How should I prepare for TTC?

[Anonymous]

I want to start trying in the fall but would love advice on how to prepare or what to expect.

[Anonymous]

How old are you?

[Anonymous]

39

[Anonymous]

Read “It Starts with the Egg.”

Make an appointment with an RE for early next year (6 months TTC mark). You can always cancel if you fall pregnant naturally.

I found charting BBT to be helpful in understanding my cycles, like when I ovulate, my luteal length, etc.

[Anonymous]

Improve your diet now - more fruits and vegetables. No alcohol. Limit caffeine and sugar. Eat homemade and warm foods - got that from a TCM doctor. Also, exercise regularly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:39

At that age, I would immediately start getting in line with fertility clinics. I'm 38 and never had issues before the age of 36. It's been a devastating journey and I advise people not to wait getting help. From start to my first FET it took over 1 year and that doesn't include the year of losing 5 pregnancies before that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:39

Why are you not starting today? Seriously. There’s not a month to wait.

[Anonymous]

I was such an overthinker with TTC but I would do only three things differently:

1. Check your MMR titer (immunity level) - many adults have faded immunity from childhood vaccines - and get a booster BEFORE becoming pregnant (this is a jab you can't get during pregnancy). I lived in a developing country with endemic rubella when pregnant and I freaked out because my titer during pregnancy screenings showed no immunity. With anti-vaxxers causing measles outbreaks, it's a rare but meaningful risk and an easy one to mitigate.

2. Read up on the stats about first-trimester miscarriages. They are incredibly common (25-30% of all pregnancies according to some sources). It does not mean something is wrong with you if it happens. I had a couple and was super caught off guard, wish I'd realized how commonplace they are. Once I shared with a few friends I realized almost every woman I knew had had one at some point.

3. Don't act "pre-pregnant" during the 2-week wait (between ovulation and your period). Have that glass of wine on girls' night, go scuba diving, whatever. It will ruin your TTC experience if you restrict yourself and obsess when you don't have to yet.

[Anonymous]

Start taking a pre-natal vitamin before/during TTC. Don't wait for pregnancy. Especially at your age.

[Anonymous]

Start trying NOW. The odds of NOT getting pregnant in the next three months, even if trying is around 80%. You don't have the luxury of waiting for the perfect moment when you're rapidly closing in on 40.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:39

At that age, I would immediately start getting in line with fertility clinics. I'm 38 and never had issues before the age of 36. It's been a devastating journey and I advise people not to wait getting help. From start to my first FET it took over 1 year and that doesn't include the year of losing 5 pregnancies before that.

Agree, and also:

- have him tested right away. Even if you don’t have a relationship with an FC, LabCorp does them once a month.

[Anonymous]

Go straight to a fertility clinic asap and don’t wait till the fall to start. Be prepared to consider donor egg options.

[Anonymous]

Start now. Only a tiny percentage of people get pregnant in the first couple months of trying. Unless you have proof you're uber fertile, at 39, your odds are against you naturally. Sorry to be discouraging. We also waited and now I'm having to accept it may never happen.

[Anonymous]

I would (1) start taking a prenatal vitamin, and (2) go off hormonal birth control and switch to condoms until you're ready to actively try. For me, after being on the pill for a decade, it took months for it to fully leave my system and fertility to return. Once that happened, I got pregnant quickly. I also liked tracking my BBT because with two pregnancies it let me realize I was pregnant sooner and I fgelt like I really go to know my body and my cycle to plan trying.

[Anonymous]

Read it starts with the egg

Get a fertility monitor and start tracking your cycle - I love inito. helps you get a handle on your cycle so you can better identify your fertile window and when you are likely ovulating- much more accurate than regular OPK strips.

As others have mentioned get an appointment w a fertility clinic and get checked out. They will test you and your partner, it’s better to know now if there are any issues rather than trying blind for 6mos

I also highly recommend the egg whisperer podcast!