New & Starting IVF For the 1st Time At 42

[S2017]

Hello everyone,

I'm 42, never been pregnant and have been TTC for over 3 years. We are starting IVF, ie jabs in 2 days time. My AMH is 11 and I had about over 9-10 follicles when I was put on Clomid 100mg. I also have hypothroidism that can affect fertility. The Dr has advised me that while my above reading is fairly good, egg quality is the main concern and cant be determined via any test.

I would like to know if there is anything I can do to improve my chances as I know age is the main issue. I barely drink, don't smoke and try to eat fairly healthy. I don't exercise though..

But then again, the more I read post, the more I get the feeling that what the quality or results is going to be, is not within my control, so perhaps I should not worry?? Does this make any sense?

If there are any do/don'ts or learnings that you wish you knew before/during IVF/ICSI, ie medication, procedure, etc then could you please share?

Thank you for your time for reading my post.

[jengi]

Welcome! Your AMH is really great so that is a brillant starting point. My advise is to treat your first cycle as an investigatory / discovery cycle to understand how you respond to the drug protocol and a bit more about your egg quality. See everything else as a bonus! Make sure you & your partner are taking a conception multivitamin, and maybe a vitamin D spray too. There are others supplements you can consider but it can become very overwhelming & so it might be best to seek guidance from your clinical team or a fertility nutritionist. Here’s a link to a couple of websites that might be useful

hfea.gov.uk

theduff.co.uk

I also found Zita West’s meditations very useful, you can download them from the likes of iTunes.

Wishing you all the best! Xx

[S2017 in reply to jengi]

Hello Jengi,

Thanks very much for this. The websites are helpful! Just on them now .. As for supplements, I am on a preconception multivitamin, vit D, Coq10, omega3 oils etc. So hopefully this works, hoping all goes well.

Xx

[jengi in reply to S2017]

Perfect! You are all set! Wishing you the very best of luck! Xx

[S2017 in reply to jengi]

Thank you, you too, hope everything works out good for you .. Xx

[Hidden]

Hey welcome, I am 43 and have a similar AMH, I am told its good for our age.

As you are 2 days away from starting nothing is going to make a HUGE difference now except keeping calm, taking vitamins, thinking positively and looking after yourself. There is a great Mindful IVF app which has a mindfulness session for each day of your cycle which is really good. Definitely think about it as a hurdle race. You will soon discover a bad day doesnt mean that its all over, its very up and down.

I agree with Jengi, I certainly think your first cycle your body (and your consultant) are working out what works for you and what doesn't, so go into it with positivity but don't panic if it doesnt all go swimmingly its very much a learning curve

Masses of luck! x

[S2017 in reply to Hidden]

Hello Daisy1245,

I never thought of an app! Great idea, thank you, I will download it. I am beginning to discover many people need several rounds... IVF itself it so expensive, our bill will be close to £13K with genetic testing which I am only opting for because of my age. I cant imagine how we will be pay for 2-3 rounds..

Anyhow, I am going to be positive and hope for the best..

Thank you Xx

[Hidden in reply to S2017]

You may not need 2-3 rounds - you may be one of the lucky ones! keeping my fingers crossed for you. Shout if you have any questions x

[S2017 in reply to Hidden]

Aww, thank you. Hope everything works out well for you too Xx

[FluffyPink]

Hello S2017,

Welcome aboard! It sounds like you are well set up for this cycle already.

My acupuncturist recommended lots of rest and also Epsom salt baths to help the body detox from the IVF drugs.

For next time (and hopefully there won’t need to be a next time!), there is the book, It Starts With The Egg (which you can purchase and listen to through Audible I think). There is a new book of recipes also by the same author (Rebecca Fett). There is an awful lot of advice in these, so just pick and choose! Unfortunately implementing all the advice (diet/exercise/yoga/meditation/

acupuncture/ working less) didn’t make enough of a difference for me in my forties (now using donor eggs) but everyone’s body is different. I have a friend who recently became pregnant naturally at 45, completely unplanned.

I think your doctor was spot on saying that there is no test for egg quality. That’s what is so frustrating for older women. But at 42 you are still in with a shot! We were doing ICSI which made it more confusing and dragged things out - were we failing to get good embryos because of the eggs or the sperm?

My fertility counsellor says that the people she meets who cope best with IVF are those that have a plan B (e.g. trying another IVF cycle or considering a cycle with donor eggs or sperm or just moving on with your lives in other ways).

But right now just focus on your current cycle!

I chose to do my injections myself and used ice packs from the freezer to numb the skin. That really helped. I did involve my husband in figuring out with You Tube videos how it all worked, though. There will be nights when it just seems like the syringe won’t go in (and you might cry!) but stick with it, it’s completely normal and gets much, much easier 😃

We double checked the schedules of injections together when I came home from the clinic. The anxiety of IVF stops me processing info properly at the appointments! 🙄🙄 I put shared reminders in our phones for the injections/meds so it wasn’t just me taking responsibility if I should forget one!!

Best of luck and hopefully you’ll be back here soon with good news for us ❤️ Xx

[S2017 in reply to FluffyPink]

Hello Fluffypink,

Thank you so much for all the advise. I considered acupuncture but when Covid came about, I put it on hold. I'm definitely going to get the book and will look up the recipes by Rebecca Fett. I have been trying to eat healthy most of the time, but sometimes I honestly just need a pizza...

My Dr has recommended ICSI so we will be proceeding with that. You got me thinking about the injections.. I hope all goes well, sigh.. I think I may get overwhelmed but will reach out if I need a lift. I'm so thankful for all the replies and relieved that such a site exist to help all those who are in the same boat.

Good idea on the ice pack and the injections. I'll most definitely have reminders on my phone as well..

Right now, I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I probably will post sometime soon.

Best of luck to you too... hope everything goes well...Xx

[Ketkoot]

Welcome to the club!

I am also 42 with a similar AMH.

We have just completed our 1st cycle of IVF and I am currently 7+5 weeks pregnant. Our 8 week scan is on Friday.

We have taken it a day at a time. I took time off work post EC. Other than stopping alcohol and caffeine I haven’t changed anything.

Try to chill and relax, easier said than done I know!

The main thing to remember is that age is only a number!

Just shout if u need any support! Good luck! 🤞🏻for ur cycle. X

[S2017 in reply to Ketkoot]

Hi Ketkoot,

Aww, that's amazing news!! Glad that it's possible first time around. Gives me hope.

How many days post EC do you think its ideal for the body to rest? I will try to chill and take it easy right now I am excited and nervous at the same time..

Thank you for your reply and I shall update soon! Xx

[Ketkoot in reply to S2017]

Hi. I took 2 weeks off work after EC but actually I think 1 week would have been enough for me! I was getting bored towards the end.

Your emotions are all over the place! Even now we r taking it 1 day at a time. We have had 3 recent MC after natural conception so that is always in the back of my head. I panic with every twinge or ache! I don’t think we will ever relax until we have a baby in our arms! It’s all such a rollercoaster ride.

The other thing I learnt was please don’t test early!!!

Good luck with your cycle and please message if u need any support. This group has been amazing support for me. 😘

[S2017]

Hi,

I can't really imagine the emotional roller coaster. I don't know how both of us will react as as it's our first time. We are both trying to occupy our minds with work/things to do around the house so we don't get too stressed/worried about this.

I am excited and nervous. I will follow the advice of not testing early. I used to buy a lot of the pregnancy kits and after a while just gave up as I've never seen a positive line.

Anyhow fresh start.

Am glad that you are taking 1 day at a time, I think that's best actually. Most are either always stuck in the past or worrying about the future, good that you are focusing on the present!

Thanks for your note and take good care of yourself. Will post in a week or so.. Xx