40+ TTC Summer of Love Thread - Page 12

[lauralloveshorses]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I am CD 15 today and my fertility monitor still shows high fertility. Based on my cycle length of 35 days, I think (if I ovulate) I would ovulate around the 20th day. So, it's a wait and see game. I know the first month using the monitor won't show a peak while it gets to know your body, but I am trying to remain hopeful.

Congrats to bhappy - you have just received a wonderful, blessed gift! May you have a healthy, wonderful birth and baby

[mentalgiant]

Welcome ladies!!

BHappy..I am SO thrilled for you!!! May it be an uneventful pregnancy..June will be here before you know it.

My fingers are crossed for all others waiting it out right now....hell I will cross my toes too!

I just thought I would pass on a little encouragement for anyone who is worried about the "potentail health issues to a baby of women our age" ....I had my level 2 ultrasound and all my blood work done and my numbers as so much better than they were with my son 4 years ago. My chance of a baby with Down's is 1 in 1200.....the same as a 20 something year old. Once again proof that age is JUST a number!!!

Baby dust to all!!!!

[bookwormommy]

I have a progesterone question, and am hoping someone here has experience with this. I just had my levels checked, and my ND suggested I do 3 levels, on any day 5dpo - 9dpo.

My results:
5dpo 8.8
8dpo 14
9dpo 13.8

She said ideally all 3 would be above 10, and is recommending supplementing. Clearly I was headed that way on day 5, and I'm worried about having too high of a level if I don't really need it. What do you all think? And if my levels are fine now, does it make sense to start supplementing this cycle, or just wait for the next one? I thought the problem with low progesterone was a short luteal cycle, and mine is about 16 days long, which seems fine, so is there more to it than that?

[LitMama]

Hi Bookwormommy,

I'm on progesterone supps even though my levels are fine (I only had mine checked at 2 and 3 dpo, though, and they were both 14-ish). My RE suggested it because I had been having lots of chemicals and he figured it couldn't hurt. My TCM practitioner felt that I didn't need to worry about my levels being too high and it wouldn't do any harm, but on the other hand, if it ain't broke, why fix it? So it became a personal choice... I tried it one month and hated the side effects and felt it was impairing my ability to read my body's natural signals, so I stopped.

But then when we started using injectables last month, I went back on it because the gonadotropins apparently can deplete your body of progesterone. I don't know if that helped, but just wanted to share my experience. I still hate the side effects, but if it helps me stay pg, I'll be happy.

Hi Maya,

Soy IS confusing! As for the nutritional stuff... it sounds like you're feeling the way I do about supplements... too much information, difficult to process and make decisions! My personal feeling about diet is, that as long as I eat a healthy, balanced diet, I'll do no harm. I think you would have to eat a LOT of broccoli to get the anti-estrogenic effect! Supplements I worry a bit more about because they're more concentrated than the active ingredients in their natural state... namely, food.

I'm actually not sure why I'm taking the menotropins with any LH in them at all... I thought I was on Menopur because it was my only choice at my hospital, but then they switched me to Bravelle so that's obviously not the case! I appreciate your bringing it up, I'll have to ask my RE and see what the deal is.

Hi Mentalgiant,

Nice to hear from you! Congrats on your good test results, what fantastic news! Thank you for sharing the good and inspiring news with us!

Kristin,

I hope you feel better soon! And

[kay99]

This is CD2 for me and my first attempt at charting. I've been using the CBFM (love it) since May. Hopefully with the two tools I'll have a successful cycle

[contactmaya]

bookwormmommy-the progesterone thing. Well, i had my level checked on day 7 dpo and it was 32.18. Thats higher than i expected given that my luteal phase had been short. It wasnt from the supplementation, which apparently does not pick up on the blood test (depending on they kind you take, at the time i took progonb)

Taking progesterone wont hurt (altho apparently it reduces vitd and calcium levels after long term use). It does have annoying side effects, namely, feeling as if you were 7 weeks pregnant when you may or may not be, complete with nausea, insatiable appetite, need to sleep... but you can take a lower dose.

Instead of taking 200mg (of promotrium), i have taken 100mg. That reduces symptoms considerably.

With your progesterone levels, i would say you should only take the lowest dose possible, if at all. In fact, if your luteal phase is good, then i dont see why you should take it at all.
They say if you have low levels, it could lead to miscarriage later...but hcg and natural progesterone kick in with pregnancy...so really its a matter of whether or not you want to take the risk.

Litmamma, very interesting about the gonadotropins reducing you progesterone. Ill have to bear that in mind when and if i go onto do an injectibles cycle. Ill be taking progesterone anyway.

Btw, i wonder why that would be? If gonadotropins lead to a stronger ovulation, then wouldnt that lead to more progesterone? Or is it that it leads to more estrogen, thereby affecting the estrogen/progesterone balance...or something else altogether....

[BHappy]

Originally Posted by LitMama

Another reason I'm smiling... I had my second ultrasound for this cycle, and things are lookin' good. I had a dream last night that a third follicle appeared, and... it did! I now have 2 at 17mm and 1 at 20mm. We trigger tomorrow night and IUI on Saturday morning. We really needed this, as it's been one @#$%& of a week (and it's only Wednesday). Maybe the smaller dose of Lupron (5 units versus 10) and the Bravelle rather than the Menopur, are what did it? So now our odds are much higher than they were with only 1-2 eggs.

to all of you lovelies!

thinking of you and wishing you the best of luck on your iui tomorrow!

Originally Posted by Kristin0105

As for me I am 10 DPO and I am burning up! I do have some kind of virus that my daughter and husband seem to be spreading around so I have an irritating cough but I don't think that is causing the feeling I have of being overly warm. At 7 dpo I woke up in the middle of the night because of an odd pressure/pain /cramp feeling and that morning my temp went up a second time and has now stayed up for 3 days. I soooo try not to read too much into signs and symptoms since they often mean little in regard to whether I am pregnant or not. The next week should be interesting.

My chart http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/1dfb40

sorry about the virus, but excited about the temps!





xo

[WaturMama]

Welcome Lauraloveshorses and Kay99!!!

Lauraloveshorses, congrats on that weight loss and very exciting and promising that your cycles got so regular. Maybe you will be one of the ones that comes and goes here quickly! I hope so (though I'm liking having you here. )

Kay99, so sorry for your loss , and also agreed that is a good fertility sign.

Both you newbies, if you haven't picked up on it already TCM (traditional chinese medicine-acupuncture and herbs) and Toni Weshler's book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility are 2 resources that many of us have found to be especially helpful on this journey. They are for me. So resources to maybe consider if you haven't yet.

Bhappy, I am so happy for you. I was so excited about your news the other day that I forgot to update you on the front page. And then I got into my moving days and this is the first time I'm back on the computer for any length of time. But I thought of you and that I needed to get you on there! I love your due date, w/the double 6s and double 1s. How is your dh doing with this?

[WaturMama]

I just started a new thread for Autumn, so bring the discussion over there please:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...3#post15908653

See you there!