Secondary infertility anyone

[georgiegirl]

If you are an older mama (35+), I was wondering how quickly you got the ball rolling on getting help. And if you were successful in getting pregnant, how long did it take, and what eventually worked?

I will be 39 in a few months, and I currently have two kids (6 and 3) and I got pregnant easily with both of them. This time, there are some other issues at play (I had a steroid shot in the spring which completely messed up my cycles...I start spotting 5-7 days after I ovulate and it lasts until my period begins.). I had my day 21 blood work done on Friday, and I really hope they find something.

"Fortunately," we have catholic health insurance so its infertility coverage is pretty generous (but no birth control coverage, which is crazy since birth control is way cheaper than fertility treatments and having babies.)

Thanks!

[scrooks]

My story has some similarities to yours. I have 2 kids (3&5) and have miscarried twice since DS with no known reason. I have had a full work up by an RE. I had been able to get pregnant on my own but each time it was taking longer (9 months the last time). Based on my age (36) and DHs age (40) our RE recommended clomid. I am on my second cycle and have my fingers crossed. You are lucky to have infertility coverage. My insurance covers nothing. and the clomid itself isn't expensive all the ultrasounds are!

[Hemlock]

Got pregnant with DS1 at 29 after 2 months of trying to conceive, DD was born 20 months later after 1 month of ttc. Started trying for #3 about 1 year later and it just wasn't happening. I had a full medical work up, saw 2 fertility specialists, tried fertility drugs......

Almost 10 years later, I just gave birth to DS2 6 months ago at age 42. I would still love to have 1 more baby very soon.

[lauren3110]

I'm 33 but am pg now with #2 after going through secondary infertility. I got pg w dd1 first cycle no issues. She is now 3.5. Over the past 2 years of trying I had 2 mc and did 6 months of fertility treatments. My dr had just recommended moving on to ivf right before I found out I was pg following a last ditch iui cycle. I wish I would have started treatments sooner since even though I'm 33 apparently my ovaries are aging much faster and may be starting to shut down. Especially if insurance covers it (mine didn't) it might be worth running some tests.

[TxCat]

I got pregnant with DD quickly at age 32 - 2 months of trying. I'm 35 now and we've been trying unsuccessfully for 7 going on 8 months now, so I've just passed the definition of secondary infertility for my age. Since I've had 2 miscarriages, my OB wants me to give it another month of trying on my own. If no pregnancy by January, I'll probably see an REI specialist at that time - if DH and I really want another child, there is no point in waiting longer, in my mind. It's not like my eggs are getting younger.

I also started acupuncture and herbal/vitamin supplements to supposedly help with fertility this last month.

[pinay]

DD1 was conceived 1 month after I got off the pill, so we didn't think we would have any issues when we were ready to have another. We got pregnant again when DD1 was just under 2, but it wasn't viable and I ended up having to get a D&C. After that, we didn't have any luck for well over a year, so DH and I both got tested, I started clomid and did 2 rounds, but didn't want to continue with that bc I felt awful on it. I then moved on to acupuncture and herbs and had another early miscarriage after almost a year of treatment. I ended up taking a break from it shortly thereafter, then started chiropractic care after a short break. I wasn't doing it for infertility reasons, but apparently something clicked bc after 3 months I got pregnant again, which resulted in our precious DD2 who was born at the end of August! Oh, I was 32 when DD1 was born and 37 now.

[georgiegirl]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I hope those of you who are still TTC get pregnant soon.

Just waiting for a call on my blood work.

[123LuckyMom]

I'm sure you've heard of it, but just in case, I highly recommend the book _Taking Charge of Your Fertility_ by Toni Weschler. When I first started TTC at age 34, I just couldn't get pregnant. After a year, my OB wanted to put me on Clomid and generally start me on the road of infertility treatments. On the internet I came across recommendations for this book, and after reading it, I got pregnant within a few cycles. That pregnancy ended in miscarriage, unfortunately, but both subsequent pregnancies at age 36 and age 39 (births at age 37 and 40) were conceived within two cycles (which for me was multiple months, because my cycles can range from 28-42 days!) the book taught me things about my body I did not know, and I never considered myself ignorant in that sphere. Even my OB had given me misinformation that had contributed to my thinking I had fertility issues when I did not. Thank God we have treatments for those who need them, but I'm convinced there are a whole lot of women out there taking Clomid who don't need it, so I thought I'd mention the book just in case. I will make sure my daughter reads it when she's a young teen, too!

[georgiegirl]

Thanks! I actually read that book before we TTC the first time. One of my best friends had read it when she started TTC and highly recommended it (gave me her copy.) I'm sure that partly why I was able to get PG so quickly before. It's great for explaining how things work and how you can figure out when you are fertile (compared to average woman with the perfect 28 day cycle.) I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating (based on cervical mucous); it's just that I start spotting at least a week before my period is due. Maybe it's low progesterone. I never had this spotting problem before.

[mommyoftwo]

I am finally pregnant after dealing with secondary infertility and going through infertity treatments for two years. One thing that you should be aware of is that unless you ovulate on day 14, the 21 day test is pointless. It needs to be done 7 days after you ovulate. Most OB's are clueless about infertility and if they order tests they base the timing on the "perfect" cycle which very few people actually have. If your insurance will cover it, I would go straight to an RE. There are other basic tests that should be run in addition to the one you mentioned. If you want more specific info, feel free to message me.

[AnnieW625]

I am not 35, but I want to wish you good healthy vibes.

With baby 2, which we lost I got close to thinking about seeing a specialist because it took us 6 months to conceive, but I never did. After the loss though we chalked that up to stress (and probably a lot of that was me not sure we even wanted to have another child) because I got pregnant two periods (four months post loss) after getting it back post loss. I was 31 when I got pregnant, and when I lost the baby 2. I got pregnant with DD2 about 6 weeks after turning 32.

:hug: My friends who had issues all used clomid. One used it for her son, and then had a set of twins. Another friend just used it for their first, and then had two kids without any drugs. He said that was the weirdest thing. Again best wishes and I hope things start looking better for you soon!

[daniele_ut]

I will be 40 in 2 weeks. I delivered DS2 4 days shy of my 39th birthday. It took 16 months of casual trying with him.

[JBaxter]

Ok her is my history. Pregnancy #1 unplanned ( switching bc pills miscarried at 16 weeks)
DS#1 planned ( 3 months trying) DS#2 Diaphram was in the downstairs bathroom. DS#3 Decided on Christmas we wanted a baby pregnant on Valentines day (I was 35) pregnancy #5(37) Decided in Feb was pregnant in march miscarried in 6 June. THEN i didn't get pregnant again until I was 40. nothing was wrong all my tests were absolutely normal. Ovulated normal cycles. We "tried" for a year but then just left it to chance.