Sensitive: Pregnant at 44—own egg, frozen 1 year ago

[LuxFleur]

So, I got a positive pregnancy test this week at 12dp5dt FET. I just turned 44, and the blastocyst was frozen a few days before I turned 43. So I was technically 42 at the time of egg collection, but barely.

I'm aware that my risk for this pregnancy is very high. Maybe even like a coin flip. I've been through a later loss already, two years ago, so even if I make it to a heartbeat I don't think I would relax then, or for a while after. I mean, I am trying to be relatively relaxed. I'm just taking it a day at a time, but I'm trying to keep in mind that I've just cleared the first few of many hurdles.

My first HCG test was two days ago and it was a pretty good number. I'm testing again today and so I will see if the pregnancy is continuing at least. I am aware it could stop at any time. After the third HCG test, if the numbers are still looking good, we'll go for the first ultrasound to see if there is anything in there. Maybe there isn't! Who knows!

I took an entire year off from fertility treatments, and began going to acupuncture about four or five months ago with a really good practitioner. I was not doing acupuncture previous to this, but I wanted to be in a good place for the transfer, and at least it helped me with my endometriosis. Whether it impacted implantation or not, I have no idea. 50% of my embryos have implanted, all collected after age 41, so my doctor does not think I have an implantation problem, but still.

I lost my fallopian tubes to endmetriosis, so "natural" pregnancy is not an option for me.

So that is where I am at. I still don't know if I'm having a baby but after a year off from treatments, I am more at peace with it.

For anyone interested in the details, this embryo was made after a luteal phase stimulation, the only time I did that. Only one egg fertilized out of seven, but now I'm pregnant with it, so—there you go.

For this FET, we ended up having to do a hybrid medication/natural cycle, because for some reason we could not suppress my ovulation. My acupuncturist things it's the acupuncture, but who knows. We had to cancel the cycle the previous month because I had already ovulated despite being on all the drugs to suppress it. This time we watched for the signs and then we used Ovidrel to force my ovulation at the time when it looked like it was going to happen anyway, so that we would know exactly when, so we could time the FET. I had to do Ovidrel one week before the FET, then again two days before it and one day after. It seems really weird, but that was the protocol and apparently it worked.

Other stuff that probably doesn't matter: I've been taking care of myself more the past few months. They were not stress free, but better than at other times in my life. I eat pretty well. I cut down on sugar and gluten/starches, because I notice they make me feel more inflammation symptoms. During the FET I cut out breads etc entirely but still had a few small treats like a cookie etc. I quite caffeine entirely 8 months ago. I eat almost a cup of pomegranate seeds every day. I've also been taking bromelain supplements, Omega 3, Selenium, coq10, hyaluronic acid, and collagen. I also made sure to get my thyroid at a good number because I have hypothyroidism.

This was a "high quality" AB blastocyst, created with ICSI.

[Sweethear]

wow big congratulations I am so happy to see this news hope all goes well with your second bata today

[PenguinBlue]

congratulations Lux - so pleased to see this post for you and totally get the anxiousness in the early stages. Wishing you a smooth pregnancy xxx

[Msze]

I’ve looked for posts from you over the last year! Big congrats and best wishes for a healthy pregnancy.

[Joeysjourney]

Wow, this is really lovely to read. Funny I was looking through some posts from you recently during some searches and was thinking about you. Wishing you lots of luck, love and peace and will say a little prayer for you and the little bean xx

[McQueeny]

That’s amazing, congrats and so much good luck and all the best for this little one 🥳🤗

[DreamingOfTwo79]

Huge congratulations for persevering and your positive news, LuxFleur! Fellow 44yo first trimester hopeful here! I can so relate to your being cautious and not quite believing it yet, after what you've been through it is wholly expected. Wishing you all the best for a smooth pregnancy, may you get a really encouraging hCG level back today! It's tiny steps on such a long road ahead, you've got this! xx

[LuxFleur in reply to DreamingOfTwo79]

Thank you! It's tough out there for the 44 year old pregnant ladies to be sure!

[Hidden]

Hi, thank you for sharing your story and congratulations. I'll be 43 in August however I feel young and hopefully my ovaries are still young. I hope your hcg numbers have increased and wish you a successful pregnancy 💝

[LuxFleur in reply to Hidden]

Thank you! Yes they are 785 today!

[Hidden in reply to LuxFleur]

Awww that's wonderful news. I'm so pleased for you. Look after yourself and your precious little growing bean. Best wishes ❤️

[Bonaire12]

Amazing ! Thanks for sharing, I love seeing posts like this with hope!

Youve passed many hurdles so far in this game, so fingers crossed for you for the rest of journey. Sending baby dust xxx

[Banana77]

Amazing, many congratulations - sending you positive vibes 🐝

[Daughterofaking]

Congratulations xx

[Babybaby321]

Congratulations and thank you for the inspiring story - it gives me hope, as I’m trying ISCI too. Sending you good vibes, best wishes

[magda22]

Amazing! Big congrats. It feels really relevant to me - I'm almost 43 and about transfer an embryo created 5 years ago - but i had v low fertility then.I enjoyed reading about your prep for FET - sounds like you did really well. All best wishes and luck to you x

[LuxFleur in reply to magda22]

I really wish you all the best with your transfer! xx

[Babybaby321]

can I ask please, you mentioned minimising inflammation-can I check please what does that look or feel like please (so I can look out for it) thank you

[LuxFleur in reply to Babybaby321]

I have really severe endometriosis, and it's just a feeling I get in my body. But since having Covid fairly severely it also comes with a strange sensation in my ear. When I'm dehydrated, or overtired, or just not eating right, these feelings get worse. So I have just gotten better at noticing what it is like when I'm feeling this. It is often accompanied by bloating, too, since I have so much endometriosis (mostly in the bowel). So it might not be the same for everyone! But for me it was just a feeling of feeling off and kind of static-y, if that makes sense!

[Babybaby321 in reply to LuxFleur]

thank you, LuxFleur - that’s really helpful - thank you for your reply. It’s remind me to take a breath, slow down and listen more closely to what my body is telling me! Best wishes

[Eggfreezer2015]

Congratulations, it was lovely to read your positive post and wish you all the best xx would be great to learn more about reducing inflammation as also requested by Babybaby321 above.

[LuxFleur]

Thank you! I have really severe bowel endometriosis, so I have tried to focus on reducing inflammation with diet, staying hydrated, taking supplements, doing acupuncture, and also breathing exercises when I notice my blood pressure feels up. I am not super strict about my diet, it's more about just trying to pay more attention, and noticing what makes me feel good and what doesn't.

[Eggfreezer2015]

Thanks for sharing, I was super strict with my diet on my first FET but relaxed more on my second, as it did not work. I am planning on going for my third, hence the question in case you had any tips etc and I think you’re right about trying to just be in tune and understand what your body needs from you.

[Mcher]

Huge congratulations! Fellow endo here, so lovely to hear some success stories it gives me hope for the future. How did you figure out what supplements to take to help your your endo. I also have severe endo and probably a implantation problem (on my 5th transfer and still no luck). I think my eggs are good quality as I got a good number for freezing on my first round. Any tips would be super appreciated.

[LuxFleur in reply to Mcher]

For me, my supplements were recommended by my acupuncturist. I did not do any herbs or Chinese medicine by mouth though. She basically recommended the bromelaine, coq10, and selenium as the main ones, and told me to see how much was already in my prenatal vitamin and then up the dosage with additional supplements to her recommendation. One supplement she recommended that I did not end up taking—curcumin— because it made my stomach feel more upset. But I took bromelaine which is supposed to help with inflammation. I've been taking it for a while now actually, maybe 10 months. The other stuff is also aimed at my thyroid since I have hypothyroidism, and I upped my selenium intake and also coq10 and ubiquinol. I also just tried to be more mindful of how certain foods made me feel. I could do bread and sweets sometimes, but too much would make me feel poorly. So I'll have a croissant or a desert now and then, but no longer have bread with every meal, and shy away from dishes based around rice or pasta too. I'm not sure why this stuff makes me feel more inflamed, but I noticed that it did so I tried to cut back. I also made sure to get a lot of fiber for my breakfast, which is mostly a big bowl of fruit with some plain yogurt mixed in and honey. I eat pomegranate seeds every day for the fiber and what I imagine are antioxidant properties, but who knows. It just makes me feel better. I feel so much better when I start my day this way. But I imagine that my situation is fairly individual, given my type of endo and my other health concerns.

[Mcher in reply to LuxFleur]

Thank you for your reply, I'll definitely look into these supplements and see if it could be something I could try. Will buy some pomegranate seeds though, I've been so focused on pineapple these last couple days. Did you do any special tests or medicines to see what worked best with your endomitrios?

I used to follow the low fotmap diet but it was just causing me to much stress to avoid everything haha

[LuxFleur in reply to Mcher]

I didn't do any specific tests about the endo other than the MRI or whatever it was to see the extent of the tumors, and they saw it during the surgery when they had to clip my fallopian tubes because of it because it destroyed them. It is also all over my ovaries. I didn't used to have many symptoms from the endo other than infertility, but I started to have a lot more problems starting last fall actually. And then I went to acupuncture for it and it really helped a lot. It really helped my pain, made my cycle regular again, and helped my ability to eat, since I was vomited a lot before that. Yeah I can't do strict diets like fotmap either! I do better with an improved baseline but then I can still have treats. So I got used to having my "base meals" be more fotmap friendly (although I do good with dairy, dairy doesn't bother me), but more fruit and vegetable plus protein and fat based. Then if I have a sandwich one day, or some ice cream another day, so be it.

[Mcher in reply to LuxFleur]

I should probably push for some more testing as I've had none. My period pain is absolutely deliberating. I don't know what my real triggers / what causes most inflammation. Did you cut everything out and then reintroduced to find your triggers?

I also have two cysts but no idea what damage the endo has done on the inside.

[LuxFleur in reply to Mcher]

No, I just started by cutting down on gluten and starches like bread, pasta, and rice, and that seemed to help me. I already don't eat meat. I did however switch to sheep's milk for most of my dairy, like my cheese and yogurt, and I stopped having any kind of caffeine at all. And no alcohol. Rice is not supposed to be irritating but for me it is, I don't know why. I can have it sometimes but not too much.