@YellowLoafers @Marvellouslymadmum @Kelb79 Thank you!
@Kelb79 I don't mind at all! Very grateful for any advice. AF came yesterday, a day early (still getting to grips with all the terminology!) Of course I didn't expect to get pregnant the first month of trying, especially as it was a bit of a half hearted try, but still feel a little deflated. Met DH at 37 and talked about wanting children quite early on but for various reasons it just really didn't seem like the right time to try until now. To be honest the circumstances still don't feel 100% right, but I just don't feel I can wait any longer. Basically work, finances and global events just kept conspiring against us. We work in an industry where short term contracts and moving around a lot are pretty standard. We have moved four times in the last 3 years, including internationally. We undertook another big move over the summer and agreed once we were settled in our new home/jobs we would finally start. Also wanted to implement various lifestyle changes etc including some of the stuff from 'It Starts With the Egg' before trying. But in the end by October we didn't feel settled and hadn't made the changes, and when the Glow app sent me a notification that my fertile window was beginning this month, I thought nope, still not ready. Then when I got a notification that it was my ovulation day I panicked about my upcoming 41st birthday and we DTD 3 times in 24 hours but of course the app isn't the most reliable way of tracking and we didn't try enough to give ourselves a good shot even without accounting for my age.
Since the day we started trying I have been taking a pregnancy supplement, and DH is taking a daily multivitamin. We've stopped drinking and cut right down on caffeine. Want to cut it out altogether but it's so hard! Working towards that. Generally we eat healthy meals but often indulge in sugary treats or just use them for energy boosts, and we eat out/order in a fair bit. We are both overweight so need to work on that, and start exercising regularly again. Have also been taking steps to reduce exposure to BPA and phthalates for a couple of months now. Since AF came yesterday I have ordered ovulation sticks, CoQ10 and Omega 3 supplements which will arrive Wednesday. I think we are both going to take both of them, but 'It Starts With the Egg' says only Omega 3 from dietary sources is really effective for women, and I do eat a lot of fish, seeds and nuts (am careful about mercury though) so I don't know if only DH should take the supplement and I shouldn't bother? Also confused about vitamin D. The book says only to supplement if you are deficient. I have just moved from a very hot, sunny place to somewhere much less so. So should I supplement to be on the safe side, or get tested first? Any input greatly appreciated. There is so much to get to grips with and it's all so overwhelming. Is there anything else I should be doing at this early stage that I'm missing?
I think we are going to try for 6 months before starting to get tested etc, but I've read that after 40 you should really only leave it 3 months. We've said in principle that we'd rather try naturally for longer and then go straight to DE if necessary than try with my own eggs after 40, but that's really only a decision you can properly make after talking to a doctor, having tests etc I guess. We are lucky in that we live somewhere where fertility treatment is much more affordable than the UK. Also DH is younger (early 30s) so I'm hoping this may count in our favour.
Sorry for the essay, just nice to talk about it all with people in the same boat and get any input from those that have been on this journey longer than me!