Any ladies who are over 35 and TTC?

[GiGiGiGi]

Hi there.

Just got married last summer and have been TTC ever since (with the exception of one month when I had surgery on my arm).

I'm turning 36 this month and DH is 32.  

Had our first visit to the fertility specialist in March.  Have had some blood  work done and and HSG done so far.  DH has not yet gone for his semen analysis, so we wont have a follow up appointment with the specialist until he gets that done.

Had a heck of a time convincing my general practitioner to refer us to  a specialist... she wanted us to try for a full year!  I felt that was ridiculous  given my age and pestered her until she caved.  we still had to wait 4 months to get in to see the specialist though.

I would be really interested in hearing from other ladies who are a little bit older.  I'm interested in hearing about your courses of treatments and what has worked for you and what has not!

Good luck to all!

Gigi

[We345]

Hi.  I am new here, joined today.  I am 39 and DH is 31.  We have been ttc for 2 years.  DH has sperm issues nothing with me that they could find and we were told that IVF was our best, only option.  
So far we have had:
Failed IUI 6/08
failed IVF 9/08
Failed FET 11/08
I am currently 5dp5dt (ivf), so I'm going through the dreaded 2ww.  Got back the 5 days after transfer blood results today. estrogen 1035 & progesterone is 91.  I wish you all the best of luck.  Together we can make it through this.  It's really nice meeting others who understand about this.  

[vizslamama]

Hi Gigi

I will be 37 this August. My husband is 35. We started trying in 2004. We tried for 8 months naturally, I purchased a monitor right away since I really don't have a ton of patience for the temp taking, etc. My OB sent us right to the RE. After all the testing, I was diagnosed as "undiagnosed." I did three IUIs with Follistem (injectable) - all failed. I had my first IVF (antagonist) in the Summer of 2006 and got a BFP but miscarried at 8 weeks. The miscarriage was unfortunately not run of the mill and I nearly bleed out. So after three days in the hospital getting blood transfusions I sort of lost it and we decided to put the whole thing on hold. It took me until this Winter to decide to try again. We are now on day 9 of our 2WW. This IVF was more aggressive since I am older and I am not a super star responder - they decided to do ICSI as well since my husband's count/motility had taken a hit as well. I took the pill for three weeks along with Lupron shots (total of 5 weeks) and then was on 300 of Gonal F and 150 of Reponex for 10 days. We got a total of 9 eggs, 8 fertilized, 5 matured. I had a day three transfer of 2 grade A embies - the remaining did not make it so no frozen for us.

Every other minute I change my mind as to whether or not it has worked. The 2WW is pure torture. I will definitely try again if this time did not work (dear Lord please let it work!!!) but I will wait until July because this round was really harsh and it just made me sick as a dog. First the pill made me feel awful and gave me arthritis-like symptoms and then due to the aggressive amount of stims I was on I had mild OHSS which was not a big deal but makes you feel really crappy. My retrieval was tougher than the last too, I bled a lot and it took about a week to feel better. And now I am on Progesterone in Oil as well as Vivelle Dots (estrogen) so those both carry lovely side effects some of which are like pregnancy. I sound like I am complaining, but I am not. I am happy that we at least have an option but it takes its toll. So I'll know by the end of the week if IVF #2 worked. Let's hope so.

It is important to really trust your RE. We love ours, he has really been there for us, his staff as well. He always pushes alternative treatments to augment his - accupunture, rekkei, you name it. Anything that helps with stress helps with conception. Also, he has a great team that he works with and they always try new things - add new things. They also do a lot of research.

My husband freaked out when he thought it might be him too, but it is natural and unless you know then you are kind of in the dark. Chances are he is fine and clomid will get you on your way.

I wish you the best!

[docsaf]

Hi Gigi-

It makes me feel good that our RE is 100% in our corner. I don't know if I will be completely happy until we are successful. Until it works, I can't help but wonder if there is something else we should be doing. I wanted all of our tests to come back normal. But after they did, it's become frustrating to hear that everything looks great and then have it not work.  When my RE told me that I only had 1 mature follicle last week I was disappointed - I like the idea of multiple targets. But it only takes one and I've come to realize that most people get pg with only 1 follicle so I should be happy. I used to be afraid of having multiples, but since it's taking so long to get pg with the first, I'd be thrilled to find out I was having twins\triplets. I stopped taking pg tests b\c it was so discouraging. After a couple of months i was sure it would happen so I started testing 5 days before AF, and then 4 days before, etc. I have used almost 30 tests and my AF was only late once - all tests have come back BFN! After the last time I told myself no more pg tests. But, my and my DH's anniversary is next weekend so I broke down and bought a 5-pack online. I swear it is the last time. I'm glad to hear you O'd. Are you using the CBE digital monitor? I found the strips so confusing - I wasn't sure how long after the surge I would O. The CBE digital monitor takes the guesswork out of it. When do you meet with the RE? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Hi Sue-

I'm so sorry that your insurer cut you off - I guess I'm so surprised b\c I haven't heard about it before. I'm glad to hear that you aren't giving up, though. I have read some wonderful things about acupuncture. SSBD!  

Take Care, Shannon

[Tanker Chic]

My son was conceived by IUI when I was 36 and at 37 I am pg again from IUI.  

The first time it was just hcg trigger shot and IUI... this time I used follistim, hcg trigger and IUI.

Best of luck to you!!

[SueGre]

I wondered about the needles, too, before I started. Here's what my acupuncturist does:

First, he puts this green gel/liquid stuff under my left nostril. It smells really good, like menthol. Then he has me look up and he checks my eyes. What for, I have no idea :0) next, he puts 2 needles at the base of my neck below my ears. Can't feel those at all. Then, he feels my pulse for a few seconds. Then he puts 6-7 needles in my stomach. Don't feel those at all, in fact I laugh every time he puts them there. Then he puts on in each lower inside calf and lower inside thigh. These hurt me a bit on the right side only. Then he puts 3 on the to of my head. These only hurt a tiny bit. The 3rd treatment, he added a needle in each of my hips. He places a heat lamp over my belly and it's nice and warm. I lie there for almost an hour and it's very relaxing. Check out the photo on my profile. It's pretty neat.  

Whoops, plane taking off in a minute, gotta turn off my phone!

[SueGre]

Just like Gigi I've got everything crossed for you. Sounds like you had some excellent follicles to work with. Best of Luck!!!

[GiGiGiGi]

Hi Shannon.

That must make you feel so good that your RE is 100% in your corner and treating this aggressively.

We also want to have 2 or 3 kids.  I just want my doc to bring on the Clomid.  I'm not concerned about having multiples - I'm totally ok with twins or triplets.  I guess until my hubby has his semen analysis, we are at a bit of a standstill.  

We also figured that as soon as we started trying it would happen.  While we have been actively trying since last summer, I have been off the pill for two years and have more or less been trying since that point without my husband knowing.  I know that sounds terrible, but thats the truth. :-)

I'm crossing all my body parts for you too!  Its hard enough getting a negative pregnancy test each month when TTC in an unassisted way, I'm sure it would be heartbreaking getting a negative after an IUI treatment.  We do not have insurance for IUIs and IVFs in Canada, so I'm really hoping that the HSG I had at the beginning of this cycle was enough to clear my pipes and get the ball rolling.
Enough is enough already!  Time to get the show on the road!  I'm guessing this will be your month.

Thanks for sharing your story,

Gigi

[GiGiGiGi]

Hi Sue!  Thanks for the response.

I am so sorry to hear that you have been having a hard time conceiving.  My heart goes out to your for the loss of your little boy.  How frustrating that you were able to conceive quickly first time around and now cannot. That must have been soooo hard on  you both.

I cannot believe that your insurer would cut you off because of your estradiol levels.  Who are they to make that call?  My friends aunt had a baby at 47 - and that was an oopsie as she thought she was menopausal and could no longer get pregnant.  I am glad to hear that you arent giving up - regardless of what the insurance company thinks.  

We are in Canada, and while the doctors appointments are coved by our government health care, the procedures such as IUI, and IVF are not.  We will need to pay for those on our own.  I think the IUI runs about $600 but the IVF is really pricey - like thousands of dollars.

The fertility specialist sat me down at our first appointment and gave me the schpiel on how things change after 35 and how our chances of conceiving are around 10% each month.  He said it like he was consoling me, and even patted me on the knee while saying it!  LOL!  I really did not feel that was necessary - I know that things change with age, but there is no reason to give up hope!   Up until now i wasnt ready to be a parent, so I dont regret my decision to wait.  Plus we have a really great life as it is, and if  this is how it has to be for the remainder of our years - well so be it!

Great call with the acupuncture!  A friend of mine who has PCOS tried for years to get pregnant, and was finally able to conceive once she had received a few acupuncture treatments.  I'm glad you mentioned that.  If this month doesnt work out for us, I will give that a try.  This may sound like a really, really stupid question, but where do they put the needles for fertility treatments in women?  When at an acupuncturist for a shoulder injury I couldnt help but notice a diagram on the wall of acupuncture points in both male and female reproductive organs.  Not entirely sure I'd like someone poking me with a needle there!  LOL!!

I guess once my hubby gets his SA done we will know what direction our treatments with the FS will take.  I think he is a little reluctant to have the SA done just in case it is he who has the problem. That will be hard on the ego, and I know he would totally take it to heart that it is he who cannot give me what i want.

Do you chart your BBT and do OPK's and all that jazz?  I have been doing both for two years now, and while my charts look normal, I have not been able to get a positive OPK since summer.  I am feeling very hopeful this month, however.  I finally got a positive OPK today - havent had one since July.  (turns out I've been timing things wrong all along - on the advice of the fertility specialist - go figure... glad I havent had to pay him myself!  LOL!)

Anyhow, thanks again for your response.  Any further info you would like to share would be appreciated, and if you want to chat, I'm around!

All the best,
Gigi

[docsaf]

Hi Gigi-

I just turned 36 and my husband is 37 and we've been trying to conceive for about 10 months. I got married last April and we knew we didn't want to wait long to start having children - so I started using ovulation strips right away, but it took a few months to get the bc out of my system and I did not ovulate until June. In Oct. I bought a Clear Blue digital Monitor and starting charting my temps.  when I was still not pg in Jan, and I knew we had the right timing, I made an appt with an RE. After I got married, I moved and started with a new GP and a new OB\GYN. Both of them told me not to worry until it's been a year, but my sister had ovarian cancer and has PCOS, so I didn't wait. I did not need a referral so I talked to my insurance co and they said it was covered as long as I was at least 35 years and had been trying more than 6 mos.

I met with the RE in Jan. and the tests took about 4 weeks. They did an u\s, took blood on CD3 and CD21, I had an hsg, my DH had a sperm analysis. The RE did not find anything wrong - all tests came back normal - so we have "unexplained fertility". But he said that considering we hadn't gotten pg after 9 mts of trying, and my age, he thought there was a reason but it wasn't detected by the standard tests. He estimated our chance of conceiving in a month naturally to be ~5%.

I started Clomid, 50mg CD5-CD9 end of Feb-beg of March. I had no side effects while on Clomid. when I went in on CD12, I had 4 follies > 10 mm - 10, 16, 17, and 19. He gave me a trigger shot and I had an IUI the next day. I got a BFN exactly 2wks later. This cycle, I used Clomid, 50 mg, CD3-7 + prog after the IUI (I asked for this). Again, no side effects. I went in on CD13 and I had 1 follicle that was 21 mm. I got a trigger shot and had an IUI the next day. I am currently in the 2ww. I have a consultation with my RE on Monday about injectibles. If this month was not successful, then my RE is going to start me on an injectible next month, but he won't until we have had a consultation to discuss the side effects.

My RE said he treats "unexplained infertility" aggressively. I'm not sure of the exact timeline, but my insurance covers 6 IUIs and then if they are unsuccessful, will cover 3 IVFs so I expect that our RE will prescribe a similar treatment pattern. I have a couple of friends who had specific problems and were treated more aggressively - started with injectibles or IVF right away. I'm crossing my fingers, toes, legs, etc. and hoping that this month was successful. We would like to have 2-3 children - we never thought it would take this long to have the 1st.

Let me know what your RE prescribes! Good luck!

-Shannon

[SueGre]

Hi Gigi,

I'm 41 and still trying for baby #1. My dh, Rob, just turned 44. We conceived when I was 39 in just 5 months. Sadly, we lost our baby boy at 20 weeks due to an extremely rare chromosomal problem and fetal hydrops. Hydrops is the body filling with fluid. So, I had a D&E on August 3rd, 2007. We had to wait the standard 3 months before trying again. And we have been trying ever since.

I did 5 months of Clomid and 2 IUIs. The Clomid made my luteal phase very very short, one time just 4 days! My RE said I must have Oed early but I know she was wrong. When I went off Clomid, my LP went back to normal and now is really long.

Rob did an SA just to rule that out but his count was normal.

My ins co. stopped paying because my Estrodial (E2) was very elevated, determining that my ovarian reserve is diminished, and would not cover any more treatments. This was devastating to learn. I actually got this news on my birthday which made it suck even more.

So now we're only doing acupuncture. My acupuncturist has had incredibly success helping women over 40 get pregnant. And, the babies don't come out half-asian! (little joke!) I've gone 3 times and am feeling incredibly encouraged and hopeful.

I highly recommend doing acupuncture with any other treatment you do.

More later, we just got to the airport and I need to hop out of the car!

Good Luck!!!!

~Sue