# Against all odds: Natural BFP one month shy of my 45th birthday!



## Ipomée (Oct 30, 2012)

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to share some news to encourage you all not to give up . I just got a natural BFP (hpk, then confirmation by a blood test this afternoon)!!!!    This is the first BFP I've gotten in 5.5 years. You can tell from my signature, that I'm dealing with a lot age-wise, health-wise, husband-wise, and of course having had  very negative experiences with the medical field. I had several IUI (4 I think), and one natural IVF, with a collection of three "empty follicles." At 41 the first IVF attempt got me the boot, because I didn't respond well to the meds and I was about to turn 42. The clinic didn't accept 42 year-old women. 

So, for a whole year (Dec 2013 until Dec-Jan 2014.), my cycles started alternating from long to short, this was following the hormone treatments. My thyroid meds were changed as well, so maybe this had something to do with it.  Then in Feb 2014, my FSH was at its lowest (11) that I'm aware of since I started this whole "assisted" journey and my cycles have been totally regulated until now at 28 days give or take a day. I did a re-post below with the protocol I've been following.

One extra big stress in my situation, is that my husband has some very delicate issues (Bless his heart) with very low libido and erectile dysfunction. This is the reason I wanted to do IUI, IVF in the beginning. Basically whenever ovulation time would come around,  things became VERY complicated. This past year, I basically gave up on the BD and resorted to my "moon cup" menstrual cup with a dose of pre-seed (which is supposed to help the swimmers) and asked him to try that way. This was very stressful for him too, but less stressful than the BD way and it worked !!! They say "preseed" can help with lack of EWCM. I was noticing my EWCM, but added a bit inside too, just in case and I would also spread some in the cup, before I handed it over to DH. I wish I had thought of this before, when I was younger, as a sort of natural artificial insemination to increase the chances, by keeping the swimmers closer, longer. Basically, we would do this at night and I would put pillows under my bottom. Also, I track my BBT as I always feel my ovulation, we would do this moon cup techinque, every other day up until ovulation. My DH's sperm count has never been optimal and as we only did this a couple of times in the month, the sperm pool certainly needed to be renewed more often. To top it off, he had done a sauna a week before...

Of course, now I have to get a hold of myself, because it is so early (I'm only two days past my expected period, HCG dosage 432) and the situation is delicate because of age, but I'm so happy that I didn't give up. They gave me the 1% chance to fall pregnant speech.

I hope you can find some helpful info here and be encouraged not to give up. It's such a stressful journey and stress wreaks havoc on our hormones. I recently did a nine day yoga intensive workshop and it was just a few days after this that I actually felt the implantation and saw implantation spotting. I really believe that this may have helped. I have a friend to whom this exact situation happened after 10 years of TTC. A month following a yoga intensive festival she became pregnant. I remember as well that last January, I had a Qi Gong healing treatment to help with fertility. This is also when my cycles started balancing back in order. So if anything seeking stress reducing remedies like yoga, may really help. 

Any advice on the next step is greatly appreciated! 

  
Ipomée



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Re-post from Feb 2015 "when things changed"

Hello Everyone,
I recently saw my generalist Dr, who is my preferred "gynecologist." She has a homeopathic orientation. She ordered a complete blood panel to fine tune my homeopathic protocol, because I hadn't changed it for over a year. I had been seeing the fertility Drs and complementing with her suggested treatments.

Well in late January 2014, my day 3 FSH was at my record highest, it was 19,20. I'm 44 now and being it's been over a year since I've had a reading, I've been so wrought with stress and anxiety about the test... I almost didn't have it done. As far as I was concerned, my day 3 FSH could only be so much worse, my estradiol too, which was under "10" in Jan 2014 too  .  My very first day 3 FSH reading during this journey was 14,8 in April 2012.

I had the blood panel done today. I creeped onto the server, squinting my eyes only to find that my day 3 FSH was 11,0 (N: 3,03-8,0!!!! Amazing for me   !  My estradiol was 45 (N: 21-251) !!! My LH was a little high 7,2( N: 2,39-6,60). 

I know we're assessed with our highest FSH, but I believe something positive must be going on  maybe my ovaries are not giving up yet...

I'm going to cite a few things that I might be doing to help the situation, but I'm not sure what it could be. Also a couple of things I'm not doing...

- I'm "not" taking DHEA.
- I'm not taking COQ10

- I've always suffered from anaemia (sometimes severe), because I have a bleeding condition, coagulation factor. In December, I started taking a very rich nutritional supplement for blood health (Hema-Plex product in the US). Maybe when we're anaemic, the blood oxygen issue is worse ?... I've "finally" corrected the anaemia.

- I "quit" taking my homeopathic treatments two months ago, so I could get an idea of where I stand and so my Dr can readapt a new treatment.

-In December, I started taking Omega 3 (1000mg sardine/mackrel; 500mg krill) for the first part of my cycle and Omega 6(1000mg Primerose oil) during the second part of the cycle.
Before, I was only taking the Omega 6 during the first part of the cycle, but my Dr advised the former.

- I'm taking a multi vitamin, the "Viridian" Fertility kind without the iodine.

-In December, I was drinking smoothies to which I added spirulina and wheatgrass

-Since December, I've been taking acidophilus every day.

- I have a glass of red wine every now and then.

- I add a "little" bit of weak coffee to my chickory in the morning.

- I'm very deficient in vitamin D, so I have to correct that one immediately!


I can't say that the FSH went down because I'm not stressed. My father was diagnosed with cancer in December (he's going to be okay ), so I jumped on a plane to be with him during his surgery. The month of January was very difficult too. I'm also recovering from pneumonia, a complication from a virulent flu virus and I'm on day 15 of 4g of amoxycillin/day. Definitely been a mess the past three weeks too...

So, I'm actually a bit confused about what's going on, but I'm hopeful again.  I pretty much gave up.

Don't know if this can help anyone, but it can offer courage not to give up 
Ipomée


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## Riley12 (Aug 12, 2013)

Massive congratulations to you!!!!!!! 

What amazing news xx


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## Ipomée (Oct 30, 2012)

Thank you Riley12!


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## RoseCoraline (Oct 7, 2015)

Great news, Ipomee. Wow. Enormous Congratulations to you!!  I was reading your post and had to comment. I can really sympathise with what you've said and the yoga sounds interesting. 
Take it easy and enjoy your pregnancy!


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## Ipomée (Oct 30, 2012)

Thank you so much RoseCoraline! I'm very touched that you jumped in to wish me luck.  

I went in yesterday for a U/S and the little bean has a heart beat! I do have to go back next week to see how things evolve. It's still really early and I'm trying not to get my hopes up high. It's really hard to remain calm and not worry. One of my favorite remedies for my worry is: my female ginger tiger kitty who sits on my belly either "making biscuits" or purring. When I do my yoga, she sits on my belly too!

I've been referred to the head gynecologist of a French hospital by my most trusted endocrinologist who returned to his practice after being very ill for over a year. This is the first time I've actually seen a gyneco, with whom I feel comfortable. She will follow me closely through the whole process if things advance as we all hope. 

I haven't shared much with friends or family which is hard, but I have several Drs wishing me success. Your wishes are also very dear. Thank you again Rose Coraline, I truly believe when you put love out there it comes back to you  <3   
Ipomée


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## Riley12 (Aug 12, 2013)

A heartbeat, how wonderful   

Love reading such lovely updates xx


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## Victoria38 (Apr 17, 2015)

Congratulations your story is amazing, 

Good luck Xx


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## Ipomée (Oct 30, 2012)

Thank you Riley and Victoria    

Yes a heartbeat! I saw it, but didn't get to hear it. She generally doesn't like to put the sound on... We'll know more this week. I feel like making it this far is already a miracle.  I'm glad to have been able to do really early ultrasound, but it kind of makes the anticipation harder to endure. I think the gyneco said usually they do a ten week scan, but due to my former miscarriage and risks, they're more careful and scan earlier. 

Impomée


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## Ipomée (Oct 30, 2012)

Well, I went back to the Gyneco to do the follow up ultrasound and this time there wasn't a heartbeat   

The Dr was actually surprised and kept saying it was so unfortunate and she was sorry... she believed it was looking good... Of course I'm gutted. And of course I wasn't getting my hopes up too high, but it did feel like this time I maybe had a chance. 

She said if it happens again, we will try a protocol aimed at my immune issues and mentioned baby aspirin(despite my blood coagulation lacking problem (Von Willebrandts).

I have so many annoying things to cover, that it took a while just to document the main stuff. 
I figured I had time to dig through my files to see if there was other stuff to worry about. 

I found some of my former exams in my pile of old medical docs, which I brought in for the first time to show her during this last ultrasound...

One of the docs was my first miscarriage pathology report and an ultrasound I had totally forgotten about, the only one which mentioned a "bilateral uterine notch..." 

This little bean miscarried at the same time as the last one 7-8wks. The former pathology report said the egg probably died from complete "vascular anegisia."  

Right now I'm blaming myself... I should have just taken the baby aspirin, depite a possible hemmoraging risk. I had received differing views about the baby aspirin due to lacking a coagulation factor (Von Willebrandts).  I sometimes ask myself what "don't" I have as a problem..?" And of course I'm thinking, maybe I'm just not meant to carry a baby, maybe my body just can't handle it... 

What the heck can be done about a bilateral notch, if I'm ever to get a chance at a second miracle? 

I'm giving myself this coming year to keep trying, while I think about the idea of DE at the same time. One of my close friends has done DE and is expecting in January, so I'll get to witness her experience. 

I'm just not ready to give up yet on my OE yet... My father is ill with cancer and neither of my brothers have children, nor does my sister-in-law, so I still don't want to lose hope in my own genetics until "I" realize and decide that it is over...  

I've just felt so in-tune with my body these past months and have felt more fertile than I have in years ( I still really think it's the yoga that has helped me  ), despite my getting even older. If this miscarriage wasn't due to old-eggs and was due to a bloodflow problem could this be a bilateral notch issue? 

Does anyone have this, or know about this prob? 

The endocrinologist is finally doing the anti dna (NPK cells?) test for the immune issues. The gyneco said that if I'm able to become pregnant again, I will probably have to take steroids and baby aspirin... I wish I had done taken both this time. I'm soooo crushed. I feel like it's my fault.

The gyneco wants me to miscarry naturally, to not completely mess up my hormones, because she said that just following a miscarriage our chances of becoming pregnant are higher, thanks to the hormones, so again, I don't want to give up yet... All three of my Drs said this, so I hope I won't have to D&C in the end... It's so hard to still be pregnant and know the little bean in gone and feel that my body still thinks everything is okay. 

Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

  Ipomée


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## gpk (Apr 17, 2014)

Ipomee,

Very sorry about this news.. 
I have not been following forum regularly, but when i last time logged, i read about your BFP story..I was so happy for you. It also gave some hope for me...

On hindsight, you should have taken immunes..But now may be next time, you try your best to get all immunes test etc ..

I will   for you

~p


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## Ipomée (Oct 30, 2012)

Thank you so much GPK  

I really wish I had looked into the immune issues before...


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## Victoria38 (Apr 17, 2015)

Hi Ipomee - I'm very sorry to read your post. It's so very heartbreaking attending scans and discovering theres not a heartbeat, I've been there 3 times myself. Please be kind to yourself and try not to blame yourself. We could all drive ourselves mad with the what ifs. Good-luck with your future.

Sending you much love and understanding  

Xxx


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