Life changes helped conception late 30s

[MiniHouse]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to be as healthy as possible to help improve my chances of having a 2nd child, I'm 38. I'm already slim, eat a healthy diet and exercise quite regularly, but have pcos. But we've been trying for a while.

I'm interested to know what you changed before you got pregnant.

I started also meditating and having acupuncture.

Pics means hormone imbalance which can affect cycle, is your period regular?

I took the vitamins from It Starts With an Egg and took myo inositol for PCOS

Yes it causes a hormone imbalance. Fairly regular 30-34 days, doctors test confirmed I do ovulate. However pcos can also affect egg quality and lining of the uterus and thus implementation. I'm very fortunate never to have had a miscarriage as rates are higher with pcos. I'm slim, eat well, do regular exercise.

But I'm struggling to get pregnant. Looking for things I can try to give me a sense of progress.

I was overweight and has pcos, I went on a low carb diet and conceived within a few months...I would suggest trying to work out exactly when you do ovulate in your cycle with test strips. Once you e got an idea of when you're most fertile, making sure you have intercourse just before your fertile window and during it.

Your partner should also be doing his bit - not smoking etc etc.

Early 30s, but stopping caffeine helped me.

Hi @MiniHouse i had my baby at 41.
Before my pregnancy i was a size 8 and worked out everyday but once i started trying for a baby i eased off the exercise tbh even yoga. I remember just doing arm workout videos.

When i found out i was pregnant i continued with arm exercises and very easy legs exercise.

That's interesting. Did you read something that advised this or was it just a hunch? Do you know why it helped? How much exercise had you been doing vs how much did you do after?

Actually before my first child I deliberately went up in size from a 6-8 to an 8-10 by eating more bread and doing less intensive exercise. I've done a similar thing but with pcos it's important to exercise so I try to do 20 mins medium intensity yoga and some walking most days.

Thanks. Fortunately he doesn't smoke. He is slim and seems healthy and doesn't eat loads of dessert. I'm trying to cook fresh food as much as possible to reduce his processed food intake. He is quite stressed at work though and I reckon he doesn't get enough sleep so he's said he'll try to find ways to relax.

Thanks, I have worked it out. I get the smiley face day 20. One challenge is my husband doesn't want to have sex every day but every two and not more than three times around that time. Would you have sex days 16, 18, 20 or 17, 19, 21? Is it likely to matter?

Hi @MiniHouse i was doing yoga and advanced pilates for about an hour everyday.
It was a hunch i decided to take it easy, it's such early stages i didn't want to put any stress on my body.

OP how long is your cycle?

It's slightly irregular - 32-34 days

Agnus castus til positive test

Thanks. Did this work for you?

The advice is confusing because I thought if sat the positive test is day 20 I would actually ovulate day 21 (assuming I test often enough to catch the start of the surge). Therefore days 20-21 are most likely times to get pregnant. But there's also a good chance day 19. I read many women miss their fertile window by waiting for a test.

I also read that sperm needs refreshing and if you haven't had sex for about a week or more this isn't ideal.

So you think it's best to just ignore this and keep it simple by waiting for the positive test then having sex that day? I think having sex two days after is no use though so I could also do it on day 18.

At 38, with PCOS, if you’re serious about having a second child, you need to go straight to private IVF asap, ideally a top London clinic like ARGC or Lister / Zita West. Egg quality declines massively between 35 and 40.

I have PCOS, but did not know this until the beard arrived relatively recently 👀 I had one child but was unable to have another. I very much regret the years spent mucking around with the NHS doing clomid and tube clearing out. By the time I went for IVF (38) my doctor said that my eggs were no longer good enough and I would need donor eggs to conceive. I wasn’t able to get pregnant.

I’m sorry you’re going through this, I know exactly what it is like.

To answer your question: inuslin resistance can be a huge problem for women with PCOS so it’s interesting that I didn’t conceive my child until I went strictly zero sugar (incl fruit juice), and zero alcohol/coffee. Conceived 3 months later.

But in your situation I strongly strongly recommend private IVF asap.

Thanks. I considered IVF but I can't actually tell how much it increases chances and I could probably afford upto about £13k but here if people spending tens of thousands . Doctors blood test confirmed I do ovulate and have a sort of regular cycle. I can't find stats on how much of a difference IVF makes in my position.

Why do you recommend a top London clinic? Are the success rates just generally much higher? I can get to London but it's not convenient from here and I've heard extra stress of IVF travelling etc can backfire in some cases. Interested to know your thoughts.

Thanks for your post. Sorry about my reply above I think it was a bit too direct.

Sorry you weren't able to have a second child. (Sending hugs). I'm really upset about this at the moment as I think I might have missed the boat as I can understand how disappointing it must have been when you were told about your eggs. So thanks for your honestly and useful advice.

I had a look at the clinics and success rates. They look good. I just need to work out what to do. My husband said we can do IVF if I want but he optimistically assumes it's not needed but that's also because he's not as bothered as me. Also I'm quite and anxious person about worry about the stress of IVF. However I'll have a look and see what's best.