A Brand New Year, Fabulous Forty Somethings TTC.Bring on the Valentines BFP's, We Are Ready and...

[gumblossom]

Here's the new thread ladies.Hopefully there will be more action and the thread won't last a whole year.

I know we'll see some bfp's on the thread. I can add you to the list, or feel free to cut and paste.

The list:

Trying to conceive:

gumblossom, 46 years old, mama to 5, ttc about 3 years (3 miscarriages)

KarinaNYC, 42 yrs old, optimistically (and naturally) trying to conceive #1

Meander 40 years old ttc #2

Shell77- 40 years old trying to conceive #3 , But DH's #1 For 18months.... 1 failed IVF and 5 failed IUI's

 orangemomma, 44 and trying to conceive #3.

MamaTara  41 with three children

MsDolphin, 44 - DS born at 41, TTC #2 for 2.5 years. Have tried 3 rounds of Clomid, then injectables with 2 IUI attempts.

lovbeingamommy 48  (ttc #2 - 3 m/c 2008, 2010)

jrabbit Almost 47, and WANTING-TC

41Mommymaybe Im 41 , I have a 2 yr old that took 16 yrs to conceive after 6 miscarriages

MamadeRumi:I'm 43.  I'll be 44 in about a month!  I had my DS when I was 40

Pregnant:

carmen358:I am 42 and  17 weeks pregnant with #2 after 5 miscarriages

TenzinsMama, 43 yrs old, bfp #3

cldeshano:DS 2,I'm 41 and had a miscarriage in January

Babies born:

Halifax40: 45 years old,  Xander born June 2012

Edited by gumblossom - 5/11/13 at 4:31pm

[TenzinsMama]

TenzinsMama, 43 yrs old, trying to conceive #3

Thanks, gumblossom!

[KarinaNYC]

Greetings .... please add me...42 yrs old, optimistically (and naturally) trying to conceive #1. Looking forward to the new year with new hope!

Best to all ~K 

[Stevi]

I lurk in here often enough that I might as well be on the list. 43 years old. TTC #1 for (gulp) over 7 years. 2 micarriages in 2008. Single - using donors.

[gumblossom]

Welcome to the thread ladies. Nice to see some old faces.

Stevi, where are you at with ttc? Do you do inseminations every cycle? It can't be easy doing this on your own.((hugs))

You all seem so young to me! But I won't let a number beat me down.

I am feeling optimistic this cycle. I've had a tonne of symptoms since 1 DPO. Sounds nuts doesn't it? But I  know I am not imagining them. I guess this time next week, when I am 11 DPO, I'll have a better idea of what is going on. In the meantime I'll enjoy believing that there's a good chance I'll get a bfp

[Stevi]

Yes, I try pretty much every cycle. But the timing is not always as good as I would like.

[halifax40]

Hi everyone, just thought I would drop by and see if this group was still active and see how everyone is doing. Don't know where the time has gone, Xander will be 8 months old in just a week and a half, it is just flying by. Went through so much to get here, but can honestly say that it was worth every moment of frustration, fear, and heartbreak that we went through...being a mom is all I could have imagined and so much more, I feel as though I smile almost all the time (and could I do anything but with this smile to greet me all the time). Here is a photo I took at Christmas :-)

Not actively TTC yet as still haven't had first PPAF, the breastfeeding is really keeping that at bay...and I know the odds are so very small once it returns, but would love for this little guy to have a brother or sister, so we are open to trying. Wishing best of luck to everyone on here no matter where they are in their journey!

Edited by halifax40 - 1/29/13 at 12:45pm

[gumblossom]

Hi Halifax, it is so nice to hear from you and to see your darling little boy. He is gorgeous!

Would you mind reminding me if you did anything different when ttc Xander. I see in your siggy you had three miscarriagesand a later loss (so much heartache, ((hugs)) ), did you find a cause for them and have treatment, or was it a case of the "golden" egg this time?

I am still only 6 dpo and having a truckload of symptoms. I try hard to ignore them, but they're definitely there. I guess I just have to wait it out a few more days.

[TenzinsMama]

Hi Halifax, thanks for the update! Wow, what a cutie Xander is-- I don't think I've ever seen such a big, whole-hearted smile like that, ever! You sound so happy, how wonderful to read your story. My little girl just turned 8 months yesterday, and I'm back to ttc'ing since I had my 1st PPAF when she was 5 months. With DS, it came back at 5.5 months, even with exclusive breastfeeding.  I nursed him until he was just over 17 months old, at which point I was 4 months pregnant with DD-- that was when he self-weaned. So, now I'm on CD5 of my 4th PP cycle, and I'm acutely aware that I had conceived DD on my 8th PP cycle... so I'm reaching that 'marker' soon enough. I'm more worried this time around, because my antral follicle count has gone way down since I last had it done about 1.5 years ago, but I'm still hopeful. I think it's a good sign that I'm still cycling strong, my body is showing signs that it is doing what it needs to be doing and I'm very regular-- I just need to catch one more 'golden' egg (love that, gumblossom!). I love this thread because each of us has our story and they contain different elements of hope for us all on here.

[saoirse2007]

WOOT Halifax <3

[halifax40]

Thanks so much! I know I am biased but I think he has an amazing smile :-)

Gumblossom- Wish I could share something, but I think it really was a matter of just finally getting the "golden egg". After the third M/C I had some basic testing done that showed no issues (other than my age and the expected changes with that) and as my cycles were still quite regular and OPK/BBT charting seemed to be confirming O each cycle, we just kept giving things as much of a shot as we could around my fertile time. Only things I was taking were a prenatal vitamin, a vitamin D supplement, and for awhile I took low dose aspirin as I had read some studies suggesting it could be helpful. The first loss at 19 weeks was due to Triploidy (so a random chromosomal issue) and after that the 3 M/C and 2 chemical pregnancies I can only assume were due to age related chromosomal issues of my eggs (or sperm issues as older dads also have a higher chance of such). I can only say that I am so glad that we kept trying. Wishing you best of luck!

Tenzinsmama- Wow on your cycles returning so early both times...not even a hint of things returning here, and as much as I want to try again, and am painfully aware of my age, I can't see me cutting the nursing short for my sweet little guy just to get my cycle back sooner, I just hope my body will soon kick in on its own to at least give me that chance to try. I wouldn't let your antral follicle count bother you, from what I saw from another post of yours it is still higher than mine was I had testing done years ago....and hey you are only 43! :-)

[gumblossom]

Halifax, yours is such a hopeful story, to finally have your gorgeous baby after so many losses. It really does give me hope.

Unfortunately after loads of early symptoms, I am sure AF will turn up tomorrow or the next day. My temperature is on its way down and have had enough BFN's to know that it isn't to be. I felt very hopeful this month. I think it may be because it was a deadline I had set myself. But like all the other deadlines I set myself, I seem to have moved the finishing line again. I was going to quit ttc on my 45th birthday, then last January, then my 46th birthday, then this January. But here I am, it is February, and I don't want to give up completely just yet.

However, I will not let any of this make me feel sad as I've much to be happy for. My little "golden egg" is now 4 and a half and starts kindergarden today. I can't believe it is happening already. We are both excited and a little apprehensive. It is another milestone reached, and I did actually think by this stage we'd have a little baby brother or sister here too. It is nice I can focus on DS right now with this transition in his life.

I have been taking DHEA, hoping it would improve egg quality, but I have learned that it may cause thinning of the lining, so I am not sure whether to carry on taking it. I stopped during the tww, but now that AF ia imminent, I wonder if I should start taking it again? I still take Co q10, multi,folic acid, fermented cod liver oil,aspirin in the tww and magnesium.

[meander]

I am dipping a toe in here cautiously. I am 40 and hoping that my 19 month old son may be able to have a sibling. Right now I am in the TWW.
I'm a little concerned about short cycles; we will do some testing if this one goes poorly as the last two, but right now neither of us wants to pursue too manyinterventions, so we'll just see what happens for the near future....

[Shell77]

 Shell77- 40 years old trying to conceive #3 , But DH's #1 For 18months.... 1 failed IVF and 5 failed IUI's  Maybe my egg's are just too old :-(

[gumblossom]

Welcome Meander, and hi to Shell77.

Sorry to hear about the ivf and iui's Shell. This ttc business is a tough gig isn't it?

I am guessing you have had testing done if you have been involved in Assisted Conception. How do your hormones and FSH and AMH look? Would you consider doing IVF with donor eggs?

If my DH was willing and I had the money I'd try donor egg. But my only option is to wait and see. Halifax's experience gives me hope. I think ttc in our forties is something that requires a great deal of patience and time. Something we all feel we are running out of!

I had been really hopeful in the first week of my tww, but then all my symptoms fell away,and sure enough I am now on day 3 of a new cycle. I wonder if I have dud eggs fertilising and not implanting, or if my hormones are not strong enough,or if implantation doesn't happen for some reason. It seems to me that every conception is a miracle that needs  a whole lot of things to line up perfectly,and as we age,some of those things just aren't there,or there isn't enough, but that's not to say it won't happen eventually, when everything is right. We just don't know exactly what is a little out and how to tweak it to perfection. I think, for me, the best approach is to remain hopeful and continue with well-timed sex, supplements and have a "wait and see" approach. Very much easier said than done

I keep hoping that somehow, our babies will find us. I haven't given up, but I came away from acupuncture last night feeling that maybe it won't happen for me. I think my acupuncturist intimated as much, when she used to be quite positive. We were talking about my little boy reaching another milestone and I told her it is hard to see him go to school, wondering if it is the last time I'll do it. She said something along the lines that it may be that it is time to accept that he will always be my youngest. I don't know, she didn't actually say it, it was more "suggested".

Of course she is just my TCM practioner,she doesn't have a crystal ball, and she still says my energy is good and regular periods are a good sign of ovulation. Apparently I have some liver stagnation, so I need to look into how I can deal with that with herbs and food. I have a great book by Randine Lewis called "The Infertility Cure" which explains how to treat traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis. I have read that book so many times, but have yet have my miracle baby since reading it.

Perhaps it is time to try the alternative view: take up smoking,drinking, eating fast food, giving up vegetables, all things organic and shock my body into falling pregnant. It seems treating my body like a friggin temple hasn't done the job

Having said that, I am a week into my second "whole 30", which is a way of eating that is extremely healthy and works as a "detox" of sorts. I did it last year, stuck it out for 30 days and lost about 6 -8 pounds (can't remember now). Anyway, I felt very good on it. I did pick up some more red clover isoflavones (natures clomid) today,and will take them as I did the month before last,as I think they helped with EWCM and a heavier period (mine are quite light).

How is everyone else going? Where are you at with your cycles?

Waturmama and LitMama, are you out there? Are you reading the thread? I would love to hear from you - I miss you both.

[orangemomma]

Hi, new here!

I am orangemomma, 44 and trying to conceive #3.

I had my first at age 30 and my second at age 42.

I am still nursing DD but my cycle, including ovulation, returned when she was 5 months old.

We have fertility issues (in addition to the lowered probability of conception due to my/our age)

Not sure what else to say :)

Baby dust to all!

[MamaTara]

It's comforting to hear of others in the same boat. How nice it would be to sit with you all over a cup of tea and talk about our experiences.

I'm 41 with three children. In addition to the challenge of our ages, DH recently had a vasectomy reversal and his SA came back with very low motility. How's that for a challenge! 

I swing from being so very happy and grateful for where we are now, accepting there may not be another baby for us, to desperately hoping that we can. It's such a roller coaster ride of emotions. I haven't been charting, but I probably should start. I'm hesitant to get compulsive about this, but I also feel I might just have to put in more effort than I did in the past.

I hope to hear some success stories in this thread. All the best to you all.

[gumblossom]

Welcome MamaTara and Orangemama.

I hope everyone else is well?

I've just had 2 days of "peak" readings on my CBFM after days of Low. No "highs" at all. Has anyone else had this happen on the monitor?

I have been BDing since day 8, every second day, so I am hoping there are plenty of sperm waiting for my golden egg. I think I might have ovulated today or last night as I had O pain last night. So here comes another two week wait. I am hopeful for a BFP at the end of it.

[MsDolphin]

Hi ladies,

I think some of you already know my history from other threads...

I had my DS at 41, after trying for only 2 months. So blessed we were able to conceive so "easy and quickly".

I had hoped to get pregnant again quickly (within a year) after he was born. We decided to TTC for one year.

2.5 years later... we are still trying. I have tried 3 rounds of Clomid and then injectables with 2 IUI attempts.

Our "cut-off" is we want to have another baby before we turn 45. That "cut-off" was last month.

We are going to try through this month, so baby would be born in 2013. Then we plan to stop.

It's so hard to "give up". I hope and pray this is our month!

My summary:

MsDolphin, 44 - DS born at 41, TTC #2 for 2.5 years. Have tried 3 rounds of Clomid, then injectables with 2 IUI attempts.

[carmen358]

Just stopping by to offer encouragement!! Nice to see more people jumping in over 40! I don't drop in often but I think about this group often! Good luck!

I'm 17 weeks along now and so far, so good. After 5 losses it's hard to be relaxed but I'm workin' on it! (For those who don't know me, I am 42 and pregnant with #2 after 5 miscarriages - no diagnosed issues, "just age" and no intervention)