Decreasing AMH levels leaving me very anxious

[slinky00]

Hi Guys,

So during my last IVF/ICSI cycle I was diagnosed with DOR (diminished ovarian reserve). I did a lot of research and found out people with this don't respond well to high stimulus protocol. I started taking DHEA in September and have just embarked on a new cycle with low level stimulus, so far taking femara 2.5mg for 7 days and pergoveris 150 iu x 3. I just received results of my latest bloods and AMH has dropped even lower than my last cycle at 1.51pmol/l (0.2 ng/ml). I have my 1st scan on Friday and Dr says if I only have 1/2 follicles he will call off the cycle.

I'm starting to get really anxious about the cycle being abandoned. I wanted to go down the route of low stim to focus on quality rather than quality as I am just not going to produce high numbers and I am at a loss whether to insist we go ahead even with just 2 follicles (as you know it only takes one) or go with Dr and possibly consider embarking on a different protocol on my next cycle?

Does anyone have experience with such low levels or success and what worked for them? I do trust in the advice Dr gives but I also like to be as informed as possible and drive my own fertility journey to a certain extent.

Sorry for essay and thanks in advance for any advice.

[Jane8412]

Hey slinky00- i am in the middle of my IVF cycle so I am not sure how much success I will have yet but I just wanted to share with you in case it offers any help in this hard time. I have low AMH/AFC. Only 2 follicles were visible on my initial scan in September so I was not expected to respond well to IVF. They put me on a high does of stims (375 gonal-f and 75 menopur). I had my egg collection on Monday and they got 4 eggs, all which fertilised. Now we are just waiting to see if they make it to day 3 tomorrow and then hopefully day 5. I am still hopeful that despite not having a large number of follicles that I will get at least 1 good egg to transfer. If this cycle doesn't work I may go through the high stims again as I didn't have any side effects or feel poorly. Or if my egg quality is low I think I will look into mild IVF as an option. Sending you lots of love in this crappy time. All the best! x

[slinky00 in reply to Jane8412]

Thanks so much for your reply and sharing your story. I wish you well with your cycle. Keep me updated. I'm just trying to keep my head up but expecting the worse news as it seems to go that way for me. But I'll speak to Dr after my scan Friday.

[Jane8412 in reply to slinky00]

I just realised I wrote to you on your first post too! ha. I will be following your journey with interest. Would be great to know how you get on with the DHEA supplements. I think this is something I need to look into as I had a hormone test through my naturopath recently and apparently i have very low testosterone and DHEA levels. Add that to my rising TSH levels and I am not holding out a lot of hope if I make it to transfer.

Good luck for your scan on Friday! xx

[IvfStruggler]

I don't have a success story but I just wanted to say don't focus too much on your AMH. After it was hailed as the ultimate fertility measurement, they are now seeing that it isn't as relevant or reliable as they thought. Levels of AMH vary during your cycle and I have seen many women have a low initial reading and then much higher afterwards. I think you've made the right decision to go for quality rather than quantity and it's unfair that your doctor is giving you such an inflexible goal and making you nervous. Even though your AMH is low now it doesn't mean you will get less follicles so fingers crossed you have more than 2. Xxx

[slinky00 in reply to IvfStruggler]

Aww thank you so much for your encouraging words. I really struggle emotionally once the "cycle" starts and feel so down hearted when things like this happen. I try not to lose hope but sometimes I feel like I'm fighting a battle on my own against 100000 obstacles. I'm going to push for what I think is right for me but pray I get more than 2!!!