pregnant over 40? Advice please!!!

[blueblizz]

I am 41 next week and ttc2. Had dc1 at 37 after 2 months of trying and easy pregnancy except placenta previa. We have been ttc number 2 since last October. I fell pregnant but m/c Jan (2months.) I'm not overweight and healthy lifestyle, just getting older!! Can anyone give me a happy story or suggest anything that helped you conceive? (except the obvious I mean!!) Sorry to hijack pregnancy thread but feeling bit fed up!! x

I conceived ds1 on first cycle after coming off the pill so thought ds2 would need planning as I was bound to be quick again, it took over 9 months. I suppose I am trying to say relax and don't worry, what happened before isn't an indication of what will happen again. Good luck

Thanks for replying pmgkt. I am pretty chilled about most things but this is really getting to me. Just been through due date of m/c baby and it was like whoooah!!! Am I ever going to fall pregnant? Even bigger ahhhh! and I'm 41 soon!!! How did that birthday come round so quick? It is really great to hear other stories, so thanks for sharing.

I know it is easier said then done, do you track your cycles, I was doing ov tests but others do temps too. As my doctor said once, even if you are becoming less fertile due to age, it is so gradual that it takes over 10 years, so don't panic. At 40+ most areas would start testing sooner than a year so maybe see your doctor and they can at least test hormone levels. Did you have a section last time, as that can reduce your fertility a little due to scar tissue.

not sure if this will help or not. Had ds at 40, he was accidentally conceived but very welcome! Started ttc#2 at 41. Had 3mmcs in the next year all around the 12 week mark. Had all the recurrent mc tests, but nothing came up. Was nearly 43 by this point. Started taking DHEA and Agnus Castus, oh and high dose Folic Acid. Had 2 more mcs, around the 6 week point. Was about to give up, in fact had stopped all the supplements. And then the month before i turned 44 i got another bfp. Am now 34 weeks with ds2. I hope you get your happy ending whatever that looks like.

I conceived dc1 at 39 and was 40 during pregnancy. Spent over a year trying, was referred to IVF, so stopped thinking about it and relaxed, it happened before we had chance to go for first appointment. Was 41 when I got pregnant with dc2, it took 2 attempts. there were issues on both sides with fertility so if we can do it, then there is hope for all. My sister fell pregnant by accident at 43. Best advice, but easier said than done, is to not think about it too much, just relax and enjoy the trying.

Thank you so much ladies. I really don't think that there is anything wrong but its hard trying. So lovely for your stories. I will try and relax.

I had a m/c in January at age 39 and got pregnant 2-3 months later after some irregular cycles. Also my due date was brought forward 8 days at dating scan meaning I must have conceived on the last day of my period. Just thought it might be worth a mention that m/c and maybe age can make your cycle / ovulation irregular so relaxing and not placing too much emphasis on 'the right days' might help?
This is our 4th baby and with all the others my cycle was classic 28 days with dates matching ovulation on day 14 so this is def the odd one out!
Good luck.

I had an accidental pregnancy at 43. I am overweight and dh has a low sperm count and my periods were very erratic. Am now 36 weeks.

Congratulations to all of you expecting!! I have been trying to relax but dh was out of work for long time (back in it now!!) and I've had a mum and sister who are both unwell. Stress is not a good and I'm sure that it has not helped. I did track my ovulation for 3 months, hasn't helped me to get pregnant but given me an idea when ovulate (earlier than I thought.) Oh well, keep at it I guess!!

I'm 41 and expecting my first just before my 42nd birthday.
We had two m/c's last year, then sort of gave up and whammo, here we are at 24 weeks and everything looking good so far!

45 and expecting #2 in about 6w. Have had 3 early MCs between DS (when I was 40) and here though.

Things that I believe helped:
? Using the Ovulation method to discover that I ovulated early in my 26d cycle - around day 9 or 10, instead of 12 as might be expected
? Seeing a gynaecologist who then gave me standing prescriptions for progesterone pessaries and Clexane (I have a blood clotting disorder) so that I could start on them both as soon as I got a +ve pg test - progesterone pessaries were because there was a possibility I wasn't producing enough to sustain the pgs, and the Clexane was in case I was producing microclots that were starving the embryo of oxygen (I tried 100mg aspirin in the last miscarried pg - didn't work)
? Bringing my Vit D levels back into normal range - low vit D is associated with both secondary infertility and miscarriage and so many people are low in vit D these days, thanks to makeup with SPF factors and the "stay out of the sun or put SPF cream on the minute you go near it" advice (neither of which I do but I was careful not to be in it too much)
? SWI starting 3d before and finishing 3d after ovulation time (I know this isn't necessarily recommended but it worked for us)
? Having my hormone and egg levels checked - according to the anti-Mullerian antibody check, I was almost in the PCOS level of ovarian load, but with none of the accompanying hormone levels - just had a lot of eggs left, so was lucky to get a good one finally
? Coming off alcohol almost completely and taking Pregnacare and fish oils nearly every day - although I'd been doing that since before having DS, so I don't think they helped on their own, but it's good to have a background level of maintaining nutrient status (didn't help with the vit D though - had to supplement that separately, and having been checked again at 28w and found to be low again, I have a separate vit D supplement)
? Forgetting about day counting or anything like that - to the extent that I actually can not remember the date of my LMP, the only dates I have are from the 6w scan I had. I'd successfully managed to block them all from my mind, so that I didn't fret about when MP was about to start - I have no idea if this really helped or not but it's another factor.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for all of the advice. You have given me hope again!! I agree with the date counting. My period was 4 days late last month and I was agonising if I was/not pregnant. Sooooo upset when it turned out to be a slightly longer cycle. Not long to go now monsterchild!! All the very very best to you all.