DHEA?

[72cloud9]

After a one time failed natural IVF cycle we have been told at the age of 44 to not waste any more money & consider donor egg.we are going to take a few months & some councelling to consider this so someone suggested why don't I take DHEA in the mean time & just see if a miracle occurs! My doctor at my clinic, although they don't prescribe it said she couldn't see a problem with this from a health view point. How do I get it and how do I know how much to take? Has any one got any experience or advice with this? Even trying to research this is stressing me out!!😖x

[Hidden]

I took this last round only took it for 4 weeks not religiously and got a much better response than my first go, I did get a BFP but sadly ended but defo furthest I have got and I believe it was down to dhea. Next time I am going I am going to take it 12 weeks prior to starting treatment. I got mine of the Internet and took it 75 a day in 3 doses of 25 (breakfast, dinner and tea) anymore question feel free to ask X

[72cloud9 in reply to Hidden]

I read about your sad news and I'm so sorry that it didn't go to plan when you were so close.I take it you going to try again with your own eggs?

I am wondering if there is any point in the dhea as the doctor has pretty much said don't waste more money on an own egg cycle but because we are not able to do anything until at least october due to work committments i think her thinking is, try it and see if a natural miracle comes along. She can't prescribe so i guess im self medicating but the general consensus seems to be 25mg x 3 daily.

Could you please advise which website you purchased from. I'm just a bit wary...

[Hidden in reply to 72cloud9]

Aw thanks Hun it did feel so cruel to get so near then have it gone from us, but doing ok.

My consultant didn't recommend dhea she said it wouldn't harm me but nothing proven it helps. Although a few years ago my clinic used to give it out to poor responders after failed cycle so they must have thought it did some good.

I figured I had nothing to lose, I ordered off biovea and 3x25g per day. Wasn't going to try again with my eggs but after getting so close with only 4 weeks on dhea I am going to try again and take for 12 weeks before next treatment.

Good luck and it is suppose to help with natural pregnancy aswell xx

[72cloud9 in reply to Hidden]

Ah I hope u get the result u wish for this time! Yes I think we will have to hope that it helps with natural pregnancy as I don't know if we can gamble with our savings trying again with my own eggs as then we'd have nothing left to go donor route if needed. Is it me or on the biovea site are there several 25mg variations? I wasn't sure what to order?x

[Filmgirl101]

I took it with a lot of success, but am loads younger. I don't respond even though my AMH was normal. My first 7 rounds of treatments I rarely got 2 follies, usually only 1! So I took 75mg of DHEA for 6 weeks leading up to egg collection. The result?! 6/7 follies with 600 units of gonalf.

What is holding you back in regards to donor eggs? It will have your blood and nourishment even if the egg wasn't yours. Success rates will be higher...

[72cloud9 in reply to Filmgirl101]

Yes my AMH is not surprisingly really low. The doc did say she has heard good reports tho no scientific backing hence they wont prescribe it.She also said as far as she was aware no health risks so no harm in taking.Did yours or did you buy on line? If so where from?

I know, everyone has given me nothing but positive feedback re donor egg. I just don't know why I can't get to grips with it.I wish the idea would just click. Probably doesnt help that my partner not much of a talker...

We are having our 1 free councelling session in a few weeks so hopefully that might help x

[lauraB87 in reply to 72cloud9]

I think it’s totally reasonable to not get to grips with it straight away. You’re giving up your genetics, it’s a huge grieving process. I’ve been told to start thinking about donor eggs at 33, and I can’t accept it yet. I think it’s a process. Also looking into dhea though mine is a strange case as I have high amh but low quality it seems. Wishing you all the luck in the world, whatever you choose x

[72cloud9 in reply to lauraB87]

Hi Laura very kind of you to reply, u may not have seen my post was from 5 years ago.sadly we have given up our journey after a couple of tries with my own eggs. my partner didn’t want to go the donor route. Shame as I had got my head around it eventually.I still have very empty days but trying to just get on with it as I know now I’m so much older.I’m still hovering on this site just as a couple of the people I started on here with are still on or nearing there end of journey here and it’s nice to see if they had happy endings. Thank u for replying though and wish u luck. There’s so many people on here that are going the donor egg route so a tonne of advice to help u get your head around it. The one thing that helped me when I was looking was that there is scientific proof that there is some dna transference from the carrying mother to the donor egg during gestation and obviously grows with your blood and cells so that helped to feel that baby would be very much part of me xx

[Lozza8 in reply to 72cloud9]

Sorry, I hadn’t noticed it was 5 years ago! I was actually looking into dhea myself and stumbled on your post. Sorry to hear that you are still on this journey, if you call it that now. Can I ask, did you take dhea and did it make any difference at all? Thanks for replying after all this time xx

[72cloud9 in reply to Lozza8]

No worries at all, I guess some things just not meant to be. Tbh it’s been so long since I took the dhea I’m not sure but I would say given I was already in my 40s when we did treatment it’s possible it helped-although they couldn’t get many eggs from me, what embryos we did get matured nicely to put back -it’s just thru didnt stick in me.I think even the clinic were surprised how well the embryos developed with them given my eggs’ age so possibly it did help.read up tho as I seem to recall some people said side affects like headaches, acne etc...I really can’t remember if I had any of that.Tbh I’d throw everything you can at this then u know u have tried all u can xxx

[Hollibob]

If the consultant at the clinic has mentioned it, then I would ring them and ask about strengths.

I wanted to take it, but like you, I wasn't sure what and so I called the clinic and they told me 25mg three times a day.

If you google BIOVEA dhea, there's a few websites it'll come up on.

Anything is worth a go is my theory!

[72cloud9 in reply to Hollibob]

No it was me that asked the clinic. they dont prescribe it. she thought i might be able to purchase from zita west shop but they dont seem to have it

I will google that, thanks....i read it should be micronized?

I also read that it can cause irriversable hair thinning which I already have a problem with so dont want to make worse,did you notice anything?

Also how far along with treatments are you- have you found the dhea has made a difference?

[Hollibob in reply to 72cloud9]

Micronized is meant to be better for absorption, but it's difficult to buy in the U.K.

The one that I mentioned is the one that my clinic recommended.

I haven't had any issues from taking them, but staged my intake. 1 tablet for a week, then up to 2 for a week and then 3.

I started taking them a few months back as we were originally going to start IVF again this month, but we've decided to delay it for a couple of months.

I was worried if might affect my endo and I get a lot of migraines, but so far ok...

[72cloud9 in reply to Hollibob]

Thanks.is it better to stage intake then? I was just going to jump straight in? If your clinic recommended biovea, it must be ok then? The American one is double the price x

[Hollibob in reply to 72cloud9]

They didn't say about staging them, but I just wanted to do it to see how I felt on them...

[72cloud9 in reply to Hollibob]

That's probably quite sensible actually! x

[Hidden]

What is DHEA?! I'm the same age as you and just about to start my treatment using donor egg and sperm!

Good luck to you x

[72cloud9 in reply to Hidden]

Apparently it is a hormone tablet that they think may improve egg quality although there is no scientific proof. They use it a lot in the states for older women.I wish I'd read about it before my failed cycle.I think my Doctor thinks it may still not be much good to me if I have low reserve anyway as you cant treat something that's not there but thats why i think she suggested i just take it for a few months while we are not doing any treatments, see if a natural miracle occurs. her words ' wont do u any harm'

When do you start Distinction? I know you are doing this on your own so any time you want to chat, more than happy to. I think its amazing!x

[Hidden in reply to 72cloud9]

I've seen the doctor, had a session of counselling and have been given a match. 2 weeks and I see the nurse for the run down of what to take and when plus a very expensive bill to pay! My period started today so I need to take the pill back to back so that the egg donor and my cycle can be synchronized! It's all very clever and time consuming! Then I will be given dates for scans to see if my womb lining is thick enough and finally the transfer. After that it will be another visit for a blood test to see if it has all worked!

Let me know how you get on x

[72cloud9 in reply to Hidden]

Oh wow! It's really all happening!! Fingers crossed for u!! Keep me posted & I shall do same x

[Hidden in reply to 72cloud9]

Thank you! I was given my dates for going in today spread over 2 months! The time just gets to me and filling it is really hard sometimes! Oh well, I have these dates to work towards now! Speak soon x

[NDE1987]

Are you only meant to take DHEA if you have a low egg reserve? My FSH levels were 4.8 and I am 29....should I take these to make my eggs good for ivf!

[72cloud9 in reply to NDE1987]

I think it is more to improve egg quality hence my hesitation as I have low reserve and potentially poor quality due to age. But a few girls on here seemed to get more eggs to collect after taking it so who knows? At 29, I would have said your quality is still good? x

[poochi]

Hi I would suggest you read. 'it starts with the egg' by rebecca fett - she covers supplements to take including DHEA (which she took herself) she is a scientist so comes at it from a point of proven fact as to what works. She also suggests ubiquinol 300mg a day so defo start taking that asap, along with a few others (myo-inositol & melatoin that I can think of off the top of my head)

Good luck x

[72cloud9 in reply to poochi]

Thank you poochi, I'll have a read.feel like i am running out of time to make the right decision x

[webchick]

Hi.

I`d be interested in any info you find out about this. I`m 45 and will anything a try. I`m in a similar situation to you low Ovarian reserve 15, 17 then 10 .Currently looks like my 9th Clomid cycle hasn`t been successful either. Unfortunately were not in a position to afford IVF and my partner will not entertain donor eggs.

[72cloud9 in reply to webchick]

Hi webchick

Your amh result is better than mine - mine was 6.7 2 years ago and now only 2.9 so for your age, thats not bad! I got pregnant a few years ago with clomid but miscarried at 7 weeks - the next time i tried it, nothing at all.

Would you consider donor if your partner was willing? Mine won't even discuss at the moment. I think I need him to tell me he wants it for me to be able to make that decision. Right now I'm in limbo land and kicking myself that I didnt make us try harder when I was in my 30s!

I'm happy to let you know anything I find out re DHEA. Im going to carry on reading up over next few days.

Sounds like we are in similar situation hun so if you ever fancy a chat....x

[webchick in reply to 72cloud9]

Hi.

I`d already decided i would have donor eggs, if it was the only way but he`s dead against it "it won`t be our baby" .There`s other issues too. It`s so frustrating as my only problem is my age and low egg reserve. I had high Prolactin but that`s been lowered by tablets, i don`t have any other fertility problems and my partner`s sperm is ok . I`ve now done 9 cycles on Clomid and my consultant is happy for me to carry on for a bit longer as now i`m ovulating regularly. My 21 day Progesterone was 120 this month which apparently could mean two eggs released.I`ve now insisted that i have a scan for cysts as i`ve been on Clomid for so long. I`m sure you too feel the intense disappointment every month when AF shows even though i know the odds are stacked against us 1-2% then there`s the MC risk and then any genetic problems.

Please let me know about any info. I`m assuming you can`t take DHEA while on Clomid though.

[72cloud9 in reply to webchick]

my partner said the same thing about 'our baby' but i wonder if it was more to protect my feelings as he knows I probably wouldnt have waited so long if he wasnt so much younger than me. If i knew that he wanted children in his future no matter what, I wouldnt hesitate, but Im not sure if i can push on down the donor egg route when im not sure how much he even wants it. I dont know...this whole fertility journey makes me doubt everything!!!

I am ovulating regularly to and even did chinese herbs and acupuncture for a year and a half but still no joy

Not sure about taking it whilst on clomid. if i see anything about that ill let you know.

Maybe you could try and persuade your partner to do a councelling session re donor. My partner is dreading going - he does not talk!! so Ill let you know if it brings any joy.

please keep in touch. its a relief to speak to someone of similar age still trying xx

[Hidden]

Hi! I've been on DHEA since February, 3 times a day. Website called Biovea sell it. My doctor wouldn't start my IVF until i had at least 3 months worth of pills inside me, i start in August.

A friend of mine also took DHEA for 3 months, had 2 rounds of IUI, fell pregnant and now has a beautiful boy. I believe in it, give it a go.

Sam

[72cloud9 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Sam

That sounds really positive! I think I may give it a go. Not sure whether to order from biovea or from the states where it's micronised? Also know clinic trying to steer me away from another go with my own eggs since there were none to collect last time so I think if I take it, it would be cos we r hoping for a natural miracle!!

Good luck with ur journey -which clinic do u go to that work with DHEA?

X

[Hidden in reply to 72cloud9]

I've been going to a clinic in Essex, Brentwood Nuffield. They have good results with IVF and are lovely.

The DHEA will strengthen the eggs you have unfortunately it won't help produce more but definitely give it a go. People say there's side affects to the tablets, ive not noticed any - the odd headache here and there but that's it.

Good luck with your journey too, keep us updated its like a big family unit on here.

Sam xx

[72cloud9 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Sam. Sounds like biovea the one to go with then as a lot of people have mentioned it x

So reassurring to get the advice from people going through it.

Fingers crossed for you for August! x

[Hidden in reply to 72cloud9]

Biovea website is good btw x

[Hopeful28]

I used DHEA with my last cycle. I have low AMH and my clinic recommended it. I had to take 75mg per day of Micronized DHEA for at least 3 months before starting my fresh cycle. I have recently started it again last year as I’m thinking of trying for another.

I’m not sure it improved our egg quality at all as the two we had for transfer were the worst we had had. Couldn’t grade them they were so bad. But I do have a healthy 2.5 year old daughter from they really poor/fragmented embryos so never give up hope.

I bought them from abroad. I can send you details if you want?

Also, it did cause hair loss for me. I’ve always really had that but it was much worse. It’s not noticeable on me though. So I was happy to try them again.

[72cloud9 in reply to Hopeful28]

Oh yes u r right niw I remember the hair loss-I was trying to remember to tell Laura who was asking and so long ago I didn’t remember what side affects I had!! Think 5 years on just got used to sparse hair!!

[Hopeful28]

My phone must be paying up as it told me your post was 2 days ago. You must have wondered why I was telling you this 😂

[72cloud9 in reply to Hopeful28]

Ha ha don’t worry, for some reason my very old post has resurfaced lol