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Pregnant after 35
Juicy71
member
40 and over - how long did it take?
Juicy71
member
Hi all:
I'm 40 and TTC our first. I just decided to pop in here today to check it out and am happy to see so many 40 and over pregnancies. I'm just wondering how long it took you all to get pregnant and whether or not you were able to do it naturally or needed any other assistance - Clomid, IUI, IVF, etc. before getting pregnant. We are only on our 4th cycle TTC so I have a couple more cycles before further steps but just curious about other's experiences.
Thanks!! 
Me: 43 DH: 39 - AMA, DOR
Mommy to Sami (IVF), Born 8.30.13
Surprise non-assisted BFP - 12.29.2014, Beta 1 = 322, Beta 2 = 760
EDD 9.7.2015
This discussion has been closed.
Re: 40 and over - how long did it take?
I was 1 month shy of my 40th birthday when we conceived my son. We were on cycle 6. No medical intervention to conceive. DS was born in November 2009.
Had my IUD taken out in September 2011 to TTC #2 and conceived in October. Unfortunately, I miscarried at 7w5d. We were cleared to start TTC right away and are about to start cycle 3 post-m/c (BFN on 12DPO this cycle and big temp drop this morning. Just waiting for AF to show up on Monday).
I have consulted with a RE who will monitor me during early pregnancy if we are lucky to conceive again, but we will not be pursuing any fertility treatments.
I wish you the best of luck on this journey. It really is an individual thing. My grandmother gave birth to 3 children between her 39 and 43 birthdays (and that was in the early 1960s). My aunt got a surprise BFP when she was 41. On the other side of the coin, my cousin is going through full-blown menopause at 43. So, you never know...
As long as you go into this with your eyes open and educate yourself as much as possible, there is no reason not to be optimistic! Cross each bridge when you come to it. Good luck!
I had my 1st at 38 and it took us 14 cycles of ttc. We did get tested and everything came back fine. This one was conceived at only 1 month of unprotected sex. We weren't really trying or preventing. Both were conceived without fertility treatments.
Good luck to you!
We got PG naturally at 40 after only a few cycles and consider ourselves very fortunate. When we decided to go for #2, I got a Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor and a box of strips and I really think it helped. Not everyone over 40 requires assistance, but I do think its helpful to get a monitor or chart your temps.
Very best of luck to you! Hope it goes quickly for you!
It really varies based on your individual situation (and YH's fertility situation too, since half of all issues come from the male side). Some women get pregnant easily at 40, others like myself have a much harder time well before we reach 40. I would probably not wait to start testing -- a lot of the tests have to be timed to certain points in your cycle, and it can take several months just to get a complete picture of where things stand for you, before you can even begin treatments if you want/need them. And don't rely on your OB -- they will only do the most basic tests that can give you a false sense of security (and many will prescribe meds like clomid without bothering to do the appropriate testing to even know whether there's any chance of the meds helping at all). See an RE sooner, rather than later.
It took us two years and one miscarriage before we got here. We started ttc right after I turned 35. It took 11 cycles for the first pregnancy, ending with a m/c at 9weeks. It took another 11 cycles once we were able to start trying again to get this pregnancy. I was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve and basically was told I had the same chances of conceiving a successful pregnancy as an average 40-41 year old, which the RE put at about 5% with no intervention. We were lucky enough to fall into the 5% (on our last cycle trying before our scheduled IVF cycle), but if you also post on the TTC>35 board, you'll find many women who have been trying for years and not had any success.
I'm not trying to scare you -- you could end up being one of the lucky ones, but time is not on your side at this point, so don't delay testing much longer. I wish we'd done it sooner.
We started TTC a few months before I turned 40. 15 months later, no luck. We had started to go to a fertility clinic, but found out that NONE of the testing is covered by our insurance because we were 40+. Thankfully, I bought a book to help me recognize my natural fertility signs (had tried OPKs, but they didn't really work for me because I'm not regular). Two months later we found out about DS! He's due to join our family June 1st.
I was really glad to be able to use my body's natural fertility signs to give me an indication of when to try...I discovered how much I differed from the textbook case and was able to compensate. I kept track of those signals as well as basal temperatures. I only needed two months worth of sheets before success (the book predicted a max of three months).
Congratulations on your DS!
One thing I have learned is that after 40, it isn't so much ovulation or timing of intercourse that is the problem. I am lucky in that my fertility signs are very clear. I ovulate every month. Right before ovulation, my cervical mucus is really conducive to conception. I have a clear thermal shift after ovulation and decent length luteal phases. But getting egg to meet sperm is not the biggest problem for many women over 40. It is egg quality.
I'm not meaning to be a buzz-killer. It is just the reality. And certainly, it can be down naturally (DH and I are living proof of that)
However, this is why the advice to OP to see a specialist to get an idea of where you stand is a very good idea, especially if you are open to fertility assistance should you need.
Thanks everyone for the input. Writing this post I was already more on the scared side of ttc at this age, and I definitely know it's different for everyone, it's just nice to hear that while it is difficult for some people it is easier for others.
I do chart and use the CBEFM so am on top of all of that. Our biggest issue right now is that DH suffers from ED (psychological & because of medicine he takes for panic) and so we are working around that in trying to time things well and just get the sex in during my FW.
My OB has ordered a SA for DH so if we don't get pregnant this cycle (4), he will get that done. Then at cycle 6 I plan on calling an RE. My SIL who is 36 or 37 has a lot of IF issues and had her DS with IUI and now for her 2nd she's having to do IVF, so I've definitely seen that side of things.
Thanks for all the well-wishes and hopefully it won't be too long before I can join you all here!!!
I'd been off Depo for about 2 years and we were just letting mother nature do her thing...Early loss in January 2011 at age 40 at about 6-8 weeks.. They told us to wait about 3 months before even considering unprotected sex and trying again.
Ended up pregnant again with an estimated EDD of March 11th 2012 ..I had a negative test on June 6th thinking I had a UTI .... so I guess their estimated dates are pretty damned close lol.
So 41 and pregnant again within 4 months with a sex ban included..add in the fact hubby worked nights so we weren't exactly doing the wild thing night and day trying to conceive ...no lotions, potions and pills here. I'll be 42 a few weeks after LO is due.
I don't think it makes a difference really............ but I do have a considerably younger husband *grin ....just in case that tips the odds in our favor
I am 41, will be 42 in August (and when my lil' bug is born). We have been not actively trying BUT NOT preventing for about 6 months. I decided it was time to get serious if it was gonna happen, charted and got pregnant the first time I actually charted and we DTD during ovulation. I honestly believe charting will be your first indication IF natural conception is a possibility prior to medical intervention.
Good Luck!!!! I have my fingers (and toes) crossed for you.
Mel
DH and I had all of the testing done early, just in case. I felt like I was racing against the clock, so we decided to pursue treatments (after an early m/c conceived naturally). I had 3 IUIs and all failed. Two months later, we conceived DS naturally. I was 40. I am now 42, and it took 7 months to get pregnant with #2, again naturally.
The problem is, there is no way of knowing on which side of the fence you will fall on. We were prepared to move on to IVF, but then I got pregnant with DS. My test results were all encouraging for my age, so we kept trying naturally, even while considering IVF. Of course, now I'm thanking my lucky stars we didn't go that route because we are completely OOP for fertility treatments. I think everyone comes up with their own mental timeline, but it really is just a guessing game.
My hubby & I both went to the doctor to make sure we were good to go to start TTC back in October. Then we were going to wait till February/March to start really trying so we could bump up even healthier eating than we do now (pending the blood results from the doc) & whatever else we needed to do per the doctors orders. So I stopped BC, started on prenatals/omega 3.6.9, bumped up the healthy eating a bit more & very limited caffeine & alcohol if at all & well, now I am 6 weeks & 3 days pregnant, naturally. I am 40 & he is 41. We are very thankful & are staying positive. Now we just wait for our first doc appt 2/23 to make sure everything is going smoothly & to find out what we need to do next. I have to say my symptoms have been mild & sporadic with no set time of the day/nite for anything. LOL! But the week I was supoposed to get my cycle it was pretty intense at times so I knew something was up but it showed that we were pregnant. And the following week my friend, an herbalist, was going to help me just in case I needed it. I believe in Chinese Medicine to put your body in harmony & there is a great product if someone has been on the pill for a long time. Love & Harmony!