Advise needed on DHEA - does it improve egg quality not just quantity?

Hi all,

I’ve got down a rabbit hole with ‘it starts with an egg’… I understand that DHEA is recommended for low ovarian reserve. I have high ovarian reserve (FSH 21, AFC baseline was 36), but my issue is the egg quality! I’m 39.

It was on the recommended supplements list from the clinic, 25mg, 3x a day. But I can’t seem to find it in the uk, so I’ve bought some online that is being shipped from America I think.

I now doubting whether or not I should take it. I don’t want to increase risk of OHSS, but I do want to increase my egg quality.

Any advice is welcome

[Skittles11]

It is my understanding that DHEA is not usually used / recommended in high ovarian reserve or PCOS. I would suggest you check your existing DHEA and Testosterone levels before you take this, it is rather potent and can have side effects. Good luck with whatever you decide

[Nenad]

hi there, I highly recommend reading “It Starts with the Egg”, the latest edition because it’s got sections on supplements broken down by conditions, including PCOS. Best of luck xx

[Loveelou]

Yes I read DHEA not suitable for PCOS. It is really for low ovarian reserve and requires careful monitoring of DHEA-S and Testosterone levels.

[Hidden]

hi Porridge98, I have PCOS and have undergone IVF when I was 36 - I am so lucky and blessed it was successful as I have a wonderful son and 3 high quality embryos frozen. I did have a huge drop from eggs collected to high quality embryos which was to be expected.

I didn’t take DHEA - my understanding is that it isn’t safe for people with PCOS. What helped me was to increase the protein intake (I would have loads of oat, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, legumes and fish), cut alcool and reduce sweets. I took folic acid and drank plenty of water especially after collection - it reduces the risk of OHSS.

I hope it helps and good luck 💙💙💙💙

[Rainbow2023]

I started to take DHEA at 41 to help with my low reserve. It’s a prescription drug so it’s not readily available, you will need to get a private prescription for it from your consultant - who will be based place to confirm if it’s something for you. All the best!

[Nakijo in reply to Rainbow2023]

HI Rainbow2023, did DHEA supplements work for you? And how many did you take a day?

[Rainbow2023 in reply to Nakijo]

Hard to say if they worked as not sure what we would have got without taking them but we wanted to give everything a go. I was taking 25mg x 3 times a day (started 2 months before my first cycle). One thing which I believe did work was taking the growth hormone, Zomacton. Which I took for my 3rd cycle and we got 4 x as many eggs collected.

[Nakijo in reply to Rainbow2023]

Thanks for the response.

[NemoFish]

I bought mine from Biovea online, but I had a very low AMH and no pcos. It gave me loads of empty follicles and total lack of fertilisation with the small number of eggs I did manage to get. DHEA was my worst cycle x

[Positivechangeplease]

hey there. I never read the book and was satisfied with the NHS AMH test at 39 which they said was good. I potentially had/have PCOS. Certain doctors said I did and fertility doctors said I didn’t. 🤷🏻‍♀️ anyway, I ran with it, didn’t worry about quality. They said my womb/ovaries were well functioning and seeming like I was 5 years younger. But they put me on the higher stims anyway to see how I did. I definitely had a dominant ovary. Anyway they collected 10 eggs and 9 out of 10 fertilised and 5 made it to growing and 3 made it to brill embryos. So I wouldn’t worry too much about quality. Eat well, use as natural as possible supplements, exercise and you, like me should be fine as you are. You don’t want to risk upping amounts and downing quality.

[Twiglet2]

Please dont take this unless your consultant says to and is monitoring you it’s too risky (side effects short and long term) and not recommended for high ovarian reserves 🤗 put that book away would be my suggestion I have been down the rabbit hole (and slipped back down it last cycle) and life is better without it and my results! 🫶🏻 xx

[Tnthketnf in reply to Twiglet2]

I couldn't agree more about books like this. All they do is make you feel guilty and blame yourself for not doing enough. For the majority of infertility cases supplements and extreme lifestyle changes will not make any difference. If that was the case every single fertility clinic and consultant would be recommending these.

[NemoFish in reply to Twiglet2]

Totally agree- I think that book does more damage than good. I spent a fortune on supplements and drove myself mad trying to rid my life of plastics and toxins. It scares the life out of you! I only got pregnant when I stopped all of it and took nothing more than vitamin D, ate tonnes of crap and went back to enjoying shower gel that actually smelt of something nice!

[Twiglet2 in reply to NemoFish]

I was the same when I had my wee boy bit started to wonder if it was all a fluke and I should be back to the ‘book’ life last cycle and I actually forgot how awful it is! Didn’t make one bit of difference I actually got a straight up negative (vs the miscarriages) and the least amount of eggs so far!! I’ve learned my lesson (again 🤣🫣) xx

[Spicycurry]

Did you say FSH was 21 as this is sometimes more important than amh. What is your amh?

[Hidden in reply to Spicycurry]

Sorry, I meant AMH was 21! FSH was 5, and LH 3 😀