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

[Clizard]

Hi folks, I don't pop in very much - life seems to be moving so fast - but just wanted to say hello.
Congrats Baby, that's wonderful news.
Peachy, sad to hear about your BFN but very happy to hear about the NY running plan, sounds impressive.
Everybody else, I am looking forward to seeing some BFPs with the IVF IUI or natural methods. Whatever works I say!

 

[Jean40]

Can I join you ladies? I'm 42 and have been LTTTC #1 for many years now. My old OB/GYN pushed me onto another doctor, who then kept cancelling my appointments, so I found a good GYN (she doesn't do OB anymore), but she won't do any blood work. I did get an ultrasound that found a lovely small submucosal fibroid that is causing problems, but she only gave me a low dose BCP & referred me to an RE a couple hours drive from here. I tried to go to the RE in town, but he refused to help me based on my heart history (it's been fixed, everything I've read says it's ok for me to have a baby with high risk monitoring) and then he went on and on about how it will be impossible at age 42 to even get pregnant. And this is someone I do work for! I go to the new RE in 2.5 weeks and see what he says. I'm hoping he'll take that fibroid out since everything I'm reading says it can reduce fertility by 70%. On my ultrasound, everything else looked exactly right for that part of my cycle. And I'm NOT taking the BCP. I want the blood work done and see if there's anything else wrong first. It's just so frustrating! I thought my GYN would help me get the small stuff done so it's covered by insurance and local in network. This new RE is in network, but not local, so I would have twice the deductible. The old RE who refused to help is the only one local and in network. Our insurance only covers diagnostic, but nothing else. At least it covers that because I didn't think it did.

 

[Weezy9]

Hi clizard hope all is going well with you
Jean, welcome! Sounds like you've had it pretty awful, and I know how you feel when the help you're denied the help you're entitled but rest assured us over 40 ladies do get pregnant and if you look in other threads, some actually get pregnant naturally!!

Pussycat I rung the nurse up and explained to her that I was left confused so she has explained it to me and I now feel reassured that things are going to be ok. The Dr I had my initial consultation sent me an email to say she was sorry my consultation did not go as I had hoped and she has offered to see me again without charge. So I'm happy with that. So thanks v. Much for the advise

 

[Pussycat1]

Jean, welcome! You're in good company here. The situation re treatment and the system in the US is so different from the UK, however those TTC are the same the world over. Good luck with your next appointments.
Weezy, so glad you spoke to the clinic and feel reassured. I think sometimes they're so busy and they deal with these things every day that they forget for us it's frightening and we need a lot of reassurance and explanation. Are you going to take them up on the free consult? I would! If there's one thing I've learned through all of this, it's you have to think of yourself and do what's best for you. xx

 

[Jean40]

I did something positive today and that's call up the insurance and asked what IS covered. Endometrial biopsy (limit 2 times), semen analysis (limit 2 times), HSG (limit 2 times), and diagnostic laproscopy (limit 1 time). That's actually more than I expected to be covered! Now I wait, just over 2 weeks to go.

Yeah, I was telling the old RE about how women in my family have babies late in life and he didn't believe me. Now how on earth did my great grandma have babies in her 40s without donor eggs? Really? I know it happens, I've seen it.

 

[dojenstein]

Hi ladies. I can sympathize about RE's. I call mine Dr. Frozen Turkey since he has the bedside manner of a TV dinner. My last visit he basically handed me a packet of information and circled a number for me to call to schedule my HSG. I was like, my HSWha?

He has really good success rate and that's more important to me right now than someone who makes me feel all warm and snuggly. Although someone who could do both would be very welcomed.

So I had my HSG and I'm praying I'm one of those rare cases that gets PG after the test. If not me and the DF are headed for meds and IUI. I'm most worried about making IUI work with my work schedule. Isn't that nuts. I just started a new job and can't really disappear. I'm still in the "trial" period. But we've been TTC'ing for over a year and I'm not getting any younger either. So it's been tough, but I'll do everything in my power to make it work.

I don't know how many more of these dreaded TWW's I can take. It's like every day is an eternity.

Okay, that's enough of my ranting. How's everyone else doing?

 

[Vonn]

Welcome Jean! You have been treated horrendously by your doctors. What a shame. I'm a little surprised that some procedural diagnostic tests are covered for you but simple diagnostic blood tests are not. Could you find another local Gyn to do blood tests for in concert with going to the RE?

Dojenstein--I'm going to a new RE next Friday (provided IUI #1 is unsuccessful) & I hope he's got more personality than a frozen dinner! Ha! I hear ha on the TWW. I'm okay the first week but by the start of the second week I'm obsessing. And I have luteal phase issues so I never even have to wait a whole two weeks.

Weezy--so glad you called the dr office. I also say go in for a free consult. More face time front of an RE is invaluable!

Pussycat--did you select your donor? I don't really know how that works. It's coming up fast!

Babybaby--huge congrats! I can't imagine the joy you felt hearing the hb! Keep us updated.

Hi clizard & Terri!

 

[Clizard]

Forgot to say hey to Emmi! You must be nearly due!!!!! Let us know how things are xx

 

[Weezy9]

Pussycat, I see nearing to your treatment date. When do you actually fly out? Wish you best of luck...it's going to be your turn this time. Got my fingers cross for you. Baby Dust to all xx

 

[Pussycat1]

Pussycat, I see nearing to your treatment date. When do you actually fly out? Wish you best of luck...it's going to be your turn this time. Got my fingers cross for you. Baby Dust to all xx

Thanks Weezy, got my depot injection this Friday then start oestrogen etc 22nd. We fly out 8th Feb, EC scheduled for 9th (when I'll also have a dose of intralipids) then transfer 14th. Still haven't had donor info but they assure me it's all in hand and I'll hear soon! x

 

[Vonn]

Pussycat--Exciting! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Weezy--Your chart is looking good. Fxed for you!

How's everyone else doing?

AF came yesterday evening. Boo! Good thing is that I had zero days of spotting, just several hours. I used to have up to 4 days of spotting before AF.

Bad thing is that my luteal phase was only 10 days long. Pregnancy not possible with that. It had gone up to 12 days for a few months so I thought the acupuncture & herbs & supplements & progesterone & increased thyroid meds were improving that. Dang it!

I've got some ideas about what's going on and look forward to our first visit to a new RE this Friday. It's also the first visit that DH will be a part of. That will be really interesting!

 

[_bella_]

Hi all, this looks like a nice group.
My husband and I have been ttc very very informally for about two years. For the past six months, I thought I was going through menopause. Right around the time my mum passed away a year and a half ago my cycle went crazy. Long cycles, then no cycles, then short cycles and everything in between. My GP suggested I have a mirena inserted to stabilize my hormones and I broke out in tears in her office. I felt like that was shutting the door forever.
I talked it over with DH and we decided to throw everything and the kitchen sink at trying for 6 more months naturally.
So, I haven't been temping per se but I did use opk's last cycle. My GP also suggested I trial an Ovusense, which I got on the 5th day of my cycle only to discover it wasn't working properly and had to have it replaced. That's why I used OPKs. An ovusense is a little device you wear at night that measures temperatures while you sleep.
Anyway, OPK's had me ovulating around the 5th. I got a distinct crampy feeling for two hours on the 5th on my left side and from the 6th onwards I have been spotting. I had a blood test done and my progesterone is pretty low so I've been on progesterone for the past three days. The spotting has actually stopped and AF is due between tomorrow and thursday since my cycles are from 23 to 28 days in the past 6 months.
Gosh, for my introductory post it sure was a long drawn out one...Anyway, hope to keep in touch with other first timers!

 

[Vonn]

Welcome, bella! I hope you just have a progesterone problem and the supplementation will do the trick. Has your GP done any other tests? Do you have any plans to go to a fertility specialist/reproductive endocrinologist?

 

[Pussycat1]

Welcome Bella and good luck with sorting out your progesterone levels.
Vonn good luck on Friday, I hope you can sort out your luteal phase. It's great that DH will be there, I think sometimes we're so focused on ourselves and how we're feeling that sometimes we fail to realise how deeply it's effecting our partners. Or is that just me?! xx

 

[_bella_]

Thanks for the warm welcome!
My GP thinks that one, I'm entering perimenopause 😭 and/or the grief of my mums loss has sent my hormones out of whack. I'm rather keen to stay with her until I decide to take more drastic measures because she is sympathetic to my age and desire. The gyno I visited (which is the closest to me) was a jerk and his secretary was even worse and she must have been at least 70!
My GP is happy to order blood tests but admits she is not a specialist . If I consider any more drastic testing or treatment I'll do it in another country. I live in the Netherlands. I'll be paying out of pocket anyway as the insurance cutoff here is 42 for any kind of IVF. So, I don't see the point of paying out of pocket for unsympathetic care. Germany would probably be my first choice as German medical establishment is not so rude about treating patients over 42. In a way I'm hoping I get pregnant naturally if only to call the gyno up and tell him "I told you so, jerk."
I have at least 5 friends who all conceived children naturally after the ages of 42, one of which was 46 when she had her first!

 

[Vonn]

5 friends who conceived naturally over 42?!?! Please, share what they were doing!! Supplements, acupuncture, nothing at all, etc... I'd love to hear it!

 

[_bella_]

They all claim nothing special. Two are Australian friends, one in Holland that has had three pregnancies after 40, and both of her sons conceived naturally at 41 and 43 after the first was a late term MC .
It's these friends that give me the belief that it can happen.

 

[Weezy9]

Vonn good luck with Friday girl.

Bella Welcome!! I'm really hoping you can conceive naturally and say "Jerk" to them too hee hee. But your story with 5 friends conceiving naturally is just amazing. You must be a lucky star to them!! We def want you to be on this thread and spread Baby Dust to us all!!

Pussycat, woohoo, not long to go now. will you be able to keep us updated while you're there?

AFM: nothing to update, just taking Throxine and waiting until next month. I've done some quotes for my meds for next month. I'm going to be on Puregon. All the chemists I've used to do quotes said, the injection pen is not supplied, so where do I get them from?? will i need needles? anything else anyone can think of?

 

[_bella_]

I'm pretty sure AF is on her way. I feel very anxious and emotional for no particular reason. CD25, which means the last three cycles it's gotten very slightly, but consistently longer. I suppose that's the silver lining in the dark cloud.

Pussycat, please update if you can! I'd really like to read about this clinic since I'll be considering a clinic somewhere in Europe come summertime if I don't have any luck before then.

 

[terripeachy]

Hi Bella. Good luck to you!!

Nothing to report ladies, just saying hey.