The geriatric gang 👵🏻🤰

[Stillwinston]

Just a lighthearted thread for those of us now considered to be geriatric by the NHS 😂 looking to meet other women TTC who may also be feeling past their prime!

A little bit about me - I'm 36 and TTC dc no.2. Been trying for over 2 years now and depressingly started AF today so am yet again starting CD1. Hubby doesn't quite understand how upsetting this is each month so it'd be great to chat with ladies who get how I'm feeling ❤️

And apologies @catinthesunshine, welcome!

Also apologies, meant @TheBirdintheCave re.follicles and embryos 🤦🏼‍♀️

Once again I’ve missed so many comments while not online today - so sorry if I miss anyone out:

Sorry to hear a few of you have had to welcome AF today. Hope you’re all doing okay and have found some chocolate and/or wine to help ease the pain.

@SarahShorty loving your positive thoughts. Hopefully they’ll help many of us.

Those of you having short cycles, mine have always varied between 25 and 27 days - a few longer but also a few shorter. I checked on my app and I managed to conceive two months after a 24 day cycle (when I was 35) and again after a 25 and 26 day cycle. My cycles seem to be longer at the moment and have been slightly less reliable since my tfmr so not sure whether I’m due AF on Saturday or Monday 🤷‍♀️

@Jellyfish1956 it's a bit of a long story but I'll try and keep it short without being too outing just in case ... I have wanted another baby for about 18 years (I have a son who's 22) we are incredibly close but he lives and works in America. I stayed with his DF in the hope of changing his mind to want another for 17 years. Eventually left the marriage and have been with this DH for 6 years and we're both now desperate for a child. Been trying for around 2.5 years (have had two MC's in the last 10 months 😢) I've been broody forever but life doesn't pan out quite as we expect unfortunately. I'm 44 next so I doubt I'll be eligible for any kind of fertility treatments. My doctor did say there was hope as I can get pregnant but my uterus is bicornuate (heart shaped) and I have a tilted womb so that can also hinder the process.
@Stillwinston🤞🏼 thank you 🫶🏻
Sorry for the essay🤦🏼‍♀️ x

@Infinitebows what a journey you have been on! It's lovely to hear you are with someone now that wants the same things you do. I work in a fertility unit and I do think it's really promising that you can get pregnant - so there's still hope! When the woman is >40 unfortunately a higher percentage of eggs will be genetically abnormal - but not all of them. I will keep my fingers crossed the right one comes out next month xx

@Infinitebows , what a journey! I second what @Jellyfish1956 said about having a partner that wants the same things, that's so lovely. And so lovely that you have such a great bond with your DS.

It is a damn lottery with egg quality post-40, but there will be some good eggs in there!

Keeping everything crossed for you!

@Infinitebows I completely agree with @Jellyfish1956 and @Maizie83 - it's such a lovely outcome that you managed to find your current partner and that he also wants that much longed for baby. I'm absolutely rooting for you guys ❤️🤞🏻 x

I caved this morning and did a test at 11dpo… bfn. 99.9% sure I’m out for this month as with my other pregnancies I’ve tested positive by now. Boo!

Hi all, AF is here so I’m out this month. Better luck next time I guess.

@catinthesunshine sorry to hear that lovely ❤️

@Downtherabbithole83 will keep my fingers crossed 🤞🏻 I'm in the same position, 12dpo and bfn this morning so looks like we're heading into the next cycle once again🤦🏼‍♀️

Thank you, I’m so sorry to hear about the BFN

Thank you so much lovely ladies, this group really is the best 🥰 let's hope the next batch has a good little sticky one in there
So sorry for you all with BFN's and AF arrivals and those going through the also difficult IVF route - Hope we get some luck soon 🩷

Hi everyone. Sorry to hear about the BFNs and hope you’re all looking after yourselves.

I’m 7dpo and feeling a bit flat today. Had my follow up appointment with gynae yesterday after my HSG last week. Everything completely normal with my HSG- fallopian tubes all fine and womb all fine. I know that’s good news, but I’m crap at being patient. She told us that it takes 2 years to get pregnant and to come back after that. (Why does everyone in my life seem to have got pregnant well within 6 months??) Sent us away telling us both to lose weight (yes my bmi is 30 but I ovulate regularly, fit and well etc.)
So, I’m feeling a bit deflated but should be grateful that everything seems to be ok.

Does anyone know what “soft opaque 340” is, in terms of contrast liquid for my HSG? It was written on my notes from radiologist and I wanted to know if it was oil based or water based as apparently oil based has a higher chance of boosting pregnancy but I didn’t ask at the time.

Sorry to hear a few stories I have read on this thread, and to all those reading BFNs.
I'm currently 6dpo AF due next wednesday, I have zero symptoms at the moment not even my usual sore breasts. I am coming out in tiny spots but sometimes that is normal.

I suffer anxiety and literally stopped myself doing anything that could harm my risks of conceiving, up until recently that is. I've now started to exercise, take a collagen and protein supplement, treat myself to a glass of wine at the weekend and generally live. I stopped the folic acid with zinc, was taking pregnacare and then seven seas but they just messed up my cycles. I will of course when I conceive take folic acid right away.
I just feel like its constant battle! Has anyone else had similar thoughts?

I really hope I bfp this cycle otherwise its over to the GP for help.

@niknaks37 Is this your first bub? I understand the anxiety. Trying to conceive can be a living hell for some and it's so hard. I take Pregnacare from the last conception, mostly because the ingredients are pretty much the same as in the pre-conception ones and because I couldn't be bothered to buy another pack of pre-conception vitamins. I don't drink any alcohol unless my DH wants to see me pull faces (I could never get a taste for it). There's not a lot else you can do when you're already doing everything you can, so best to just kick back and relax.

Pregnacare pregnancy*

@niknaks37 I've heard that alot about pregnacare messing up cycles. I can't say for sure but I took pregnacare during my previous 2 cycles and wondered if that could have contributed to my super long cycles again. I was ovulating normally until i started supplementing with it and then i was ovulating into the 30s and 40s. I've stopped taking it and ovulated normally . It could most certainly have been clomid forced me to ovulate earlier again but I think i shall be avoiding pregnacare in future as a precaution. I've been taking terranova pre natal multivitamin this cycle and I'm so far liking it. It contains DHA and added beneficial ingredients like kale, spinach, beetroot and pumpkin seed ect
I've scaled all my supplements back as I was honestly taking like a million a day and they clearly did feck all. Now I just take the pre natal, q10 and my inositol

Hi @niknaks37 I've stopped the pre conception pregnacare recently too for the same reasons but will start if I get pregnant again. I also like an occasional drink 😏 good luck this time x

@Infinitebows it might be a one off but if its a regular occurance I'd ask the gp for bloods. I had a very short luteal phase the other month ( 6 days) but then my last cycle was fine again.
I've wondered if mine is due to low progesterone since my last few periods have been very light and with the last , bleeding only 3 days which is very abnormal for me. My most recent blood test was a year ago now. I had recent bloods taken in Feb but won't get the results now til mid June when I'm back for my review at fertility clinic

Hi everyone,

Sorry I have been MIA. Took a few days away from the phone for the long weekend and then have been playing catch up at work.

Feeling a bit down about everything to be honest. Had my day 3 bloods done and my AMH has fallen again since last August. To be expected I suppose at 39 but yet another reminder that time is running out. Waiting for our follow up appointment with Jonathan Ramsay to get the rest of the results from my husband's tests and see what he says about his recommendation for next steps. Seriously thinking of going back to IVF but if we do, I don't know where - maybe abroad this time? Lister or perhaps Spain...

Why is it so f*ing hard - it is so unfair isn't it? As some of you were saying then there are people with loads of kids who never had a bit of bother TTC.

@ttcat37 much to my dislike, my bmi is also 30. I found gynaes quite rude when it came to weight. They prescribed me metformin for pcos and when I informed the gynae that I was severely unwell as a result of the medication ( horrendous diarrhea and abdominal pain for months) she told me " that's a good thing as you'll lose weight because you too much fat " I certainly do not think chronic diarrhea and pain is a good thing.
When I saw fertility clinic they werent that bothered by my weight so long as by next appointment my bmi was 30 . They advised me get down to 12st.3 . They didn't pressure me to lose any more weight unlike gp and gynae. Luckily I only had 5lbs to lose . I'd like to get down to 11st by the summer . I've started calorie counting . I'm still allowing myself to eat bad stuff so long as I'm not exceeding my daily calories. Anytime I completely cut out the junk, I'll lose the weight but then gain it back as I overindulge becsuse I feel like I've been missing out. This way, allowing myself to still enjoying a treat means I don't feel like I'm missing out

@MK85 mine said to me “lose as much weight as possible” which was a bit unnecessary. I’m ovulating regularly so, although I do want to lose weight mostly so my summer clothes fit, I’m not sure how it affects getting pregnant?

That is shocking what the gynae said about the side effects helping you lose weight!!! Wow. Some consultants really need to work on their people skills!

I’ve been doing Cambridge diet on and off for ages, it’s good as it’s really quick but like you say I feel like I’m missing out. My DH has meals prepped for him because he’s a bit lazy and they’re really convenient and made to a certain amount of cals. Like me though I think he’s a secret eater and got a similar bmi. Gynae looked him up and down and said “you need to lose some weight too!”
At the end of the appointment I just said “right, looks like we’re off to start a diet…”

Body fat, or how much fat your body retains is regulated by your thyroid, ie endocrine system. So if you're overweight, your thyroid could be sending out the wrong amounts of hormones, this is also true if you're underweight. Sufferers of PCOS tend to struggle with being overweight, for example. Hormones and other chemical messengers are what makes things function correctly, including the reproductive system.

And having digestive issues like diarrhea does help you lose weight, but in the worst possible way. Food gets flushed out of your system so fast that no nutrients get absorbed and you lose a lot of water. Your gynaecologist was right, though was just a little bit crass about it.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with baths and TTC? Annoyingly there’s a leak in our shower and we can only take baths until it’s fixed. I only just realised that this might cause problems TTC, and could cause miscarriage if I do get pregnant.

I am assuming it’s only very hot baths, and that immersion in water won’t cause a problem. The internet has been vague!

@Maizie83 it's only very hot baths. The goal is to not let your core body temperature increase. If the water is hot enough to turn your skin pink or red, or you start sweating, then it's too hot.