Hi, I’m 44 and possibly having a hysterectomy next year due to really heavy periods as mentioned in previous posts and having always wanted children (unexplained infertility when I was under the hospital when younger) I have realised it’s now or never of I want or have children, I am looking into having fertility tests done at Bourn clinic to see what my ovarian reserve is like, and have already been advised that the doctor will more than likely recommend straight into IVF due to my age, this is such a big decision and obviously will cost lots of money (I will have to get a loan) just wanted to know if batons has been through this and had any luck with it being successful?
Thanks in advance for any replies, I just don’t want to look back when I’m older and regret not trying everything I can to have a child.
Written by
Lordy40
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Next step is to retest Thyroid and vitamin levels via Medichecks
Heavy periods are classic sign of still being hypothyroid
Your FT3 was low in previous test
If FT3 remains low after gluten free and improving to optimal vitamins, you may, like many others of us with Hashimoto's need addition of small dose of T3
This can dramatically improve fertility for some. But it's extremely difficult to find any endocrinologist willing to allow T3 during pregnancy
Email Dionne at Thyroid Uk after Jan 3rd for list of recommended thyroid specialists.
I have been taking ferritin for last 6 months though my gp has stopped my prescription now saying I no longer need it, even though I told him how my levels drop once I’m taken off it. I take a over the counter vit D and magnesium tablets with b6 as well as a vit b complex tablet. I have just started a progesterone cream called serenity to regulate my periods as apparently I am oestrogen dominant and that is now regulating my cycle. Gp would not do coeliac blood test and I have not been following a strictly gluten free diet, I will look at more private blood tests when I can afford them.
Low iron is a contributor to heavy periods. And heavy periods is obviously a contributor to low iron. Fix low iron and you can break the vicious cycle.
You would need to get your iron thoroughly checked, and supplement if necessary. Knowing serum or ferritin by themselves isn't enough. You need to know :
serum iron
ferritin
transferrin saturation %
It might be useful to know haemoglobin as well, but it isn't essential.
Note that if your ferritin is, say, 15 ug/L with a reference range of 13 - 150 (a common reference range in use in the UK), most doctors will tell you this is fine and you don't need to supplement. But you are likely to be much healthier and feel much better if your ferritin was mid-range or a little bit over, say 80 - 100. However, it is important that serum iron and transferrin saturation don't go over the range. For optimal levels see this link :
Similar arguments apply to other nutrient levels e.g. vitamin b12, folate, vitamin D, zinc, copper, vitamin A. Doctors think that anywhere in range is absolutely fine. However, there are optimal levels for most nutrients (and they aren't all the same - some need to be mid-range, some in the upper half of the range, some at the top of the range or a little bit over). Having optimal levels for most nutrients will help you to feel better and will improve your fertility. And if you get pregnant your offspring will be healthier if you are well nourished.
Thank you for your reply, my gp is not very interested every time I go regarding my iron and ferritin levels, they just say they are normal! And won’t give me a copy of the results. They were also very funny with me when I said I’d had private testing done. I had a myomectomy in May to remove fibroids but It didn’t work but have found a natural progesterone cream that seems to be helping.
Lordy40 To respond to your comment re. test results, your GP is breaking the law in refusing to give you a copy of the results of any test that you have. The relevant legislation is the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation.
The NHS itself, advises:
"There are a number of different types of health record, accessing them is free, and healthcare professionals have a legal requirement to allow you to see them.
GP records include information about your medication, allergies, vaccinations, previous illnesses and test results, hospital discharge summaries, appointment letters and referral letters."
Thank you so much, it’s mind blowing all there is to think about, my partner just wants to do for donor eggs but I really would like to try myself if my eggs are up to it, it’ll be a one and only chance if we do go ahead with a round of IVF. I didn’t realise there was a fertility network forum on here. I’ll see if I can find it xx
Yes there's a wealth of things you could try in the lead up to IVF
Including supplementd to boost egg quality and vitamin optimisation
I would say first three things would be to :
1) test AMH and hormone tests to see what ovaidan reserve you have. Have hysteroscopy or ultrasound or HSG investigations to check for any other abnormalities
2) check vitamins D, b12, folate and ferritin ( I see you mention ferritin so worth checking and maybe eating 200g or less liver once a fortnight to keep levels up.
3) thyroid control- TSH below 1.0 which may take a couple months to get right
4) supplements - consider ubiquonol (not ubiquonone) and DHEA as many ladies in their 40s do to improve egg quality (do research to see if these would suit you) there are others also but these are ones that come up the most frequently
These above can all take about 3 months to optimise so best to get started now while you investigate further x
It took 12 months to get pregnant with 1st one, 9 months 2nd one, cost us around 30k and that was 31 and 27 years ago ! You need very very deep pockets for ivf.
It's very difficult to stop once started , we kept saying just one more go, with my 3rd child it did happen on the first try which is very unusual, I was 41 by then.
I bet it is, that’s fab it happens first time with your 3rd child. I’m already 44 so I’m realistic about the chances of it working, but Just want to give it a shot before it’s too late.
Many charge between 6-8k plus meds even with icsi involved these days
There are also 'access fertility' insurance care packages where you pay for multiple cycles but get a substantial refund if unsuccessful by second cycle etc
Do have a look around because some can charge over 20k and others less.
And don't think that the level of care or treatment varies according to price. It often doesn't
I will do some research into different places, I have only contacted the Bourn clinic as they had an offer on for a full fertility check and I wanted them to check my ovarian reserve to see what my chances of conceiving naturally were, before we made a decision about IVF or surrogacy but the lady on the phone said the doctor would prob recommend straight to IVF due to my age. She said it would be between £6,000 to 8,000 but like you say there’s costs on top for blood tests etc. I would have to see if I can add to my mortgage before we go ahead with treatment. X
You can also get basic fertility checks and hormone and infection checks on the NHS
AMH tests which check for ovarian reserve and STI checks, rubella and hEp A and B checks which are all required before Ivf treatment
As well as your partners semen analysis and infection checks for him can all be done by your GP or gynaecologist on NHS.
These usually form part of the referral for IVF anyway. (Even if private IVF they should still do these checks as you are trying to conceive same as anyone else )
You can check with the clinic what tests are required by HFEA and the clinic before starting the process. They should have a list for you
Ask the clinic if they offer access fertility packages too
You aren't menopausal and you are entitled to same treatment as anyone else.
You aren't asking for NHS IVF which you probably wouldn't be entitled to but do check your local CCG referrals some places do allow up to 45 yrs old for NHS ivf if first try.
You are asking for basic fertility checks which are available to all who have been trying to conceive for a while and it's not worked x
I think it’s the same now, they put a coat on each individual thing, I really don’t know if I can afford it but will look into it.My partner just thinks we should go straight for surrogacy or IVF abroad but it’s not as simple as that, including the worry of taking time off work too.
If you check the fertility network forum there will be lots of advice and lots of ladies who have gone to Greece Cyprus Spain turkey czechR etc who can give you more advice also.usually you can do their preliminary tests in UK and you just need to fly out for the transfer which can be as little as one day
What about the child? Sorry but I was adopted and now in later life have many problems i.e. no gallbladder, no thyroid. I never knew my birth family until my forties but if I had to choose to have children now or not, I would not. They my be affected by the family health problems, it's to late now as I am in my 70's.
All of my birth family have health some serious. It's your choice!!
Thank you for your perspective on this Bunnyjean, I can completely understand where you are coming from. I had not thought of it from that point of view, just from the view of how much love I have to give a child and how it would bring happiness to me but maybe I’m just being selfish.
Hashimoto's is a very common condition, it is also an autoimmune condition and your potential child may inherit an autoimmune condition (not necessarily Hashimotos). These conditions are more likely in females. If we all chose not to have children for the fear of passing on an autoimmune condition there would be a lot less people in the world and with in the womb gender tests there would likely be less females. The advances in science are phenomenal and always improving the future for autoimmune and many other conditions. The important thing is for any child to have caring parents, if you decide not to go ahead with IVF remember there are children who want to be part of a family. Best wishes for whatever you decide.
Please don't be put off by negative comments, both my sister and I have thyroid disease and non of the six children we have between us have any health issues at all, by the way all six are ivf.
Thyroid disease was not in our maternal or paternal family so if it was passed on from way back there was no way of knowing and even if we had known it certainly wouldn't have stopped us having children, life is a lottery and nobody knows what might happen.
Sorry although I think it is important to consider both mother and baby's health it is not as if you are passing on a rare dominant chromosomal or life threatening illness onto the next generation
Hashis can be triggered just as any other condition - if you are more susceptible to it from a family history then you can also do a lot to prevent and manage it early on. It may never get triggered on your child.
I think the decision to have the child or not lies to the parent and I don't think it is selfish to want a child.
I am perfectly happy to adopt or have my own children - but it is not as easy for everyone
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Has anyone noticed a change in symptoms with new formula Levothyroxine UK?
Anyone has a child with thyroid problems
Still struggling with Hashimoto’s - can anyone help with sourcing T3 or NDT?
Does anyone else get a sweet taste in their mouth when they are possibly overmedicated?
