Fertility

[Seventh Pup]

So my husband and I have finally started to try to have children. I am over 30, and frankly a little terrified of the whole idea of fertility. I've been on hormonal birth control for over 5 years, and I not quite sure what to expect.

I know there a lot of mothers on the board who started in their 30's, and a few who needed a little help. I was hoping I could turn to the board to ask some basic questions...

How long after stopping hormonal birth control did you get pregnant?

How long should you wait until you seek help to getting pregnant?

Any natural fertility boosters out there worth a try, a few Google searches did not bring any promising results?

What are some good books or articles on the subject?

I just very curious about what this experience has been like for others. It's kind of terrifying to have baby fever and actually be trying to have a baby. :idea:

[Fragile Bird]

Wow. To Have or Not To Have a Baby, That is the Question these days in Gen Chat, isn't it?

Congratulations on making your decision, SP. I hope all turns out well for you and your husband. :) Alas, I have no advice to give, since I don't have children, but I wanted to wish you all the best. :cheers:

[Seventh Pup]

Babies their so hot right now.

[Left Wondering Whether]

Seventh Pup, I'm in pretty similar boat. Do you have any reason to believe that you will have an issue?

[~ZombieWife~]

How long after stopping hormonal birth control did you get pregnant?

I was ON the pill when I got pregnant (and had been taking the pill for 25 years w/o any other incidents). I've heard that if you stop taking the pill, you're actually pretty fertile right after. I don't know for sure.

I can't be much help on the rest. Sorry! But, good luck with it all. Trying to make the baby is the best part, right? :) Get on it! Now!

[mashiara]

How long after stopping hormonal birth control did you get pregnant?

About 5 years? :/ But as you know, we've had actual fertility problems, we went through a lot of testing and only managed to get the DemonSpawn on our third IVF attempt. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it really won't take as long for you, or it won't be as hard.

How long should you wait until you seek help to getting pregnant?

I don't know how it is in the States but doctors here say that if you've been trying for a year without success then it's time to look into things further and get some tests done, to start with.

30 is not old. Don't go into this thinking you have a fertility problem already and try not to overthink it. What I was being told from day one was that stressing about this doesn't help. Just... enjoy it, you know? And don't get all despondent if it doesn't happen right away, because sometimes it takes a while and it doesn't always mean that there's a problem. Baby fever can make someone act and feel pretty weird, I've been there. I have a friend in her early 30s who had baby fever from teh day she got married and was really desperate to have a baby, and after 6 months of not conceiving she started seeing specialists and stressing about it no end. They all told her to relax and wait. She just had her baby boy two days ago, no medical intervention needed.

Good luck to you and your husband, I hope you'll have some good news for us soon. :)

[Angalin]

About 5 years? :/ But as you know, we've had actual fertility problems, we went through a lot of testing and only managed to get the DemonSpawn on our third IVF attempt. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it really won't take as long for you, or it won't be as hard.

I don't know how it is in the States but doctors here say that if you've been trying for a year without success then it's time to look into things further and get some tests done, to start with.

30 is not old. Don't go into this thinking you have a fertility problem already and try not to overthink it. What I was being told from day one was that stressing about this doesn't help. Just... enjoy it, you know? And don't get all despondent if it doesn't happen right away, because sometimes it takes a while and it doesn't always mean that there's a problem. Baby fever can make someone act and feel pretty weird, I've been there. I have a friend in her early 30s who had baby fever from teh day she got married and was really desperate to have a baby, and after 6 months of not conceiving she started seeing specialists and stressing about it no end. They all told her to relax and wait. She just had her baby boy two days ago, no medical intervention needed.

Good luck to you and your husband, I hope you'll have some good news for us soon. :)

All of this. If after a year of trying there's still no pregnancy, talk to a doctor. Various wacky remedies (acupuncture, getting a puppy) have also seen results with people I know. Go figure. ;)

[Lightning Lord]

There does seem to be a baby craze on the board these days.

Sorry, I have no advice, but I am hoping for good luck for you :) *hug*

eta: getting a puppy?!?

[Fragile Bird]

eta: getting a puppy?!?

Yup. Relaxing.

There are many, many stories about people being unable to conceive, going off and adopting a baby, then getting pregnant once they have given up and adopted. Because they stopped stressing about it.

[Seventh Pup]

Seventh Pup, I'm in pretty similar boat. Do you have any reason to believe that you will have an issue?

I might. While most of my family is very fertile, most started in their early 20's. The one aunt that waited until her 30's had a lot of issues getting pregnant. My half sister through my father, has two children, how ever she had them in her late teens early twenties, she has a condition that pretty much rendered her sterile by 25.

My mother also started menopause in her late 30's.

On the flip side there are twins run strong in my family. Both my maternal and paternal grandmothers had paternal twins. My aunt on my mother's side also has a set of twins. So there's that.

I general I don't know where to start. (Well I know the basics, and we have that part locked down, and it's awesome.) But it seems like a bit of huge unknown. I am a little nervous too because I am almost 31, and for some reason that feels really old to start this whole thing. :dunno:

[Chaldanya]

How long after stopping hormonal birth control did you get pregnant?

I had my IUS taken out at the end of July. The Dr said to wait 2 periods before trying. My period in August was so gut wrenchingly awful we started trying in my next fertile period after that because I wanted to cut down on as many periods as possible. I knew I was pregnant on 17th October (two days before my next period was due). So it took about six weeks

How long should you wait until you seek help to getting pregnant?

Due to my own uterus based issues and my age I thought that 18 months was probably a reasonable time to get pregnant on our own.

Any natural fertility boosters out there worth a try, a few Google searches did not bring any promising results?

I don't know about that. I just took some pre-conception vitamins to make sure my body was the best version of itself it could be to get pregnant. I stopped drinking and started to eat a little bit healthier.

What are some good books or articles on the subject?

The book that helped us was Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Because I was so convinced that I would have problems conceiving because of my endometriosis I read this book before we started trying. I didn't use any of the tracking graphs or anything like that but the book clued me into my own cycle and when I was most fertile and when the best time to have sex was around then to get pregnant.

Hope that helps.

N

FYI: I was 33 when I got pregnant

[Prince of the North]

I general I don't know where to start. (Well I know the basics, and we have that part locked down, and it's awesome.) But it seems like a bit of huge unknown. I am a little nervous too because I am almost 31, and for some reason that feels really old to start this whole thing. :dunno:

Well, I think what others have said is the best advice. As you know, just start trying and continue to try for as long as you feel comfortable. I think about a year is good threshold to use and, if no pregnancy, then talk with a doctor (my wife and I tried for about two years). And, in my opinion, 31 is definitely no too old to start trying to have a baby. This is just my experience but my wife and I didn't get married until I was 33 and she was 30 (we were together for six years before that). We experienced fertility issues (very severe endometriosis for Mrs. PotN) that made IVF pretty much our only option. So we did not have our daughter until Mrs. PotN was 34 (I was 37) and our son until Mrs. PotN was 36 (I was 39). So, no, I don't think waiting until your 30s is too late. I do the math sometimes and see that I'll be in my mid-50s when our daughter graduates from high school (a couple of years older but not yet 60 for our son). I think that'll be fine. Also, I'm definitely still young enough and in good enough physical shape to do all the things I want to do with/for my children ;)

[Rubies & Jade]

I really think so much of this stuff is very individual. My sister got preggers pretty much every time the wind blew and she was standing close to her man, no matter what birth control they were using. A lot of people just say to relax... but that doesn't always work. I suspect in a lot of cases its just time, medical issues and random events that set the timetable more than stress or anxiety.

[mormont]

So my husband and I have finally started to try to have children. I am over 30

Whoah, hold on, hold on, stop the bus.

You're over 30 now?

Holy shit, I feel old.

Sorry, nothing more constructive to contribute. :P Oh, except that 31 is by no means too old to be starting a family, not even near.

[naz]

Pregnancy is the new black?

[Nichole]

Have you tracked your ovulation? Keep in mind that the window for getting pregnant is rather narrow each month so often when a couple is completely healthy they may take a while to conceive simply because they are not having sex at the right time.

[Mlle. Zabzie]

So my husband and I have finally started to try to have children. I am over 30, and frankly a little terrified of the whole idea of fertility. I've been on hormonal birth control for over 5 years, and I not quite sure what to expect.

I know there a lot of mothers on the board who started in their 30's, and a few who needed a little help. I was hoping I could turn to the board to ask some basic questions...

How long after stopping hormonal birth control did you get pregnant? For the first time, right away. I lost that pregnancy and the 3 subsequent pregnancies. 3 autoimmune disorder diagnoses, several bloodthinners and 1 IVF cycle later, we had twins :)

How long should you wait until you seek help to getting pregnant? I was 30 as well when I started trying. After my second loss, my regular ob/gyn referred me to a specialist. I would say 6 mo to a year. I really, really wouldn't stress about it too much. You are still pretty young. Go for a pre-checkup. Consider getting genetic counseling. Take your folic acid.

Any natural fertility boosters out there worth a try, a few Google searches did not bring any promising results? Just track your cycles, at least for now :)

What are some good books or articles on the subject? Don't make yourself crazy. Nothing good comes from reading anything on the subject in my experience.

I just very curious about what this experience has been like for others. It's kind of terrifying to have baby fever and actually be trying to have a baby. :idea:

[Whitestripe]

The book that helped us was Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler.

Buy this book. Read this book. It's a great book. Even if you decide not to chart you basal body temp, this book will give you great insight into what is going on with your body. You will be able to track your ovulation and and know when to have sex to increase your chances of getting pregnant. I've heard that it can be helpful for men to avoid tight underpants (go boxers!) and hot tubs if you are trying to conceive.

Most couples get pregnant within 6 months of trying. Most doctors won't start a fertility workup unless you've been trying for a year or longer, unless there is a reason to do so otherwise.

Don't stress out if it takes a few months, and good luck!!

As for how long it took for me to get pg, 4 months the first time (which ended inn a miscarriage) 18 months and an rx for Clomid (It boosts ovulation) the second time, which resulted in Henry. I got pregnant my first cycle after weaning with Delia.

[Filippa Eilhart]

I get the "wait a year" thing, but I'm also bitter about it, because we waited and then it turned out we wasted the year of trying plus at least another 6 months (if not a year) of trying to fix something that could have been easily fixed way before if only someone thought to look (i.e. a big fibroid that would have been obvious on an ultrasound, except my doctor never thoght to give me one).

[scotcat]

While I can't give you any advice on this subject seventh pup, I would like to wish you and your husband all the best. I hope it all works out for you both.

I don't think there is any hard and fast rule when it comes to fertility - I've had friends who got pregnant right after they came off hormonal birth control and others that have came off it (or another form of birth control) and had to try for years. It's an individual thing, but I wish you all the best