Too few follicles

[SCB1703]

My husband & I have been told it will be impossible for us to have children naturally. I have severe endometriosis and have had two laparoscopic surgeries to remove it. The last was at the end of March, when we were told it went well (all the endo was removed)

However, after an internal scan I've been told I have an 'extremely low' egg reserve. They say they can only see one follicle. This may be down to the surgery, however I remember being told this last year also so I fear it's down to the endometriosis, as I must have had it for years.

The NHS have said they will not fund a round of IVF unless I have 4+ follicles. They said they'd scan us again at the end of May and if I have grown more, they will consider giving us treatment. If not, they won't as I am not a 'trustworthy candidate'. We don't mind paying, the upsetting part to this is the message they are sending out. That with only one follicle, we are unlikely to be successful.

Is this the case? Is it impossible? Can you have a baby with only one follicle and very few eggs? Has anyone else managed it?

As I say, we don't mind paying - we just want a baby and want a shot at using my eggs.

[Mooster1]

Omg I know different hospitals in different areas have different policies/protocols but to narrow it down even more saying you have to have 4+ follicles doesn't seem right! Realistically how do they know who's a good candidate until you are going through the process. Of course it it is possible to with one follicle. It only takes one egg after all. Many, many ladies have been successful with just one egg.

Wishing you lots of luck hun. This seems very unfair. Fingers crossed for more follicles! X

Maybe start looking at private clinics around you too just to keep you busy and for you to know it isn't impossible hun. I went private because my hubby has a child from a previous relationship and can't fault the treatment I received. Xx

[SCB1703 in reply to Mooster1]

Thank you. It does seem so unfair, which is why I asked. They told us there's little chance with only 1! I've not stopped crying since!! xx

[Mooster1 in reply to SCB1703]

But my argument would be theres still a chance. Sometimes we are just a name in a system people don't understand the hurt and pain and longing to have a child.

As I say hun don't give up. Explore other avenues if need be. Xx

[SCB1703 in reply to Mooster1]

Thank you xx

[TohruP]

Don't give up. Like Mooster1 said there is always a chance. My husband and I had 4 follicles and then only 1 egg developed correctly. I'm currently 29 weeks and 5days pregnant.

I wish you all the best of luck. If you are in the south of England have a look at cotswoldfertilityunit.co.uk/ They are lovely x

[Katybr]

Hi I was told my best chance would be donor eggs, as my amh is very low, I didn't want to do this, so pushed them so I could do my own ivf cycle even tho they said my chances were very low they eventually did allow me to do a cycle with maximum drugs, I only had one follicle but manage to get 3 eggs and had 2 embryos put back in. Unfortunately i don't think it has worked as been bleeding. But we got further than they thought we would. Never give up and do what you think is right xx

[SCB1703 in reply to Katybr]

Ah I'm sorry. Are you sure it's not worked? Fingers crossed for you. There's a lot of jargon I don't understand on here!! Lots of acronyms!! X

[Katybr in reply to SCB1703]

Test day 2moro, but has bleeding like a period from Friday til 2day we done a test on Sunday and it was negative. We do have one more go on the nhs so it's not over yet, just have to try and be positive.

There is a post I think it's called what do the abbreviations mean? Which will tell you what all the acronyms mean x

[Filmgirl101]

I'm a nonresponder to the drugs. On maximum dosage my body produced 1 follicle. That egg developed into a perfect little girl! On subsequent rounds with the help of dhea and baby asprin I had 6 follicles. But both of those rounds ended in chemical pregnancy. Point is the round that looked impossible was the successf one.

[SCB1703 in reply to Filmgirl101]

That's amazing. How do you know about all the extra things (like baby aspirin, etc) that can help? Is there anything I can do to help growth now?

[Filmgirl101 in reply to SCB1703]

I don't know how soon you need to start the baby asprin and dhea. My clinic recommended I start taking it 6 weeks leading up to egg collection. 25 mg dhea 3 times a day but you need to be careful with it as it can raise your blood pressure. The baby asprin helps blood flow.

[Filmgirl101 in reply to Filmgirl101]

Also we were private as our one roiund on the NHS went disastrously. We went abroad. Dhea is still considered a bit experimental. But 2 follicles max to 6/7 follicles it worked for me...

[SCB1703]

Thanks for the positive messages all. There are lots of acronyms I don't understand in many of the posts on this site!! Is there a place to learn what they mean?? X

[Hollibob]

I've never heard of this criteria before...

I know some look at specific hormones and some amh, but different clinics do different things. Have you seen the IVF/assisted conception referral forms/criteria for your local CCG? Might be worth a Google so that you know what you need to look for.

Different months can bring different follicle amounts.

Might be worth considering having some acupuncture to see if they can help with anything...

Don't give up, there's always something to try x

[SCB1703]

Hi all - amazing news! At 3pm today I had a call from my NHS doctor - they've decided to give us a round with our 1 follicle! Starting next Wednesday! A real shock - I spent the weekend upset on the last decision. Now I have under a week to get IVF ready! Any suggestions??? Xx