Anyone taken DHEA?

[Chocolatemonster1]

Any recommendations on DHEA? Been advised x3 25mg a day to take but no idea where to find it? Also does it really work and are the side effects bad? Thanks in advance xxx

[Cinderella5]

I took it a while back and thought that it helped me get a couple of blastocysts. Sadly I wasnt successful and we moved onto donor eggs but felt it was worth a shot. The micronised version is the best but I couldn't source it and got the non-micronised version from Biovea. There are a couple of places that do the other stuff but I cant remember off the top of my head but I'm sure some of the others on here can help. The only side effects I had was greasier hair and skin so a few more spots but nothing major. Good luck.xx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Cinderella5]

Thank you, I did see that one too. I’ve only really got one more shot based on their advice and then they suggested donor eggs which is really freaking me out especially being Asian and potentially having to wait a long time for donors 😔 xx

[Cinderella5 in reply to Chocolatemonster1]

Well I think it's worth a shot for sure! We had successful egg donation, just had twins but I know it's not for everyone and it does take time to get your head around it all.xxx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Cinderella5]

Did it work for you first time? How long does the whole process take? I believe you have to have counselling prior to starting I think xx

[Cinderella5 in reply to Chocolatemonster1]

No, it didnt work first time for me however I'm not a great example....had a bit of an awkward body. We actually went abroad due to waiting times and costs so a bit different in this country as we didnt require counselling.xx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Cinderella5]

Aww well congratulations to you xxx

[Purpledoggy]

Iherb sell DHEA-various brands. There is mixed success in the literature regarding how effective it is and the bottom line is it works in some but not others. Worth getting your level checked before you start as it may affect whether you take it or the dose. Your clinic may measure it if they recommended it, otherwise Medichecks do it. Xx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Purpledoggy]

Thank you, sorry what levels do you mean that need checking? X

[Purpledoggy in reply to Chocolatemonster1]

Your blood DHEA level. You make it naturally and when it gets low, due to age mostly, it affects egg quality. This is why older women with low ovarian reserve tend to supplement with it. It is worth checking your base DHEA level because if high normal, or even high, supplementing could make things worse, especially at a full 75mg per day dose. Xx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Purpledoggy]

Ahh ok, I presumed that my consultant would have considered this but worth checking. Thank you xx

[river242]

I got mine on an American site Pricespowers, recommended by my consultant. I started taking it 4 months before my first egg collection. We only got one (my amh is 0.3 so not surprising) but it was a 4aa blast. No idea if it helped but it doesn't seem to have hurt. I've been really lucky as the only side effect I've had is slightly greasier hair.

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to river242]

Thank you! I just can’t decide whether to take it or not 😬 xx

[river242]

Yeah I was really nervous about it too if I'm honest. I made a lot of changes to my diet too so I've no idea whether it was that or a combination of both that helped the quality. x

[Pittuck23]

Hey, I took DHEA for 3 months leading up to my ivf treatment. Same dosage youv been recommended, I had no side affects really just increased thirst. I had one round of ivf - got 3 blastos resulting in my daughter and my son. I’m a firm believer DHEA helped me get strong eggs as I also have very low amh. I got my DHEA from BIOVEA xx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Pittuck23]

Thank you, this is my last round so I’m hoping it works 🤞🏽🤞🏽 Xx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Pittuck23]

Did you also have poor responders and low amh? X

[Pittuck23 in reply to Chocolatemonster1]

I have low amh, I needed a second round of medication as the first lot dudnt get my eggs to the size required, apart from that it was all good xx

[Aga86]

I took DHEA (25mg one tablet a day) for about 4-5 months before my fresh cycle. I also took ubiquinol (200 mg three a day) for about 7 months. I also eat healthy. I believe it all made a difference - we got more top quality embryos that time around.

I bought my DHEA in Poland - you don’t need a prescription there. I didn’t have any side effects.

My DHEA blood levels were normal but I remember the doctor pointing at some other hormone level and saying that since it’s low (or high perhaps... sorry don’t remember) it’s worth trying the DHEA.

These are the brands I used: DHEA Eljot and Ubiquinol Solgar.

I am currently pregnant after a frozen cycle. It’s still very early (6 weeks) so anything can happen (I had bfns or early miscarriages so far despite good quality embryos). But if I were to do a fresh cycle again I would do everything the same way because the difference was significant in comparison to the other two fresh cycles I had.

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Aga86]

Thank you for sharing and congratulations xxx

[Rabbit89]

Hi there,My daughter also had to take this. Due to Covid and not much importing we got the micronised DHEA from the Zen Healthcare clinic in London.

My daughter had no side effects either. Took for 3 months, also didnt have caffeine, alcohol nor anything that contained sugar sweetener such as Aspartame ( basically no soft drinks except water and Dash Water )

Also took Omega 3 and limited processed foods.

For her she went from 2 eggs that were no good in July to 11 eggs in January, 5 getting to 5 days blastocyst grades A and B. Currently 24 weeks pregnant with the first egg. 4 frosties in the freezer .

She feels this made a difference to her journey and was prepared to try anything. Was worth all the sacrifices she made,

I am sending my best wishes that you have a successful journey too… its so very hard but never give up hope……

Xxx

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to Rabbit89]

Thank you for sharing and amazing news that it worked for her xx

[articsnowfox]

It seemed to improve my embryo quality at the age of 43 (one of which is now having his nap) and i gave the leftover pills to my friend, also 43 with recurrent miscarriages, and she got pregnant after 3 months...this evidence is only anecdotal but there are also quite a few clinical trials showing a significant improvement in live birth rates: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Chocolatemonster1 in reply to articsnowfox]

Thank you