Hey guys, myself and my partner have been trying for a baby since December, we fell pregnant second cycle of trying but our little one stopped growing and we had a MMC at 11 wks. Miscarried naturally on 9th May. Have been trying since but nothing. I have two children which I had at 24 & 26 without problems. Starting to panic. Anyone naturally conceived at 40 ? We can’t afford ivf.
What will the doctors do for us on the NHS? What tests can we have to help us? Every month feels like a week, my life seems to flying by, before I know it, I’ll be 45 with no chance at all. Please help x
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JojoWash
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Similar I’ve been ttc 3rd for 2 years started at 37 conceived in 4 mths had a mmc at 12w Nov 17, conceived again at 38 in 5 mths then another mmc at 13w July 18, conceived again in 3 mths mmc again at 12w Jan19. So now 39 not conceived since had tests nothing found. We can’t really afford IVF partner wouldn’t want to do it either.
Go to your gp they should refer you to a fertility clinic to run tests then you’ll know if there’s any probs.
Hi Hun, I don't know what the NHS will do for you as I was already waiting to start NHS funded IVF at the time ( due to having stage 4 Endometriosis) but I fell pregnant naturally age 40. Sadly that pregnancy also ended in MMC. I did have a baby last year ( after IVF ) & can say according to midwives there are plenty of women having babies in their early 40's. I know exactly how you feel though. I remember waiting to have my D & C thinking I would get pregnant again within a couple of months then when it didn't happen I felt helpless. Wishing you all the best. xx
If you’ve been trying for six months since your miscarriage then doctors can check you are ovulating and check partners sperm count as well as checking various hormone levels. But today I met the second child of a lady who conceived her first naturally at forty. So it’s definitely possible!!
I am the other way round to you but it Just might give you some hope.
After trying to conceive for 3 years, we went through IVF and gained our beautiful girl when I was 39 years of age.
A day before my 40th birthday I found I was pregnant (naturally) however at 8 weeks I had a miscarriage. The baby had stopped growing at 6 weeks.
3 months later I found out I was pregnant again and gave birth 3 weeks before my 41st birthday to a boy.
Being relaxed is what helped me conceive, I never thought I could conceive naturally when it happened the first time and thought that was my only chance before it happened again.
Hey, really sorry to hear you’re struggling that’s hard. Firstly, the gp may run tests but unfortunately as you’ve had children before they won’t refer you for IVF I don’t think :(. Having had two children already and now being 40, the most likely reason for your mc is a genetic factor which would have meant the baby never would have continued past the first trimester- which is really hard to hear but also means that your chance of having a miscarriage because of a physiological condition with your body is less likely than a 40 year old who is ttc for the first time: I.e your chances of eventually having a successful pregnancy are greater.
Hope any of these things may help (sorry if you’re already doing!)
- not having sex every day but every other day
-tracking cycle especially by monitoring cervical mucus
-ovulation tests (but the above one has been found to be pretty much as effective, and free).
You can track your temperatures but that won’t tell you of the fertile days before an egg is released and neither will an ovulation test, whereas cervical mucus will.
Wishing you all the best, praying it happens soon for you x
Hi hun. I had my 3rd child at 42 and conceived naturally. It is possible you're putting too much pressure on yourself. Having sex a couple of times only a week means there is a higher concentration of sperm. If you can't help your worrying you can always get checked though. Good luck hun x
I think it could, we tried everything. Google gluten and infertility there's lots of info to suggest it could be linked x
Hi there, I’m 40 and was told last year (after a raft of tests) and 3 yrs trying to conceive that I had unexplained infertility and should pursue IVF as it would likely be my only option. The consultant then proceeded to list the unfavourable statistics re the likelihood of me getting pregnant- which I firmly I asked her not to and told her that knowing the stats wouldn’t change anything!!
3 months later (and 6 months after I’d started making fertility focussed diet and health changes) I found out I was pregnant (now holding my 3 week old baby boy). I'm no expert, and i might just have been lucky, but thought I’d share what I did in the hope any of it might be helpful for you.
Supplements I took (the best quality ones you could afford). I pieced this info together from my reading, but it's worth considering going to a nutritionist so they can tailor it to your specific needs, particularly if you've had blood tests via the GP to check the various levels relevant to fertility as they'll be able to tell you what you can take to improve things (if needed).
CoQ10Ubiquinol
R-Alpha-lipoid acid
Zinc (glycinate)
Vitamin D
Omega 3 (not cod liver oil)
Omega 6 - day 1 of cycle to ovulation day only
B complex vitamin
Iodine
Folate (rather than folic acid)
Vitamin C
Magnesium bisglyncinate
Maca
Inositol powder (this was something recommended in relation to PCOS, so may not be relevant to you)
Ironically, having worked out the dates, I think I managed to conceive on or around the day I had my first appointment with a nutritionist (after I'd already been researching and following the self-created diet/supplement regime for 6 months).
Foods to include in diet:
Spearmint or green or matcha tea
Full fat organic milk (if you're going to have milk at all - for some people dairy has an inflammatory effect in the same way sugar does)
Organic meat (limit red meat)
Sesame
Walnuts
Almonds
Brazil nuts
Pistachio
Liver
Artichoke
Scallops
Eggs
Other:
- 8 hrs sleep minimum
- Get outside as much as possible (helps with vitamin D and melatonin production)
- Exercise, but not excessively as it can stress your system
- Reduce stress (long term, constant stress is especially troublesome for fertility)
- Meditation/breathing - I did yogic breathing (youtu.be/oFR_zlbLnY4) and downloaded 'Female fertility' app (image of a stork carrying a baby) and listened to three of the meditations/hypnosis tracks (Boost your fertility, Conceive with ease and Fertile womb meditation)
- Acupuncture
- Gut health is important - take a good probiotic
- Reduce unnecessary sugar intake (including refined sugars in white bread, pasta, rice etc - swap for wholewheat/whole grain)
- Cut out BPAs (found in plastic) and avoid takeaways served in plastic containers/heating food in plastic containers (includes take out coffee cups) as this releases toxins
- No perfume
- Cut phthalates out of all skin care products
- A friend who successfully had ivf was advised to eat warm, salty foods (chips/fries) on egg transfer day and to keep stomach and back areas warm. As I wasn’t pursuing IVF adapted this by eating chips on the day of ovulation (I knew when I ovulated because it was painful) and two days after and used a warm bottle in the evening and heated car seat in the morning to mimic this advice
- Remember, the egg that eventually becomes fertilised has been in production (so to speak) for 3 months before it reaches the front of the queue to be released. The more good stuff you do to improve the quality of the egg can both improve the chances of it being fertilised and the over all quality (relevant to natural and assisted conception)
- It's worth both partners getting basic fertility tests done early, in case there's an easy 'fix'. After all, all the health improvements in the world won't work if there's some kind of blockage etc
Yep. I conceived naturally at 41 after 10 years of trying, an operation and a failed round of IVF. I actually fell just for my final round of IVF and the only things I did differently was not think about getting pregnant, not using ovulation calendars and I had fertility reflexology. It can happen😀xx
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