Ignoring the LIES, DAMNED LIES, and STATISTICS: Fiesty & Fabulous 40+ers TTC

[xserialshopper]

Open to all 40+ers TTC.

We're friendly - not cliquey (sp?) and would love to know you{smile]

Huge congratulations to you W!!!! what an inspiring post, and good luck with it sticking!

Rowing, my book hasn't given doses, unhelpfully, so I'm assuming something lower than the body-building maniac tabs and higher than the min top-ups would be good. Saw the Holland and Barret ones but haven't found anything offering the full range yet, and don't want to take thousands of individual ones, so still looking. Agree about L-arginine, and I've got a cold sore at the moment, so not going near that! Just spent a fortune on loads of fertility-boosting supplements, MG's mens and womens tablets, and MSM, maca, spirulina and barley grass powders (cost: in DH doesn't need to ever know category... ) I'll probably be neighing after this lot, but a) it's gotta be better than the seeweed, and b) I feel better when I'm doing something pro-active.

Fifi, I do hope you're feeling a bit more enthusiastic about your forthcoming BDing! I've read that every 2 days is fine over the fertile period, and in fact carpet bombing (DH's term) every day can reduce sperm count - although don't see how, surely it just parcels it out in smaller doses?, so just missing Friday should give you a chance to get fantasising about Saturday...

AF starting right now - bizarrely don't feel bad, as thought we'd blown it this month anyway, and this gets a pointless cycle over with. scary thing is it means FSH test tomorrow or Weds...

Thanks Wonamana. We need more posts like yours to keep us going!

Hope you're feeling a bit chirpier Fifi. TTC'ing is a complete drag. I hate the complete lack of control it represents in my life. It's a bummer 99% of the time.

Will have to carpet bomb bd in my house this month as DH goes away 2 days before I'm due to OV, so I think we can safely assume this month is a complete waste of time. Heyho, Feb it is then...

Fifi, I think I have Ewan's phone number, let me just check.
Glad to hear you sounding a bit more cheery.
Bump what's wrong with seaweed. I had just filled up a bin bag from our local beach and was planning to post it to you tomorrow. Oh well, perhaps I can keep it until for a couple more weeks and send it to Nigella Lawson.
These are the tablets I was looking at in Holland and Barrett http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=149
This is what is in them
Each tablet contains:
L-Arginine .......................................50mg
L-Cysteine.......................................50mg
*L-Histidine .....................................50mg
*L-Isoleucine ..................................50mg
*L-Leucine ......................................50mg
L-Lysine .........................................50mg
*L-Methionine .................................50mg
L-Ornithine .....................................50mg
*L-Phenylalanine .............................50mg
*L-Threonine ..................................50mg
L-Tyrosine ......................................50mg
*L-Valine ........................................50mg
*Essential Amino Acids
I think that's everything except the GABA. I googled that and apparently it isn't actually and amino acid, so it might be a separate supplement
[blanches at prospect of another supplement]
Bummer there are no dosage details. I'm off to google that now.
It's a bit spenny all this isn't it!
Juicy, you never know two days isn't that long in the life of a sperm!?!?!

Just being dumb here. Are the amino acids are just a general boost to fertility?

Just asking as don't need to mess with my luteral phase, so only want to increase all round "making uterus feel 20 again" stuff.

Already doing

royal jelly, pregnacare, cod liver oil every day.
EPO Day one to 6.

May add grapefruit juice and guaffanesin next cycle.

Hi Juicy, I think the amino acids and CQ10 are all about improving the eggs.
From what I have read, the uterus is actually alright for a lot longer than the eggs. That's why a lot of 'older' women doing IVF do donor eggs, but then have a healthy pregnancy. I think 'rubbish' eggs get chucked out quite quickly. Also good eggs and 'rubbish' sperm, get chucked out.
Cod liver oil is great, but after pregnancy you are supposed to change to fish oil because of the high levels of vitamin A in cod liver oil. I am taking fish oils just in case.
grapefruit and guaffwotsit are all about the CM - more and for longer.
EPO helps the tone the uterus I have read it improves the lining and causes contractions which is like a work out. Oh and EPO improves CM too.
I googled that GABA stuff and apparently it raises the levels of human growth hormone, I imagine you would need some of that for a baby - just a hunch. Oh and it helps you sleep, that would be good for me.
When I get paid next week I'm off to Holland and Barratt to get the amino acids and GABA and some protein powder.
I'm a nutter!

LOL vsf

Thank-you all knowledgable Rowing Boat - that helps loads. Will also checkout Dh's next pay cheque to decide what to buy next! Royal Jelly is running out, so not sure if I can justify everything at once (RJ is £90 for 3mths)

That's alot of stuff from Holland and Barrett!

Does anyone know if the rule for EPO applies for grapefruit juice and guaffanesin? i.e. only take day 1 -6 / up to OV - depending on what you read?

I can see the headline now fifi:-

Holland and Barrett kept afloat despite recession due to over 40's desperate conceive

make that desperate to

I knooow! All this stuff to take! What am I doing? I just want to get the most out of the IVF - lots of money!
We are keeping them in business, us and the steroid gorilla brigade.
We aren't even trying TTC at the minute, particularly as I don't have the foggiest idea of where I am in my cycle after the bleeding. I am hoping it will be AF as normal next Monday - didn't think I would think that, but at least I will have more of a handle on what day I am on.
I'm getting more aching on the side of my right ovary now, every twinge makes me feel totally paranoid.
COC can we have more stats please? [appealing face]
Well off to the docs tomorrow, but don't hold out much hope that she will be able to do much. It's all up to you body!!

DH and I have just decided to go away to Brighton for the weekend at the end of Feb when next due to OV and leave DS with my mum, so I need to get going with the supplements asap to boost our chances. If we don't manage it in Feb or March it could be May or even August before we have another chance!!

Need to get down the shops sharpish (avoiding the offie!!)

How did you get on Rowing?

Grownupbabes - hi, I posted to you on a recent thread when you had a weird late cycle, now I am in the am situation. I was just wondering if you ever got any answer for your strange cycle? I am now going through the "it must be menopause" thoughts too.... arrrgggg.

hello all! my DS was born 8 days ago by csection. he was born at 37+5 weeks because of my health issues, he weighed in at 3.72kgs and was screaming for a feed ! he is a gorgeous little boy and i feel so incredibly blessed to have him.

midwife came today to check on us, DS has regained his birth weight and then some. i am breastfeeding and it makes the waking up to feed every 3 hours worthwhile!

here is proof that us over 40s can do it!

YAY Heron!!!

Rainbow - I remember your support, thank you. What happened with me was this: Eventually I got to day 46 with still no AF. Went to GP and he did a hormone assay, which was all very positive and showed everything in working order (that was the silver lining for my cloud). His view was that I had had an anovulatory cycle, probably due to stress (was under huge stress at the time as I was doing a show, playing every night, and having an ongoing argument with the director - not a good time). Anyway, sure enough as soon as the run on the show ended, I had a couple of glasses of wine and calmed down, the next day AF arrived, day 48.

When AF arrived it was unbelievably heavy and sudden, sorry TMI but like an unstoppable flood. Lasted 3 days at that volume and then petered out a bit for another 3 days. It left me feeling completely wrecked, and my own personal view was that it was maybe an early miscarriage and not an anov cycle, as the bleeding and cramping was like when I did have an actual mc a year ago.

Since then, I have been charting my cycle to try and feel more in control, as it was such a horrible time - I know how you feel. It is now 4 months since the weird cycle, and I have been back to completely regular, but very short - 21 day cycles. So it may be a perimenopausal thing I suppose, but I am holding on the the good hormone results for confidence. Am now trying reflexology and natural progesterone cream to try and get my cycle back to a proper length.

Sorry you are having such a horrible time.

Fantastic news Heron, so excited for you! Brilliant that your baby boy is doing so well, so quickly.

On the amino acid stuff, here's what I've managed to glean: You want to increase growth hormone, which is secreted when you're in deep sleep, as it's associated with all the good cell renewal, repair and growth stuff giving you good hormone balances and healthy eggs. As we get older it's production declines, and us girls can bost it through getting our weight down (not too much!), exercise, lots of sleep and taking certain amino acids before bed - see earlier post about which ones were recommended. 5-HTP is a tryptophan precursor, which (among other things) helps boost seratonin levels to cut down anxiety, which also helps because stress lowers progesterone and oestrogen, increases FSH (my personal bugbear) lowers luteinising hormone and increases prolactin (all bad for ovulating and conceiving). Tyrosine, another amino acid, also is a de-stressor and should be taken in the morning as it boosts dopamine and might keep you awake. Do you think I'm reading too much!

So my contribution to Holland and Barrett's continued survival was to get 5-HTP, Lysine and Tyrosine supplements yesterday to gobble ahead of my FSH test, ina probably doomed attempt to get my hormones IVF-able. Find out end this week or next week, in the meantime I'm just so darn healthy I don't know what to do with myself!

Oh, and thanks for the bag of seaweed Rowing! tell you what, let's have half each and see who conceives first!

Congrats Heron. How fab

Do you think the aminos from H&B would do the trick. Would you take one a day, every day?

Hello, I was on this thread way back in the mists of time but stopped posting due to miscarriages and lack of organisation! Have just popped back to say that I'm 45 (46 in Feb) and am 12 weeks 2 days pregnant with my second baby. Obviously a long way to go but everything is fine so far so I hope that gives hope to those of you still trying - miracles can happen!

Great news Heron.

Juicy - you made me laugh out loud with that headline.

Rachel same year of birth as me! How long were you ttc this one? Or is it your first? Any hints or tips!

CONGRATULATIONS HERON CONGRATULATIONS Rachel You've certainly given me hope

xx

(a.k.a. xserialshopper)

Rachel - yippee... go on, tell us, how did you do it?? Please give us the secret of your fabulous success (not that we are desperate or anything, but just, you know, for research purposes...)

grownup - us desperate - how very dare you