Aa
vent
I dont get it at all, it is soo unfair. Ok, I cant get pregnant, that *****. Why do I continue to suffer with my period? If I can't get pregnant, it should just stop. There shouldn't have to be all these years of cramps and inconvenience if it is completely WORTHLESS. I'm just pissed is all.
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for giving an update on you. I only started this group a little over a month ago. I do appreciate hearing others stories. This group at least lifts my spirits hearing that I am not alone.
Take care,
Risa
Thanks for giving an update on you. I only started this group a little over a month ago. I do appreciate hearing others stories. This group at least lifts my spirits hearing that I am not alone.
Take care,
Risa
Hiya!
Yes, most people say only to take EPO in the first half of your cycle, as it can contribute to uterine contractions (or something ... I guess this could negatively affect implantation). One thing I can say, I really noticed that it makes my skin softer and smoother!
Best wishes,
~Wendy
Yes, most people say only to take EPO in the first half of your cycle, as it can contribute to uterine contractions (or something ... I guess this could negatively affect implantation). One thing I can say, I really noticed that it makes my skin softer and smoother!
Best wishes,
~Wendy
Thanks for posting, Wendy! I'm glad to get to read about your background! I'm so glad that you and DH were able to work out his situation on your own terms and get him back to being balanced w/o the shots! That's wonderful! I do the EPO, too. I just read last night, though, that that is only supposed to be for the first half of the cycle. Do you know if that's true?
I found a great new acupuncturist in Irvine (southern California) who specializes in high FSH women like myself. He's not cheap, but I can get partially reimbursed from my insurance after the fact, and the guy has had some pretty dramatic success w/older women w/high FSH. I really feel good about the TCM approach. They totally get it, like you said, that as long as we are having periods, then we are most likely still ovulating and just need better hormone balance to be able to conceive. They have a more positive approach, the cost is pretty reasonable, and there are no side effects of the treatments. :-)
I feel like the maca root is starting to really help me. I need to get the dose up a little and hope to be able to do so with the new brand of maca I bought. (Femanessence MacaHarmony) The other brand was giving me a touch of diarrhea. Just ordered the new one last night, so we'll see what kind of results I get. Will keep everyone posted!
Guess I'm back in the TWW! Been a weird cycle but it looks like I'm 1DPO! Woo hoo! But I have to remember to be patient, because it's a well know fact that time does indeed slow down during the TWW! Lol! SSBD to all the amazing ladies on this board!
-Sherri
I found a great new acupuncturist in Irvine (southern California) who specializes in high FSH women like myself. He's not cheap, but I can get partially reimbursed from my insurance after the fact, and the guy has had some pretty dramatic success w/older women w/high FSH. I really feel good about the TCM approach. They totally get it, like you said, that as long as we are having periods, then we are most likely still ovulating and just need better hormone balance to be able to conceive. They have a more positive approach, the cost is pretty reasonable, and there are no side effects of the treatments. :-)
I feel like the maca root is starting to really help me. I need to get the dose up a little and hope to be able to do so with the new brand of maca I bought. (Femanessence MacaHarmony) The other brand was giving me a touch of diarrhea. Just ordered the new one last night, so we'll see what kind of results I get. Will keep everyone posted!
Guess I'm back in the TWW! Been a weird cycle but it looks like I'm 1DPO! Woo hoo! But I have to remember to be patient, because it's a well know fact that time does indeed slow down during the TWW! Lol! SSBD to all the amazing ladies on this board!
-Sherri
Hi Everyone!
I just had to come in and say, what a great thread! Also, for the first time ever on these boards, I (positive treefrog) have to admit that I felt p'd-off off and disappointed when I got my period last week (an intriguing day late, but the HPT showed a BFN, so not even a chemical pregnancy, nor have I ever had one that I know of.).
It's quite true, as some of you point out, that REs often don't know as much as they "think" they know. The better ones will readily admit this - that what they know is how to measure a lot of stuff, but not necessarily what all those measurements mean. This doesn't mean RE's are useless - far from it! - but you have to be seeing the right one to avoid a lot of negativity if you're over 38 or so. I think one of the reasons Chinese Medicine practitioners' patients are so happy (and often successful) is that in Chinese medicine you are considered fertile until your natural cycles stop, and TCM doctors never look at you funny if you'd like to have a child in your 40s. They just go ahead and treat you.
Some of you know my history, but a little recap. I am 44, will be 45 in less than a month. I have always kown that it might be impossible to conceive with my DH (we've been together since 1983), because he had chemo and radiation for Hodgkins Disease when he was a teenager. However, by the time I was 35 I started to feel that I wanted to look into having a family. At this same time, my DH was feeling really poorly, and eventually went to the doc and was put on thyroid pills and testosterone shots (the deficiencies were long-term results of his chemo). After that he felt great! However, during the tests he went through, they tested his sperm to help assess his hormonal fuction. Good news - he had some (not much, but some!) Bad news - as long as he stayed on testosterone shots, his sperm production, which was low anyway, would be cancelled out by the shots (testoserone taken as a shot shuts down the production by the testes, and shuts down sperm production).
Hmmm. So they sent us to an RE. The RE said that if we wanted to conceive with DH's sperm, he wuld have to go off the testosterone shots for 3 months, and then sperm could be retrieved, even if he didn't have much. However, DH was such a new person on the shots that none of us wanted him to go off of them, even for a short while. So, we opted for IUI with donor sperm, which was also all we could afford.
I forget how many times we tried this - it cost about $1000 each try. However, no pregnancy occurred, which didn't really surprise me (although it works for lots of people - I just never "felt" a pregnancy would occur, and never even felt excited or stressed). I did, however, notice and comment on the negative attitude at the clinic, which brought me down every time I went there.
During this period, tests on me showed good FSH (6), good other levels, regular ovulation and good endometrial lining. HSG was clear as well.
Eventually we moved "up north", far away from the clinic, and I didn't feel like bothering with it anymore, anyway, although I was still very interested in having a family. We left things alone for a while. However, about a year after we moved to this beautiful place, a funny thing happened. DH told me he didn't feel like he "needed" his testosterone shots anymore. He felt overcharged, headachey, OCD. Hmmmm. I trusted his intuition, although I really thought that if he stopped the shots he'd feel terrible, just like he did before he started them (and by the way, before the shots we only BD'd twice a year - not going back there!!!) However, he was pretty sure about this, so I researched supplements that support male hormonal function (DHEA, l-carnitine, l-arginine, and Maca), he started taking those, and he went off the shots. And .... (drum roll) ... all was well! He felt fine! And we still BD'd (whew!)
He eventually went to the doctor and told him he'd stopped his shots. The doc was doubtful, and sent him for tests. Lo and behold, my DH's testosterone level is now naturally normal. My research has told me that in the (very few) studies that have been done on this sort of thing, they've found that chemical injury to the glands can sometimes repair itself over the course of decades (DH had the chemo in 1980). Also, we have much less stress in our new home. Perhaps all of this has led to a recovery of function. Does DH now have more sperm? Well, I don't think I want to put him or his sperm under a microscope, but it's safe to assume he has more now than when his hormones were in the basement. I'm happy enough with that thought.
So, where does this leave us? Well, my FSH was still 6 last time is was tested, but that was 5 years ago. I know I ovulate regularly, and my health is good, with no issues of any kind. So, we've decided to leave it to nature! If nothing happens by the time my cycle stop, we might adopt, but right now I'm happy to cruise and read happy stories of women who conceived after 40, and even after 45.
Oh, by the way, to IM43 whose doc said she was "playing with fire" by having unprotected sex (assuming she didn't want a pregnancy) and then did a 360 and said she had virtually zero chance of conception (when she learned that pregnancy was desired) - well, this is a perfect illustration of what we all have to deal with. Sorry to say it, but there is a lot of Bee-Ess out there, and most docs who purvey this type of thing don't even realize how foolish they look. Stay away from them. Their attitude means nothing to you.
I myself take fish oil, evening primrose oil, and DHEA (I feel good on about 32mg per day, although the succesful studies were based on 75mg per day - more that 32mg makes me feel overheated, acne-ish, and super (um) randy, so I assume that taking too much may be raising my own testosterone too much).
Anyhoo, keep up this thread! Support is sooo important. Feeling supported DOES increase our odds. You have to feel safe and secure to have a good chance of making a baby in your 40s. Keep up the good work, all!
Best wishes,
~Wendy
I just had to come in and say, what a great thread! Also, for the first time ever on these boards, I (positive treefrog) have to admit that I felt p'd-off off and disappointed when I got my period last week (an intriguing day late, but the HPT showed a BFN, so not even a chemical pregnancy, nor have I ever had one that I know of.).
It's quite true, as some of you point out, that REs often don't know as much as they "think" they know. The better ones will readily admit this - that what they know is how to measure a lot of stuff, but not necessarily what all those measurements mean. This doesn't mean RE's are useless - far from it! - but you have to be seeing the right one to avoid a lot of negativity if you're over 38 or so. I think one of the reasons Chinese Medicine practitioners' patients are so happy (and often successful) is that in Chinese medicine you are considered fertile until your natural cycles stop, and TCM doctors never look at you funny if you'd like to have a child in your 40s. They just go ahead and treat you.
Some of you know my history, but a little recap. I am 44, will be 45 in less than a month. I have always kown that it might be impossible to conceive with my DH (we've been together since 1983), because he had chemo and radiation for Hodgkins Disease when he was a teenager. However, by the time I was 35 I started to feel that I wanted to look into having a family. At this same time, my DH was feeling really poorly, and eventually went to the doc and was put on thyroid pills and testosterone shots (the deficiencies were long-term results of his chemo). After that he felt great! However, during the tests he went through, they tested his sperm to help assess his hormonal fuction. Good news - he had some (not much, but some!) Bad news - as long as he stayed on testosterone shots, his sperm production, which was low anyway, would be cancelled out by the shots (testoserone taken as a shot shuts down the production by the testes, and shuts down sperm production).
Hmmm. So they sent us to an RE. The RE said that if we wanted to conceive with DH's sperm, he wuld have to go off the testosterone shots for 3 months, and then sperm could be retrieved, even if he didn't have much. However, DH was such a new person on the shots that none of us wanted him to go off of them, even for a short while. So, we opted for IUI with donor sperm, which was also all we could afford.
I forget how many times we tried this - it cost about $1000 each try. However, no pregnancy occurred, which didn't really surprise me (although it works for lots of people - I just never "felt" a pregnancy would occur, and never even felt excited or stressed). I did, however, notice and comment on the negative attitude at the clinic, which brought me down every time I went there.
During this period, tests on me showed good FSH (6), good other levels, regular ovulation and good endometrial lining. HSG was clear as well.
Eventually we moved "up north", far away from the clinic, and I didn't feel like bothering with it anymore, anyway, although I was still very interested in having a family. We left things alone for a while. However, about a year after we moved to this beautiful place, a funny thing happened. DH told me he didn't feel like he "needed" his testosterone shots anymore. He felt overcharged, headachey, OCD. Hmmmm. I trusted his intuition, although I really thought that if he stopped the shots he'd feel terrible, just like he did before he started them (and by the way, before the shots we only BD'd twice a year - not going back there!!!) However, he was pretty sure about this, so I researched supplements that support male hormonal function (DHEA, l-carnitine, l-arginine, and Maca), he started taking those, and he went off the shots. And .... (drum roll) ... all was well! He felt fine! And we still BD'd (whew!)
He eventually went to the doctor and told him he'd stopped his shots. The doc was doubtful, and sent him for tests. Lo and behold, my DH's testosterone level is now naturally normal. My research has told me that in the (very few) studies that have been done on this sort of thing, they've found that chemical injury to the glands can sometimes repair itself over the course of decades (DH had the chemo in 1980). Also, we have much less stress in our new home. Perhaps all of this has led to a recovery of function. Does DH now have more sperm? Well, I don't think I want to put him or his sperm under a microscope, but it's safe to assume he has more now than when his hormones were in the basement. I'm happy enough with that thought.
So, where does this leave us? Well, my FSH was still 6 last time is was tested, but that was 5 years ago. I know I ovulate regularly, and my health is good, with no issues of any kind. So, we've decided to leave it to nature! If nothing happens by the time my cycle stop, we might adopt, but right now I'm happy to cruise and read happy stories of women who conceived after 40, and even after 45.
Oh, by the way, to IM43 whose doc said she was "playing with fire" by having unprotected sex (assuming she didn't want a pregnancy) and then did a 360 and said she had virtually zero chance of conception (when she learned that pregnancy was desired) - well, this is a perfect illustration of what we all have to deal with. Sorry to say it, but there is a lot of Bee-Ess out there, and most docs who purvey this type of thing don't even realize how foolish they look. Stay away from them. Their attitude means nothing to you.
I myself take fish oil, evening primrose oil, and DHEA (I feel good on about 32mg per day, although the succesful studies were based on 75mg per day - more that 32mg makes me feel overheated, acne-ish, and super (um) randy, so I assume that taking too much may be raising my own testosterone too much).
Anyhoo, keep up this thread! Support is sooo important. Feeling supported DOES increase our odds. You have to feel safe and secure to have a good chance of making a baby in your 40s. Keep up the good work, all!
Best wishes,
~Wendy
Cara,
I had a check up with an RE Doctor that was basically down right mean and I told my regular RE doctor that I didn't want to work with her again. I emailed my regular doctor (who happens to be male) and told me that she is brilliant and can be blunt. It was a horrible experience and I left holding back the tears, so I know how you are feeling with your doctor. I am turning 41 in June, and I have had 6 IUI's in the past year and a half and no pregnancy yet. I have decided to stick with using my fertility monitor, watching my cycle closely, and trying to conceive natural. At least your doctor is telling you IVF is an option. I have been told by three different doctors, my FSH is too high for IVF.
Sherri,
I monitor didn't show peak until CD 17, which is late for me. It has been a busy month with work, so the stress could have delayed ovulation. I usually have a 28 cycle like clock work, so I will keep you posted. Thanks for the support. I appreciate it very much. I feel like only others going through the same thing as me can really understand the highs and low of all of this.
I had a check up with an RE Doctor that was basically down right mean and I told my regular RE doctor that I didn't want to work with her again. I emailed my regular doctor (who happens to be male) and told me that she is brilliant and can be blunt. It was a horrible experience and I left holding back the tears, so I know how you are feeling with your doctor. I am turning 41 in June, and I have had 6 IUI's in the past year and a half and no pregnancy yet. I have decided to stick with using my fertility monitor, watching my cycle closely, and trying to conceive natural. At least your doctor is telling you IVF is an option. I have been told by three different doctors, my FSH is too high for IVF.
Sherri,
I monitor didn't show peak until CD 17, which is late for me. It has been a busy month with work, so the stress could have delayed ovulation. I usually have a 28 cycle like clock work, so I will keep you posted. Thanks for the support. I appreciate it very much. I feel like only others going through the same thing as me can really understand the highs and low of all of this.
Risa- You are definitely in my thoughts on CD24. This could be the month for you! Try not to get too upset with news like that. It's tempting and VERY easy to do! I totally understand! But try to think as positive as you can. Even try to have an attitude of being happy for her. It will leave you with more positive energy inside which will be better for your stress level and hopefully, subsequently, your fertility. :-) If you're able to do that, you might notice some of the tension inside you subsiding. And if you can explore other areas in your life where there are things that cause you stress or pain of any kind, those are areas that you can work on and try to resolve. Sometimes I think those kind of things are the stumbling blocks that give us fertility difficulties at our age. Good luck! Keep me posted if you start feeling anything and if you do any tests next week! Have a great weekend! And hang in there! :-)
Cara- You're very smart to find a compassionate doctor. There are plenty of not-so-compassionate ones out there. And this process is difficult enough at our age without having a doctor emitting a bunch of negative energy! The bloodwork will give you an idea of where you're at, as you said. But don't let any really high numbers get to you! If you can afford IVF, then you'll weigh all your options and figure out if it's the right choice for you now. Otherwise you could wait a few months. But they say that time is of the essence for IVF. I'm going to keep trying au natural, because I think I am getting somewhere with getting my hormones balanced. But everyone's body is different. You'll make the right decision, I'm sure.
This board is great, with tons of very supportive and understanding women just like you. Great for getting other opinions and venting to when necessary. I'm so grateful to have found it, too! Best of luck w/TTC! Just remember, we are all still (relatively) young! We're not 50! We're in our early 40's! And most important, we are NOT in menopause! So biologically we ought to be able to conceive with proper hormone balance! Keep us posted!
SSBD to all! :-)
-Sherri
Cara- You're very smart to find a compassionate doctor. There are plenty of not-so-compassionate ones out there. And this process is difficult enough at our age without having a doctor emitting a bunch of negative energy! The bloodwork will give you an idea of where you're at, as you said. But don't let any really high numbers get to you! If you can afford IVF, then you'll weigh all your options and figure out if it's the right choice for you now. Otherwise you could wait a few months. But they say that time is of the essence for IVF. I'm going to keep trying au natural, because I think I am getting somewhere with getting my hormones balanced. But everyone's body is different. You'll make the right decision, I'm sure.
This board is great, with tons of very supportive and understanding women just like you. Great for getting other opinions and venting to when necessary. I'm so grateful to have found it, too! Best of luck w/TTC! Just remember, we are all still (relatively) young! We're not 50! We're in our early 40's! And most important, we are NOT in menopause! So biologically we ought to be able to conceive with proper hormone balance! Keep us posted!
SSBD to all! :-)
-Sherri
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