Ways to boost egg quality

[StephyBuch]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a mother of 6 year old twins (natural pregnancy) and I'm 43. My hormone levels are pretty stable as well and my periods are almost a clockwork so far. But we're TTC for our baby 3 (hoping for a girl this time) for past 8 months and it has been futile till this day. Though I'm not short on egg reserve - I think my age is a factor to make natural fertility quite impossible for us. My DH got his test results on Monday and there's no significant shortcomings on his part to cause infertility.

According to my GP it could be the quality of the eggs. I'm supposed to visit a fertility clinic next week to discuss IVF. I've been reading through a lot of fertility blogs lately and egg donation seems to be the solution to egg related issues.

Before I settle for DE, I'll be really thankful if Diane or anyone else can tell me if there's a way to improve egg quality. Or if it's possible at all to count on getting pregnant with low quality eggs.

[Lynnr54]

I don't know much about it personally, but I've seen a lot of ladies on here talking about DHEA for egg quality issues. I'd say definitely worth you visiting a fertility clinic but ask them about this whilst you're there. Good luck!

[StephyBuch in reply to Lynnr54]

I'll definitely ask them about it. Thank you so much!

[MrsTM13]

Hi. Im taking lots of vitamins in lead up to egg collection but specifically for egg quality Ubiquinol and royal jelly. I've heard of others taking DHEA also. My clinic didn't tell me anything on supplements just copious amounts of Internet searching etc. Good luck x

[StephyBuch in reply to MrsTM13]

Thanks a ton! Heard about Royal Jelly already, yeah that helps in fertilization. It's already a part of my fertility food. That's kind of an old hag's recipe. But I doubt it improves egg quality - haven't had the concept of it maybe. I'll too some internet searching to find more about it. I'll share with you too, if it be any help to you.

[Yammie1973]

Hi StephyBuch, I'm 44 with no chhildren at present hence why on this journey....I had an AMH test done back in May/June this year and my levels are of a woman 10 years younger....I definitely attribute this to not smoking, ever, rarely drinking and never having done recreational drugs in my life! My DH rarely drinks and doesn't smoke either....we both eat tonnes of vegetables with a variety of meat, chicken and fish. I tend to walk places as I don't drive and only ever use the bus when I have to. Presently, I am taking a pre conception multivitamin and am thinking about taking hyaluronic acid supplement. My dh is taking something similar as far as a pre conception multivitamin. I don't know if this is going to improve thw quality of the eggs but it can't do any harm.

Wishing you all tge best on your journey

[Lilli79 in reply to Yammie1973]

Hi Yammie1973 do you know where I can get an amh test done? What does it tell you and what does it mean? Thanks xx

[Yammie1973 in reply to Lilli79]

The NHS don't offer the amh test as it defines too accurately what your hormone levels are and the NHS don't want women to have it clearly defines case by case scenario and they no longer have the excuse of age or bmi to deny treatment to women....just a bit biased BUT speaking from bitter experience.

[Lilli79 in reply to Yammie1973]

Oh I know what you mean, don't worry 😉 I may eat my words but frankly I can't wait to start private treatment so hopefully we have a bit more control. The icsi treatment we had on the NHS was great but all the lead up to it was ridiculous!! Do you know anywhere private I can get the amh test? xx

[Yammie1973 in reply to Lilli79]

I think most private clinics will be able 6to perform the amh test depending entirely where you live. We chose to move away from our local private clinic as it was double the costs of a clinic in London. There were other factors in our choice of clinic but most will offer an amh test, you need to do your homework and research....good luck!!

[Lilli79 in reply to Yammie1973]

Thanks 😊

[Loopielu in reply to Lilli79]

Try medichecks online. They do a finger prick test you can do at home. Used them before and they are fantastic. Really great service, easy to do yourself and you get the results back online with doctor comments on the results. You can then print off at take to GP/consults as needed! x

[Lou9]

Hi StephyBuch Really sorry to hear of the difficulties you are having. I can't offer a great deal of advice but I am 30 and have a very low egg reserve of 4.7. Whilst I agree that there are some lifestyle choices which may affect egg quality, e.g. alcohol, smoking and recreational drug use, I can safely say that with regards to quantity, these are not the reasons why I have an AMH level of a woman 10+ years older than me. Unfortunately for me it seems to be a combination of being unlucky and possibly the fact I have endometriosis which I have read from various sources can affect egg reserves.

I have seen various ladies post on here about taking DHEA and it improving their numbers during egg collection. I am currently not on it as my clinic have recommended doing my first cycle without it as they don't know at this stage whether it is necessary. They won't really know until it comes to egg collection. I am currently taking a whole host of supplements which I really chose based on reading the Zita West books and speaking to my fertility acupuncturist. I am on Vit C, D, B3, Omega 3, selenium, zinc, pregnacare, high strength Co-Q10. I know it seems a lot but I am also vegetarian and feel I need to supplement my diet.

Not sure if you have them already but the Zita West books are good for information about egg quality. She also has an IVF Diet book with recipes for boosting egg quality.

Hope this helps even a little! Wishing you all the best. Xx

[StephyBuch in reply to Lou9]

Firstly, I'd like to thank you for providing me all the valuable information about boosting egg quality. I don't have a medical history of PCOS or endometriosis or anything similar. So, I guess I'm pretty aged only to have had fertility issues. My AMH test is fine and so are my hormone levels. So far it's just the guess (my GP and me) that it could be the quality of eggs -but it's still to be confirmed by my fertility clinic. I was just curious to know if it has a cure or sort of treatment, because most internet research suggests DE as the solution. Honestly, I'm reluctant about DE at this point of time (don't judge me for it though). Now I at least know what to talk about when I pick up discussing about my egg quality and it's remedy at the clinic. Now I'm feeling positive that among all these options some will definitely be able to help my case - if it happens to be just the egg quality.

[Anipea]

I have a low AMH and it seems to be genetic as my grandmother and aunt both went through menopause before 40. I have heard DHEA is a steroid which helps increase numbers, whether it helps egg quality I don't know. I have heard it can have a few side effects which is why I have have decided to not take it during ivf. Apparently from reading Zeta west diet book it takes 4 months to prepare a good quality egg so diet and supplements are key here in particular co enzyme q10 and inositol xx

[vic77]

Check out some of my posts on dhea and book it starts with the egg is worth a read. I just posted on Yammie1973 post too xxx

[StephyBuch in reply to vic77]

Thank you so much! I'm on it.

[Lilli79]

Hi StephyBuch came across this link, thought it might help

fit-for-fertility.com

xxx

[TeamMonkey]

There are supplements which can help such as dhea, ubiquinol etc. But I'd recommend having a consult with a good fertility clinics and getting there recommendations. As you could waste thousands having a cycle with your own eggs, to then move onto donor eggs. I have a friend whose a similar age spent a lot on ivf with own eggs now is waiting on a donor match xx

[StephyBuch in reply to TeamMonkey]

Yeah, I'll definitely make sure to discuss it out with my clinic when I visit them next week. Except for the food or dietary changes I always prefer consulting my attending Dr for supplementary medicines. However, it's always helpful to know the options and do a copious amount of info digging on internet before shooting the question to the fertility expert straight away, or it feels like going over the head. Even I have rarely heard 40+ women coping with egg quality. All the stories say they had to opt for DE in the end. I just wanna be 100% sure that I really do not have an alternative before going for a DE+IVF. Thanks for the valuable suggestions.

[G_H_C]

I don't agree that egg quality comes down to lifestyle. It generally just is what it is for each of us & while I don't see any harm in taking supplements that may help, unfortunately age is ultimately a key factor.

I'm 43 now, had an average AMH for my age and am currently (and very luckily) in late pregnancy with a first round of IVF (OE) so it is still possible albeit the chances are of course lower.

I do know quite a few people who've had OE babies over 40 as well as some via DE and I can safely say that either way, they were all incredibly grateful.

Good luck to you x

[StephyBuch in reply to G_H_C]

Congrats for the pregnancy! When is your baby due?

Having a child is the best thing in the world, irrespective of what way or whose eggs and whose sperms are involved. I didn't want to sound any less grateful towards DE, but everyone has a preference right (don't judge me for wanting an OE baby). DE is definitely the ultimate solution and comes with some amount of compromise. Naturally, it's necessary to be sure that no alternative can help the situation. How can you give-up based on just assumptions? Even if there's one case of having OE baby in spite of critical egg related infertility that gives hope to all others. I'm sure there are plenty to make people try get pregnant with OE (at least once) before they settle for DE. I'm no exception, having a baby is more important but OE is the first choice. I don't mind if someone do not agree to this, every individual have their own reasoning and I respect the difference in openion.

About healthy lifestyle - I agree there are no significant link between a healthy lifestyle and egg quality. But no one will deny that a healthy lifestyle boost over-all fertility. At 40+ you every tuning counts!

Thanks for wishing me luck though. I'll need every single bit of it to find my way through this infertility.

[G_H_C in reply to StephyBuch]

Of course understand. I hadn't really determined how many goes I'd give OE before making the decision to go DE to be totally honest.

It's such a personal thing & it prob doesn't help that i still think I'm 30!! 😀 You've got to do what is right and feels right for you at the end of the day.

I'm due in 4 weeks! 😬😀

[StephyBuch in reply to G_H_C]

Yeah true, listening to your heart it the best policy to decide over fertility solutions. My hormone levels are like that of a 30 year old but unfortunately I had some unexplained infertility ever since my first TTC. Luckily had my twins 6 years back. Seems like it has resurfaced! Now that we resumed TTC the whole vicious cycle starts again.

Anyway problems apart, you've really got a good new there. 4 weeks will just fly too fast. I'm so happy for you! And your positive feedback will definitely inspire people like me. Good Luck and keep me posted!

[G_H_C in reply to StephyBuch]

Thank you! And I will do

[C_L_A_I_R_E]

Steph definitely read 'it starts with an egg' I followed this book and my egg quality improved on my second round of ivf. X

[forMoira]

My clinic recommended lroxeed I took it and I think it helped but both attempts with my own eggs failed. I moved onto donor eggs. I'm 42.