40+ and Trying for 1st? Join in!!

[Vonn]

Briss--you asked about the tests I had done. My integrative physician (functional medicine--more holistic & progressive, in my opinion) ran saliva, stool, urine, and blood tests to get a full picture of how my body was functioning. She says DHEA Sulfate is a marker of vitality (blood test). In the comprehensive urine profile there was a section of results related to energy production (citric acid cycle--somehow related to Krebbs cycle). The results are tough for me to interpret, so I'm not sure how much this helps!

 

[Briss]

Vonn, Your list of tests sounds very comprehensive. I was asking because diagnosis such as mitochondria just seems so rare and so awfully serious. wouldn't you have to inherit this condition? Do you have the symptoms? I am no expert I just read a bit about it and if I am honest I really hope your practitioner is wrong and you do not have it.

re energy, you do not really need to do any tests to know that cell energy goes down with age, that's where coq10 seems to come in but whether it helps or not is really not clear (I hope it does anyway). What else did your doc recommended?

not sure why "DHEA Sulfate" is a marker for vitality, did he explain? As far as I know DHEA Sulfate is male hormone (androgen) produced by the adrenal gland. It goes down with age as well. I did my DHEA blood test a while back and it was mid range so I decided against taking synthetic DHEA for the time being. If your levels are very low than it may make sense to take DHEA.

I like that your doc is doing all these tests for you, so different from what you usually get for fertility checks which is just a handful of basic hormones and then it's off to clomid/IUI/IVf.

 

[Doxie]

I better get to pee on something this cycle!!!!

 

[Vonn]

Thanks for your interest, Briss!

This dr is my primary care/gp doc, not a fertility doc. I don't know why she says DHEA is a marker for vitality. Didn't ask, just wrote it in my notes. I am on a low dose, though, only 10 mg/day.

Also, I wasn't diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, more like sluggish, driving along on empty, which she explained as crashed mitochondria. I remember looking up Mito disease after she mentioned it and freaked out. Was very glad to not have that serious condition!

As for what I take, it's insane... Everything up through TCM herbs prescribed by my dr.

Hormones: Nature-throid thyroid hormone, progesterone, DHEA
For gut issues and candida overgrowth: probiotics, nystatin, candex, biocidin drops, GI detox pills
Other supps : prenatal vit, fish oil, B complex vit, magnesium, selenium, zinc, chromium, NACysteine, CoQ10, rhodiola, acetyl L-carnetine
Fertility: acupuncture, TCM herbs, pomegranate juice pre-ov, red rasp leaf tea, pineapple core post-ov

When I look in my cabinet with all these bottles, I think I have no business trying to have baby. And then I remember I am not having a baby. Never even gotten a BFP. It makes me sad and scared that it's too late for me.

 

[Pussycat1]

Vonn, 40 is definitely not too late. On top of all of these other tests I presume you have had AMH tested to give you an idea if your biological age? Are you trying naturally or going for IVF / IUI? My advice would be if you're even thinking of those routes don't hang about, the younger you are the higher the success rate. It sure is a load is meds though! A word of caution, there is very little scientific evidence to prove any of the things you are taking mainly because noone TTC is willing to be the placebo in tests, I'm not saying don't take them just that it might be worth exploring areas where there is evidence first (though you may of course have done all that). xx

 

[Briss]

Vonn, I am glad it's not mitochondrial. your list of supps looks good actually. I know it seems like a lot and I sometimes feel like a nutter walking around with a bottle of tablets of various shapes, sizes and colours but that's TTC for you. if only it was helping

I also sometimes get this panic attacks thinking that it's too late, I know age wise I am still Ok but I seem to be younger than my ovaries no idea how that could have happened. I am trying to do some mind work and just think of myself and my ovaries as being young and energetic, I imagine myself with my children all around me and see myself as a young mum. I think having the right mind set is important but so hard to maintain when you face failure after failure

 

[Vonn]

Thanks Pussycat & Briss!

Pussycat--nearly all of the supps/meds are for specific deficiencies, not even really about TTC, just my general health (or apparent lack thereof). In fact, when I first went to this Dr she told me to stop TTC until things my body was functioning better. She gave permission to start again in May & no luck so I'll now be going back to a fertility specialist. Had a work up done with a different FS over a year ago & didn't feel they were thorough (no AMH test, etc.), so going somewhere new. Totally ready for IUI...scared to death about paying for IVF (no insurance coverage for it).

I feel super self-centered going on an on about my stupid health issues, so enough of that. On to something else more interesting!

Briss--I think your positive visualization is a really good tool! It just needs to be balanced with equal time not thinking about it at all. I find this near impossible, but need to work on it.

Ladies, what do you all do to take your minds off TTC? Do you ever feel like it overwhelms everything else, or can you manage to maintain a balance? I'm curious to know!

 

[Pussycat1]

Vonn, don't apologise it's rely interesting to hear everyone else's journey. I know what you mean about the cost of IVF, we've had to cover all costs ourselves and when you've got nothing to show for it it's like a double kick when the bill comes in 😔, that said we've been very unlucky so hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones! As for taking my mind of TTC, it's really hard and I'm really not good at it, it's on my mind constantly and has been for years, so if you work out a good way I'd live to know!! x

 

[Weezy9]

I've been doing yoga and spend a little bit of time gardening to keep my mind of TTC

 

[Clizard]

Ladies, what do you all do to take your minds off TTC? Do you ever feel like it overwhelms everything else, or can you manage to maintain a balance? I'm curious to know!

Vonn, I found allowing myself 30 minutes a day to get consumed by it all - coming on here, researching, etc. - was the best way to stop myself constantly thinking about it.
I listened to this interview the other day with a psychologist and he was dealing with OCD patients (not the same as TTC but almost!) He kept telling his patients that their thoughts, even though they kept worrying about germs, not locking the door, or even wanting to kill someone, were just that - thoughts. Let them flow through your brain, and out again - he said
So I say, let it consume you for a set period - cry, worry, stress, obsess, whatever. Allow yourself that.

 

[Weezy9]

AF didn't turn up yesterday, how long do I have to wait before I POAS?

 

[terripeachy]

Depends on your emotions. hee hee. I hate seeing negatives, and I'm super cheap so I wouldn't do it. But..if you can stand it and are super impatient, just do it. Remember, those Wondfos aren't very good, so even if it is negative, it's not completely over. fx fx.

 

[Weezy9]

Thanks Terri, think I will hold out testing till wed/thurs...or I at least try.... because my AF is never later than 30 days and today is day 29. That's if I can keep AF at bay.

 

[Pussycat1]

Weezy, got everything crossed for you!! x

 

[dojenstein]

Hi. I'm new to this thread. I'm 41 and my fiance is 44. We've been NTNP for one year and trying now for almost a year. I had a MC in December and really thought I'd get pregnant again but now getting really discouraged. I did some preliminary test at the doctor, but I have really crappy insurance and can't afford to do much (my insurance changes in Jan, thankfully). So I've been relying on ovulation tests to pinpoint my "fertile days" but I'm so confused on how to read them. They've been positive the last two days. Is that normal?

Oh and hello everyone!

 

[terripeachy]

Hello and welcome. What kind of OPKs are you using? If it's positive, it means you're about to ovulate! Woohoo..Get to BD'ing because you're about to have your LH surge.

 

[dojenstein]

Hello and welcome. What kind of OPKs are you using? If it's positive, it means you're about to ovulate! Woohoo..Get to BD'ing because you're about to have your LH surge.

Thank you. I'm using First Response. But I worry that the test is positive too early...or that I'm reading it wrong. According to every chart, I should be ovulating on the 29th, but I got a positive yesterday (10/26) and toda7. Can that be right? Does that mean today and tomorrow we should be BDing?

 

[Weezy9]

Thanks Pussycat
My hope of a BFP is diminishing I think. My temperature dropped 3 degrees from yesterday and I've had some brown spotting this morning....feeling down and sad

 

[terripeachy]

Your call dojenstein, but are you going to believe your hormones or a chart? I would get to BD'ing and see what happens.

Weezy-Say it isn't so. I hope you're imagining that spotting.

 

[dojenstein]

Your call dojenstein, but are you going to believe your hormones or a chart? I would get to BD'ing and see what happens.

Thanks Terri. I can get so crazy over these tests I don't know what to trust anymore. I think I O'd yesterday or today. Fiance has to work super early this week so it's been hard to fit in some BD'ing time. But fingers crossed we did enough earlier this week!

Good luck to everyone who's testing.