DHEA and IVF

[Ovary]

hi all.  has anyone who had prior failed IVF, used DHEA after that and become pregnant.  Im almost 40 and had a failed IVF.  I've read on other forums that DHEA helps when you are aging.  Any suceess stories out there please.

thanks
Ovary

[desparado]

I am currently taking DHEA. since November. They say it takes at least 4 months to work properly. I am 40 and have had 1 failed ivf. I am trying IUI this cycle as my Doc said sometimes while taking the DHEA before the 4 months time some women get preg naturally or doing IUI. So I am trying the IUI then maybe 1 last IVF cycle as money is a major factor. I will keep you posted if I have any success.
Good luck to you

[desparado]

I am currently taking DHEA. since November. They say it takes at least 4 months to work properly. I am 40 and have had 1 failed ivf. I am trying IUI this cycle as my Doc said sometimes while taking the DHEA before the 4 months time some women get preg naturally or doing IUI. So I am trying the IUI then maybe 1 last IVF cycle as money is a major factor. I will keep you posted if I have any success.
Good luck to you

[Ovary]

Thank you desperado.  I've also been taking it since late december.  No symptoms other than thinning of hair.  We trying to raise money for our next IVF.  Please keep me posted or updated.  I'll do the same.  Thank you and God bless you

[desparado]

Hi
I did IUI on Saturday and am now doing the dreadful 2WW and I am already feeling discouraged but not defeated. I have PMS signs and it sucks cuz IF and WHEN AF shows up I'm gonna feel like burying my self under my sheets and never waking up. Don't mean to seem negative but today I am feeling prety down. Anyhow good luck to both of us. Let me know what's new for you

Take care

[Julie1615]

Hi , I'm so glad to have found a topic on DHEA!! I just went through my first failed IVF cycle and was diagnosed with poor egg quality. I don't have high FSH which would generally make it simpler to understand why I have a diminished ovarian reserve, but I have high E2 levels which artifically supress my FSH.

I was also adviced to take DHEA for 16 weeks in the hopes that it will improve my egg quality. But I have no clue where to begin, where to buy DHEA supplements and what kind to use? Also, I have read that DHEA can have lasting side effects like irreverisble hair loss, which of course has not been confirmed, but I was hoping you guys would know.

Are there any side effects? Which brand of DHEA to use?

lots of SSBD to you ladies:)))

xoxoxoxo
Julie

[Ovary]

Desperado i wish you all the best, may you get a big fat ++++.  
Julie im scared now - my hair is thinner now but i thought once i stop DHEA it will grow back.  I want a baby so much i dont think i'll stop DHEA now.  Im using the original DHEA i'll check the brand name and tell you.  I take 1X 25mg in the morning and 1 in the evening.  Im self medicating on it so im scared to increase the dose.  I just want to prepare myself in advance for our next IVF.  Good luck to both of you.

[desparado]

Ladies I am on 3 pilss a day 25mg. I have naturally thinning hair so I haven't noticed it getting any worst YET.... I am willing to lose some hair if it would guarantee me my baby. I can always get a wig or a hair transplant once I find a sitter for the baby for the day :). Anyhow I am so DESPERATE I am willing to try just about anything. By March it will be 4 months so maybe if I find the money I'll do one last IVF in April and then I'll know this DHEA really worked.

Julie check with your RE they are the ones that determine the dose. I wouldn't have tried the pils without finding out as much as possible from my RE or doctor. They say it doesn't have a lot of side effects except for the hair loss. I have experienced a slight headache if I take my last pill too late in the evening but that's it so far. The website I went on to order my pills is: dhea.com.

Good Luck to us all

[Julie1615]

Hi ladies, thank you soooo much for the responses. Ovary, Do let me know what brand of DHEA you are using.  When are you planning your next IVF cycle? I have an appointment with a new RE third week of feb, so I dont know when or IF i'll be starting any IVF at all.. I just turned 30 and can't believe I have poor egg quality:(((

Desperado, all the very best to you!!  It's been two months since my first failed IVF and I have been taking Spirulina, wheatgrass since then. I haven't started on DHEA since I only found out about it recently. I do hope sooooo much that it will work for you guys.. How long have you been on infertility treatment?

Do keep me posted ladies!

Cheers
Julie

[anitasto]

This is a long email but I type fast and have alot of info for you ladies.
here goes....
I started IVF 2 years ago and started DHEA 1 year ago after 3 failed IVF cycles. I now have 10 embryos on ice and am in the middle of what we hope to be our last cycle.
After alot of experimentation and mis-steps, our last cycle yielded 10 eggs, 5 were unfortunately immature but the other 5 all fertilized.
I had 14 antral follicles at baseline last week and tomorrow is day 6 scan.
Couple basics from my experience.
1. DHEA works - I recommend to everyone get your DHEA-S and Testosterone levels tested and take DHEA dosage based on those levels. The very low doses being suggested only work if your T is already normal...but most of us with poor response will have low T and need the DHEA. If your T is in the low or below normal range I really recommend 100mg/day.
2. Take it in the morning - your body absorbs it in the early morning - first thing when you wake up.
3. Test your T level after starting to take the DHEA to ensure that your body is absorbing it and your T level is rising. The goal range is in the high normal or, if you're a REALLY poor responder like me, I shoot to keep it at 100 pg/ml.
4. Once you start, your ovaries will become very active. In order to suppress them and get best results, you need the estrogen patch. You WILL OVULATE THROUGH THE PILL. The pill is not enough to suppress your active ovaries. I start the patch right after ovulation, keep it on for 2 weeks, go off for 3 days, then start stims.
5. Baseline exam should have E2 less than 30 and at least 8 antral follicles all about 5 mm. You don't want a leader follicle for sure...make sure they're all less than 7 mm. This will be your best circumstance for the investment. DH and I defined our own criteria in baseline after the docs always said....less than 10 looks good to go and we would get different sizes and not enough mature. So we set the rules after that and it has REALLY paid off. Min 8 antral follicles and all about 5 mm. The doc got frustrated when we went 3 months without starting a cycle but I just kept my cool and humor and he was really excited and humbled by the great results we eventually got.

6. You will likely need to stim for longer than the usual. I have been stimming for on average 10 days. And the E2 takeoff/major increase, seems to start a bit later. The important thing is how many follicles you see on the follow up scans.

Good luck ladies!
***@****
if you want to email put DHEA only in the subject and I'll pick them up as early as I can.

[anitasto]

OK- let me try and get past the filter with my email
anitasto   aol

Cheers,
Anita

[anitasto]

Is anyone still out there? I'd really like to hear if this info is helpful. I know alot of women are wondering about DHEA and am thinking of doing more - like maybe building a website just for DHEA info/users.
Thoughts?

Anitasto

[desparado]

Thanks for the info. It was very helpful cuz I had no idea what to look for and what to ask my RE to check for. I guess experience does make one wiser. I am on my 3rd month and have 1 more to go on 3 pills per day. I'm hoping to be able to do IVF in March because I'm afraid if I wait to do the ivf after having taken DHEA for the 4 months it might wear off. I don't know. I'm just so confused sometimes. It's all quite overwhelming.
Let me know how your cycle is going

[shayla1]

I started DHEA last week...it says take 25mg a day but I'm taking 50 mg..you think that I should take more than that?? I'm self-medicating too:)  Unfortunately I wont be able to be on it 4 months before IVF..more like 6 weeks.
  Also, do you keep taking it while you're stimming or do you stop when you start the injectables???
And this is supposed to help you get more follices with better quality??? That's what I need!

[Julie1615]

Hi Anita,

Thank you so much for the detailed info! What I would love to know is if someone actually SAW an improvement in egg quality after taking DHEA for 4 months? Also, is it true that taking DHEA results in permanent hair loss? How severe is it? How much better is DHEA when compared with doing acupuncture, wheatgrass, spirulina..etc?

thanks and all the best!!
Julie

[babynr]

Check this out, VERY interesting article.
http://ezinearticles.com/?DHEA-Helps-Thwart-Infertility-In-Older-Women&id=702017

[Ovary]

All the ladies

I've stopped DHEA because i was experiencing serious hair loss, im scared that my hair might not grow back but I dont care, as long i can have a baby in my arms.  I still have a full bottle which i will take as soon im 100% sure of the month we'll be starting with IVF no 2.  Right now we dont have enough funds but im sure we will do it before the end of the year.

Good luck to you all and lots of +++++++

[Ovary]

HI Dear
May i ask how many eggs did you get during your first IVF cycle?  I got 7 but only 4 fertilized and all were put back because of my age.  I just pray that DHEA will yield more and quality eggs for me.  Everything went well with the steaming but none of the eggs took.  My problem is blocked tubes.

[desparado]

Hi.... Not sure if you saw my post but I got my BFP. I'm still in shock but tryin to keep positive. I do believe the DHEA really worked because I did about 4 IUI's and 1 IVF I had 2 eggs put back and cycle still failed. I had given up on IUI's plus I was told by a GYN that I should give up totally on fertility treatments because I have 1 blocked tube, fibroids and I am 40. Well good thing  I never gave up and to top it off the IUI worked not even IVF. I am a believer in God and science working together. My advise to you. Don't give up I am living proof of having faith.
Best of luck

[Frisbe]

Dear anitasto,

I found your long write up and feel like hitting a gold mine. I have been trying to find out more about the DHEA. I have asked three different RE and they all gave me different responses. Two believes that it does not work at all.

I wonder how you find out the balance of the different hormones, i.e., Testosterone, estrogen. Is that by your own experiment and experience or your RE told you.

I just started take it for 5 days without knowing all the details. Should I get my testosterone and estrogen levels tested first? Please advice me?

Many many thanks to your help.

Frisbe

[Frisbe]

I have two more questions about DHEA:

1. Do you recommend that I took all 75 mg DHEA in the morning for better absorption?

2. I will be do an ivf soon. Should I stop taking it after the embryo transfer? Does the DHEA affect the embryo development?

Thank you very much.

Frisbe

[blondemacb]

I have been on 75 mg of DHEA for 4 months from my doctor and we will begin an IVF cycle next month. I am also taking 2 mg of TotalDHEA which a holistic doctor prescribed to take with it for better absorption.

I can never remember to take it (plus everything else) 3 times a day and normally take it all at once. Is that bad?

The only side effect that I've seen is my face has broken out badly, but the doctor told me to expect that.

I have very few follicles (1-2) in every IVF/IUI we have attempted. The doctor sees this as our last go.

I'm a bit concerned just because the doctor has never had anything to do with DHEA before, and I hope we're doing things right.

[desparado]

Taking DHEA is new for me too and I really believe it helped me conceive in Feb though I had a miscarriage. I am 40 and maybe my egg quality was poor but I had taken the DHEA for less than 3 months when I conceived. I am still on it and like yourself hope it has helped. Believe and have faith it will help!!! Even though there were times you forgot to take it don't worry taking it for 4 months is great. I wish you all the best for your IVF please keep in touch and let me know how things go.
BTW how old are you and how long have you been TTC?

[blondemacb]

I'm 36, and have been trying since age 32. I have one 14 year old son. In 2005 I conceived a beautiful baby girl who unfortunately was diagnosed with trisomy 18. I carried her to term, but she was stillborn. Since then we have been unable to conceive. The doctors believe that I have a low ovarian reserve, which is so mindnumbing. I just don't understand what would cause it. Part of me really thinks it is the stress of everything that happened, now compounded with being unable to conceive. My family history includes all sorts of women who have conceived late in life. Pregnancies and deliveries themselves, even with Amara, are really easy for me. Maybe I'm just in denial, but I don't get it. I'm really hoping the DHEA will make a difference. I believe that doctors have given up hope and this is their "last shot." We are going on the patch this month and then trying for an IVF in May. It's the last protocol they haven't tried. I've never had more than 2 follicles. Thanks for the note.

[desparado]

Your story is touching. You've already been through so much and I hope DHEA is your answer. I'm so out of it. What is the "patch"? I have two children 18 and 13. I remarried and my current husband has no children of his own so I understand your frustration once being able to conceive and then being told we CAN'T!!!!!!.  After what you've been through I can see why you were stressed. I too get so stressed at times I hardley want to talk to anyone. I will keep you in my prayers for your IVF in May. I wish you and your DH a successful IVF cycle, a successful, healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery. You deserve this........ honestly you do.
Please keep in touch