Warm Winter Wishes and BFP's 40 ++ TTC - Page 35

[cldeshano]

Hi, all! I came across this thread a couple of weeks ago and wanted to drop a note. I'm a little more than 41 and we're trying to conceive our second. We've completed five cycles of trying, and I'm pretty sure I'll start my period in the next day or two.

I had two MCs before our first was born. I was 39 when he was born. After the second, I started seeing an acupuncturist after doing quite a bit of research and talking with my midwife. I had a short luteal phase, and it increased by about two days after a couple of months ( though it was still shortish). We held off trying for several months because of my acupuncturist's recommendation. We got pregnant with our son on the second month of trying (which also was the case with the two MC).

Needless to say, I've been worrying because we aren't pregnant yet and because I'm 41. I've continued my acupuncture and Mayan massage treatments since giving birth.

I'm still breastfeeding my li'l guy who is almost 2, and he nurses on demand (which is quite a bit). My periods are pretty regular. I've been testing for ovulation each of the five months we've tried. My luteal phase actually has been a day longer than before I conceived with my son.

I've been in touch with my midwife and my family doctor. Neither expressed much concern and said it could just take time. My family doctor recently delivered a 49-year-old's baby, who was conceived naturally. My acupuncturist has give both my husband and me some tests to try to figure out some of our hormone levels.

I'm just wondering if there may be some other things we might want to look into. We're not likely to look into IUI or other procedures because we don't feel we can afford these things. My DH is 6 years younger, so he's not necessarily facing similar age challenges. But, he's slightly underweight, and I've been wondering if that may affect his fertility.

I'd welcome some thoughts and/or words of encouragement. And thanks for providing a space to share.

[lovestolearn]

Welcome, cldeshano!

I would suggest getting your nutrition optimized since your reserves have been tapped significantly by your son. 

Here are a couple of blog posts that may be helpful:

http://www.sondrarose.com/optimum-fertility-nutrition

http://www.sondrarose.com/optimum-fertility-environment

ps I'm still hanging in here at 49--so thanks for the story! 

[cldeshano]

Originally Posted by lovestolearn 

Welcome, cldeshano!

I would suggest getting your nutrition optimized since your reserves have been tapped significantly by your son. 

Here are a couple of blog posts that may be helpful:

http://www.sondrarose.com/optimum-fertility-nutrition

http://www.sondrarose.com/optimum-fertility-environment

ps I'm still hanging in here at 49--so thanks for the story! 

Thanks so much for these links, lovestolearn. So much great stuff in there!

And good luck to you! I'll keep watching the thread for some exciting news from you.

[LitMama]

Wow, it's been a looooong time since I've been here. I've had a lot going on and have sort of weaned myself off my online world so I could spend more energy on other things. But, it's really nice to see the mamas who've had their babes stopping by.  And great to hear from my comrades WaturMama and Gumblossom, I feel like we shared so much when we were all really active here. 

Welcome, cldeshano! I think you are very young and with patience and a healthy lifestyle will have no trouble getting pregnant. It might just be a matter of a few tweaks... when I was 43, I made a bunch of dietary changes and found a great fertility-focused TCM doctor, and within 3 months I was pregnant. Alas, it was ectopic, but from all indications it was a healthy thriving embryo, just in the wrong spot. Here's the nutshell version of the changes I made: gave up gluten, caffeine, alcohol, and went on a clean organic "warming diet" (nothing cold or raw, drinking what my TCM doc called "chicken soup", aka bone broth, every day), got my TSH level down to between 1-2 (had previously been 4-5), started taking lots of supplements (CoQ10, Myoinositol, fish oil, probiotic, wheat grass shots, prenatal, megadoses of Vitamin D), weekly acupuncture and Chinese herbs, and mind-body work (hypnotherapy, meditation, yoga, qi gong).

It's pretty challenging to sustain all of that on a long-term basis. It comes down to time, energy, focus and money, and I don't have a lot of any of those things. For me it's also difficult to feel that my "normal" life is on hold (i.e., the life I once had where I drank espresso and red wine and cold green smoothies and went for long runs and enjoyed a spontaneous sex life). But it's definitely doable for a few months, which might be all that you need at your age.

In the year since my ectopic, I've had multiple chemical pregnancies but nothing sticky, and so now I'm investigating immunological stuff... it turns out I have lots of red flags for potential immunological fertility problems, including the ability to sustain an ectopic pregnancy while all others fail. So we are in touch with two clinics that specialize in that, and I'm on some new anti-inflammatory supplements. I'm also focusing on stress reduction, which I figure will help whether or not I get pregnant. I'm doing an online stress reduction program, and am trying to work in just 10 minutes per day of meditation and/or yoga. One of the things I realized was creating a lot of stress in my life was my "orthorexia"... constantly fretting about eating/drinking the right/wrong things that would help or hinder my fertility. (I had gotten to the point where I would allow myself to get dehydrated if the only available water was cold water... weird to admit that). So I've relaxed a bit about that now and have started drinking one daily black tea again and having the occasional glass of wine or cold green smoothie. Salads are back in my life. It's amazing how much this has lowered my stress level, to have taken the reins once again and feel that I'm listening to my internal wisdom rather than some external authority. It's not just the REs that can create that problematic dynamic... an acupuncturist or a yogi can do that to you, too!

Here's to a peaceful and joyful holiday season for everyone, pregnant or not. 

[gumblossom]

Hi Litmama,

It is so nice to hear from you.

We have been very quiet on this board, but I think that you,Waturmama and I have been ttc for so long that there isn't all that much to write about these days, especially if we are taking a low key approach.

I hear you about the stress - especially about food. I recently completed a whole 30 - which was terrific. The results were definitely worth it. I have found,by doing it, that I don't do well with dairy. For years I tried everything,and always blamed gluten for problems, but since I also gave up dairy I feel even better. However, since doing the whole 30 -which is strictly no alcohol, no gluten,no sugar,no dairy, I find it very hard to forgive myself if I eat those things. Which means I am constantly beating myself up for slipping up. It is silly, because in reality my diet is probably a hundred times better than most people .

My acupuncturist is always saying that if eating a certain way causes stress then it just isn't worth it.

I recently had another birthday - I am now 46 - but still hopeful I will have another baby. However I am realistic about it and have come to terms with the fact that it may not happen. I'm still giving it my best shot, and this month I am taking red clover isoflavones on day 3 -7, increasing the dose daily. I heard it works a bit like clomid (which I don't want to take,and my doctor doesn't want to prescribe for me). The idea is that the isoflavones will increase estrogen (I know mine is low) and hopefully help build a big juicy egg, or more than one egg, so more targets for the sperm!

I took the red clover last month, from AF to O, rather than taking it like clomid, and I noticed that my luteal phase was a day longer and AF was a little heavier,which is an improvement as my AF has been light and I worried my lining wasn't thick enough to support a pregnancy.

I am curious about the sups you are taking for inflammation. Actually inflammation is what got me into the "whole 30". After my second miscarriage last year I learnt that my ANA was high, which means I am a candidate for an autoimmune disease, but at this stage there is no indication of whether I will get an auto-immune disease or what it will be. So I wanted to dampen any inflammation I might have and the whole 30 diet is supposed to help. I also use the progesterone cream because I heard that it may help in that regard to stop the body rejecting a fetus. My doctor is also going to prescribe progesterone if I ever get another bfp.

My list of sups :

DHEA 50 mg a day;

wheat grass capsules,4 a day;

Co Q 10, 400mg a day;

magnesium,

pre-conception supplement;

royal jelly;

red clover isoflavones (pre-O);

krill oil.

I would love to hear from others what they are taking for supplements.

[carmen358]

Hi everyone, I wanted to pop in and share my good news. After decided we were done trying we had a change of heart and took 3 months off ttc (I started some new herbs, stopped some and saw a new acupuncturist) and then had another crack at it. After 5 miscarriages I'm currently 7w1d pregnant and saw a perfect 152bpm heartbeat today and little bean is measuring right on. I'm totally in shock and still terrified but I haven't made it this far since my pregnancy with DD. I have another u/s on Jan. 3 to check growth but at least for now I feel like I can at least feel pregnant for awhile anyway :)
 

[lovestolearn]

Congrats, Carmen!!!

Gumblosson, are you taking any D3?  Getting my blood level up to 50-60 ng/ml has really helped my allergies/inflammation.  I take 6000 IUs/day.
 

[LitMama]

Congrats, Carmen! That is really wonderful news. It sounds like the time off did you some good. H&H 9 months to you!

Nice to see you're still around, too, lovestolearn!

Gumblossom, lovely to hear back from you. Happy Birthday! I hope it was a nice one. I agree... I think there's probably just less to report now that we've been at this a while. Interesting to hear about your Whole 30 diet... it sounds like exactly the sort of thing I'm feeling resistant to right now! But I'm very glad to hear it worked for you and that you're feeling so well. As for inflammation and supplements, thanks for sharing your list, I was considering starting Boswellia for inflammation (in my case, IBS), but instead am taking something called Proflavanol-C which has grapeseed extract and a "poly-C" blend that includes vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. I don't quite understand how the polyblend works, but apparently it's a synergistic thing. It's made by USANA. I was reluctant to dive into the whole USANA thing, because it seems a bit cult-like and I can't find positive reviews from anyone who doesn't sell the stuff (and thus is biased). They are recommended by Randine Lewis, Julia Indichova and many acupuncturists specifically for fertility and inflammation issues. Of course, all of these folks sell the stuff. However, my skepticism aside, I must say that I have seen a remarkable decrease in inflammatory symptoms (IBS) since starting them. We'll see how it goes.

Here's my full list of supplements du jour:

USANA Essentials (chelated minerals and mega-antioxidant multivitamin), 4 of each per day

USANA Proflavanol-C, 4 per day

Amazing Grass wheat grass tablets, 5 per day (just started... I used to use the powdered drink mix and/or frozen shots)

Fresh royal jelly, 1/4 teaspoon per day (just re-started... I tend to slack off on this one... various local brands I get at my coop)

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega fish oil, 4 capsules per day (about 2,500 mg omega-3)

CoQ10, 600 mg per day (various brands)

Jarrow Myoinositol, 4,000 mg per day 

Renew Life Critical Care Ultimate Flora probiotic, 1 capsule per day (50 billion live cultures)

Gaia Adrenal Health (haven't started yet... will only take before ovulation... contains Rhodiola, Holy Basil, Ashwagandha, Wild Oats milky seed, Schisandra berry)

Chinese herbs

This is very similar to what I was taking last year when I got pregnant... I've been able to drop some of the individual vitamins and minerals (like D, E, Zinc, Selenium) because the USANA multivitamin has higher potencies of these than the Rainbow light prenatals I was taking previously.

Oh, and I tried letrozole for 3 cycles... it did help me produce 2 eggs the one time I did an ultrasound (not sure of the other cycles, as we did them unmonitored), and it also gave me great EWCM (or maybe I just did that on my own, who knows?) and excellent progesterone levels in my luteal phase. Plus a couple of chemical pregnancies. But I worry about taking this on an ongoing basis, what it's doing to my hormones, etc. So I'm back to trying naturally next cycle.

[cldeshano]

Congrats, Carmen! It's so very exciting! Hope these 9 months are wonderful for you.

Thanks so much for the suggestions about nutrition and lifestyle, litmama. It's funny because I know I should trim back my gluten intake, but I have the hardest time doing so. I'll have to be firmer in my commitment. I also need to make time for regular exercise. All things that will serve me well once I am pregnant. Thanks again!

[gumblossom]

Wow! Great news Carmen. I am so happy for you. Come back and let us know how the next ultrasound goes.

Lovestolearn - I was taking Vitamin D, but now that it is summer here (Australia),and I'm in the sun everyday I have left out the vit d supplement. There is some in my pre-conception supplement http://www.blackmores.com.au/products/conceive-wellgold -I will have to check how much.

Litmama, I used to have IBS, and cutting out gluten really helped with that, but what has actually stopped it completely,for me,was doing the whole 30 and dropping dairy,I think.Or perhaps just doing the whole 30 dampened my inflammation? I dunno. I also took a pro-biotic for a month.

I started training yesterday - the couch to 5 K - and this morning my joints are sore and probably inflammed I feel I need to do a bit more exercise. I want to get the blood flowing partly to improve blood flow to the reproductive organs, but also because it is important to be fit to have a baby,and my MIL and FIL are both quite unwell at the moment and it has scared me into wanting to take extra care of my health.

I had acupuncture the other day. We don't talk much about getting me pregnant anymore, but I asked her last time how my energies were (you know when they take the pulse in about 6 different places) and she said they were surprisingly good for someone who had recently been up all night with sick DS and it is also the end of my working year (I'm a teacher and we have our long summer break now) and I was complaining of feeling tired. I told her I was worried about having the energy to cope and sustain a pregnancy and she said,"I can't say you will or won't get pregnant, but I can say you will definitely support a pregnancy well". That made me feel positive. I still feel there is a baby for me, of course it doesn't mean there definitely is, but I don't feel I need to give up ttc.

Litmama, thanks for your list of sups. I too have read (Randine lewis and Indochova) that the USANA essentials are the way to go. But I've also had a look at the "Baby code" by Chris Kessler and he says everyone ttc to should be taking fermented cod liver oil. I was tempted to buy some, but it sounded so ghastly, I don't know if I could get that medicine down! I have a large bottle of krill oil capsules to get through, so I may reconsider once they are gone.

I sometimes feel tempted to just finish the sups I have now and then go sup-free for a while and see what happens, lol, but having discussed it with my acupuncturist, she seems to think that taking sups and super foods is really important as we age.

HOw is everyone shaping up in their Christmas preparations? I think I am nearly organised. I still have to wrap everything - it is the thing I like least at Christmas time. We are having a quiet time at home with my immediate family - just Dh and me and the 5 kids. Later in the day we'll head out to a friend's farm to have a meal with them. Today I'm heading into he farmer's market, I love this time of year there. I'll pick up fresh cherries, perhaps a crayfish or scallops (yum!) and loads of fresh vegies. Then I am meeting my sister to exchange gifts. It will be nice.

[carmen358]

Thanks everyone!!
 

[TenzinsMama]

Just popping on quickly to say Congrats, Carmen!!!!  That is such wonderful news!!!!  So happy for you!!!!

[carmen358]

Thanks, tenzinsmama :)
 

[cldeshano]

Just wanted to pop back in and post a little update.

Well, a few days after my first post here and my concerns we'd have another unsuccessful cycle, I got a positive test. I thought I was just imagining it, so I took another after a few days and it was positive.

I'm being very cautiously optimistic but am also excited about the little bean. I'm trying not to over-analyze every symptom or lack of.

I'm scheduling an US for the end of this week or next and believe I'm about 6.5 weeks along. Hopefully a strong heartbeat will ease some concerns.

[miss_sonja]

Congratulations Carmen!! That's lovely news---hope all continues to go well!

I have some leftover supplements that I no longer need --liquid Vitex, some DHEA, and natural progesterone cream. Would love to pass these on to someone who needs them, as they were pricey and I'd hate to just toss them. PM me if interested. I'm not asking any $, just the cost of shipping if you can. 

Doing well here! Can't believe my little guy is 2 months now. He's a joy--we all just love him so much. My DH is really into little guy and it's especially sweet since he was so very hesitant about TTC.

[carmen358]

Originally Posted by cldeshano 

Just wanted to pop back in and post a little update.

Well, a few days after my first post here and my concerns we'd have another unsuccessful cycle, I got a positive test. I thought I was just imagining it, so I took another after a few days and it was positive.

I'm being very cautiously optimistic but am also excited about the little bean. I'm trying not to over-analyze every symptom or lack of.

I'm scheduling an US for the end of this week or next and believe I'm about 6.5 weeks along. Hopefully a strong heartbeat will ease some concerns.

Congratulations!!

I'm just over 10 weeks now. Second u/s went really well. Little one was measuring 3 days ahead and strong heart beat still. I go for first trimesters screening in the coming weeks - blood work next week and scan at just before 13 weeks. I think I'll feel more at ease after that....if things go well of course.

I just have to remind anyone new that stats are not the hard and fast rule. I got pregnant 5 out of 7 tries before this pregnancy. They ended in m/c but I definitely beat the odds in the getting pregnant part! We do at home inseminations - no fertility drugs. We use a known donor because my partner is female. So, yeah, there are examples of success beyond the stats.

[cldeshano]

S

Originally Posted by carmen358 

Congratulations!!

I'm just over 10 weeks now. Second u/s went really well. Little one was measuring 3 days ahead and strong heart beat still. I go for first trimesters screening in the coming weeks - blood work next week and scan at just before 13 weeks. I think I'll feel more at ease after that....if things go well of course.

I just have to remind anyone new that stats are not the hard and fast rule. I got pregnant 5 out of 7 tries before this pregnancy. They ended in m/c but I definitely beat the odds in the getting pregnant part! We do at home inseminations - no fertility drugs. We use a known donor because my partner is female. So, yeah, there are examples of success beyond the stats.

So glad that your second u/s went well and wishing you good luck with the upcoming scans and tests!

[saoirse2007]

Back on to check in...miss the wonderful ladies here. My heart is glsd to hear great news from halifax...will snoop the front page for more news. Just got ppaf today..who knows...i might be active here again...idk..

[LitMama]

Congratulations, cldeshano and carmen! So glad to hear your good news. Good to hear from you, saoirse!

Just wanted to pop in and encourage people to have their progesterone tested... I just lost an early pregnancy and when the labwork came back, it turns out my progesterone was only 1.6. That was a huge shocker. Now, I do have a lot of early losses, so I have no idea if this one or any others were caused by low progesterone or something else. But, both my Ob/Gyn and my TCM doctor think my low progesterone could be a contributing factor. I hadn't bothered to have it tested in quite some time, because it was fine 2 years ago (last test) and I hold a luteal phase very well... I go 15 days and my temps stay above 98. I was also on a Chinese herbal formula designed to help my body make enough natural progesterone, so I figured I was covered. However, you can bet that next cycle I will be taking Rx suppositories! These were recommended not just by my Ob/Gyn, but also by my TCM doc.

Hope everyone else is well!
 

[cldeshano]

Well, unfortunately, we didn't make it to the ultrasound. I started to miscarry about four days before. It's the first miscarriage I've had since our son was born more than 2 years ago, and my third one in all. 

Thank you, LitMama, for your info about checking progesterone levels. This is the second miscarriage I've had around the 7-week mark, and I had a midwife who suggested I may want to look at my progesterone levels. I had blood work done with this miscarriage, but I don't know if they checked for progesterone levels. I'll know more next week. I've been seeing an acupuncturist for 3 1/2 years, and I'll also talk with her about this. 

In the meantime, I'm going to try improving my diet, cutting way back on gluten and sugars, and getting more leafy greens since I've read these things can improve egg quality. And these just would be good things for me to do anyway.