37yo 1st cycle

[Y88]

Hi everyone,
This is my first post :)
I am 37 (no children) and just finished my first cycle after coming off the pill. Unfortunately unsuccessful in this 1st month. I have been using seven seas trying for a baby supplements since coming off the pill at the end of November. I will start using easy@home ovulation strips from now on to better track my cycle. How long did it take you to conceive around the similar age to me and do you have any tips? And how do you stay positive?
TIA 😊 x

I came off the pill end of oct. Had a short 3 day period beginning of December. Currently 8 dpo and I have a faint line. Waiting a few days before I test again.
good luck 🤞🏻

This is the ages when I conceived, and how long each took

34 - 3 cycles
35 - 5 cycles
37 - 2 cycles
39 - 1 cycle
39 - 5 cycles
40 - 1 cycle

Some of these ended in miscarriage, but in terms of actually conceiving, for me age doesn't seem to make a difference (yet!) but every woman is different.

Remember that on each single cycle you only have about a 20-25% chance of success.

Thanks for the replies 😊

@Niftymum88 my AF started today and my first TWW was an eye opener. So many emotions and thoughts going through my head 🤣. Good luck with the test in a few days. I have everything crossed for you.

@Smoogles I'm sorry to read that some of them ended in MC. I'm really hoping in the next few cycles. It's a rollercoaster of emotions at the minute. First day back at work today and its hard to concentrate.

I'm 37 in February, and my 5 pregnancies took:
2.5 years (suspected male factor, but my ex so no longer care 😂)
6 months
9 months
6 months
3 months

Sadly all have ended in losses so far (4 between 8-11 weeks and the most recent at 22 weeks) and we're due to start IVF soon as I have chromosome translocations. My story is at the more complicated end so please don't expect to end up in my situation, most people won't!

My advice would be to expect it to take longer than you think/want it to. It can be a long and rocky road, and it's best to set expectations early whilst holding room for hope. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones, and it only takes a few months. But be prepared for it to take a little longer. Up to a year is considered "normal" but at 35+ if it takes more than 6 months you can go to your GP to ask for tests to check certain things. xx

I am 38+8 months and just got my BFP on cycle 3 and it's my first baby. Honestly, I didn't even give my age a second thought. I am active, healthy BMI 23 all that stuff!!

My tips to stay positive are to picture yourself holding your beautiful baby - worked for me 🙂

Please don't say that being positive is what gets you your baby, I'm so pleased you haven't had a difficult journey but it implies blame on those who don't have such a lucky ride xx

Those ovulation strips are amazing! Understanding your cycle really helps with TTC. It took me about a year to fall pregnant the first time, as soon as I started using those strips I was pregnant within 2 months (I now have a son who is 3.5). I've been pregnant twice since then, we were trying both times and I fell pregnant on the first cycle both times as I just know my cycle now. Unfortunately they did both end in miscarriages but I am hopeful that I can get pregnant. Planning on TTC again this month, I wont be using strips so will just aim for roughly the right dates based on my cycle. Pay attention to your cervical mucus, it's a good indication of your fertile days. Also, don't do the deed too often, every 2 days is plenty! I normally aim for ovulation day and 2 days before that.

Good luck!

I don't think she was saying that. The OP asked separately "how do you stay positive?" and @thismonthsfad was just answering that separate question, not saying that that somehow caused her to get pregnant!

@ThatMintMember is DTD too often seen as counterproductive? I've seen that elsewhere but wondered why!

I was 36 when we conceived
37 when i gave birth and was told conception would be difficult due to having pcos. I used the easy@home ovulation kit and we conceived first try. We were very lucky. Dont let your age worry you. Try not to stress about it too much and enjoy the practice 😉. Sending lots of baby energy your way xxx

oh jesus not you again policing what people say. I will repeat myself again because clearly you cannot read.

I did NOT tell OP to stay positive, if you took the time to actually READ you will see that I repeated the OPs question in my answer!

Thank you! It really rattles me when these kind of comments are made! This person has tried this on with me before.

Ah sorry if I misinterpreted. I've seen a lot of "manifestation" type comments lately so likely interpreted it wrongly x

"this person"? I just apologised for interpreting it wrong. Genuinely didn't mean it badly.

and there's nothing wrong with manifestation type comments. If you don't like that sort of thing, scroll and move along - it's not for you to police what people say. You may not be a manifester but many are as it's a great coping mechanism for dealing with negativity, disappointment and trauma.

I don't know the science as I haven't read anything recently but I think it's basically to allow the sperm time to renew. We tried it twice a day when we were first TTC and it didnt help at all. Every 2nd day made trying feel less like trying and we felt a lot more relaxed about it.

My tips:

-Buy the book 'It starts with an egg'. You can get 2nd hand copies from ebay. You may have no issues getting pregnant, but I thought it had everyday, handy tips to reduce toxins etc which 'might' cause issues
-Buy a re-usable saliva type OPK. I ovulate, but never got on with the urine strips and after years of TTC, they become very expensive.
-If you overweight with a larger BMI, you should be taking 5mg of folic acid, not the 400mcg you get over the counter. Many woman are unaware of this.
-When you get pregnant, consider having the NIPT. You can have it from 10/11weeks.
-If you are nearing 6mths TTC, see you GP and say its been 6mths. My GP was very dismissive, said I was 1 week too early for any testing and to go home and relax. When he finally did a D21 blood test, it was normal, but he refused to refer me, despite well over 12mths TTC at that point. I was 33 at the time.
-Long story short, we TTC 12yrs, lost 3 and have no living children. No reason ever found. My story isn't normal though and hopefully it happens for you very soon x

I was 40, and I also read “It Starts with the Egg” and followed her advice to the tee. It took 4 months, and it all went smoothly (apart from post-natal care), and baby entirely healthy 🙏

About 6 months.

I gave birth to a healthy baby boy a week after my 38th birthday. It took around 5-6 cycles. I was using ovulation strips the whole time and was panicking as I seemed to not be ovulating according to them or my use of them (but I really did try to be consistent). If they don't work for you it might not be you that's the problem as I obviously was ovulating to become pregnant. For my next child I didn't bother with them. I just took my vitamins and folic acid and tried to eat healthily. I also recorded my cycle on an app so I could pin point the best time to try for a baby. It was much more positive for me. I think another way to stay positive is to try not to focus on it much. I know it's hard but I think spending too much time on these boards can make you more anxious, if you're reading posts about others having a hard time. I think the two week window goes slower if you're focused on it. At least that's what I've found. Best of luck!

i completely echo this - the one cycle I didn't come on mumsnet at all or track my BBT, is the cycle I fell pregnant. I knew roughly when I was going to ovulate and just had some fun with my husband lol