# what can I do naturally or should i just give up?



## londonk (Apr 26, 2017)

Apologies in advance for lengthy post. 

I'm 43, over a year ago (aged 41) I got the following results:
AMH 2.1, FSH 12.8, LH 6.9
Was told my chances of conceiving were less than 5% but we tried anyway (partner is younger and has very healthy sperm), then we discovered I had scarring in my uterus (from previous coil most likely) which was stopping any chance of conception. It took quite a while for everything to be fixed (hysteroscopy) on the NHS so we could only really try again 2 months ago. 

My latest results from then (upon discharge) 
AMH 1.9, FSH 8.1, LH 6.5

I'm ovulating every month still according to the tests sticks I use but my periods now only last 2 days at most.

I cannot have treatment on the NHS of course and I am not sure it is worth pursuing it privately for various reasons.

Are there genuine things that I  and my partner can do to raise our chances of conception (supplements, things to take or avoid etc) or is it all anecdotal and the results show it's just not going to happen? I need to consider if we should start looking at alternatives (donor eggs, surrogacy, adoption etc) now and if so what does that look like?

I'm pretty depressed by the whole thing after spending my whole life avoiding having children to find it's too late.

Any advice, info, links etc really very much appreciated.


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## londonk (Apr 26, 2017)

sorry forgot to add the other results from feb 2016 test -not sure what they mean if anything:
oestradiol 83
prolactin 214
testosterone <0.4
TSH 0.74
Free T 4 16.5
urea 5.7
creatinine 81
eGFR 71
sodium 143
androstenedione 4
potassium 4.1


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## Roxbury1 (Nov 22, 2013)

Have a read of It Starts With The Egg by Rebecca Fett. A lot of the supplements Dr Google suggests are very much anecdotal but her book looks at the research around the more common ones, plus has some interesting ideas around lifestyle and diet etc. Since age and egg quality are likely your big obstacles I reckon this book would be a good place to start. Best of luck xxx


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## Amy76 (May 14, 2014)

You could have a look online at something called preseed, I tried it after 4 failed cycles of ivf & after 7 years ttc had a surprise natural bfp the first month of using it, it may have just been a coincidence but might be worth a try


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## londonk (Apr 26, 2017)

Thanks for the advice, can you be specific about which product? I looked at the website and there are various things they sell, thanks


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## londonk (Apr 26, 2017)

book ordered on amazon thank you


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## Beside_the_seaside (Oct 9, 2012)

Great advice already; 'It starts with the egg' + Preseed. As far as I know the Preseed lubricant is one product that comes in different types of packaging, single use sachets vs tube etc. Could be wrong. (My DD is 'Conceive Plus', pretty similar.)

Your results: TSH 0.74, Free T4 16.5, show a quite robustly active Thyroid. Big caveat that I'm not medical, but if you happen to be on medication for an under-active thyroid (i.e. hypothyroidism) like I am, then you might want to ask about tweaking your dose downwards very slightly. Most people know that hypothyroidism is a very bad thing for fertility and pregnancy, but conversely I find if my Thyroid goes ever so slightly over-active, I get lighter periods and stop ovulating. On the other hand if you're not medicated (I hesitate here as have no experience of results in a 'normal' situation) then I'm fairly sure it's fine.

Something else that's surely quite positive is that your AMH, FSH, LH are quite stable aren't they, even with the 2 sets of tests taken over a year apart? Your FSH is pretty good at 8.

It's difficult because given your uterus problems prior to hysteroscopy, you've really only tried for 2 months, which is absolutely no time at all. If only I could go back to being 43 (I wish) I'd go straight to IVF and not only hope for a viable pregnancy but something to freeze also. It does happen, why not.

In case it helps at all, I had a natural BFP at 43, who's now nearly 4 and sharp as a tin tack. 43-44 is not unusual; there was another 43 year old natural BFP in my NCT group of 6. I've several relatives who did the same, and a good handful of mum friends of similar age etc. (I'm pretty sure they're not donor eggs as we know each other well enough to have shared our grim tales of miscarriage, they totally resemble older siblings etc.) It's just unfortunate that I don't know anyone in RL who's conceived when quite as bloomin old as I am now!

And *Amy 76* - many congrats on your new arrival!


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## Amy76 (May 14, 2014)

Londonk I bought the preseed from amazon, the one I got was in a pink packet & was a multi use tube with applicators  

Besidethesea thank you, I do feel incredibly lucky


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