Positive stories ttc at 40 after mmc

[glowingtwig]

Hi ladies,

I’m recovering from a mmc at 10 weeks and a previous loss at 6 weeks in August. I have one DD who is 14 months and I’m 40 next month.

I’ve stupidly spent the morning googling declining egg quality and i’m so sad and worried that it’s just going to be too late for me now to have a second baby. I seem to get pregnant quite easily (so far) but then lose the baby early - this one died at 6w and 3 days. It's just my old eggs isn't it?

I'm being referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic as I also had an early loss before DD. I feel so empty and like there's no hope.

I'd be so grateful for positive stories and any advice about supplements that I could take to improve chances and egg quality (although I know there's no magic pill). Also anything that Doctor’s have said to you about ttc #2 over 40 as my doctors have just said 'good luck' which feels so up in the air.

Oh will also add that I've only just stopped breastfeeding so not sure of that will have played a part.

Cuddling my positive story right now. Conceived when I was 40 after a mmc at 10 weeks age 39 . Also a series of early losses 7 weeks or less .

I'm sorry for your losses. I had two miscarriages last year (5 weeks and 10 weeks) at 39, then fell pregnant in March just after I turned 40 and my 5 week old daughter is downstairs cuddling with her dad right now.

I saw a recurrent miscarriage specialist between the last miscarriage and falling pregnant and she said I had a 60% chance of concieving within a year. She prescribed progesterone pesseries for 16 weeks to take when I got pregnant. I also was on high dose folic acid until 12 weeks then baby aspirin from 12 weeks. I followed the 'it starts with the egg'' advice and took metafolate and ubiquitol when we were trying to conceive. I have hashimotos and always had trouble with folic acid levels the metafolate got my levels up.

I was worried about my egg quality too and held my breath at all the early scans and got the harmony test done at 10 weeks, but my daughter is perfectly healthy and happy thankfully. I'm even thinking of like to give my old eggs another go and try for a second baby next year! Good luck!!

I am so sorry for your loss. My story is that I had a baby just before my 39th birthday. A year later we go pregnant and I had a mmc at 9 weeks - a week before I was 40. The sonographer that diagnosed helpfully mentioned my age (I wanted to hit her).

Took 6 long months go get pregnant again and lost that baby at 8 weeks. I wanted to give up as couldn't go through the pain again of ttc and losing another baby. My partner asked for one last go so we did. This was all at the start of the first big lockdown.

3 months later we were pregnant again and tomorrow we get to 36 weeks. It's been super tough and I worry continually. The only times I am truly happy is during a scan or check when they show me his heartbeat or when I can feel him kick.

So although my story didn't start well we are hopeful to be having another baby in 4 weeks.

With regards to old eggs - I think there is some truth in it hence the high rate of miscarriage at our age. It's tough but it's true. Conceiving was hard but we had some help with ovulation medicine - I saw a private gynae after the mmc and she prescribed letrozole as the problem is after 40 you don't necessarily ovulate each month.

On the plus size - being over 40 has meant lots of extra scans and the choice to be induced at week 40. So hopefully the weighting is almost done.

I'm so sorry to read this. Have you read 'it starts with the egg'? Lots and lots of info in there about improving egg quality and also advice for recurrent mc

Thank you so much for your reassuring stories. The positive outcomes are great to read.

I have heard of the book but haven't taken the plunge yet because I worried it might make me obsessive about avoiding certain things. @Daffodil21 is it likely to make me feel even more crazy?!

@glowingtwig it might make you more aware of BPA etc but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I stopped heating things in Tupperware/plastic, changed my milk to bottled (probably not necessary), and bought a glass bottle for my water but didn't change anything else. I'm more wary of ingredients in face creams etc and try and buy more natural products now. The book is packed with info about supplements (for your partner too) and clearly explains how they can help. I took the bits I thought were relevant to me and made myself a little daily supplement plan. I don't take everything in the book... mostly high strength vit d, COQ10, methylfolate and omega 3. I don't take a multivitamin but I do take the floradix liquid iron with b vits. I would 100% recommend it and I wish I bought it sooner

Thank you @Daffodil21 I will get it! Plus, I got a book voucher for Christmas!

Might be good to do a sell to my husband too. Face cream-wise I only ever use Vaseline intensive care which I fear might be full of all sorts of nasties

@glowingtwig there's a section in there specially for him too. Good luck, I hope everything works out for you