Almost 1 year ttc and struggling

[Babybum35]

I should start out by saying I'm 33 with a 2 year old dd. It took me 10 months to get pregnant with her and we are still breastfeeding with high frequency so I'm sure that affects things but I'm really struggling with the fact I'm coming up on one year ttc in may and I've not even had a scare. I feel very blessed to have one dd but I also always wanted 2 kids and I hear the clock ticking especially since we want to be done at 35. I need some buddies and lots and lots of dust all are welcome but any who are expecting please refrain from using this tread to discuss pregnancy unless directly asked. Thank you for understanding.

 

[happycupcake]

Hi,
I can relate. We have been ttc for 18 months now and have had a number of chemicals which have been hard to deal with. I'm 34 and turn 35 in March (still I tell everyone else I'm 29 ... ), but don't be put off or too concerned about age. I know plenty of people who conceived in their thirties, some easily, some not so easily but they got there.
Do you do anything like track temps, OPKs, cervical changes etc.?
It can be stressful tracking everything, we have been for a while now and at first it was interesting and exciting as we hadn't properly tried before, so this was all new. But after a while it starts becoming quite stressful when you feel like you're constantly banging your head against a brick wall!
Have you had any checks carried out?
After having so many chemicals we decided to ask for help, so have had various bloods done for FSH, LH, oestradiol, FBC and thyroid, and then I had my progesterone levels checked. All returned apparently fine but if we don't succeed soon I would like them redone as I'm not convinced.
Also had a pelvic scan done which revealed a thin lining, and I also had a polyp I was unaware of until the day it decided to remove itself and terrify me to my very soul! I didn't know what it was at first
At the moment I'm on a cocktail of prenatals, extra B6, extra B complex, evening primrose oil, fertility tea (raspberry leaf, nettle, peppermint & red clover), extra vitamin E, extra folic acid and D3, pure pomegranate juice and I decided to give soy isoflavones a try this cycle starting today.
We also use Preseed sometimes too, and I use Cyclogest during my lp. I probably just rattled off a load of info you didn't want there ... but in case any of it is helpful. Some of those you only take until ovulation though. I don't know if you have tried any supplements?

 

[Babybum35]

Hi,
I can relate. We have been ttc for 18 months now and have had a number of chemicals which have been hard to deal with. I'm 34 and turn 35 in March (still I tell everyone else I'm 29 ... ), but don't be put off or too concerned about age. I know plenty of people who conceived in their thirties, some easily, some not so easily but they got there.
Do you do anything like track temps, OPKs, cervical changes etc.?
It can be stressful tracking everything, we have been for a while now and at first it was interesting and exciting as we hadn't properly tried before, so this was all new. But after a while it starts becoming quite stressful when you feel like you're constantly banging your head against a brick wall!
Have you had any checks carried out?
After having so many chemicals we decided to ask for help, so have had various bloods done for FSH, LH, oestradiol, FBC and thyroid, and then I had my progesterone levels checked. All returned apparently fine but if we don't succeed soon I would like them redone as I'm not convinced.
Also had a pelvic scan done which revealed a thin lining, and I also had a polyp I was unaware of until the day it decided to remove itself and terrify me to my very soul! I didn't know what it was at first
At the moment I'm on a cocktail of prenatals, extra B6, extra B complex, evening primrose oil, fertility tea (raspberry leaf, nettle, peppermint & red clover), extra vitamin E, extra folic acid and D3, pure pomegranate juice and I decided to give soy isoflavones a try this cycle starting today.
We also use Preseed sometimes too, and I use Cyclogest during my lp. I probably just rattled off a load of info you didn't want there ... but in case any of it is helpful. Some of those you only take until ovulation though. I don't know if you have tried any supplements?

Hi. I'm sorry for your losses. I do try opks but it's hard to keep testing at the same time with a toddler especially since I frequently have company in the potty and I'm convinced I'll see her playing with the pee cup or the stick...lol. as for the rest I get anxious even thinking about it so I just take folic acid and deal with the rest as it comes. I think since I'm still bf I have thin lining and the timing and amount of bd is maybe not quite what it could be considering there's only a few days each month you could conceive. One thing I have noticed is that I seem to be having multiple days of two line opks which I know really just detects the hormone but I wonder if ttc is just playing mind games again. It did with my dd it's just do frustrating.

 

[happycupcake]

Are the OPK lines as dark or darker than the control line? You don't have to test the same time each day, I usually test with fmu, sometime mid afternoon then around 9pm ish but it varies. I sympathise with you on having company in the bathroom lol

I think because you're breastfeeding especially, it's really important to make sure you're not lacking in anything so perhaps try swapping the folic acid for a prenatal, I find liquid best personally.
It could be you're not always ovulating if you're breastfeeding full time still too. Would you be too anxious to try temping? Even if only for a few cycles, it'll help give you a good idea of whether you are ovulating and if so, how frequently.
If you're anxious about adding in a load of supplements then providing it's safe whilst breastfeeding, you could try drinking about 200ml of pure pomegranate juice (diluted with water makes it more palatable, unless you like the flavour) daily. I read a blog of someone ttc and her lining was really thin, until she started drinking that and it thickened up to 9mm which is perfect!
Unsure if the things in fertility tea are ok whilst breastfeeding but again, they're all designed to tone your uterus and thicken your lining.
Also, after birth your progesterone levels take a real bashing, and if your hormones haven't properly adjusted yet then you may be a little out of sync with it still, so you could try eating things to promote your progesterone levels like Brazil nuts. There are lots of natural things you can try, off the top of my head I can't remember them all but I will try to remember to find some links

 

[Babybum35]

I typically have one test where the line is as dark or darker than the control but when I did opks with my dd- so like 3 years ago I would have a three day progression lines the first two days and day 3 obvious positive and any subsequent tests negative. I did a couple months of opks last year and same pattern but no obvious positive. Now all of a sudden it's 10 plus days of 2 lines so I think my hormones are just regulating maybe. I have to think about some of that. Part of the problem really is just that I don't want to get so obsessed with the ttc process that I forget how lucky I am to have my daughter or get depressed about doing everything right but still not having that bfp. I just don't want to subject my daughter to that. I might try pomegranate juice but I don't really think temping is for me. I have my period every month without fail so I would guess I am ovulating and either am getting the timing wrong or my lining is too thin. I will try pomegranate juice this next month if this cycle is another bust

 

[doggylover]

Hi! So I have a 2yr 3mo who still breastfeeds and it’s tajen up 7 months to get pregnant. I had signs of low progesterone, which is linked to breastfeeding. My signs of it were short luteal phase (9/10 days), spotting for days before period, and HORRIFIC PMS which I’ve never had before.

I am convinced that is what was stopping me getting pregnant. After consultation with a bf consultant, I found out about Vitex Angus Castus, which is used for PMS symptoms primarily. It is a herbal supplement which stimulates progesterone release. I started taking it this cycle, and lo and behold - got my bfp.

Obviously I don’t know if that was the cause, but a big coincidence.

Maybe you could get your progesterone checked at the dr and see if it’s low? Or look out for signs of that yourself?

Regards to opks, I do mine at toddler nap time, so I’m alone and roughly the same time. I also got 2-3 days of strong positives each cycle.

Other things I did this cycle were take vit c and zinc, also supposed to help progesterone. And we use preseed lube as bf means I dot have much cm.

Best of luck xx

 

[happycupcake]

It sounds to me as if your body is trying to ovulate but not quite getting there right away, and that's the cause of so many positive or dark OPKs. Bear in mind there's always (or most of the time anyway) some kind of line on OPKs, even if it's super faint. They can also become darker close to af.
I agree with above, I think it's worth having your progesterone levels checked out. If you're low on it then you can try natural means to get your levels back, or you could have it prescribed. I was really anxious to try the pessaries and they sat in my drawer for a year or so before I decided to try them and of course they had gone out of date! I did ask for more and tried them and they have been a godsend. They can mimic some pregnancy symptoms, but the best thing I found with them is they really help alleviate severe PMS and anxiety for me. They have also helped keep my temps more stable, whereas before they were dropping mid lp onwards.
I can understand why you may not want to go as far as charting, it is a lot of stress especially if you end up doing it for a while. But it won't hurt to just have hormone levels checked out to see if there's anything easily remedied there which could then result in you successfully conceiving