Aa
Where are all my woman over 40?
Ok was just wondering where we all went. I'm still trying to conceive and I'm 44....still not sure how I'm going to get PG. I have my TR date, Sept. 17th. I also called Shady Grove( thanks Mel, u know who u are! Lol) maybe the donor shared risk program, for any of you out there, I have researched donor eggs, really crazy expensive, but Shady Grove has a program that includeds meds, donor fees, you share the donor with 2 other couples, 1 try is 14,000.00 and no refund, but 29,000.00 for 6 fresh tries and unlimited frozen and its100% back if u don't bring home a baby...Super Sticky baby Dust to All Of Us
Melanie
Melanie
A little about Me...
I am a 49, soon to be 50, yr old who has been trying to get pregnant for the last 3 yrs... I have had some of the tests and the results told me that I am not in menopause yet nor in pre-menopause... When tested for estrogen, every thing was right where it should be... Later tested for progesterone and found that I had close to none when there should have been at least some... Doctor told me that she believes I was producing little to no progesterone and that have been why I have had 3 chemical pregnancies over the last 3 years.
Until 2003, I was classified as very obese... weighing over 500lbs... ON June 9, 2003, I had gastric bypass surgery... I lost about 210lbs over the next year... I also did a year of addiction treatment within my spiritual path to address my food issues... The healing process helped me to lose another 80 lbs... Crisis struck and old habits came back and over a 3 year period I gained over 150lbs back...
Another crisis and I am out of work again... I was gaining weight again, when I watched a movie on Netflix called the Beautiful Truth. Its about a 16 yr old that loses is mother and his father takes him out of school to home teach him... He has a project to complete and must keep a journal and present a paper and project to "pass". The son chooses to research the ****** Project. The ****** Program is about a man who discovered a cure for all kinds of illnesses and disease by changing a person's diet and eliminating all processed foods and MSG/preservatives. Basically they began to eat RAW foods.
This interested me and I then as I tend to do, went into research mode... (Hethir we have that in common)... Without making the decision to "GO RAW," I began to add more and more fresh vegetables and fruits to my kitchen and eating habits... I did more research and since I was still trying to get pregnant began to do research on if the 2 were compatible... and low and behold, they were... There were some cautions that needed attention once I became pregnant... but what I read on various sites was that eating raw would help in a number of ways...
Most of the sites talked about the advantage of losing or gaining weight... if that was an issue... and as identified above.. this was indeed an issue for me... I have been on a number of diets over the years that had raw food incorporated into the diet but NONE of them told me to not use sugar substitutes - because they cause cravings and mess with the hormonal system. None of the diets told me that heating food over 118 degrees destroys more then 50% of the nutrients and "live" energy that is contained within that food. None of the diets informed me that processed foods contain ingredients that would make it hard to stay on them... like MSG etc... (in a previous time and in previous research I found out that MSG - once identified to cause cravings and other negative reactions in people - was being renamed and still identified on the label but not as MSG.
The other factor in going raw was that it could increase my chances of becoming pregnant... not only for the weight loss but because I was removing things from my body that may be causing issues with my reproductive system... I was not, by far, drinking enough liquid and my body - from other signs - was at a very acidic PH level... Eating RAW helps balance the PH level in your digestive system ... That in-turn helps to balance other systems in my body... Which is part of the goal!!!
Side Note: During the time I was really obese, I had amenorrhea (absence of period/ovulation, etc), one of the doctors I saw that understood my desire to become pregnant at this late stage in my life said that this might bode well for me as I may have access to all the eggs I didn't use then, now when I wanted them the most... Hoping that this is the case and that this WHOLE process gets me to my dream...
Over the last 3-4 weeks I have basically transitioned into eating raw... I am currently at about 75-85% raw on any given day... and since this transition has started I have lost about 15lbs... and per the doctors that in itself gives me a 15% greater chance of getting pregnant...
Thru a friend on this website I heard about Natural Fertility.com and the herb Tribulus...again I then as I tend to do, went into research mode... and discovered Vitex, Tribulus, Wild Yam root, Maca and various other herbs that help with... what my doctor called estrogen Hard balance in my hormones...
Over the last couple of weeks I have also begun to walk again and take my dog for a walk about every other day for about 45-50 minutes at a fast pace...
I started taking Vitex on Oct. 22nd... somewhere around that same time, I added back astragalus for increased energy... I have stopped TTC about the end of Sept., beginning of Oct. for a number of reasons including the process of getting things balanced again... I have ordered the progesterone cream for use after I ovulate... and also added the Wild Yam Root to support my body's processing of the added progesterone... I am hoping that between the jump start of Vitex, adding the Wild Yam and then the cream, I can get my system back in balance and be one of the few women over 50 to give birth...lol
I am currently on CD11 and added Tribulus on CD5 to assist with ovulation... I started testing yesterday and things are ok... I will continue to not TTC until sometime in January... hoping that I have lost more weight and gotten things better balanced... so that when I do get pregnant and I believe I will... I can maintain the pregnancy and be another success story...
So I now take Vitex (5caps in AM), Tribulus (1 tab x2), Wild Yam Root (1 cap x3), Astragalus (3 caps x2 prior to 3pm), Multivitamin (chewable - 1 cap x2), Iron (chewable - 1 cap x2), Vitamin C (2 - 500mg tab x 3), Omega 3 (3 cap x3) and RAW Calcium (3 caps in PM just prior to bed).
I start the day with 27oz of room temp H2O followed by 16oz of lemon H2O and then another 27oz of room temp H2O. I then drink an herbal organic pregnancy tea (16oz) to drink 4 more containers of 27oz H2O... All water is reverse osmosis... working on making the lemon water from fresh organic lemons... but that can be expensive... (If you didn't know ... the lemon juice helps to balance the PH in the digestive system...
A good friend told me that I look and act like a 35 yr old... I told her I am not sure that is a good thing but then she said that gives me 15 more years to try and get pregnant until I reach 50... LOL I don't feel like I am soon to turn 50 so I guess that all matches... Hoping it all stays this way and gets better...
This may be more info than anyone expected or as I am hoping just enough... I am planning a shopping trip to add to my on the shelf - in the pantry items on hand ... based on some of Hethir's suggestions... I'll keep everyone posted as to the outcomes and issues that occur over the next couple of months...
SSBD to all of you who are TTC... (Super Sticky Baby Dust)...
: )
Raven
I am a 49, soon to be 50, yr old who has been trying to get pregnant for the last 3 yrs... I have had some of the tests and the results told me that I am not in menopause yet nor in pre-menopause... When tested for estrogen, every thing was right where it should be... Later tested for progesterone and found that I had close to none when there should have been at least some... Doctor told me that she believes I was producing little to no progesterone and that have been why I have had 3 chemical pregnancies over the last 3 years.
Until 2003, I was classified as very obese... weighing over 500lbs... ON June 9, 2003, I had gastric bypass surgery... I lost about 210lbs over the next year... I also did a year of addiction treatment within my spiritual path to address my food issues... The healing process helped me to lose another 80 lbs... Crisis struck and old habits came back and over a 3 year period I gained over 150lbs back...
Another crisis and I am out of work again... I was gaining weight again, when I watched a movie on Netflix called the Beautiful Truth. Its about a 16 yr old that loses is mother and his father takes him out of school to home teach him... He has a project to complete and must keep a journal and present a paper and project to "pass". The son chooses to research the ****** Project. The ****** Program is about a man who discovered a cure for all kinds of illnesses and disease by changing a person's diet and eliminating all processed foods and MSG/preservatives. Basically they began to eat RAW foods.
This interested me and I then as I tend to do, went into research mode... (Hethir we have that in common)... Without making the decision to "GO RAW," I began to add more and more fresh vegetables and fruits to my kitchen and eating habits... I did more research and since I was still trying to get pregnant began to do research on if the 2 were compatible... and low and behold, they were... There were some cautions that needed attention once I became pregnant... but what I read on various sites was that eating raw would help in a number of ways...
Most of the sites talked about the advantage of losing or gaining weight... if that was an issue... and as identified above.. this was indeed an issue for me... I have been on a number of diets over the years that had raw food incorporated into the diet but NONE of them told me to not use sugar substitutes - because they cause cravings and mess with the hormonal system. None of the diets told me that heating food over 118 degrees destroys more then 50% of the nutrients and "live" energy that is contained within that food. None of the diets informed me that processed foods contain ingredients that would make it hard to stay on them... like MSG etc... (in a previous time and in previous research I found out that MSG - once identified to cause cravings and other negative reactions in people - was being renamed and still identified on the label but not as MSG.
The other factor in going raw was that it could increase my chances of becoming pregnant... not only for the weight loss but because I was removing things from my body that may be causing issues with my reproductive system... I was not, by far, drinking enough liquid and my body - from other signs - was at a very acidic PH level... Eating RAW helps balance the PH level in your digestive system ... That in-turn helps to balance other systems in my body... Which is part of the goal!!!
Side Note: During the time I was really obese, I had amenorrhea (absence of period/ovulation, etc), one of the doctors I saw that understood my desire to become pregnant at this late stage in my life said that this might bode well for me as I may have access to all the eggs I didn't use then, now when I wanted them the most... Hoping that this is the case and that this WHOLE process gets me to my dream...
Over the last 3-4 weeks I have basically transitioned into eating raw... I am currently at about 75-85% raw on any given day... and since this transition has started I have lost about 15lbs... and per the doctors that in itself gives me a 15% greater chance of getting pregnant...
Thru a friend on this website I heard about Natural Fertility.com and the herb Tribulus...again I then as I tend to do, went into research mode... and discovered Vitex, Tribulus, Wild Yam root, Maca and various other herbs that help with... what my doctor called estrogen Hard balance in my hormones...
Over the last couple of weeks I have also begun to walk again and take my dog for a walk about every other day for about 45-50 minutes at a fast pace...
I started taking Vitex on Oct. 22nd... somewhere around that same time, I added back astragalus for increased energy... I have stopped TTC about the end of Sept., beginning of Oct. for a number of reasons including the process of getting things balanced again... I have ordered the progesterone cream for use after I ovulate... and also added the Wild Yam Root to support my body's processing of the added progesterone... I am hoping that between the jump start of Vitex, adding the Wild Yam and then the cream, I can get my system back in balance and be one of the few women over 50 to give birth...lol
I am currently on CD11 and added Tribulus on CD5 to assist with ovulation... I started testing yesterday and things are ok... I will continue to not TTC until sometime in January... hoping that I have lost more weight and gotten things better balanced... so that when I do get pregnant and I believe I will... I can maintain the pregnancy and be another success story...
So I now take Vitex (5caps in AM), Tribulus (1 tab x2), Wild Yam Root (1 cap x3), Astragalus (3 caps x2 prior to 3pm), Multivitamin (chewable - 1 cap x2), Iron (chewable - 1 cap x2), Vitamin C (2 - 500mg tab x 3), Omega 3 (3 cap x3) and RAW Calcium (3 caps in PM just prior to bed).
I start the day with 27oz of room temp H2O followed by 16oz of lemon H2O and then another 27oz of room temp H2O. I then drink an herbal organic pregnancy tea (16oz) to drink 4 more containers of 27oz H2O... All water is reverse osmosis... working on making the lemon water from fresh organic lemons... but that can be expensive... (If you didn't know ... the lemon juice helps to balance the PH in the digestive system...
A good friend told me that I look and act like a 35 yr old... I told her I am not sure that is a good thing but then she said that gives me 15 more years to try and get pregnant until I reach 50... LOL I don't feel like I am soon to turn 50 so I guess that all matches... Hoping it all stays this way and gets better...
This may be more info than anyone expected or as I am hoping just enough... I am planning a shopping trip to add to my on the shelf - in the pantry items on hand ... based on some of Hethir's suggestions... I'll keep everyone posted as to the outcomes and issues that occur over the next couple of months...
SSBD to all of you who are TTC... (Super Sticky Baby Dust)...
: )
Raven
Thanks so much ladies, I know that not much will make the ttc journey any better, no matter what I or anyone else says,nothing except getting that BFP will make you feel better. But hopefully it will make you appreciate yourselves just a little bit more today, cause you are beautiful, strong, loved women by everyone in your lives.
I do think that alot of getting pg IS in our own power, whether its positive thinking, or not stressing, however you find that peace inside yourself, that's what we need to find.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
I do think that alot of getting pg IS in our own power, whether its positive thinking, or not stressing, however you find that peace inside yourself, that's what we need to find.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
I have to add my opionion too...LOL..I believe that as long as you stay positive and just live things will come your way. I had a TR on Dec 09 waited 3 months ttc . In June found out one of my tubes was blocked , started Clomid and I got Preggo the end of Sept. Sadly she stopped growing at almost 6 weeks. But here I am again TTC...Good luck and never ever give up...
Hugs
Deb
Hugs
Deb
Thank you so very much...I knew you were out there, I'm so glad you found me!
All my best to you!
Melanie
All my best to you!
Melanie
I just wanted to thank you for your story... I keep saying that one day I will write it down here but then I back out...
Your story brought me to tears...
Thank you for sharing it...
Your story brought me to tears...
Thank you for sharing it...
Hey ladies, I was reading your posts. I just wanted to give you all some hope. I have been on these boards for geesh....about a year and a half. I'm 43 y/o myself and ttc since I got married in April 2009. I just wanted to let you all know that good things can and do happen. I am currently 17 1/2 weeks pregnant, after a year and a half of trying EVERYTHING under the sun. I've had 2 m/c's and have felt that deep dark depression that some of you are feeling. I have signed onto these boards every single day since I joined it in 2009. There are days where I felt like I was the ONLY woman "not" getting pregnant. I was happy for everyone but yet so incredibly sad for myself. I know where you are, I know how you feel. Its a tough tough road to walk down at our age and I couldn't help but feel like my body was failing me no matter what I did.
I started doing acupuncture...sometimes with herbs, sometimes not. My acupuncturist was from China and was our states leading fertility specialist in acupuncture. I got really lucky finding her. I went once per week.....I know...very expensive, but at my age, I pulled out all the stops and changed my budget in so many ways to do all this. I also was seeing a fertility clinic and had a great RE that agreed to be brutally honest with me and tell me where to spend my money and when for the "best" chances. I took femara on CD 3 - 7 and gonal-f injections on CD 5 - thru whenever they told me to stop and take the ovidrel. My FSH was at 13 when I first started this process at age 41, but I did have regular cycles and the OPK's did show that I was ovulating. I never had FSH checked again because that was one of the things my RE told me not to waste time or money or thought on it. FSH is only a guideline guess. There IS NO way to change how many eggs you have left, you just need to make the BEST use of the ones that are there and keep your body systems healthy, which is supposedly what acupuncture does. Don't concentrate on your FSH number or spend money to lower it, it really won't change anything even if the number changes, you CAN'T grow more eggs and you CAN'T change the quality of them. The key is to keep your bodys system healthy and regular with a good diet, good exercise and acupuncture if you believe in it, because this IS something you can change and it may just work. My RE told me that I probably was going down in egg quanity and quality, but that didn't mean there weren't a few good ones left. We tried for over a year, had 5 failed IUI's, but amazingly enough...all the times that we tried on our own with the meds and acupuncture....I got pg. Now I lost 2 of those babies due to chromosonal issues, but for me....the IUI's didn't work...can't explain why cause statistically you have better chances with that.
Finally, the depression was getting to me and I was sure that I had no more good eggs. We started looking into the donor program and actually selected a donor. My dh wasn't "all on board" but he knew that the depression was changing me and we needed to move on to our next step. I was currently taking the meds and made the statement that this would be our last cycle of ttc. I went in for my day 10 u/s and was told that my lining was very very poor....3.8, I had a large cyst on my right ovary (39mm) and that I had 2 follicles on the left. My RE couldn't even give me a good positive face about the 2 follicles....he looked really sad and said....I don't think its going to work this cycle.
I went home, threw away all the meds, cried my eyes out and said....okay, we're done, we are going to do the donor egg route and move on with our life. I'd spent too many months hoping and trying and waiting and losing, all for nothing. I waited 2 weeks for AF to show her ugly face one more time..........she never did. When those 2 pink lines appeared, I was THE most shocked person in the world. On my very worst cycle, I got pg! I then kept saying.....I'll lose it just like always, but that day has never come yet. I had CVS testing done and its a healthy little boy. Everything seems to be going absolutely perfectly, and I'm amazed and stunned and blessed every single day.
I know where you guys are and I truly truly know how you feel, But DON't give up, DON't....there ARE success stories out there and I'm one of them. This can and does happen for women our age, don't lose hope and don't lose yourself in this process. I almost did and when I look back, I wonder why. I had a beautiful 8 y/o daughter, I had a wonderful supportive husband, all of us were healthy, why was I losing myself in depression? You are all beautiful, wonderful women, don't EVER forget that.
I started doing acupuncture...sometimes with herbs, sometimes not. My acupuncturist was from China and was our states leading fertility specialist in acupuncture. I got really lucky finding her. I went once per week.....I know...very expensive, but at my age, I pulled out all the stops and changed my budget in so many ways to do all this. I also was seeing a fertility clinic and had a great RE that agreed to be brutally honest with me and tell me where to spend my money and when for the "best" chances. I took femara on CD 3 - 7 and gonal-f injections on CD 5 - thru whenever they told me to stop and take the ovidrel. My FSH was at 13 when I first started this process at age 41, but I did have regular cycles and the OPK's did show that I was ovulating. I never had FSH checked again because that was one of the things my RE told me not to waste time or money or thought on it. FSH is only a guideline guess. There IS NO way to change how many eggs you have left, you just need to make the BEST use of the ones that are there and keep your body systems healthy, which is supposedly what acupuncture does. Don't concentrate on your FSH number or spend money to lower it, it really won't change anything even if the number changes, you CAN'T grow more eggs and you CAN'T change the quality of them. The key is to keep your bodys system healthy and regular with a good diet, good exercise and acupuncture if you believe in it, because this IS something you can change and it may just work. My RE told me that I probably was going down in egg quanity and quality, but that didn't mean there weren't a few good ones left. We tried for over a year, had 5 failed IUI's, but amazingly enough...all the times that we tried on our own with the meds and acupuncture....I got pg. Now I lost 2 of those babies due to chromosonal issues, but for me....the IUI's didn't work...can't explain why cause statistically you have better chances with that.
Finally, the depression was getting to me and I was sure that I had no more good eggs. We started looking into the donor program and actually selected a donor. My dh wasn't "all on board" but he knew that the depression was changing me and we needed to move on to our next step. I was currently taking the meds and made the statement that this would be our last cycle of ttc. I went in for my day 10 u/s and was told that my lining was very very poor....3.8, I had a large cyst on my right ovary (39mm) and that I had 2 follicles on the left. My RE couldn't even give me a good positive face about the 2 follicles....he looked really sad and said....I don't think its going to work this cycle.
I went home, threw away all the meds, cried my eyes out and said....okay, we're done, we are going to do the donor egg route and move on with our life. I'd spent too many months hoping and trying and waiting and losing, all for nothing. I waited 2 weeks for AF to show her ugly face one more time..........she never did. When those 2 pink lines appeared, I was THE most shocked person in the world. On my very worst cycle, I got pg! I then kept saying.....I'll lose it just like always, but that day has never come yet. I had CVS testing done and its a healthy little boy. Everything seems to be going absolutely perfectly, and I'm amazed and stunned and blessed every single day.
I know where you guys are and I truly truly know how you feel, But DON't give up, DON't....there ARE success stories out there and I'm one of them. This can and does happen for women our age, don't lose hope and don't lose yourself in this process. I almost did and when I look back, I wonder why. I had a beautiful 8 y/o daughter, I had a wonderful supportive husband, all of us were healthy, why was I losing myself in depression? You are all beautiful, wonderful women, don't EVER forget that.
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