Aa
My sister is 42 and ttc.
Hey guys. My sister was in a horrendous marriage for 20+ years, she married young, and stayed with a man she should have left a LONG time ago.. Anyway, she divorced him 3+ years ago and is now engaged to a very nice man, whom is about 13 years younger than she is. He wants a family, and my sister would LOVE to have another child with a man who truly wants a family and wants to be an equal parenting partner. My sister also is a cancer survivor. She had a double mastectomy at 26 years old. It has been a LONG time, but all of the surgeries have made a pregnancy an ever higher risk issue for her. She is so depressed bc they have been trying for 6 months, and nothing is happening. With her medical history, and advanced maternal age, I am worried it won't happen for them. I was just wondering if anyone had any words of advice for me to encourage her? I want to be supportive. My sister is my best friend, and an amazing woman. Oh, and she did have preliminary blood work perfomed and she does have low progesterone. Any suggestions are welcome. OH, and PS- she wants to go to a fertility specialist, but her insurance doesn't cover ANY part of fertility assistance dr.'s. I feel so bad for her and her fiance.I have to add that he has been SOOO supportive of her. He says if it doesn't happen, no biggie.. He just loves her, and if a baby isn't in the cards, they will just travel more.;)
Thanks ladies. She is planning on scheduling an appointment with a RE as soon as the holiday madness has subsided.. I thought she had already scheduled the appointment, but I was mistaken. I am sure I will be back for more suggestions and advice as she continues on her TTC journey, Thank you all so much for your wealth of wisdom and support!
I'm 35 and it took me 10 months to get pregnant and I was using a fertility monitor the whole time so I was ttc at the right times. After 6 months I felt like it wasn't going to happen but I tried not to think about it and give it a few more months and when I least expected it it happened.
good luck to her
good luck to her
One of my grandmother's cousins got married at 42, and they thought she'd never have children, but she did. This was in the '60s I believe, so there were no fertility drugs or specialists! My grandmother had my father at 40 and another child years later, though due to her severe diabetes she lost the baby after birth. But if her diabetes had been controlled I have no doubt the baby would have survived.
Which brings me to my advice: tell your sister to get her blood sugar tested! If possible, she should also get an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) done to test her insulin resistance. You can have glucose intolerance and normal blood sugar levels, and the glucose issues can cause both infertility and increased chances of miscarriage. Glucose intolerance increases with age!
Another thing to get tested is her thyroid hormone (TSH) level, which should not be high. This is another thing that can easily cause infertility and miscarriage risk.
If she's getting her follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) tested, she should also get her LH (luteinizing hormone) levels checked. If the LH is higher than the FSH, that could point to PCOS or just be problematic for fertility.
One other VERY important thing to get done is an internal scan, either a vaginal ultrasound or better yet, an MRI (or both, like I did). These can show if she has some kind of internal adhesions like fibroids. Women over 35 are more prone to get these. These scans can also check for internal scarring, growths, endometriosis, adenomyosis, etc. Though the jury's still out on whether or not adenomyosis causes infertility, all the other conditions can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting.
So I guess my advice is to get a complete, thorough exam so that she can rule out any easy-to-find problems before starting fertility treatments. At the school where I teach, one of the parents spent over $60,000 for fertility treatments for many, many years with no success; then they found out she had slight insulin resistance and put her on Metformin (a simple prescription put through by her GP). She got pregnant within a few months and now has two children.
Another good thing that has helped many is acupuncture. Many women swear by it.
Which brings me to my advice: tell your sister to get her blood sugar tested! If possible, she should also get an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) done to test her insulin resistance. You can have glucose intolerance and normal blood sugar levels, and the glucose issues can cause both infertility and increased chances of miscarriage. Glucose intolerance increases with age!
Another thing to get tested is her thyroid hormone (TSH) level, which should not be high. This is another thing that can easily cause infertility and miscarriage risk.
If she's getting her follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) tested, she should also get her LH (luteinizing hormone) levels checked. If the LH is higher than the FSH, that could point to PCOS or just be problematic for fertility.
One other VERY important thing to get done is an internal scan, either a vaginal ultrasound or better yet, an MRI (or both, like I did). These can show if she has some kind of internal adhesions like fibroids. Women over 35 are more prone to get these. These scans can also check for internal scarring, growths, endometriosis, adenomyosis, etc. Though the jury's still out on whether or not adenomyosis causes infertility, all the other conditions can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting.
So I guess my advice is to get a complete, thorough exam so that she can rule out any easy-to-find problems before starting fertility treatments. At the school where I teach, one of the parents spent over $60,000 for fertility treatments for many, many years with no success; then they found out she had slight insulin resistance and put her on Metformin (a simple prescription put through by her GP). She got pregnant within a few months and now has two children.
Another good thing that has helped many is acupuncture. Many women swear by it.
I am 43 and am almost 18 weeks pregnant too. It took me about a year and a half with the help of fertility specialists, medication and acupuncture. My insurance didn't cover any of it either, it was a very expensive journey, but ALL worth it in the end.
good luck to you sister, there are MANY of us on these boards that have had success in our 40's.
good luck to you sister, there are MANY of us on these boards that have had success in our 40's.
I forgot to answer your questions, I'm sorry. Her cycles are normal and she has been using OPK's and she is still ovulating, so they have been ttc in the windows of time suggested, but NOTHING. I am unfamiliar with what a FSH blood test is, but I will ask her. Thanks!
Thanks ladies. I will pass the information along to her for sure. I believe she has made an appointment with a RE. I think it is next week, so I will update this post with the findings and see what suggestions you ladies may have from there. Thank you so much. I so want this to happen for her and her DF. =)
I am single and TTC-I am in my late 30s and I also have No fertility coverage either- I paid out of pocket to see my Reproductive Endocrinologist- your sister and her fiance need to be willing to atleast pay for a consult-if she wants to get PG bad enough, she needs to be willing to get some help. I am single and on my own, and I still went to a specialist. Since she got blood work done, I am assuming her FSH is ok,, though if her progesterone is low, that will make it harder to conceive. But I hear VITEX (a supplement) is supposed to raise progesterone and is good for fertility and my sister took it, and I just started it. You can get it at GNC and any health food store. Otherwise I really dont know what else she can do,, she may be able to get some assistance from her GYN, which alot of times, insurance will cover and they can code it so that they will pay. I just started a second job to help me pay for treatment if I need it-its my fertility money. But I do think at her age, she needs to atleast have a consult with an RE.
Even when we are young it can take a year or more sometimes to conceive. And the reality is that our fertility does decline somewhat in our 40's. I married late and began trying to have a baby at 38. It took a while, but my beautiful son was born (naturally conceived) just a week before I turned 41. We decided to try for another and I got pregnant very quickly. I am currently only 6 weeks pregnant and will be 42 in January. So it does and can happen.
At our age it is recommended to see an RE after 6 months of trying. However, if that is not a possibility right now there are a few things she can try that helped me.
I talk about this a lot, but it really does make a difference. One of the challenges many of us in our late 30's and 40's face is a lack of fertile mucus. Around ovulation time tell her to make sure she is cutting way back on things that can dehydrate such as caffeine and alcohol, and to increase her water intake substantially. It helps. Also, she can try taking Robitussin (the cough syrup). There is a very specific type to use though, so make sure she does her homework (google robitussin/fertility and the info comes up). In addition, I always used Ovulation Predictor Kits. Other women chart or use Fertility monitors. I personally like the Ovulation Predictor Kits, but it is a matter of personal preference.
She an also ask for a progesterone supplement.
Are her cycles regular? And did she have a FSH blood test done? These are all clues as to whether or not there may be a challenge with fertility. Her Dr. can perform them.
I wish her well. She is so lucky to have a sister that obviously loves her so much. I truly hope she is successful!!
At our age it is recommended to see an RE after 6 months of trying. However, if that is not a possibility right now there are a few things she can try that helped me.
I talk about this a lot, but it really does make a difference. One of the challenges many of us in our late 30's and 40's face is a lack of fertile mucus. Around ovulation time tell her to make sure she is cutting way back on things that can dehydrate such as caffeine and alcohol, and to increase her water intake substantially. It helps. Also, she can try taking Robitussin (the cough syrup). There is a very specific type to use though, so make sure she does her homework (google robitussin/fertility and the info comes up). In addition, I always used Ovulation Predictor Kits. Other women chart or use Fertility monitors. I personally like the Ovulation Predictor Kits, but it is a matter of personal preference.
She an also ask for a progesterone supplement.
Are her cycles regular? And did she have a FSH blood test done? These are all clues as to whether or not there may be a challenge with fertility. Her Dr. can perform them.
I wish her well. She is so lucky to have a sister that obviously loves her so much. I truly hope she is successful!!
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