TTC and 35 +, all those who are worried their ovaries are not as sprightly as before

[DarrellRivers]

After 18m persuading DH, we are finally (v gently ) TTc no 3.
As I am now 35, am convinced my fertility days are behind me.
Anyone in a similar position and needing to share support?

Right, I've managed to catch up with most of the posts now after getting excited at dharma's news. Lovely to see the thread so lively.

Welcome numpty1972 and summerlovin numpty is your af usually so short? I don't want to raise expectations, but I remember mummyontherun thought her period had arrived but it stopped and turned out to be an implantation bleed. You said you were still getting the symptoms? It could just be a funny period but you never know!

Jools1 your symptoms sound very promising!

sfxmum the new fangled test sounds interesting. I applied for one but haven't got it yet.

wasabi fingers crossed for your test

Hello to everyone else

the problem i'm gonna have now is that, cos of being late my cycle has changed to mid-weeek, my fiance works nights the only real quality time we get is the wkend!! i work days but have to leave home at 6:30am and he gets home at 6am!! not alot of time for us to get fruity, i'm begining to think it never gonna happen with our situation!! oh well have to try and work something out. good luck to you all.

the problem i'm gonna have now is that, cos of being late my cycle has changed to mid-weeek, my fiance works nights the only real quality time we get is the wkend!! i work days but have to leave home at 6:30am and he gets home at 6am!! not alot of time for us to get fruity, i'm begining to think it never gonna happen with our situation!! oh well have to try and work something out. good luck to you all.

spanglemaker, thanks for the message, my af is not usualy this short or light! i was due on sunday on monday when i got home from work i did test which was negative, so when i started bleeding on wednesday i just assumed that it was just an unusual af, i started taking second course of clomid last night, which you are not supposed to do if pg. today my boobs are not just sore they bloody agony!!! and i started to have i little bit more very light bleeding i really don't know what any of this means, i'm also getting stabbing pains on right hand side of abdomen!, maybe it just the clomid. will find out soon i guess. take care. x

hmm, sounds strange. I really don't know anything about clomid and its side effects. But, unless it affects your luteal phase, if your period was late then you must've ovulated late. It could just be worth another test to check it's the clomid making things a bit weird.

Actually if you are not supposed to take clomid when pg, then I really think you should take another test to rule out pregnancy. I know the BFN feeling is but it may put your mind at rest.

at the rik of sounding like my name suits me, what is the luteal phase??? i'm not very clued up on all this!! never had probs conceiving my boys. got a great fiance now, and he would love a child of his own aswell and i would love the chance to see if i can have one more (hopefullly girl!!!) i just get soooo confused with it all!!.

i'm sure i ovulated on time, as i used the clearblue ovulation test sticks and got positive result for ovulation right on time when expected to ovulate, maybe a bit sooner, deffo not late tho!!!

Have only just found out about this, as I have a short luteal phase myself.

The luteal phase is the period immediately after you ovulate, from the day your temperature shoots up, to the day AF arrives. The usual number of days for this is 12-14, and it's a bit of a problem if the luteal phase is shorter than that - it's called dlp, or deficient luteal phase. This usually means that you are probably not producing enough progesterone to create the lining which the embryo will embed into, and the best way to treat this - that I've heard, at least - is to take vitamin B12 and Agnus Castus tablets, which I'm doing and seems to be working, and use progesterone cream or suppositories, which I'm not doing yet. Apparently it's not a good idea to take Agnus Castus if you might be pregnant, so I'll give it a miss as soon as I ovulate, until AF turns up again - although hopefully it won't this time if I've got myself sorted and we're lucky! DLP is also connected with abnormal bleeding in AF, and I'd like to find out a bit more about this, if anyone knows?

numpty no you are not fulfilling your nicknake! I had no idea of such things until I had been trying for a good few months.

The luteal phase is the period between ovulation & period. It's usually 10-15 days and stays about the same for each woman (but I don't know if it can be affected by clomid or not).

If you are pretty sure when you ovulated and you know how long it is for you between ovulation & period (and especially if it's now more than 16 days from when you ovulated) then either

a) you are pregnant; or
b) the clomid has changed your luteal phase; or finally
c)it's also possible that you did actually ovulate later than you thought, or not at all - the sticks indicate the surge of hormone that prompts ovulation, but it doesn't necessarily mean the egg was released.

I still think you should do a test, I don't want to get your hopes up unecessarily but I think it would be an idea to try to work out what's going on.

okie dokie, will do! keep you posted, i take it then clearblue is the most reliable test from what i hear. x

yep Clear Blue (digitals get mixed reviews, better with a normal one) or First Response seem to get the best feedback on here.

Fingers crossed for a good result

I have to check what 'new thing' it does seem got it then had to go out will read it carefully then use it later in the month

couldn't get clearblue in my local shop had to make do with one called early bird, not heard of that one before! i'm now even more confused than ever cos i think there may be a very very faint line or i'm just seeing things i want to be there!! but if it was positive the line would be darker than that, after all i was due on sunday and it now friday!!! and i have had some bleeding on and off since wednesday, just not normal af, it started a bit brown then a very light pinky colour! (sorry to be so gross!) but i'm normally heavier and darker red than that! hmm

numpty could well be spotting I usually use clearblue or Boots own, they sometime differ slightly on how to use it

Ooh numpty, could be promising though as you say you'd expect the line to be stronger by now. How annoying it's not conclusive! Only thing to do is wait a day or two and check again - easier said than done I know!

i guess i should continue with the clomid anyway, as it not conclusive. can't get hold of the doctor to ask, clinic only really runs on a monday night!!!.

Did your GP prescibe the clomid? May be worth ringing up & getting their opinion.

I don't know if delayed af/spotting is a side effect of clomid. I bet there are some threads on here about it though.

Oops cross posted! Have to say if it was me I would stop taking the clomid just in case. It would be v annoying if you're not pg and lose a month so to speak, but would it be less worrying than if you are pg and continued taking it? What are the risks if you are pg?

Oh perhaps NHS Direct could give advice?

Aaaarrrrggghhh

This week is going soooooooooo slowly !

Will someone please hide my First Response tests and not give them back to me till Thursday please !

I have loads of odd symptoms and boobs the size of a small country !!

Yes - where is that fast forward button? Even worse the freebie test turned up in the post today and it's staring me down. Must keep repeating 'Do not test until Wednesday, do not test ...'

Hi KiwiKat - From your description I think I have a DLP too. Can't help you with the questions, but if you find out please let me know. I saw a nutritionist and she told me to take Agnus Castus every morning - she didn't mention stopping after ovulating. Is this what you should do??

Morning all - yes, summerlovin, the label on the jar says 'not for use by pregnant or lactating women'. Actually, am extremely glad I read your post, as I've only just read on the label this very minute that I'm supposed to be taking two capsules twice daily, and I've just been taking them once, in the morning. Many thanks for that! Also, I put you wrong in my earlier post - it's vitamin B6 you need, not B12. Sarah Dobbyn's Fertility Diet (new book hot off the press) also recommends magnesium and flax seeds (linseed), but she also says that Agnus Castus is most important. Her top tip, though, is sweet potato, as it's the richest natural plant source of progesterone. Interestingly, she has lots to say about men's diets and how that contributes to fertility. Plus alcohol is the demon (no, no, no!!! I don't want to post this), and to be avoided by both of you if you're ttc. Haven't read much else, as I went straight to the chapter that covers my particular problems, but will post any interesting bits as I come across them. (DH says I read too much - wish I'd read that blasted label properly the first time!)

I don't want to jinx anything, but just by taking the vitamins and the Agnus Castus (even the wrong dose) my luteal phase is longer, and this is the first AF I've had in 17 months that hasn't done the weird bleeding thing that's been worrying me. (Touch wood)

Thanks KiwiKat - does she mention the dose of B6 - my multi vitamins have 40mg - is that enough???

Bananas are a good source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), B6, and Magnesium.

Ummerlovin - I think 100mg is the maximum B6 you should take but it's good to take alongside B2 and 12.