Hormone Testing

SlinkyDog2013

Hey everyone,

 

I?m 34 and will be 35 in August. DH is 36. We have a 4 year old son. We just started to TTC in May and AF started today. I was using OPKs. I called my OB in tears and demanded some testing to make sure everything is OK. I?m too impatient to wait 6 months although I know I am going overboard. So he gave me a script for FSH testing on day 3 and progesterone testing on day 21. I?m worried about the quality of my eggs. Does anyone know on average how your eggs are at age 35? I know I?m jumping the gun a little, but I can see my eggs shriveling up and dying as I?m writing this

gscoville

Yes, you are jumping the gun, you need to calm down a little.  You've been trying for only a month and you're already demanding testing?  I'm 39, I've been trying since August, with one ectopic pregnancy loss in January, so 8 months total of trying with charting, OPKs, temping, etc. and I'm only just starting testing now. 

You said you're using OPKs, are you also checking CM, temping, etc.?  Check out Fertility Friend (you can get there through my chart link in my siggy), sign up for a free account, and do the tutorials.  OPKs can only tell you you're gearing up to O, not that you've actually O'd, only temping confirms ovulation.  You need to be charting and trying for a solid 6 months before any testing is warranted. 

ksgsmu

gscoville:

Yes, you are jumping the gun, you need to calm down a little.  You've been trying for only a month and you're already demanding testing?  I'm 39, I've been trying since August, with one ectopic pregnancy loss in January, so 8 months total of trying with charting, OPKs, temping, etc. and I'm only just starting testing now. 

You said you're using OPKs, are you also checking CM, temping, etc.?  Check out Fertility Friend (you can get there through my chart link in my siggy), sign up for a free account, and do the tutorials.  OPKs can only tell you you're gearing up to O, not that you've actually O'd, only temping confirms ovulation.  You need to be charting and trying for a solid 6 months before any testing is warranted. 

Couldn't have said this better!  Impatience is not a fertility problem.

SlinkyDog2013

 

I'm not checking CM. For some reason, my CM stays exactly the same all time.

ksgsmu

are you temping/charting?

gscoville

SlinkyDog2013:

I'm not checking CM. For some reason, my CM stays exactly the same all time.

Do you check internally?  Do you temp?  You get the best idea of your fertile window with ALL of these put together, no one of these things (OPKs, CM, etc.) can tell the whole picture accurately.

Did you know that a woman can gear up to O more than once in her cycle?  OPKs will tell you you're gearing up, but you might not actually ovulate then.  Many women on these boards have this happen on a regular basis.  Until they temped, they just didn't realize that they weren't catching their true LH surge/ovulation time.  Sometimes it's days after you first get a positive OPK, sometimes a week or later after the first positive. 

All of this is why you need to fully chart, not just assume something is wrong, you could very well just be missing your window.  Plus, there is only a 20% chance of conceiving on ANY well-timed cycle, for any woman.  You can have the best-timed sex possible and still not have egg meet sperm and implant.  Doesn't mean there's something wrong, it just comes down to luck of the draw.  But don't be surprised or offended if doctors won't take your requests for testing seriously this early in the game.  I'm surprised your doctor even agreed to the hormone testing, to be quite honest.

hollyweenOR

Whoa. Breathe. You're not knocked up after one cycle and not quite yet 35, and this is more than you can bear to wait? 35 is not like a big red stop sign. Depending on each individual woman, when her menses started, length of cycles, etc., ovarian reserve typically begins to decrease in the mid to late 30s, with the falloff curve growing steeper around 3840. And even those women can still conceive naturally, though the odds are lower. With welltimed intercourse, you likely have a 5 to 20 chance of conception [at 34 probably closer to 20] each month. Get a bbt, take the Fertility Friend tutorials, start temping, and give it 6 months. The sand is not running out of the hourglass quite as fast as you think. You may find that learning more about the process is empowering and that can be a big help with impatience and anxiety. Good luck.

MarylandWed

I agree you're probably fine. It takes awhile. As you get older you do have less quality eggs but you usually have enough that eventually some good ones come down. I would wait six months before you panic.

Jacque Sills

gscoville:

SlinkyDog2013:

I'm not checking CM. For some reason, my CM stays exactly the same all time.

Do you check internally?  Do you temp?  You get the best idea of your fertile window with ALL of these put together, no one of these things (OPKs, CM, etc.) can tell the whole picture accurately.

Did you know that a woman can gear up to O more than once in her cycle?  OPKs will tell you you're gearing up, but you might not actually ovulate then.  Many women on these boards have this happen on a regular basis.  Until they temped, they just didn't realize that they weren't catching their true LH surge/ovulation time.  Sometimes it's days after you first get a positive OPK, sometimes a week or later after the first positive. 

All of this is why you need to fully chart, not just assume something is wrong, you could very well just be missing your window.  Plus, there is only a 20% chance of conceiving on ANY well-timed cycle, for any woman.  You can have the best-timed sex possible and still not have egg meet sperm and implant.  Doesn't mean there's something wrong, it just comes down to luck of the draw.  But don't be surprised or offended if doctors won't take your requests for testing seriously this early in the game.  I'm surprised your doctor even agreed to the hormone testing, to be quite honest.

This.....very well stated. Just take a deep breath and know your time will come...

Best of luck and keep us posted...

dtucker1126

I conceived my last naturally without even "trying" at age 35. I am 38 now and just starting to wonder how fertile I am should know in a week and a half lol So just relax I am sure you still have some good eggs left ;