Anyone over 45 TTc ?buddies needed <3

[BabyGriffin14]

BabyG -- They told me that I needed all of those tests for the RBA clearance and then take them to the perinatal. Most of my labs are on the border of being too old, so that is why I am re-doing them but I have had them all before. I am going back to the perinatal office where I had my checks during my last pregnancy two years ago. I think that makes things easier for me since they have all of the details of the last high risk pregnancy. I hope that my labs will be done by then so I can have them be done with everything. I am hoping that is my last hurdle, but that won't be till the end of this month and then whatever else....so it seems like it won't be till November that I get to transfer. I am tired of waiting.

Who are you having order your labs? I don't know whether to go back to my ob or my gp or both. I was able to get an appointment for psychiatric counseling on 9/27 and an appointment at Maternal Fetal Specialists on 10/15. Hopefully, I'll have all of my labs and tests done by then.

 

[dmama]

BabyG -- They told me that I needed all of those tests for the RBA clearance and then take them to the perinatal. Most of my labs are on the border of being too old, so that is why I am re-doing them but I have had them all before. I am going back to the perinatal office where I had my checks during my last pregnancy two years ago. I think that makes things easier for me since they have all of the details of the last high risk pregnancy. I hope that my labs will be done by then so I can have them be done with everything. I am hoping that is my last hurdle, but that won't be till the end of this month and then whatever else....so it seems like it won't be till November that I get to transfer. I am tired of waiting.

Who are you having order your labs? I don't know whether to go back to my ob or my gp or both. I was able to get an appointment for psychiatric counseling on 9/27 and an appointment at Maternal Fetal Specialists on 10/15. Hopefully, I'll have all of my labs and tests done by then.

My GP ordered them all before based on the paper from the RE. I know she will do it again this time, but of course it is summer and she has been gone for 3 weeks~!!! She's back next week finally! If she orders them, they will be covered. If I get them through RE it will be an arm and a leg and I am already giving an arm and a leg to pay for the cycle, so can't spare any more limbs~

 

[SaintlySue]

DH got his SA results back, his morphology was up at 5%. His count was still good 80million and progression also improved. That was really good to see.

 

[Delphine11]

Good news, SaintlySue Nice to read that. 80 million seems lots. My partner had far less - less than 30million. The improvement in forward progression is excellent news too.

It's nice when things improve. It's like a little injection of hope, I think.

 

[BBbliss]

I second Delphine sue, that's nice! We never got anything over 20mil and its frustrating, he's still on sups and I wonder what they are now, well I guess it doesn't matter anymore, I just received my prescription for all my IVF meds. I start BCP with my next cycle (next week) and they also ordered cd3 bloods since mine are now a year old so I'm curious and afraid of knowing what they are now.

I confess I'm running out of steam ladies after this IVF I think I'll be done... Even with the possibility of my sister donating her eggs I just feel like I've been trying and trying and so much has happened that I now just feel like not trying anymore. It's tiring! But we'll see... One day at a time now

Dmama and babyG I'm excited for you girls, I really hope to follow your pregnancies here soon

 

[SaintlySue]

Sorry you are feeling down BBbliss. Fertility is an ugly battle. Has your DH had DNA fragmentation done? My DH had below 20 before the varicocele repair. If a man has DNA fragmentation of 30% or more IVF/ICSI will not work. Because DH had the varicoceles his sperm production slowed. But since his body had it for so long, I think they develop during the teens, even after it was repaired the count did not go up. 6 months after the repair his count was still down. They put him on clomid that is what improves DH count. The urologist felt the varicoceles on his first visit, then he had ultrasounds,DNA fragmentation, then the surgery. At the time DH had the DNA fragmentatin done there was only one place in the US that did the test and I think it took us 2 weeks to get the results. I think 15% and less is normal and DH had 77% way beyond the 30% cutoff for IVF. One more thing he had seen a urologist with Kaiser that urologist said no varicocele. Dr. Witt is the reproductive urologist with RBA. Talk about a cheerleader. I was 45 he looked at our file and he told DH how our embies on each IVF started looking good, developing well then seemed to drop off after day 3,he said that was classic sperm issue, he said based on what he saw of my eggs he felt we would conceive after the repair. He said 6-9 months after the repair we should conceive and we did. We paid for everything out of pocket, thank goodness the surgery was done at RBA. My DH loves him.

 

[Delphine11]

I second Delphine sue, that's nice! We never got anything over 20mil and its frustrating, he's still on sups and I wonder what they are now, well I guess it doesn't matter anymore, I just received my prescription for all my IVF meds. I start BCP with my next cycle (next week) and they also ordered cd3 bloods since mine are now a year old so I'm curious and afraid of knowing what they are now.

I confess I'm running out of steam ladies after this IVF I think I'll be done... Even with the possibility of my sister donating her eggs I just feel like I've been trying and trying and so much has happened that I now just feel like not trying anymore. It's tiring! But we'll see... One day at a time now

Dmama and babyG I'm excited for you girls, I really hope to follow your pregnancies here soon

Sorry you're feeling down, BBbliss. Sue is right - fertility IS an ugly battle. I hope you feel more positive soon

Every woman, every couple, is different. We all have our limits and I do think it's important to listen to your heart. Fighting infertility is exhausting in every way. At the moment, I'm feeling quite determined, but I do have down days - days when I worry and go over and over things in my head. On days like that, I try to read positive stories to remind myself that people DO succeed, and people can succeed after failing previously. There are so many stories like that.

"One day at a time" is what I try to focus on too. I try to think about that day, or the next stage, and just concentrate on getting through that and keeping calm. I try not to worry about the future - easier said than done, I know! But focussing on little things reduces the worry, I find. I don't let myself dwell on 'what ifs' because they can eat your confidence away. I found I was obsessing about negative things and it was overwhelming and kept me in a constant kind of barely suppressed panic. So now I remember that 'Worries about tomorrow steal today's joy' and I try not to let my mind lead me down those dark paths.

It's exciting you'll be starting the IVF cycle. I hope you feel better

SaintlySue - very interesting info about DNA fragmentation. I've heard of it but didn't know much about it, so it was very useful to read what you said. I don't even know if tests like that are available in the UK. I do find it difficult raising issues like that with my partner sometimes. I think men can feel bad if something's not right with their sperm, like it somehow makes them less of a man. Not true, of course, but infertility affects men as much as women, but maybe they show it in different ways.

 

[BBbliss]

Saintlysue, the DNA is one of the only tests we didn't do, but now I'm going to urge him to do one, he had an urologist visit and he doesn't have a varicocele problem but we did have 8 embryos and ended up with 2 so it's possible.

Delphine it's so nice to hear you are still exited, I do the same and look for positive stories everywhere, I'm just taking it one day at a time and today I did a hpt at 10dpo and it was negative I was ready for that...

Well, here we go again, I get cd3 bloods and start bcp next week.

 

[BabyGriffin14]

BabyG -- They told me that I needed all of those tests for the RBA clearance and then take them to the perinatal. Most of my labs are on the border of being too old, so that is why I am re-doing them but I have had them all before. I am going back to the perinatal office where I had my checks during my last pregnancy two years ago. I think that makes things easier for me since they have all of the details of the last high risk pregnancy. I hope that my labs will be done by then so I can have them be done with everything. I am hoping that is my last hurdle, but that won't be till the end of this month and then whatever else....so it seems like it won't be till November that I get to transfer. I am tired of waiting.

Who are you having order your labs? I don't know whether to go back to my ob or my gp or both. I was able to get an appointment for psychiatric counseling on 9/27 and an appointment at Maternal Fetal Specialists on 10/15. Hopefully, I'll have all of my labs and tests done by then.

My GP ordered them all before based on the paper from the RE. I know she will do it again this time, but of course it is summer and she has been gone for 3 weeks~!!! She's back next week finally! If she orders them, they will be covered. If I get them through RE it will be an arm and a leg and I am already giving an arm and a leg to pay for the cycle, so can't spare any more limbs~

I don't know how to shorten the quotes or I would...I had a mammogram last week that came back normal and I have an appointment tomorrow morning with my GP to hopefully get the rest of what I need.

This part is going to be really long and I'm not really asking for medical advice, I just want to share what's going on because it's kind of scary and I worry that something will interfere with me getting my IVF.

I am really scared of what is going to show up tomorrow. I had thought I was in pretty good overall health until the last month.
Several weeks ago, my husband and I got a room at the Hilton in Atlanta for date night. When we got home that Sunday, I noticed I was itching so bad I was gouging my arms and feet out. I've had what my doctor calls "nervous itching" for years, but it was always controlled with Zantac and Zyrtec once a day.
This was different though. It couldn't be controlled even with cortisone cream/ointment or the Zantac/Zyrtec combo. I ended up going to a minute clinic after work that Monday because it was so bad. They put me on prednisone 60 mgs a day. It didn't help at all. I would just be sitting here and feel a burning sensation on my skin and then look down to see red splotches that itched everywhere.
I went to a dermatologist on Friday that same week. The put me back on prednisone and gave me another cream that was not the same kind I got from the drugstore, it was stronger and had a different name but since I forgot to bring it this morning, I can't recall the exact name.
I don't know if any of you have been on prednisone like that, but let me tell you all, it's horrible. I didn't sleep, I was bouncing off the walls, I was nervous, I was emotional and I ate as much as I could considering I have a lap band and get restriction. I was so hungry though! I did the basic allergy tests and blood work, but nothing came up and they referred me to an allergist. I haven't been yet because I'm dealing with the IVF testing right now and the Zantac/Zyrtec seem to be controlling it again as long as I don't forget to take it.
I was a little concerned, but not too concerned that it would screw me up with the IVF

Then yesterday I had something really weird happen. I was fine, even upbeat and making home made pasta sauce, listening to music, and dancing around while I cooked. Basically feeling good. I decided to take a hot bath while I waited on my daughter and grandmother to come over for Sunday dinner like usual. I got out of my bath, went to the kitchen to stir the sauce and start the meat when all of a sudden, I felt like I was going to faint. I've fainted all of my life, so I knew what was going on. It just got progressively worse. I was sweating, I was cold, I was dizzy and off balance and all I wanted to do was lay down on the couch or in my bed. Jenn(my nursing student daughter) had me drink some juice thinking my blood sugar was down. By the time she checked it an hour later, it was fine at 125. I continued to feel that way until about 11:00 PM last night with it getting better overnight. I feel about a quarter as weird and off as I did yesterday. Off but not non-functional. I had to come to work today because of the end of month madness, but if it weren't for that, I'd have stayed home today.

 

[Delphine11]

Sorry you're feeling I'll, BabyG. I hope you feel better soon

I've never taken prednisone, so I can't comment on that. All I'd say is at least you saw the dermatologist so you know it's been looked at by someone who knows what they're talking about.

I'm not sure what the fainting was, but I never take baths now, only showers. I was finding that when I got out of the bath my arms and legs felt like jelly and like someone had sucked all the energy out of me. sometimes I actually felt I was going to faint in the bath.

The other thing I thought is maybe your medication is messing with your hormones and body system a bit? Or could it be a mild virus? I know that horrible hot and cold feeling. It's not pleasant at all.

I understand why you're worrying that something will interfere with the IVF. I don't know what to say because I'm obviously not a Dr, but plenty of people with chronic medical conditions do a IVF. Not that yours is chronic, but what I mean is that those people have those conditions all the time, are on meds but still do IVF. Hopefully, this will all clear up very quickly. Do they have any idea what started it? Is it an allergy, do they think? Could stress be making it worse ( and TTC is certainly stressful!)

Sorry that wasn't much help but I hope you feel better very soon. Look after yourself. X

 

[dmama]

BBliss - I hear ya! You just get tired of the game. I am getting there too. I know what I want and will regret if I don't get it, but I am really tired of the process. It is too emotional to go through this every day and it takes a toll.

Delphine - Good to hear from you too! Seems like you are just a positive as ever! Thanks!

BabyG - I don't know if prednisone is responsible for all of the symptoms, but the hunger and excitability I think I have heard before. It is a steroid and some body builders use steroids and I am sure we have all heard about steroid psychosis. Not to say that is what happened to you, because I think you'd need a lot more dose and also taking it for a lot longer. But it probably has some affect that you are noticing. As for the itching - did the docs not ever tell you what was the diagnosis? Sounds very distressing to me. My skin is sensitive and I got a ton of hives when I was pregnant. They said due to the hormones...I don't know, but when I took hot showers, the itching became much much worse, however on some weird level it seemed to sort of relieve the itching for a bit, so even though I was pregnant, I took hot showers every night because my skin was so irritable that it was the only way I could get a little relief. I am not sure if what you describe sounds like hives though. Sounds quite different. I agree with Delphine though because I can't see why this would hold up IVF. The only thing to consider is what type of medicine you could or could not take to relieve symptoms were you to get pregnant as some meds are not safe for the fetus. As for the fainting...if you have fainted all of your life, that is something you have to see your doc about. It isn't common, and as long as they haven't discovered an underlying problem, then it should not hold up IVF, however, if there may be something going on, your doc may want to evaluate that first....It seems the over 45 tests required by the RE are the ones that they would use to disqualify you, so I am not worried about the itching, but the fainting does concern me - but as long as the doc and perinatologist are not concerned you should be fine.....hugs!

I believe I have done all my testing. Just waiting for the results and letters to get to the RE to be told when I can finally move forward. As I mentioned to BBliss...I am getting so tired of waiting and jumping through hoops. I hope all is going to be well with the requirements because I am sort of feeling like all of this hoop jumping is giving me a chance to change my mind about doing this.....

 

[dmama]

BabyG - one other thing...you said you checked your blood sugar....are you diabetic? I ask because you must have the equipment to do that. But the thing is that prednisone can mess with your blood sugars, so if you are diabetic, or have unstable blood sugar, the prednisone can mess with it and cause the fainting and other symptoms....check in with your doctor....

 

[marathongirl]

Hi Ladies. Just checking in and to say I just turned 45 last week
I'm starting to feel like the door is closing even though I have been pregnant twice this year.
I really hope it turns out the best for all of us whatever that means

 

[BBbliss]

Hello lovely ladies

Babyg, this all sounds like stressed induced "allergy" with all that's going on and all the anticipation with the IVF and all, try some stress management, what works for you, spa music, walks, prayer, ACU, I'm sure it won't be anything that could interfere with the process.


Marathongirl, happy birthday, I'm right there with you turning 45 in 6 wks right at transfer. DF and I decided this will be our last, he didn't even know I had already said it here, he just said its too stressful.

Dmama, you are right, it takes a toll, this is so consuming I'm tired of thinking about it! Yesterday I had my CD3 bloods and I'm sacred to see what happened in 15 months since I had them done.

I feel I've been giving my best in all areas and I have no regrets, it's all in God's hands now.

Good luck to all you girls too, you are all in my prayers

 

[SaintlySue]

Happy Birthday Marathongirl.

BabyGriffin, prednisone can be very difficult for some people to take. You definitely want to discuss the symptoms with your doctor. I do not know if you have the same issues as I. I have an itching problem it started after I turned 40 I was taking benedryl day and night. When I saw Dr. Mitchell-Leef at RBA she told me it was from the high testerone due to PCOS/Insulin resistance. After so many years of taking benedryl I wondered if it was still effective I stopped for one week by the end of that week I was going crazy with the itching and scratching. If I feel the itching has increased I know my testerone is up. Some women are more sensitive to fluctuations in their hormones. Their is a book, by Dr. John Lee about hormones. Sorry I do not have the title, I let someone borrow it and have not gotten it back.

 

[Delphine11]

Happy birthday, marathongirl! 45 is a kind of mental turning point - I certainly felt strangely lots more old than 44, but that feeling faded and I remembered that you're only as old as you feel. It was also a kind of little mental kick to me to pay more attention to things like eating well.

BBbliss - absolutely. All we can do is to do our best. That goes for every lady here. And I don't have the slightest doubt that everyone on this thread is doing their best. You're all strong, tough ladies - and lovely too

Best wishes to everyone here - and best of luck. XXXXX

 

[BBbliss]

I just got my tests back. They are amazing but I'm still shocked at how my AMH is half of what it was a year ago.

I know I'm 45 in four wks and statistically I have a one percent chance now, well girls I AM that one%!!!! I really need to believe that now...

Us scale

FSH 5.9
AMH 2.5
TSH 1.45
E2 39

Any news? How's everyone doing?

 

[Delphine11]

BBbliss, those are seriously good results for your age!

Yes, your AMH has gone down, but it must still be higher than many women in their 30s. I'm not just trying to cheer you up - you really are doing well for someone of almost 45. That MUST increase your chances.

Ignore that 1% - that's just an average. You very well may have a better chance than that, and, as we say all the time here, it only takes one good egg

 

[BBbliss]

Delphine thank you! I need to stay positive and believe in all good things to come

For all of us in each of our own paths

 

[BBbliss]

Saintlysue, what was the name of the DNA frag test your DH had to do? I'm trying to look it up but there seams to be a couple of different ones