Calling all ladies with BFPs over 35

[Lee37]

BFP with #1 after 8 cycles. Turning 35 in two weeks. Had only used calendar method and bd every other day during that week for the 1st 6 mos- nothing. So we switched to ntnp and were + within 2 mos. Clearly my timing was off when we were ttc! I ended up conceiving 3 days before AF was due. Unusual- but stranger things have happened!

Tks for your posts ladies! Montzer, just wondered what ntnp is..Im new Also, we have been doing the same, calendar method for the last 5 months.. and nothing, so need to figure out if I am ovulating when I think I am or at another time. A couple of ladies have mentioned that they were ovulating at a different time than they thought too..maybe that's what's happening for us as well.

 

[Jazzbird]

Hi lee - ntnp means not trying not preventing. So no tracking or taking ovulation tests etc. There are theories that the stress of trying is actually preventing pregnancy.

I would definitely recommend taking an ovulation test just to confirm that the calendar method is pinpointing the right days. If you test positive it means your body has released the lutenising hormone which will trigger egg release 12-36 (I think) hours later. So best to bd on the day you test positive and the next 3 days.

I found I had egg white cm 2 or 1 day before positive opk then my temp would jump a day later. I decided to ditch temping after several months and monitoring other than opk tests. I got pregnant a few cycles later by bding twice - once with egg white cm and then the 12-24 hours after I tested positive.

Hoping you get your magic BFP soon!

X

 

[Lynny77]

Hi Lee,

My first we weren't really trying and got pregnant right away but I lost. I was 35 then. The second took me longer. We tried for 6 months then I went to the doctor who told me to use opk's since my period weren't textbook regular. She was right. We would stop doing it after day 14 assuming I ovulated then but I don't I'm much later. So it took 10 cycles of hardcore ttc after that to get pregnant. I was at the fertility clinic and they were doing their investigative cycle for me to see if everything is working as it should. So not sure if the sono clearing my tubes did it or them monitoring me for ovulation and the nurse calling to tell me I was starting to ovulate that did it. Who knows! I'm 36 but turning 37 in a few weeks.

It took a few months to get my appointment at the fertility clinic. Then to get my appointment with the doctor to find out my results from their investigative cycle was another month. It's a long process! Good luck to you! Ttc can be a huge witch!

 

[LoveInshallah]

It took us around 24 cycles, I lost count, including 4 IUIs. I have short cycles, we started around my 35th birthday and I'm 36 now. We had every problem in the book, though! I definitely never want to scare anyone because we had a fraction of percentage chance to have all of our issues, but on the other hand, I suggest getting tested early. We got tested right away "for peace of mind" and never would have guessed the challenges we would face based on tracking cycles. I did have shorter and lighter periods but that was the only clue on my end, I had great temps, cm, consistent opks, a great family history, no obvious health problems. I'm glad we were able to get doctors involved right away instead of wasting any time. With that said, most of my friends are in the 34-38 range and they sure all seem to get pregnant right away!! We definitely weren't the average case.

 

[tryfor2]

With my first I was lucky and conceived my first BD of my first cycle. No charting, tracking whatsoever. I had no idea when I was ovulating. I think it was just a fluke. Oh, and I was 35 and 5 months at the time of conception. This time I was 37.5 when I conceived and I charted and used OPKs and got pregnant on cycle #3. Best of luck to you. I know lots of people who have gotten pregnant fairly easily at 35+ and also some who had trouble conceiving in their 20s. Remember, age isn't everything!

 

[tryfor2]

Ooh, symptoms--I forgot to mention that I had none during the TWW with my first, though within hours of getting my BFP my breasts started really hurting. This time I was symptom spotting so had lots of "mysterious" symptoms each cycle I was TTC. Hard to know for sure whether they were psychosomatic or if my body was just doing weird things. I did kind of know I was pg the cycle I got my BFP because my nipples started burning at just 4 DPO. The only other time my breasts hurt was when I was pg so it was a pretty definitive symptom for me. (I know you aren't supposed to have enough HCG in your system to cause symptoms that early but I can only report the facts. I did get quite an early + HPT at 8 DPO though....) the difficult thing about pregnancy is that it's totally normal to have a huge variety of symptoms and yet just as normal to have none at all! And you can't even compare pregnancies generally bc each one is different! Hugely frustrating, but there you go! Good luck.

 

[zennie]

I have just turned 41 and am due number 4 in a few weeks!! It took 7 cycles to get pregnant (I had 2 chemicals in between). I charted using FF and took extra folic acid and progesterone. I used opk's aswell. Wishing you the best of luck. X

 

[SARAHCARDIFF]

I got pregnant after 10 months of trying. I'm 38 but I don't think age was the reason it took that long, we figured out that my husbands hot baths were the problem. So they stopped and I got pregnant but I lost it at 6 weeks. I'm pregnant again just two months after my miscarriage. Make sure your dh doesn't go near baths and hot tubs when you are ttc!

 

[maisie78]

I was 33 when I conceived dd and am now 35 with this one (will be 36 when born). We ntnp with both of ours. Although I wasn't on birth control for some time before getting BFP with our dd we avoided ov week and then conceived the first month of trying to catch ov. We didn't use opks or temping just tried to catch iykwim. It was pretty straight forward as my cycles were very regular 31 days and I did get of pain so always knew when. With this one my cycles have been literally all over the place since having dd so could have anything from a 31 day to 42 day cycle. So still no birth control but the BFP did come as a huge shock. Frankly it was one step away from an immaculate conception

So I think that whilst it is easier said than done, the advice of pp's is good. Try to relax about it. It will happen just try to have fun x

 

[Elphabaa77]

I am probably not one of the stories you are looking for. We'd been trying for 2 years and 4 months when we finally got our BFP. But I have PCOS and luteal phase defect, and my husband (who is 30 now) had severe male factor infertility (super low sperm count, low motility, and some abnormal morphology). We tried 4 rounds of Clomid with my OBGYN before moving on to a Reproductive Endocrinologist who said the OBGYN should have referred me MUCH sooner! (She waited over a year, and when you are over 35 you should be referred after 6 months.) He caught my husband's sperm problem and said the clomid would probably have never worked. It helped me, but didn't address his swimmers. I found the FertilAid supplements for men and hubby started them. His count got a lot better, but the RE said we still needed at least IUI to get pregnant. We did an IUI last November and it wasn't successful. We were literally about to give up because IVF was just too expensive. Then *SURPRISE* we had our first BFP ever on June 20th at 10dpo. Now we're just hoping we've got a sticky bean in there.

My guess is that our story really isn't the norm for getting pregnant over the age of 35, but you never know. We started trying about 5 months before my 35th birthday. Now I will be 37 next month. But hubby was 27 when we started, now he'll be 31 in September.

 

[StranjeGirl]

It took 4 months with my first at age 36, and 5 months with my second at age 39. I was charting, using ovulation sticks, geritol, b-complex, vitex, preseed, and fertileCM. ANd this last time I also took wheatgrass shots every day. Definitely use ovulation sticks to make sure you are timing things correctly! Good luck!

 

[lam_76]

I got my bfp after 5 cycles, but it was really only 2 as my oh and I don't live in the same country and I only managed to time my visits right twice as my cycle was a bit erratic after coming off the pill. I was 36 when we started ttc and just turned 37 when I got my bfp. My little boy is now 6 months old!

 

[Seity]

I was 36, wanted a baby. Had sex only once that month after charting my cycle and trying to time it right. Got pregnant. Had baby, didn't want another. Tracked cycles and got a diaphragm for the danger days. Had sex once on a supposedly safe day and instead my body OV'd a week earlier than it ever had before. Got pregnant. I was 39. So in my case sex=pregnant. Husband got a vasectomy, so we wouldn't have any more.

 

[Radkat]

I got pregnant the pretty easily with my first, but I had been tracking my cycles prior to actually TTC, and I temped and used OPKs, so I knew when I ovulated. With this pregnancy, it took 9 months. I also had a mc in there.

I took a lot of supplements to help, but you probably don't need to. I would say temp and do OPKs for sure, if you aren't already. Maybe some extra folate, CoQ10 and baby aspirin if you dr thinks all of that is OK. Oh and preseed if you don't have good EWCM, which I didn't. Good luck.

 

[jzgrace]

My husband and I had unprotected sex 3 days in a row. The day before the day of and the day after O. This was our first timeTTC. The only way I tracked O was internal self exam for cm. I found the ewcm and knew it was time to DTD. I researched TTC for a year or so before trying. Before that we always ttp. We got lucky.

 

[madseasons]

It took 2 cycles for DS when I was 31 after the copper IUD.

This time I had a Mirena and after removal we went every other cycle, so it techinically took us 4 cycles of "trying" at 36 years.

Only thing I did different the cycle I got my bfp was took Evening primrose from cycle to O, used softcups and a little preseed and started taking B-50.

Good luck!

 

[Chris77]

Hi ladies, I'm 36 (turning 37 in December) and pregnant naturally with #2! I had a mmc in November after IVF so I'm super paranoid but am very hopeful.

 

[Bookwrmgal]

I'm 39 and 7wks pg with #1. I got a BFP after a year of trying and 6 cycles of seeing a RE.

My BFP came a month after stopping clomid (I took for 2 months). I did preseed, B-Complex, Bee Pollen, CoQ10, baby aspirin, progesterone cream, Evening Primrose, acupuncture, and drinking apple cider vinegar. I really think the apple cider vinegar really made a difference this last cycle.

 

[GeralynB]

My husband and I had unprotected sex 3 days in a row. The day before the day of and the day after O. This was our first timeTTC. The only way I tracked O was internal self exam for cm. I found the ewcm and knew it was time to DTD. I researched TTC for a year or so before trying. Before that we always ttp. We got lucky.

I'm 35 due with our first in Oct. I'm in the same boat as you. I tracked my period and O dates on my iPhone. We only DTD 1 time the day before it said I was supposed to ovulate. Hubby was out of town for business right before and right after…so we got lucky that it was literally the very first try

 

[Christinee]

I'm 37 and 8 weeks 5 days pg with #2... I'll be 38 when I deliver....

I got pregnant in one try!!! It wasn't planned but it was the only time me and my hubby didn't do "pull out" method in years and OOPS!! wadda you know!! I guess it was just meant to be. I really can't find any other explanation..