35 with DOR--what are my chances?
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Anonymous
| I'm 35 with elevated FSH at 13.1. I attempted naturally for 1 year, 3 failed IUI, 2 failed IVF cycles (0 pgt normal embryos in first, 3 in the second, 1 of which was a miscarriage and two non-implantations). The plan now is to go back to trying naturally with letrozole and hope for the best. I know the odds are not exactly in my favor...but is there any hope here? Does anyone have a success story with such elevated FSH after trying so long? |
Anonymous
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Have you met with a reproductive immunologist? You may have other things going on beyond DOR or even find a reason behind DOR.
I would assume if you are trying naturally you'd continue to miscarry. |
Anonymous
| You may not be there yet, but I would encourage you to think about donor eggs. I had DOR in my early thirties. 3 IUIs and 8 rounds of OE IVF came to Nothing but many years lost. Three rounds of DE IVF between 37 and 42 gave me three amazing kids. Getting to the other side of infertility allows you to get on with your life. |
Anonymous
You did get 3 normal embryos, so it seems possible that you could still have success but sounds like something more could be going on. |
Anonymous
Some people won't use donor eggs for ethical reasons. |
Anonymous
| OP here--thanks for the feedback everyone! I should also add my AMH is not good (.15), so all signs point to pretty advanced DOR. Before I move on to thinking about next steps (e.g. adoption, donor embryos/eggs/etc) I am planning to add CoQ10 to my letrozole and I am also thinking of adding DHEA. I'm a little wary of adding DHEA because of possible cardiac side effects plus somewhat mixed evidence on effectiveness. Wondering if anyone has had success with that when starting with such low AMH? |
Anonymous
| Sometimes DOR is connected to endometriosis or immune issues. If you’ve transferred 3 normal embryos without success there’s something else going on, statistically speaking. |
Anonymous
I'm a different PP I've miscarried 5 normal pregnancies. Only after I met with a reproductive immunologist did they identify adeno, very elevated immune cells (NKs), high uterine inflammation, and a very rare clotting disorder in a particularly bad combo with Mthfr. So I will most likely never carry another pregnancy to term without very serious medications and monitoring. REs are not equipped to handle patients like me. |
Anonymous
| So my Amh was .01. I did natural cycle and it worked. Do they still do that? I cycled with dominion. I was 37. |
Anonymous
| My AMH was .01 and I conceived naturally at 41 after multiple miscarriages starting at 37- I started using supplements and acupuncture. I took coq10, DHEA, and a bunch of other stuff. My son is a healthy happy little boy now. I wish you peace on your journey. Research how Ivf can fry your eggs if you have DOR. |
Anonymous
Sure. But plenty of people do use them. OP might be one of them. For people whose primary problem is egg quality, it’s one of the only solutions that actually works. And, in my experience, the only people who have an ethical problem with donor eggs are fertile people with kids of their own. It’s easy to be judgmental from the sidelines of infertility. I ignore those people and enjoy every day being a mom to my amazing kids (who know all about their donor status and, while mildly curious, are definitely not overly focused on it as part of their identity.) |
Anonymous
| At 34 I had severe DOR -- AMH was "undetectable" and I can't remember my FSH but I think it was around 14. I went to Cornell after 3 losses, and now have 2 kids with my own eggs. In my case, I also had undiagnosed hashimotos. One pregnancy was natural but with clomid and progesterone; one was medicated IUI. I had decided I wasn't even going to try IVF with my numbers and go straight to donor eggs when I got pregnant the first time. For my second we thought we'd try IUI bc it was low-stakes, covered by insurance, and it worked on the first try. I think I was extremely lucky, but here I am. The numbers were really devastating when I first got them. |
Anonymous
| +1 to a consult with a reproductive immunologist. Three normal embryos with those numbers suggests to me that it's NOT egg quality, but something else going on. If I were you, I'd continue to do retrievals and bank as many normal embryos as you can while you get a full immunology workup. Figure out what's going on, then try another transfer. Find the best RI you can, even if that means going out of town. |
Anonymous
Hi. OP probably not the answer you want but I had similar AMH (0.16) and advanced DOR at age 37. I went through years of also doing IUI, and 8 IVF rounds. I did everything, including adding in DHEA, CoQ10, and a few other supplements. My best cycle in which I had even had eggs to freeze and be tested was the one in which I followed the supplement regimen (including DHEA). I had 5 eggs retrieved, 3 were frozen, and one was normal. The normal one gave a chemical as did all my other IUI pregnancies...Doc told me the issue isn't I can't get pregnant, it's the quality of the eggs. We tried a few more IUI's and had chemicals, and 2 more IVF's with no eggs. Eventually moved onto Donor eggs and had a baby girl on the first cycle. |
Anonymous
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Go to an RE that specializes in DOR. There are a few in Manhattan. Run actually.
BTDT. Had a .3 AMH at 33, took many rounds to find the right clinic that wont just blast you with max stims and shrug. By 37 it was undetectable. I have two DD’s 7 and 2 (own eggs) that i had at 37 and 42 once i found the right clinic. For me in was Generation Next and Dr Luk. Good luck. We didnt want to use donor eggs for personal reasons |