Beginning the TTC process at age 35, with a history of irregular periods

[Anonymous]

OP here. I just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to reply to this newbie who is perhaps freaking out unnecessarily. You all are so kind and supportive.

I started reading TCOYF last night, and already feel better armed with some information.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Anonymous]

OP I really think you owe it to yourself to try for at least 4-6 months before even CONSIDERING getting any kind of testing or intervention done. You are adding a whole additional level of stress to the process when you have no real reason to think anything is wrong. Irregular periods are not necessarily indicative of anything. I get not wanting to waste time, but the fact is you can't just decide you want to get pregnant and snap your fingers and there it is. You're only 35, you have plenty of time to try for a few months and then, if necessary, seek further medical assistance.

Depends how irregular you are. If you are just off by a couple days to a week, it may be benign. But if you skip periods, or have significant irregularity, you may want to get tested sooner rather than later. I remember that mid-way through our "TTC naturally phase" I told the nurse at my OB that my last cycle was 42 days. She told me I should go to an RE right away. And sure enough there were a host of things wrong with me! (Though thankfully, with considerable medical assistance I was able to conceive.)

[Anonymous]

I say see an RE - just so you know what you're up against. Yes, there's no reason to assume something is wrong - but if you want to conceive without wasting time, the biggest time waster would be to start trying without tests only to find out 6-12 months later that there is a physical barrier inhibiting conception. Better to know now... just my 2cents

[Anonymous]

Irregular periods aren't always a sign of infertility. What if you were off the pill and pregnant right away?

When were you last not on birth control? FWIW - stay on birth control until you are ready & able to BE pregnant (meaning exhausted and sick for 12+ weeks).

The pill means your cycle will start fresh - you will likely ovulate 2 weeks later. Therefore, it *might* be easier to get pregnant right after you stop taking the pill rather than months later when your cycle goes wacky.

[Anonymous]

If you don't feel like going crazy charting etc... just have sex often. Even with irregular periods, if you start ten days after your period to have sex every other day for another ten days, you should be covered....
no need for a chart... just new lingerie to have fun in the bedroom

[Anonymous]

OP, I was like you and started TTC when I was 35 after a lifetime of irregular periods. My OB was able to do all the blood tests to try to figure out the cause. It turned out that all my tests were normal, but I was diagnosed with PCOS anyway due to other symptoms. My OB put me on Clomid initially, which did little good alone. However, when she put me on Metformin (a diabetes drug) with Clomid, I was pregnant within two months. Actually I got pregnanat subsequently using only Metformin and my periods became very regular. I went to an RE for a bit while TTC in my '40s, but I soon became frustrated with all the bureaucracy and went back to my OB. We got pregnant anyways a few months later. An RE will order all different kinds of tests an OB will not, like an HSG or sperm testing for your DH. The PP who said that these tests are stressful was not exaggerating. On the other hand, if you are really concerned about getting pregnant quickly, you may want to go straight to an RE to make sure there are no other issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't want to hijack the other thread with my personal details, but I came to this forum looking for similar advice.

I was very recently married, and will be 35 before the end of the year. We are not financially ready to TTC (I recently started a new business that is still struggling), but with my age, we cannot afford to wait either. I had an appointment with a new OBGYN scheduled for yesterday but due to the storms had to reschedule for the end of November. What questions should I ask, or what procedures/tests should I push for?

My periods are currently regular since I am on the pill, but when I am not on the pill they are extremely regular, often skipping entire months -- I just never know when they will come. I don't feel like charting will be helpful since once I go off the pill, my cycles will totally change.

Should I head straight to an RE?

I ordered "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" which will hopefully be informational -- I am feeling totally overwhelmed with where to start. Any advice from those who have BTDT will be extremely appreciated.

Start by getting off of the pill asap. Then either head for a prenatal appointment with your OBGYN, or even head straight to the RE. You have a history of missed, irregular periods and I've found the RE route is way more productive in getting to the bottom of things quickly. They will run all of their standard tests on you, which normally take a total of 2 months or so (since certain tests have to be done at times in your cycle). Remember, getting the tests done in no way means you have to commit to any sort of treatment or make any further decisions - but in my experience, I'd recommend getting a full understanding of what is (or isn't) going on with your body. Then you can make the decision, fully armed with all of the info., as to when you want to start to TTC.

[Anonymous]

And by the way, I did not find the RE tests stressul at all. It is a total of maybe 4 tests - blood test, sperm count, sonogram and an HSG. I actually felt they reduced my stress because I was taking the initiative and would soon have all the facts.