So I have googled a lot of the posts in this forum on DHEA and it seems to be the general consensus that DHEA is worth taking (I have been taking it) but that when it gets too high it can intefere with egg quality, which is a concern.
Like everyone I have read It Starts with the Egg and of course the measurements on there are not the same as the measurements in the UK; and whenever you google for a comparison or translation it's all very different so i am not sure i trust it.
If anyone has recommended levels in umol/L for DHEA S and nmol/L for Testosterone that would be great so I can compare mine!
Some interesting notes from my clinic that may be of interest to anyone here:
- They said that there is no upper limit they have seen for DHEA/testosterone, which is why they do not test levels. I paid for my levels to be tested, but then could not find recommended DHEA/Testosterone levels in the measurements above that my clinic test
- My consultant said that there is a difference in what is "too high" from taking DHEA, and a natural testosterone level in a woman. So even if our scores on DHEA go higher, that isn't necessarily the same as it being too high naturally
- He advised that women with PCOS and naturally high levels of testosterone had successful pregnancies
The only thing my clinic recommended is monitoring my syptoms and if these became very bad they would reduce. And apart from greasy skin and a few more spots, but not loads, I haven't had any noticeable syptoms.
So...it's too late to do anything as I have taken 75mg of DHEA per day and am coming up to my third egg retrieval in a few weeks. But it's certainly a tricky one to be taking this and not actually know is there a chance it could have been too high and impacted on eggs!
I enjoy reading up on the process but it can often lead to more stress I feel than if I had just done no research, lol!
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I’m in the Uk mine (dhea-s) was 1.80 the normal range they gave was 1.65 - 9.15umol/L. I paid for this privately outside of my clinic.
Since I’ve been taking 25mg a day that my clinic agreed with. Every now (maybe 1-2 a week) I decided to take an extra 25mg. But I’m currently exploring hgh.
That is interesting, thank you. My clinic CRGH did not give me any normal ranges, and mine has gone as far up as 11.2 umol DHEA-S. Wonder if this means my eggs are damaged?!
This range wasn’t from my clinic but from where I got tested (which wasn’t a fertility related clinic), but helpful to know as a guide. I am hopeful for you that being over this range won’t damage them.
Thanks for sharing. I am no longer trying with my eggs but it is really interesting to know. I totally agree with your ending sentence. Too stressful to try and research and take things in your hands. It's one of the difficulties of ivf/fertility process. So much information out there with no filter, and clinics don't take much of role in this, they recite minimal and generic information and you are on your own
Oh gosh, we do tie ourselves in knots with the research, trying to understand, desperately hoping for the thing that will make it work. I was exactly the same, it's so hard 😩 I came down on the conclusion to not try to 'beat' my doctor at the game, and try to accept they are the experts and will advise based on what they see all time, (i cancelled a cycle half way through against doc's advice because i was convinced the dhea wasn't working as well as it had in a previous round! In truth, there'sno way if knowing the effects). And also that part of it is beyond our control. It's so hard to let go and accept a big piece is down to luck that noone can do anything about. I don't know if that helps, but I hope to make you feel more understood in the struggle.
Thanks! Yes...I was the one who said I wanted to go on DHEA, they didn't recommend it. And now I am tying myself in knots over the levels. Ultimately, they haven't said to stop taking it...so I just have to accept it. But is difficult when you just want to control the situation. I have even been worrying about breathing in chemicals from getting my nails done and wondering if I can fake tan during stims?! It's very consuming for sure..
I know. And the trouble is, once you start along the path of 'I'll do everything I can to nake it work' you open a can of worms. And it goes the other way, you think things you do or don't do will muck it up. So you can't win. Think how many pregnancies occur with no consideration for any of this! Do what you can to let go of control and trust the doctor- they do amazing things. It'll also give you a break from your own mind - a bit of acceptance that lots of it is out of our control and we have already done so much. X
Thanks, my last test I was DHEA S 11.2 umol. I wonder whether I reduce to 50mg even though my doctor said there is no defined upper limit? This is what is confusing, when you can find an upper limit but your doctor says there is none and it's fine to keep taking...
And you can use this website to convert your DHEA and testosterone for interpretation, and actually for converting units for lots of different levels - unitslab.com/node/29
I recently saw this post shared on Instagram referencing a letter by Norbert Gleicher on the risks of DHEA supplementation if the dose is too high. He was one of the pioneers of recognising the importance of DHEA and testosterone levels on egg health and maturation.
I currently have been taking 25mg every second day and even on this dose I have greasy hair and pimples on my back. On recent rechecked bloods my DHEA is now high but my testosterone is still low. So I don’t think it’s true that symptom monitoring is all you need to do. I check my levels through medichecks using their male hormone blood test.
And it’s true that women with PCOS conceive, but a lot struggle to conceive and end up needing ovulation induction and/or IVF. Myo-inositol is often recommended with PCOS, this helps to lower testosterone levels.
Here is more reading for DHEA for those who are taking it.
My opinion on DHEA:
I took the Ovaterra DHEA brand for 8 months till 4/2023 25-75 mg and I have seen my body transitioned to more buff around my upper body, double chin, and weight gain. I took liver function (enzyme) tests for my yearly checkup in 6/2023 and it shows elevated enzymes that is alarming. I was told a lot infertility-IVF patients have some sort of elevated liver enzymes.
I am in that journey like all of us here. Every vitamins we take have an end product. "X activates Y, which activates Z". When I googled the "DHEA chemical reaction end product for fertility", it shows the downstream chemical reactions, which supposedly it has relative influences to AMH and FSH levels.
How does this translate to our everyday measurements? It is relative, all part of a chemical reaction within our body. What can I measure? I recently purchased MIRA fertility tracker to gauge where my hormones ranges are within my 30 day cycle. It can track FSH, LH, progesterone, estrogen. This is good enough for me to start to figure out and help bridge the conversation with my doctor. Here is the purchase link: rwrd.io/acrvemo?c
Here is my pivot.
I am looking into PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) for the ovaries. I have listened to a YouTube video on this. Note, though, not all procedures are alike, every clinic has a procedure that is unique. From the needles they use, techniques like where to inject, to spinning down the blood and extraction of growth factors. Different clinics are collecting their own data, and if you can find a randomized controlled trials being run, there are treatments out there. Until we have lots of data published, PRP will be considered experimental.
Success depends on a lot of factors. Ask good questions when you select a doctor.
Title: How a renowned fertility doctor profits from an unproven supplement.
"There's no definitive evidence that DHEA works as a fertility booster and Dr. NG doesn't tell all his patients he owns a company that sells it" by Yeganeh Torbati
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Progesterone Levels - clinic refused to test
DHEA supplement with normal levels
Clinics abroad - request for my friend 
lots of question marks about my clinic
2 very different protocols from 2 different london clinics - pls help
