ - and this was before any tests/scans - so it’s taken quite a lot of willpower to remove that option.

I feel like your progesterone result whilst low, isn’t abnormal? It’s just at the low end of normal so I think you should be over the moon about the follicle counts that don’t seem high enough to be PCOS as you are well within normal range. Obviously that is my professional option as a fully-fledged Google doctor. If i had those results I’d be feeling fairly positive about how many follicles I had and how treatable low progesterone is :-)

So glad you’re getting the acupuncture! Enjoy it! And don’t let these clinic people get you down xxx

Ugh @Geriatric1234 I hate the upsell. I get it, time is not on our side, but I would imagine most people don’t want to pass go and go straight to ivf, it’s annoying that they focus on it to the extent that they seem thoroughly uninterested in my questions around this progesterone issue and what I can do about it. On this one call (where I was trying to get prices and more info about tests and what I’ll learn from them that I don’t already know before I agree to them) the woman speaking to me knew absolutely nothing and said she wasn’t in my consultation so she doesn’t know??? Then she asked if I wanted to go straight to ivf TWICE???? I have been raging all morning tbh, it was not a good experience on the phone today. My previous experiences with them have ranged from great (the nurse I saw) to passable.

I really would like to speak to a private gynaecologist (while I wait for the nhs) or another specialist in the area who will listen. I want to speak to someone about it and instead I ended up having a row with this woman lol. Like @Marvellouslymadmum says, you just want to feel someone wants to help you.

Yeah my results really aren’t bad, and I was really happy with the scan results initially but the longer I wait the more I worry and the lack of clarity over whether I’m actually ovulating based on the progesterone result, it is confusing me a lot. Would rather not be treading water, you know?

I’m clearly well on my way to qualifying as Doctor Google too

@thislittlebird it's so frustrating isn't it! It's a shame we can't just speak to fertility doctors online £10 for a five minute chat or something - i do feel it would be worth it to both us and them!

Yeah exactly @Marvellouslymadmum. Just give us an opportunity to be able to speak to an expert briefly instead of waiting or being up sold to and getting more and more distressed. The waiting for help and the confusion feels so damaging.

I was watching that Rhod Gilbert show last night again (this time with my husband) and we were talking about how the NHS would benefit from giving us all general health and fertility MOTs at certain milestones because surely then you can deal with the issue earlier instead of what I assume is a mad rush and back log post 35 when we’re running out of time? It seems really backwards somehow. I dunno, maybe it wouldn’t help, but this issue with men’s fertility falling off a cliff over the last 40 years seems pertinent. Test and educate us all earlier on so we can help ourselves maybe?

Congratulations @meltingSnowflake that's wonderful, hope filled news.

@MeltingSnowflake amazing, congratulations!

Well my hycosy today went just fine. Probably one of the fastest ways to make £500 disappear from your wallet, but on the whole I'm glad I did it. Womb, ovaries and tubes all looking healthy, no fibroids, and both tubes clear. She also saw 7 follicles, which is one more than last time 🙌 Also had an AMH test, will get results in 3-5 days. So am running out of possible explanations for our lack of success so far beyond my age / poor egg quality / just bad luck.

Glad to hear it went well @Kitekat81! Was it fairly comfortable? How long did it last?

And seven follicles is good news!

@Kitekat81 Ahhh great news! Well done! Yes, I think it’s just the old roulette wheel of eggs! Xxx

Thanks @thislittlebird! It probably lasted about 5-10 mins. Wasn't uncomfortable at all, it didn't feel any different to the scan I had before, even though there was more going on down there this time. I took ibruprofen an hour before and she said I might get some cramping afterwards, but haven't so far. She gave me some antibiotics to take tonight.

7 follicles is still not ideal but better than 6! She described it as "slightly reduced" which doesn't sound too disastrous. Feeling a bit more positive about continuing to try naturally for a few more months before we start thinking about moving towards ivf.

Thanks @Geriatric1234! A roulette wheel is an excellent way to describe it. Surely a good egg has to pop out eventually!!