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 ❤️

@SarahShorty can aspirin help with conception ?

@cornflakes86 It can help with development of the lining and reduce the risk of blood clotting while the placenta is growing. The evidence that it helps with conception is scanty and it's not guaranteed to help, but it's one of those things that doesn't hurt to take. Just make sure it's no more than 75mg a day as you don't want to overdo it. My IVF consultant suggested it to me in a briefing after my first transfer failed.

@MK85 gosh your medical team are a joke. It’s good that the clomid helped you ovulate that is positive news at least.

@SarahShorty thanks might give it a try.

@SarahShorty @cornflakes86 I'm also taking aspirin, after my last mc I did a lot of research and one of the easy things is the low dose aspirin, doesn't seem to have any negative effects... I was taking it this cycle before my bfp and continuing to take it - I would have needed to be on it anyway with a family history of high blood pressure!

From what I've read , some fertility doctors do indeed recommend baby aspirin for ivf patients as It can improve blood flow to the implantation site and increase pregnancy outcome. There does seem to be quite a few studies on it that demonstrate a higher success rate in ivf patients. I started taking baby aspirin In January after my loss . I wasnt recommended it, just from my own researching as it said its sometimes recommended to women who have had recurrent miscarriages so i thought surely it cant do any harm. I'm going to sit it out this month tho as i came across an article last week and then did some more digging and found a few studies that contradicted that evidence. They showed that unless your already at risk, taking aspirin can actually increase your risk of miscarriage and prevent successful embryo attachment and development. If you google it you'll find lots of articles for it and those strongly against it.
The advice I took from it all was unless youve been told to take aspirin by a doctor then its not advised because it might increase that risk.
Unless it's something to do with how the ivf process affects your womb or unless there's an underlying issue that the aspirin somehow helps ? No idea.
Think its one of them things you just have to make your own mind up about as there's so much conflicting evidence as with everything. I'm giving to give it a miss as I've been taking it for months and it hasn't exactly helped me get pregnant either

@MK85 I think the effectiveness of low dose aspirin depends on the individual and their specific situation. I know what you mean with researching things on the internet, you go into it with one question and come away with a million more. There is no consistency. My IVF consultant told me it will do no harm to me by taking it, so even if it doesn't work for me in terms of conception, it's not going to jeopardise my health.

@SarahShorty I could completely wrong but perhaps the ivf meds restrict blood flow to the uterus and that's why aspirin may be recommended? I say that only because that's one of the side effects of clomid, is that it decreases blood flow to the uterus. If that nutrient rich blood flow is not directed to the uterus it can affect implantation and prevent the lining from thickening. I continued to take aspirin last cycle just for that reason after they implied my lining was thin so I've suspected it's a result of the clomid as I had 2 ultrasounds in the past 6 months and there was no mention of it. If I remember correctly I think the downside of aspirin is that it interferes with a chemical ( can't remember what it's called) that's important for stickiness, so it can increase the risk of loss because it stops the egg sticking to the womb.
Do you take it or not 🤷‍♀️ its so hard to know. I've tried it for a few months while I've been ovulating, so now I'm going to try it without.
I'm thinking this month of giving acupuncture a go. I've been focusing on a more natural approach this time for improving blood flow to the womb . Drinking pomegranate juice is one and there's some yoga poses that are specifically good for it

@MK85 It really is a minefield, isn't it? The only thing I've read about with regards to a chemical that helps implantation is hyaluronic acid which is added to the medium used in embryo transfers. I've no clue otherwise. I hope you get your baby soon xx

@SarahShorty Cant remember the name of that chemical, prosta.. something. I think there's several substances produced in your lining that's responsible for stickiness. I'm pretty sure the hyaluronic acid your talking about is another one thats naturally in your lining and i think some clinics add it , and they they call it a embryo glue. I know that only because I looked it up one time wondering what the hell is embryo glue 😆

@MK85 Glue! That's the stuff. The only other chemical I remember is prostaglandin. There are several types of prostaglandins, one type is what's released to aid in healing tissue damage and helps with blood clotting at the site of an injury.

@MK85 I did to start with but it didn’t work so I am back to normal. Don’t limit any caffeine or alcohol anymore although I’m not a massive drinker.
Glad you finally got a letter from your consultant. Hopefully you can move forward from there. Maybe they want to give you an extra month of trying- it seems you’re ovulating on the clomid which is great news, right?! Treat last month as your first month trying!

Wanted to add some hope here. I am 41 and I have gotten pregnant after one time. I am astounded and I feel so lucky. My baby is due mid January. There is always hope and I think a lot of the scaremongering for the 35 plus is not necessary.

@Jomummy1013 I needed that, thank you so much xx I wish you a happy and uneventful pregnancy!

I'm so glad @SarahShorty Really, we are not over the hill yet ❤️

Congratulations @Jomummy1013, it's lovely to hear such a positive outcome 💕 wishing you a healthy and happy pregnancy x

@MK85 thinking of giving acupuncture a go myself it’s so expensive but I know people do swear by it. I’ve such light periods I have concerns myself about a thin lining.

How's everyone doing? I think I'm now back in the TWW though I've no clue how many dpo as I didn't do OPKs this time 🫤 we tried to DTD every other day but life got in the way as usual so I think we'll have been unsuccessful once again - not sure how to take my mind off the usual TWW over analysis so I imagine I'll crack and test early 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

Hope you're all ok and enjoying the beautiful weather x

13DPO today. Still having some mild cramping on and off, no spotting as of last check. Yes, I am very much on knicker-watch duty! My BBT is still well above baseline. DH and I are not hopeful, we're just trying to get through to the next steps, whatever they turn out to be.

@Stillwinston All ok here. About cycle day 10. Got my AFC scan on Sunday, it will be interesting to see what this month’s egg is up to as it’ll be day 12, and I tend to ovulate between day 12 and 15. We’re dtd every other day too, but same as you, life has got in the way!

Hi all! I'm still 10 days until AF due. 4 days since ovulation but feels like 4 years! Had a lovely day off with DH today and we've got a busy weekend ahead so that should keep my mind off this wait. No symptoms at all but guess it's too early either way.

Going back to the question if we change anything from our usual lifestyle while TTC - I don't, I eat and drink the same (caffeine and alcohol), go to theme parks, deal with livestock etc etc I cut right down when pregnant obviously but not until then.

When will you test @SarahShorty? Dare I say it ... sounds promising 🤞🏼

@Infinitebows if AF doesn't arrive by Sunday, I might test.

Token pregnant person checking in, still pregnant, 5 weeks today

Got my second progesterone test back today and it's shot right up and is now in the normal ranges for first trimester and in the middle of the range not even the bottom thank god 🤞

Tentatively booked into an early scan 3 weeks time if I'm still pregnant then to check for Heartbeat etc as that would be the same time I had my MC last time, I don't want to go earlier and have false hope that all is ok only to have a MMC or something, now I'm just praying for a healthy and sticky baby 🙏

I'm still reading the thread but not wanting to annoy anyone so I'm just lurking, but I'll keep you all updated if you want!

There's a chat come up 'pregnant at 43?!'

Have just had a quick read and it's a really uplifting thread, I urge anyone feeling down at the minute with this TTC business to find and read it xx

@SarahShorty really hope it's a BFP!

@Infinitebows Thank you! xx