Thank you so much, all of you, for your wonderful support this week. It’s taken me a couple of days to digest the news, and I am ready to share it with you.
I’ve been diagnosed with Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR), which means I have fewer eggs than most women my age. This was suggested by my low AMH of 0.17 and confirmed by an ultrasound on Wednesday in which Dr. A counted 3 antral follicles in each ovary — a total of six. Dr. A said a woman my age should have double that amount, or more.
His recommendation is that DH and I proceed straight to IVF. It’s not known how quickly my fertility is declining, but he said that it is better to have 6 follicles at 35 than 6 follicles at 42, if you’re going to do IVF. He estimated a 60-70% chance of success using my own egg/s.
I was surprised to learn that my hospital doesn’t do IVF, so Dr. A has referred me to the two top places where I live. However, he is in the top 1% of fertility doctors in the US and worked at one of the places he recommended for 8 years — ranked #10 in the US in 2011 for women in my age group, and is one of the best in the country — so I have some faith in what he says.
My age is a positive factor. Also positive is that I have been pregnant, which suggests my tubes are open, the DH’s sperm is fine, and that I have no scarring. However, more tests may need to be done to absolutely rule this out. We won’t know what the estimated odds are until our first appointment on October 3rd.
In the meantime I have been advised to quit all caffeine, alcohol, and increase my Co-Q10 intake from 100mg to 1,200mg daily; and increase DHA/EPA supplements to 1,000mg daily.
Buh-bye, retirement fund. Glad I can rely on you!
I know you probably have mixed feeling about this, but I think it sounds really positive. Not to mention you know your next steps now, not just p*ssing in the wind (so to speak). We might be joining you in a few months anyway. Sending you lots of love. xx
Thanks, Hopeful. You’re right, I do have mixed feelings. It’s like being on a seesaw. Feel free to reach out anytime re IVF. Right now it’s helpful to me to have women I can talk to about their experience. If you go for it, ask me anything you need xx
This is positive news because there is hope in it. I will keep you and yours in my thoughts. I will also visit the mountain tomorrow. (Hugs)
Thanks Tina :)
Glad it was better news than you were expecting, even if it wasn’t the news you hoped for.
Me too :)
It actually sounds fairly positive… if that’s possible… maybe this isn’t the road you thought you would be taking, but that’s what happens in life, right? Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. What’s the timeline looking like? After your initial consult, how quickly do you think you’ll proceed?
Actually, at the end of my appointment, DH said he felt like we just got good news and I agreed. Then I laughed and said “How far we must have fallen to be told ‘Yay! IVF with my own eggs is good news!'” But for as long as there is hope, we’ll keep going.
On October 3rd, I will be a few days before ovulation, so protocol likely won’t start until end of the month/beginning of Nov.
Well I am taking this as good news! A 60-70% chance of success sounds wonderful. And how amazing that you have a top-notch doctor and world class fertility centers close by. I know this will be a long road, but the door to having your own biological child is still open, and to me that’s what really matters. Money comes and goes–you can always make more of it. I know this is what you want with all your heart, so in my mind, there’s no question that it’s worth it. I will be here cheering you on!
I like your attitude, Annie. Thanks for your support xx
Here for you.
xx