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 ❤️

@TypingaThesis @Maizie83 @Stillwinston thank you so much 💗 we haven't told anyone at all (not even my best friend) so it's lovely to have support and be able to chat freely about it on here - last day of AF yesterday so on the countdown to ovulation again now. I think it's all the constant waiting that's the hardest don't you think? xxx

@Infinitebows completely agree, these forums have been a godsend for me over the past few months as everyone else I seem to know just falls pregnant without even trying 😒 it's amazing to be able to share your frustrations and worries with other people who understand and don't think you're overreacting or being "neurotic" ❤️

And I'm on the last day of AF too so looks like we'll be heading into ovulation and the TWW around the same time 😊 x

@Maizie83 so sorry for your loss. I had a viable scan at 10 weeks before I miscarried I was just about to announce the pregnancy when it happened. It’s so heartbreaking isn’t it ? I am glad I didn’t announce the pregnancy and if I am lucky enough to get pregnancy again I don’t think I would tell anyone until 20 weeks to be honest

@cornflakes86 I'm the same, i was 8 weeks when we lost ours, but I had only told one person... it's a bit weird though because I was glad I didn't have to go and tell loads of people about the MC but at the same time apart from these boards there's been no support in real life for the emotional part of it.

Though I don't think anyone truly understands unless they've been through it as well and everyone processes differently etc but my initial plan was not to tell anyone until after the 12 week scan, but even more so now.... the thought of just telling a few people early is always there though, but with the background fear that you know it can all change in a few days.... eugh

Hi all - could I join in please?

My story - 39, TTC No 2. No 1 took a number of years (started on and off from 2015) - 2 failed IVFs but ultimately fell pregnant naturally in June 2020 (something to thank Covid for!) and had a baby boy just over 2 years ago. I have PCOS, struggle with my weight, a blocked fallopian tube and a mega stressful job which I can't imagine helps. My husband had quite high DNA fragmentation which the clinic thought was the cause of the failed IVFs (we collected loads of eggs which mostly fertilised and thrived to day 3 but all failed after that - only one blast from the 2 cycles).

Back now TTC since my period returned just shy of a year ago and no sign of anything. I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating - I'm using Mira which is showing LH rises each month. Also just had an appointment with Jonathan Ramsay this week to get my husband checked out and waiting for the DNA fragmentation results so we will see how that goes.

Thinking about going back to IVF - but not sure I can handle failure again so we'll see. Have agreed with my husband that we will try until summer and then reassess.

Sorry for the essay! Great to have others to talk to in similar situations.

I totally understand the wanting to tell people but not doing. It's the expectation of everyone waiting and watching to see if your pregnant I couldn't cope with. Especially like pp have said to then have to say after two MC's too. These forums are truly amazing. Sending everyone on here a virtual hug - we got this 💪🏼!
@Stillwinston eeek everyday feels like a year with waiting, even for those pesky eggs to drop then the TWW. I think the omega 3 and pre conception vits made me ovulate early last month so I'm going to start testing in around 5 days... crackers I know 🤦🏼‍♀️ but don't want to miss it again xxx

@Irishgirl2015 welcome 😊 it sounds like you've had a really tough journey so far ❤️ my friend managed to conceive her beautiful baby thanks to Dr Ramsay, he really is amazing - I completely understand wanting to wait a bit with the IVF as it's just so tough.

Sending loads of positive vibes your way and hopefully this forum and these amazing ladies can be a support x

@suz2285 @cornflakes86 @Maizie83 big love to you all, this TTC malarkey is so bloody tough ❤️

@Infinitebows not crackers at all! I'm planning on starting my OPKs from tomorrow - literally want zero chance of missing my peak this month 😂 x

Good luck with your appointment at the clinic today @ttcat37
Let us know how it goes and if they told you about a miracle drug!

Just popping by to say that I had my 2nd the month before my 42nd birthday. There's nearly a 9 year gap between our two, as I was 33 when I had my first. No MMCs or known issues, just no positives, for years. It can still work for you in the end.

@FriedEggChocolate thanks for sharing your story that is interesting . Did you ever get any investigations done in that time ? I was 33 having my first also. I wouldn’t mind a big age gap I just want another and it’s the uncertainty of it all I find difficult !

@cornflakes86 we didn't go with any investigations. We had a friend who'd spent £££ on failed IVF so we decided that we had one, and to make peace with our little 3-person family, and get on with our lives; we didn't want the repeat MMC they went through. One child = foreign holidays, more opportunities for after school clubs etc. We were dumbfounded to get DC2 out of the blue so long afterwards.

We don't have family help with childcare at all, so we presume the stress of general life, lack of privacy at home with a young DC etc. played a part, but otherwise just one of those things.

@FriedEggChocolate that is a good attitude to have and I can understand why you would decide to not go for IVF it’s a ridiculous amount of money and no guarantees

Hi ladies xx Hope it's okay to join. I'm 35, though I started my TTC journey a few months into turning 34. In about a year and 3 months I've have two CPs (6 months apart from each other) and a failed IVF cycle. DH was diagnosed with oligozoospermia (low sperm to you and me). I have 4 frosties left and am due to see my consultant tomorrow for a follow-up consultation, like a failure review, basically. As there is a gap in treatment, I'm going back to OPKs and will try again the old fashioned way before the next transfer. I've seen a few stories of a miracle happening before the next round, so fingers crossed!

Welcome @SarahShorty, glad to have you with us 😊 so sorry to hear about your losses and difficulties conceiving, hopefully tomorrow brings some good news 🤞❤️ my friend's husband has azoospermia and with help from the amazing Dr Ramsay they now have a beautiful little boy, will keep everything crossed for you xxx

Hi all, hope it’s okay if I join the thread?

I’m 40 and trying for my third (though it is my first with my partner). My first two were conceived relatively easily when I was 33 and 35; naively I thought it would be the same this time round. We started trying a year ago and four months later we fell pregnant but unfortunately this resulted in a heartbreaking tfmr at 14 weeks. I then had a chemical in February and we’re still trying… currently CD 4 and getting ready to start the opks again. Worrying that my eggs might be causing issues…

Sending lots of positive thoughts to you all!

Currently cd2
I'm planning to start my first cycle of clomid tomorrow. I'm not expecting miracles and I still debate with myself if it's the right choice considering we have morphology issues ( although we did conceive december) and i do already ovulate on my own but just very late in the cycle. I've had so many mixed opinions from consultants. One gynae told us there's probably no point considering his abnormal count / another gynae gave us the go ahead as the more eggs the more opportunity for his swimmers to have a chance of fertilisation / fertility clinic told me don't bother as if im having periods I'm probably already ovulating so theres no need and another coach ( not a medically professional just a fertility coach) told me even if I ovulate on my own clomid would strengthen my ovulation as I'm ovulating really late which affects egg quality. Does anyone have any thoughts on any of this ?

@Jellyfish1956 @Stillwinston thank you! We just got back from the hospital.
I really liked the consultant, she was calm about it all without being dismissive.
She said that patience is key, all my levels are good and most couples take 2 years to conceive 😳 she said we need to concentrate on sex every other day, not doing it loads around ovulation. DH was happy 😂
She said that due to some previous gynae issues I’ve had re unusual bleeding (all resolved) she wants me to have an HSG to check everything is ok, so I have to ring up on day 1 of my period as it has to be done between days 9-12.
She’s prescribed me folic acid 5mg as I’m a bit tubby at the mo 😬 (maybe this is the magic pill?!!!!)
I also had a blood test for vitamin D. (Already had day 3 and 21, plus sti check at GP, did a private AMH and DH’s SA. I think she would have ordered all of these if I hadn’t already had them done).

All in all I think it was a worthwhile appointment. If anybody is interested in costs, it was through Spire. I paid £220 for the consultation. The vit D test was £130, the HSG is going to be £440. The folic acid for 3 months was £9.53. The follow up consultation will be £150 max.
All of this will be done within a couple of weeks (apart from follow up). I’m not sure how long we’d have to wait to see a consultant/ get an HSG on the NHS but feel like this is worth the money to us.

@Stillwinston Did you get in touch with the GP?

@Downtherabbithole83 welcome 😊 so sorry to hear about your tfmr and recent chemical, I hope you're doing ok. A lot of us ladies seem to have had a difficult time with our fertility journeys so hopefully you'll find this to be a helpful and non-judgemental space ❤️ x

@MK85 keep us posted with how it goes - I reckon you should just give it a shot as you've not got anything to lose and if it helps then it'll be totally worth it 👍 x

@ttcat37 Good luck with the hsg. It's definitely worth the pain. Apparently it can clear out any gunk and it stimulates your ovaries and increases your chances by 30% the cycle after the procedure. After all these years trying with no success I had the hsg in November and fell pregnant in December so I don't think it's a coincidence. We tried immediately in January again after the loss but here we are April and still not pregnant 🙃

@ttcat37 so glad it went well today and the results and next steps sound really positive 😊 I'm also pretty tubby at the moment so think I might ask about the higher dose of folic acid - unfortunately I didn't get a chance to call the GP today as I was so busy at work but planning on getting the ball rolling tomorrow.

And I bet your hubby was happy with that news 😂 I've told mine that we're trying SMEP this month and he's delighted with the frequency that we're going to need to dtd!!

Thanks for sharing your tests @ttcat37

AF has arrived so back on CD1 cycle 4. I am going to start a healthy eating regime this cycle as I'm bigger than I was when I conceived DS and I wasn't small then.

@Stillwinston good luck with SMEP and getting some tests. Can I ask how long it took to conceive your first?

Morning all 💞 reading your posts with interest envy my DH has a much lower sex drive than me as it is so trying to get him to DTD when is needed is sometimes quite difficult. He really wants a baby too but it ends up more like a military mission than anything that resembles a passionate encounter as much as I try to seduce him 😂 sorry if its TMI just wanted to share as there maybe others in similar situations *prays it's not just me