Tag Archives: Egg Quality

The DHEA Debacle

04 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by in IVF #5, Uncategorized

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DHEA. It’s that supplement that’s often touted as a magical egg quality enhancer, and it seems there’s some good research to back that up. That doesn’t mean it’s good for everybody, and I’ve learned that the hard way.

I first read about DHEA in the book, “It Starts with the Egg,” which is a great book for women who are looking to improve egg quality and enhance fertility. Like every good student, I diligently read every word. Still, I was uncertain about DHEA as I knew it impacted hormones. My doubt was quickly set aside when my RE recommended I take it, along with a laundry list of other supplements, to help improve my egg quality when I first went back to him to begin the IVF process again at age 39 (and 8 months). I assumed that because my RE told me to take it that I should. Not really my smartest move. The problem is that my RE never tested my testosterone, which DHEA can increase.

I didn’t think much about it during my first IVF for baby #2. We got a PGS normal embryo and I thought all was well. After the FET failed we went right into another egg retrieval. When that one was a bust – resulting in zero blastocysts – I began wondering about my testosterone level. At the consultation to prepare for yet another egg retrieval I asked my RE about testing my level and he said we could. Then, unexpectedly, we changed protocols and started stimulation meds that same day. So there wasn’t any time for testing. During a monitoring appointment I asked the physician assistant who was doing my ultrasound if we could get that test done, and she said that it wouldn’t be good to do mid-stim cycle because my hormones would be all over the place. After that one failed too, I brought up the topic again with my RE. That time we had time to test as I waited for my period to start. I got the results on cycle day 1, which was also the day I began my meds for this current round of IVF.

When the results came back they were high. My intuition was correct. Honestly, I was irritated that they never bothered to test this before and I regret not testing it from the very beginning. The RE instructed me to stop DHEA cold turkey that day. I was told that high testosterone “could” suppress follicle growth and “possibly” negatively impact egg quality, though there aren’t definitive answers on this. He also said that my testosterone level would drop back to normal quickly, so that by the following week when my follicles are doing the majority of their growth, there won’t be a negative impact. What I didn’t ask was, “is the damage to my egg quality already done?” I’m thinking that since eggs take about 3 months to mature, it might not have been good that for the majority of those 3 months my testosterone was high. But I don’t know what, if any, impact testosterone could have at that early stage. I’ll hold that question for the next consultation if it comes to that.

I decided not to worry about this as I’m going forward with the cycle anyway, since the potential impact is really an unknown. There’s nothing I can do about it now. I’m hoping that I stopped in time to mitigate any significant harmful effect, and keeping my fingers crossed for finding that golden egg.

Tonight is my trigger shot for a retrieval on Friday morning. We are expecting about 7 eggs based on my follicle count and size. I feel like an old pro at this egg retrieval thing, but I hope this can be my last one.

The 6-Day Report

17 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by in IVF #3

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And so IVF#3 comes to an abrupt end. The news didn’t go as I thought it would – I found out today that all 3 of our embryos arrested. How did this happen? All the egg quality supplements, the addition of HGH, and this cycle’s outcome was worse than before! Did my eggs get that much worse in the 4 months since my last retrieval? Or was it just a bad crop this cycle and the next will be better? I’m holding out hope that the answer is the latter. I just know there are good eggs in there – my RE just needs to find them! Initially I was feeling very sad and discouraged. I cried. But I’m not ready to give up. This isn’t the end of my journey.

 

I’ll be meeting with my RE on Nov. 27th and I hope he had some answers and ideas. Until then I’m going to take care of myself, try to focus on the simple pleasures in life, and hold onto my hope.

The Numbers So Far: Stims & Egg Retrieval

14 Tuesday Nov 2017

Posted by in IVF #3

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I held off on writing about my follicle count during stims because I know how quickly it can change. But unlike last cycle, this one held pretty consistent. At each ultrasound I had 4 to 5 good size follicles and a few smaller ones. I kept hoping that the smaller ones would catch up. At my last ultrasound before egg retrieval, I had a solid 5 with 1 or 2 that might catch up in time, but I was told to not bank on those. I was actually okay with that going in and thought that perhaps my body was just putting in all the effort to grow these few high quality eggs, especially since we added in human growth hormone (HGH) for 6 days during stims to help with egg quality. Plus I’ve been on my egg quality cocktail of supplements – oh how I wish it was an actual cocktail – for so much longer at the time of retrieval. So I was ready for retrieval.

The anesthesiologist, however, was not. I sat there in the retrieval room, draped in paper gowns, and waited for this person to show up to my very important, and time sensitive, event. And then I waited some more. The RE assured me that I wouldn’t ovulate before retrieval because they calculate an extra couple of hours into scheduling specifically for uncontrollable events like this. Apparently there was a mix up with the anesthesiologists, or mine overslept – I’m not exactly sure. In an effort to get everything ready and save time while waiting on this person, a nurse came in to start my IV. She joked and said, “It’s okay, I’ve watch YouTube videos.” But then reassured me that she used to be a paramedic and I’m in good hands. Well I think dinosaurs must have roamed the earth back when she was a paramedic because the first attempt she hit a wall  and the second and third attempts were blow outs. My husband intervened and told her not to try again and that we’d like to wait for the anesthesiologist.

I got a little break, then my RE came in and told me that he had a “plan B” – if the anesthesiologist is much later, they will give me “lots of pain meds and a little something to forget”. Now, I know he meant well, and honestly I’d do anything to get the eggs, but I couldn’t help but have a few tears start to fall. I was scared. I know some women do egg retrievals awake, but I’ve never heard a good story about it. It would hurt and I’m getting a little tired of all the pain involved in this process. This was not going how I expected! The RE also said that either way, we need to get the IV started. In came a different nurse who was able to get the IV going on the first try, though not without some struggle. And let me just mention that I have great veins. I’ve never experienced anything like this. To my relief, the anesthesiologist finally arrived in the nick of time and we didn’t need to revert to the dreaded plan B.

I was shocked to find that they retrieved 10 eggs! Some of my follicles contained 2 eggs (bonus!) and I guess some of the smaller follicles caught up. It was great news. My RE said he was hoping to get 5 or 6 embryos growing from these. Ahh, if only. As last cycle, my excitement only lasted a day until I got the fertilization report. The good news was that 9 of my eggs were mature, but the bad news was that only 3 fertilized with ICSI. And I was crushed. Again. I just don’t get it. How can my fertilization rate be so poor? I’ve been taking so many supplements, as recommended by my RE and consistent with the book, “It Starts with the Egg,” and we used HGH. What went wrong? This fertilization rate seems lower than would be expected for my age, and a drastic reduction from the 100% fertilization rate (natural – not ICSI) that I had at age 36. I know I’m 40 now, but that really does seem a bit much. I want to know why, but I’m trying to not focus on that right now, and hopefully I won’t ever have to.

Now I have 3 embryos growing. One of them has to be my golden egg. It only takes one. I focus on that, but it is so easy to get pulled back into the numbers game of probabilities and percentages. That’s a scary game. So I’m putting all my energy, prayers, and intention out to these little 3. Coincidentally, or not, I happened to have 3 egg shaped bees wax candles left from the bunch I bought when I started this journey. Bedazzled with green glitter, rose essential oil, symbols for protection and blessing, and sprinkled with the herbal mix I created when I set my intentions for this cycle, which you can find here, I mindfully light these three candles nightly to send this love and energy to my embryos. Tomorrow I will find out how they fared.

3 embryos