DHEA supplements

[wool12]

hey everyone

I wanted to know if anyone with a low amh/diminished ovarian reserve take DHEA? My clinic advised to take it but I have recently had a blood test for dheas and testosterone and levels were fine. I experience severe hair loss hence I am so reluctant to restart. Having said that, when I had the blood tests I had only stopped taking dhea around 3-4 weeks prior so my clinic suggest that it could still be in my system.

Contacted my clinic for advise and I got one email from one consultant stating that I can stop taking it and then the next day a different consultant said I can take 25mg instead of 75mg daily. So I’m very confused!

[MagsGK]

Hi,I was advised to take 75mg of DHEA and 600mg of Q10 daily for at least 3 months to improve egg quality.

I felt really good as DHEA also works for depression. I was slightly more happy.

Disadvantage : my roseca progressed quite badly.

The recommended dose is 25mg so having triple dose is risky. I didnt even check my testosterone level....but i was ready to do anuthing to myself just for a chance to have a baby.

Did it help ? I dont know.

Started taking before my 4th attempt to IVF. Been taking both for 3 months and got 5 eggs which 2 of them made to blastocyst which was fafantastic news to me ! Never got 2 blasts ! (Imagine i got no blastocysts at all in my 2nd nor 3rd attempt). One of them tranferred (i think it was fair quality BC) and first time ever got pregnant. Unfortunately empty sack. The other was was frozen and later on didnt stick.

My 5th attempt been taking DHEA and Q10 for 6 months. 8 eggs collected. I was so so happy. Unfortunately only 1 made to blastocyst. Tomorrow is my test day but i already know it tdidnt stick.

Good luck on your journey x

[wool12 in reply to MagsGK]

hi there

Thank you for sharing! It sounds like you are getting there. Well done for persevering…o hope the universe rewards you 💜

My clinic recommends only 100mg cq10 which is bizarre.

When you say they said to take it 3 months prior is that 3 months before your EC or 3 months and then start down reg etc.

[MagsGK in reply to wool12]

I"ve been told to stop on the day of my trigger injection. But they never tested my testosterone levels which I found really odd. And not sure why they only recommended 100mg of Q10. I think it depends from consultant.

[wool12 in reply to MagsGK]

hi there,

Sorry I meant do you take supplements 3 months prior to even starting any treatment or should have taken them for 3 months by the time it comes to collecting eggs?

[MagsGK in reply to wool12]

hi, sorry, 3 months before EC x

[K8dferXdder in reply to MagsGK]

hi there, we have similar issue, top quality day 3 embryos never reach blastocyst. We are now looking to fix my husbands semen and varicocele as it can also cause the issue even though we did ICSI. Have you checked the semen?

[Koala365]

It's a hard one isnt it. I've been takintaking DHEA again since March and had taken it from November to October before that. Recently my hair started falling out a lot. I asked for a DHEA and testosterone test and that showed my DHEA levels are right at the upper end of what they would expect for an 18 to 25 year old (ie highest levels in women) and my testosterone levels were just above the middle level of the normal range. I had just started stims by this point and my consultant suggested I stop taking it as my levels were now high enough. That said I started to worry I might be withdrawing it at a critical time. Logically I think if it stays in me at the levels it is and gradually goes down it should be fine though and I am finding the hair loss quite distressing. Can you ask to speak to the consulant again and explain the situation and say you want to have a proper discussion with him/her so you can weigh the benefit to you again the risk of the side effects you have been experiencing?

[wool12 in reply to Koala365]

so true. It’s hard to know especially when you’re so close. Like you the hair fall is so distressing and likely the stims and down reg don’t help! Were you taking 75mg daily? I think it’s a question of how long the dhea stays in your system..

[Koala365 in reply to wool12]

Yes, I was taking 25mg three times a day! I really wanted to keep taking one a day but I feel like I wont have much hair left soon and the DHEA must stay around in your system for a while rather than immediately dropping to whatever your level before taking it was.

[Starlightdreamer]

I did. Took 25mg but it didn't do anything