40+ TTC Awesome Autumn for Starting a Baby Thread - Page 14

[LitMama]

Welcome, hopefulmama2be! 

Mamamerle, congrats on your wonderful numbers! I hope you enjoy that sweet moment on Christmas Eve... 

BelovedK, I was going to echo what others have said... a positive OPK can also indicate pg, though they are less sensitive. And, lots of women have wacky cycles from time to time, without it pointing toward meno or peri. Is there any way you can get a blood pg test? 

WaturMama, congrats on your good bd timing and your good cm! Those sound like good ingredients for this month. Re: your super low temps, I actually get those nearly every month. I have a dip on the day before or day of O, sometimes even dipping below 97.

AFM, my surgery went well and I'm now slowly and somewhat painfully recovering. I'm on antibiotics and painkillers, but DH and I are considering going ahead and trying this month, starting tonight. I didn't think I would feel up to it, but somehow the mere thought of TTC excites me enough that the endorphins start flowing and I'm saying "pain? what pain?" DH pointed out, too, that if my body in its wisdom doesn't have the resources to both recover and make a baby, it won't. And if it does, it might. I'm CD11 today and just now got the faintest positive on an OPK -- the beginning of my typical fade-in pattern. No other signs of O, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's delayed or doesn't happen at all -- just the massive doses of ibuprofin alone could be enough to suppress O. Right now, I don't feel super concerned about it... I've felt so loved and cared for by my DH and DD since my surgery that I'm really focused on the gratitude I feel for the beautiful family I already have. 

I hope all of you lovely women have wonderful holidays, however you celebrate them! I'm looking forward to ringing in the New Year with all of you and seeing what 2011 brings our way. 

Edited by LitMama - 12/23/10 at 1:30pm

[BelovedK]

Blood test=BFN



(not that I didn't know) (I just stupidly got caught up in hope)

Still no sign of af.

[BelovedK]

LitMama, we crossposted

I'm glad you are healing and ready to go at it again. cd 11 is an exciting place to be, I hope you feel good enough and your body cooperates!

[contactmaya]

Sorry to hear about the negative result belovedk.

Litmama, may you recover quickly!

I just wanted to post some exciting news(well for me at least) My temperature this morning was 99.0! And 99.2 on my other thermometer....that is crazy high for me. Usually my post o temps are in the realm of 97.7-97.9.  How did they get so high?Either i have a lot of cysts pumping out the progesterone, or maybe, just maybe.....i wonder, do multiples cause higher temperatures?

Anyone know what it could mean to have such a high jump? I am assuming the gonal f had something to do with it.

To those celebrating christmas,  merry christmas! And happy new year to all!

[contactmaya]

Im going to enjoy my excitement while i can.

It turns out my ferning microsscope isnt broken after all. Ive been getting  full ferning now since ovulation, and now it is

5dpo. They say that pregnancy causes full ferning in the luteal phase (but there is some contraversy around this)

My temperatures are still higher than usual. That lovely 99 went down to 98.5 (blah) but its still higher than my usual 79.9.

I have also had a persistent headache. I never get headaches.

On the other hand, maybe the headache is just an illness and that is causing the slightly raised temperature. I wonder if colds cause ferning  on the microscope?

I also seem to be much hungrier than usual, i mean insatiable....could be the cold weather

peeing alot too...probably a mild uti...

Anyway....just thought i'd report hopeful signs :-) 

[gumblossom]

That is exciting news Contactmaya. It sounds promising. How early will you test? I had symptoms very early on, and thought I must have been delusional, but I think it is possible to have symptoms before implantation. We broke the news to our children on Christmas morning. Both my daughters were very shocked and seemed quite upset. We talked about it and they have concerns for their little brother - worried he won't get enough attention. Bless them! Anyway, they are over the initial shock and are now excited and talking the sex of the baby and names. I had some cramping on Christmas day which had me worried so I spent the afternoon resting.It's settled down now, thank goodness. I'm counting the days until 12 weeks!

[LitMama]

ContactMaya, that sounds very promising! Keep those hopeful signs coming!

Gumblossom, so glad you got to share your news and it went well... the sibling trepidation sounds all very normal and healthy. Glad you got some rest and the cramps are gone!

AFM, my recovery has been tough, a LOT more pain, exhaustion, nausea (from antibiotics and painkillers) and general malaise than I'd anticipated. But my family has been great and xmas was lovely. So my Christmas miracle was this -- cd13 yesterday and I had EWCM appear for the first time in 2 years, woo hoooooo!!! I was so excited I woke DH up from a nap to tell him. I also had a positive OPK yesterday, a temperature dip today, and mild O pains today. And despite everything, we've managed to get in 2 well-timed BDs, with another one planned for tonight. I feel happy and giddy and very positive about this CM change -- could it signal something? Is it the EPO, the L-Arginine, the Chinese herbs, the dietary changes, or some combo? Randine Lewis says in the Infertility Cure that the appearance of EWCM can mean a return to optimal fertility, and I'm praying there's some truth in that.

So my only concern now is, what painkillers can I use during the 2ww? Or at least up to implantation time? I know ibuprofin is supposed to be off limits, and I've heard acetominophin is okay. Up to now I've been taking ibu and tylenol with vicodin. I tried taking nothing earlier today, and the pain was bad enough that I couldn't think straight or mother very well. So maybe it wasn't so smart to TTC this cycle...

Edited by LitMama - 12/26/10 at 10:09pm

[WaturMama]

Happy holidays and holiday time everyone! I appreciate all of you and wish you so well. We have a new threadkeeper who is going to take over Jan. 1. I don't know if I ought to let her announce herself. I think the thread will be in very good hands (and heart!) I will still be around, just not quite as consistently. I am going to keep looking into adoption but also keep ttc. I believe I am 1dpo today (I always like to get a few temps to confirm). I did end up getting some ewcf and our bd timing was good, so hopehopehope.

ContactMaya hopehopehope for you. That sounds promising! (I can't find the trusty fingersx icon, so I'm typing "hopehopehope" instead.)

BelovedK. I'm sorry you are going through this. How confusing. if you had a blood test did you talk to some sort of doctor in the process? Did that person have any theories about what is going on?

Litmama, Yay!! about the ewcm and good bd timing. And I just read both your recent posts, it is so lovely that you are feeling so well cared for by your dh and dd.

Gumblossom, your kids are very dear. I'm sending lots of good wishes to you.

[contactmaya]

Litmama, yay for the egg white!!

Gumblossom, what a lovely christmas present. Your kids are so cute to be concerned. Isnt your youngest about 2 1/2?

Mine is 2 3/4. Still breastfeeding about 4/5 times a day. 

Thanks for finding another threadkeeper for us waturmama. I wonder who it is?

I was just thinking, whilst i enjoyed all the 'pregnancy' signs. I now realize two things, they are not in my head, but they do not neccesarily indicate pregnancy.

The gonal f stimulates more follicles and therefore more corpeus lutui, therefore more progesterone, therefore pregnancy symtpoms that come from increased progesterone. However, i could still just as likely get a bfn, because it doesnt mean any of the eggs were fertilized. In fact,  strictly speaking, you can ovulate without releasing an egg, if the follicle  doesnt contain an egg. Its still called ovulation, and you still get the temp shift, and the period. Just no egg.

Apparently, this happens more often  when you get older.

So yeah, lots of progesterone,....im not getting my hopes up anymore.

Gumblossom, to  answer your question, i prefer to test as late as possible. I cannot stand the sight of a bfn anymore. I'd rather wait until my period doesnt come, and feel my symptoms, and then test. 

[LitMama]

Hi ContactMaya,

I had the same thing happen while I was on injectables and progesterone... I had strong, physical pg symptoms that were definitely not in my head, so I guess they were either symptoms of conception and attempts at implantation, or they were just side effects of the hormones I was flooding my system with. I think we only had two rounds of this, and both times I felt pg but had negative blood beta HCG tests.

I'm really surprised and dismayed to hear that you can "ovulate" without releasing an egg! I knew that you could have an LH surge without ovulating (thus making BBT a more accurate indicator of O than OPKs). But I did not realize that you could have a temperature shift without having released an egg... I thought the BBT shift was the one thing we could rely upon!

Does that mean the only way we can know if we're maturing and releasing eggs is through ultrasounds and blood tests? That means the power is back in the hands of the MDs. Drat!

[contactmaya]

Does that mean the only way we can know if we're maturing and releasing eggs is through ultrasounds and blood tests? That means the power is back in the hands of the MDs. Drat!

I dont think even they can know for sure. The blood test only shows progesterone, indicative of ovulation but not egg release. Through ultrasound, all they can see is a burst follicle or a follicle about to burst.  By miraculously good timing they might catch the actual release of the egg, but that would be highly unusal. I guess if doing ivf, they can see how many eggs there  are relative to follicles.

its amazing really, because release of an egg is such a mystery, noone can know for sure. The only proof is actual pregnancy.

Im not actually taking progesterone this cycle, but i  still think i have more than usual progesterone due to  a higher number of follicles from gonal f.

[Buzzer Beater]

 Hi Everyone,

I will be taking over as threadkeeper for Waturmama after the new year! It's very exciting for me to do this... I have "seen" and felt Waturmama as a nurturing, knowing, and guiding presence during her tenure and I know I cannot fill her shoes. I am excited to learn from everyone here. I read almost every post, think of you all often, and would love to tend to the technical matters of moving us to a new thread each season and adding to lists etc. I can also try to keep the conversations going if they lag, but mostly with questions! I have not concieved on my own for many many years (I'm very vocal about where dd2 came from, but in case anybody does not know, she came from donor egg IVF).

I'd also like to start a game, or ritual, whatever you want to call it, that will link us in our endeavors and I think gather positive feminine energy. I have a fertility goddess a friend gave me, that her friend gave her. I'd like to pass the goddess... send it on to the next person who wants it (needs it?) with a prayer, a note, a poem or a wish... a great joke or picture or sentiment. Anyway, you would sign up, we'd make a chain, and when you get the goddess, you rub her, share your note (or whatever you got) from the last person and then send her to the next in the chain. Of course the person sending to you would then know your name etc. We could also put in a map to see where our goddess has been to gather more of her wonderous powers. Is anybody up for it?

Sara

[zurumato]

Saw this article today of celebrities who have concieved over 40.   

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/health/2010/07/22/fertile/#slide=1 

[WaturMama]

Yay Buzzer Beater/Sara!! I think this thread will be in such good hands/heart with you. I very much appreciate your words about my threadkeeping. I took them to heart. I looked back and my first thread was last year's new year's thread--so my tenure was one year. I love your passing on the goddess idea.

AFM I am 3dpo and have had particularly high temps the last 2 days. I am hopeful that might mean a robust healthy corpus luteum pumping out progesterone after popping out a lovely healthy egg (for which we left plenty of sperm for it to meet). I am surprised how optimistic I feel after last month's pessimism. We'll see what happens.

[gumblossom]

Unfortunately, the bleeding got worse, and an ultrasound this afternoon showed that our baby died just after we'd seen a heartbeat at the last ultrasound. I'm feeling so sad and I think this is the end of my journey.i don't think I can go through ttc again, and then, if luck has it and I get a bfp, all the worry and waiting. It's early days though, so we'll see. I was given the choice of a D&C, but am opting to let things take their course naturally. Who knows how long it will take. I have the option, should I want it later. All the best to everyone else.

[BelovedK]

Oh Gumblossom, I am sooo sorry

[contactmaya]

I am so sorry to hear it gumblossom.

[contactmaya]

Hey Buzzerbeater, welcome as our new threadkeeper! Im sure you will make a good one. And thanks for stepping up! I like the goddess idea too.

Watur, it sounds hopeful. 

[Buzzer Beater]

 I'm so sorry gumblossom.

[fuller2]

I'm so sorry, Gumblossom.  : (

Sometimes acupuncture can make things move along more quickly, if that is at all of interest to you -- I sort of "induced" a miscarriage that way a while ago when I had a blighted ovum at 13 weeks. They scheduled me for a D&C the next week but I really didn't want to do that so had acupuncture instead.  The miscarriage started that night.

I hope you & family will be OK.