The Elderly Gravida advantage

Oh yeah, this is my new favorite phrase, "elderly gravida." So much more pleasing to the ear than advanced maternal age, don't you think?!? :-) (I only just realized that the ICD-9 code that gets checked on my monthly growth monitoring ultrasounds at the MFM is labeled 'elderly gravida.')

But seriously, it is an advantage. Monthly ultrasounds (henceforth minus the transvaginal for cervix check since they say it's not worth checking the cervix after 34 weeks) are great! We saw babygirl again this past Wednesday. She's now frank breech (last month she was head down) but there's still plenty of time for her to turn. In fact, given the movement in the last few days, I'm not so sure she hasn't already. We also saw her taking a sip of amniotic fluid.

Next ultrasound in another 4 weeks. And, as mentioned, they'll just be checking growth. Apparently, what they're worried about is that in the latter part of the pregnancy for the elderly gravida (yep, that's me), there can be a tendency for the placenta to start to not function quite as well, leading to a slow-down in growth (nourishment) of the baby. So, far, though, she's right on target. Her head is still measuring a little on the relatively larger side at 30w1d (I was 29w3 days on the day of the scan) although her femur was measuring only 28w4d (we're both short so no real surprises there.) 17 on the amniotic fluid index (which should be between something and 20 apparently) so this is good. Cervix is even longer than past measurements at 4.6

The MFM also recommended that I start weekly non-stress tests at 34weeks. Am going to check with my regular OB whether they do this in their office or whether I need to go the antenatal center (where I see the MFM docs and get my ultrasounds since my OB doesn't have an ultrasound machine.)

We've been fine-tuning my sister's schedule. It looks like she'll be finishing up bc pills the end of this next week and have bloodwork/ultrasound evaluation done next Thursday morning. We've jiggered things enough, we think, that her first stim med injections will be the following Monday evening. (My sister and her family are going to my parents' lake cottage Saturday and driving home Monday afternoon) That way I'll be able to go over and help her with her first injections. Retrieval should be around August 4 or 5. That will wrap things up nicely for us to go on our beach week vacation on the 14th. Of course, as you all well know, count on *nothing* when doing any infertility treatments, so I'm prepared (I think) for this all to go kerflooey. But, I am hoping that my sister's body is much better behaved than mine (at least in terms of IVF med response.)