Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself | My struggle with fertility treatment at 38!

Nice to meet you.
I hesitated to make this public, but I decided to keep a record in the hope that it might provide some information to others in the same situation.
For this first post, I would like to introduce myself...!

About me

I am 38 years old and live in Tokyo.
I work in the music industry, and unlike many office workers, a good thing is that my hours are relatively flexible, but on the flip side, I cannot take time off or reschedule work where I am the main focus.
I am healthy, except for having a slightly high body fat percentage, though still within the standard range. I have three small polyps in my uterus, about 2 cm each, but as of March 2025, they have not been flagged as a problem because they haven't grown and due to their location.

My periods are regular, and I was on the pill from my early 20s until about 35. I thought it might be better to be natural, so I stopped before getting married to return to my natural cycle, but I was shocked later to hear an urban legend that the pregnancy rate is high immediately after stopping the pill...!! (Is that true?!)

I don't take any regular supplements.
I exercise every day once I get into the groove, but I've been slacking off for about four years now and am currently at my all-time highest weight!! (Personal best + 10 kg)
But my BMI is 22, so it's still within the standard range (25 or higher is considered obese).

I get a full 8 hours of sleep unless I'm incredibly busy, and I fall asleep easily. I get into bed by 10:30 PM.
I have a hearty appetite and love rice! My life involves eating out a bit too much.
I'm not particularly picky about organic food, but I rarely eat cup noodles or regular ramen—maybe once or twice a year at most.
Instead, I end up eating sweets or ice cream once a day somewhere...!

About my husband

My husband is 29. Although he has the unique profession of being a martial artist, he is otherwise completely normal.

However, because he competes more frequently than most martial artists, he spends his days constantly dealing with weight loss, water cutting, and pre-match stress, so even if he looks healthy, he might not be in the best of health.
He loses about 8 kg when cutting weight, so his weight is always on a roller coaster!
The water cut the day before a match, where he doesn't drink water for a day, is truly unhealthy.

Depending on the schedule for sperm collection, there are times when we can get a fresh sample and times when we can't (it's impossible before a match, during the final stages of weight loss, or on the day of the match), so I wonder how that affects fertilization...

He takes supplements almost every day

• Whey protein (morning and night)

• Anavite (vitamins)

and he drinks,

He does high-intensity training for over 4 hours a day.
Along with that, he drinks about 3 liters of water a day.

His diet isn't surprisingly just chicken and broccoli; he eats normally except right before a match. Of course, there are days when he eats pizza or pasta.
His favorite is sushi.

He joins me in eating ice cream or sweets once a day.

About us as a couple

After dating for several years, we registered our marriage in 2024.
I was aware that I was older before we registered, so I wanted to start trying for a baby, but it didn't resonate with my husband, so we decided to start after registering. At that point, I was already 37. Although I wasn't that panicked, I felt the limit approaching.

Both my husband and I strongly wanted children, and we often talked about what it would be like once we had a child even before we registered, so while I was happy, I also felt a little anxious.

However, I didn't look into it specifically, and I had the casual mindset that everyone has: "It'll probably happen pretty quickly once we stop using contraception."

I used Luna Luna to track my own timing for 4 months, but it didn't work.
I thought, 'Oh no, maybe it won't happen as easily as I thought?!' and decided to go to a clinic.

And so, my journey of fertility treatment at an advanced maternal age began...!!!

To be continued

********
Wife 38 & Husband 29 couple
4 cycles of self-timed intercourse
2 cycles of AIH
Waiting for results of 3rd egg retrieval (as of March 2025)

Next article

Real-time diary (3rd egg retrieval)