Diminishing Ovary Reserve: Any Advice

[Shauna1234]

I feel like I’m in a world of unknowns at the moment. I had a AFC scan which showed I only have 4 follicles, one ovulated, being 40 I wasn’t expecting too much! Signs of ovulation must be good news?? I do know only having 4 follicles prob means my AMH is low too, meaning DOR and IVF is going to be a costly struggle. Also my egg quality will be low. I feel like it’s worth trying but am not sure, any advice welcome? Have been feeling a bit hopeless with it all since having the scan.

[ruth1988]

Hi Shauna,I'm 34 and had a really low AMH of 0.8 last year. We've done two rounds of ivf, each time we only retrieved one egg but both times they fertilised and I'm currently 8 weeks pregnant! So it can happen! In our first appointment with the consultant he mentioned donor eggs, but we wanted to try with my own first.

Wishing you lots of luck x

[Shauna1234 in reply to ruth1988]

Hi, thank you! We’re not keen on donor eggs but think they might suggest this 😢

[ruth1988 in reply to Shauna1234]

We weren't either but would consider it in the future, if needed. As mentioned below, I also took coq10 for both cycles.

[Shauna1234 in reply to ruth1988]

Where did you get the supplements from?

[ruth1988 in reply to Shauna1234]

Nature's best online. They do good offers if buying a few boxes.

[StarsAllAround]

The amount of follicles you have changes each month, I had 12 follicles for our first cycle, 8 during our second cycle and our 3rd one I had 21 follicles. Had a fresh transfer on Monday so fingers crossed. I have been taking 300mg of coenzyme q10 3 times a day for last few months as my clinic said it could improve the amount of follicles you get and improve egg quality. Not sure if that's the reason I went from 8 to 21 in 6 months but worth a try.

[Shauna1234 in reply to StarsAllAround]

After reading some info I’ve bought some of these and feel any this worth a try, thank you for the help 😀

[Shauna1234 in reply to StarsAllAround]

Also where do you get your supplements from?

[StarsAllAround in reply to Shauna1234]

I got mine from ebay as the health food shops and pharmacy's only seem to stock 150mg

ebay.co.uk/itm/393528978205...

[Shauna1234]

Thank you, I’ve started on some of the supplements, fingers crossed this helps xxx

[JenRoy in reply to Shauna1234]

It’s better to take Ubiquinol instead of Co enzyme Q10….sorry if you’ve already started to take. Ubiquinol is better in older women (>35) as it’s easier metabolised. As you get older, you’re less able to breakdown Co enzyme Q10 and it’s can be ineffective.

Other supplements are Methylfolate 400mg instead of standard folate.

Also eat a high anti oxidant diet and lots avocado.

Omega 3 also important.

You also look into DHEA but would need to take under supervision ie get your testosterone levels taken beforehand and during taking.

On my best cycle (but didn’t work as all embryos 4 blasts, abnormal due to age) my consultant advised melatonin, growth hormone and NAC. I got my best egg collection results.

I saw a fertility nutritionist who really helped advise re: diet, supplements and life style. Definitely worth seeing.

I had my daughter on 1st IVF cycle when I was 40.

Further attempts after that failed and I went donor eggs. But it’s worth doing all you can for a few cycles as you never know how you’ll respond! Good luck

[Shauna1234 in reply to JenRoy]

I have looked into DHEA and know the supplements you’ve suggested are good at helping absorb the DHEA better. I think we need to see what the consultant says but in the meantime there’s no harm in trying some of these things, thanks for all the advice and support xx

[NemoFish]

My AFC is only 3 but my AMH was 7.7 when I was last tested. Both of my egg collections gave given me five eggs from three follicles! Try not to get too bogged down in the numbers. I’ve always found it irritating when people ask questions like “I’ve got 15 eggs is that a good number?” when they know full well it is, but it’s quality above everything else. Don’t be too disheartened, some people get pregnant from having just one egg collected x

[Shauna1234 in reply to NemoFish]

Thank you this does really mean a lot. Everything you read seems very doom and gloom. Admittedly I haven’t had the other hormone results yet x

[NemoFish in reply to Shauna1234]

I went down the AFC/ AMH rabbit hole early on in my journey. The first consultant I saw confirmed I had a low AFC and from that she suggested I might need donor eggs- I hadn’t even had my AMH tested at that point but it came back fine! I was beside myself for a month waiting on that result, and it was such a waste of energy! Numbers don’t determine the outcome, far from it x

[Shauna1234 in reply to NemoFish]

I am massively in the rabbit hole at the moment, feeling very doom and gloom. My issue with donor eggs is a very personal one to me. My whole life I’ve looked after everyone else’s kids (including my step daughter) and just wanted one baby of my own. Someone who calls me mummy and doesn’t have to one day go looking for another mummy. I’m hoping my AMH is higher than I hope but I’m 40 y/o and don’t want to get my hopes up just to be hurt again. I’ve really tried to be pragmatic and level headed with every test, but some how the hope crept in and I was hit hard with the AFC results. It is what it is, and it will be what it will be! Fingers crossed 🤞 oh no, there I go again hoping 😂

[Skittles11 in reply to NemoFish]

I'm with Nemo on this one and also felt so down trodden when I discovered my ovarian reserve was low. The FSH, AMH and antral follicle count are not always in unison though. I had low AMH and fairly high FSH on my first ever readings but the anttal follicle count was okay. Six months later my AMH had jumped up. My most recent bloods have my FSH at normal levels. So it can vary and none of it is an exact science I would say and with IVF they can manipulate things to maximise your body's response. It is inevitable that you will feel down as this is hard to process but you will be okay xx

[Shauna1234 in reply to Skittles11]

Thank you, they are really realistic words. I think we need to speak with the consultant and we will do what we can. That’s all we can do. It’s nice to know the result aren’t necessarily fixed xx

[Butterfly83000]

Hi Shauna1234, I know how you feel I have been in the same boat and I felt so hopeless many times . I had around the same amount of follicles as you. Donor eggs were suggested to me but I declined. With diminished ovarian reserve we are normally a bad candidate for ivf. But it can happen too. I had 3 cycles to collect as many eggs as possible. We had 2 canceled cycles cause they didn't grow with the injections and the 3rd egg collection I could only freeze 1 egg. When I canceled my last egg collection we did timed intercourse and got pregnant. Now with my 11 month old boy and 6 month pregnant again with a little one. I used testosterone patches on my arm and both times I got pregnant. I don't know if it was coincidence. I just wanna give you hope if you read my storyI wish you the best of luck 🍀

[Shauna1234]

Thank you, this does give me some hope 😀

[Marisa32]

I managed to get 2 kids out of my extremely low AMH. One born at 39 and the other at 42. You still have a chance if all else is in working order. It just means that IVF may not work so well due to poor response to stims. Try natural/modified IVF if conventional doesn't work. Keep trying every cycle, it may take up to 12 cycles to catch one good egg at 40. Good luck!

[Shauna1234 in reply to Marisa32]

Thank you, this has really helped and given me a bit of hope xx