Aa
47 years old last week. Is IVF a waste of time?
I have an agonizing dilemma. I have no children and have never tried conceive with a fertile man until 6 months ago. My cycles are becoming increasingly irregular and blood work is not great FSH 19, AMH .07. I dont have finances for repeated IVFs but could sell my car and go for a round or two of mini IVF in Cz. Can anyone tell me if they think I am wasting time and money? I have been reading through the threads and see that many ladies over 45 have tried IVF cycle after cycle after cycle with own eggs only to go on to donor eggs in the end. Any advise about mini ivf and views on whether a decision to go for IVF would be worthwhile...
Sharon, thank you for your message. I can imagine its a very scary and exciting time for you right now. I'm hoping so much that this retrieval is the one. I completely believe we have good eggs left in us right up until menopause. I do find the information i research very conflicting though. Similar to you i have been trying since around last August but since taking a mad cocktail of supplements, including DHEA my cycles have gone crazy and i am not ovulating. Last September my FSH was 11.9 and my 21 day progesterone was 32. Now my FSH is 19 and er where are my eggs hiding? I came off the DHEA (insomnia, acne etc)and back onto vitex but still not sure whats happening with my cycles- is it menopause approaching? Heaven forbid! I'll go and see a fertility herbalist this week to show her my list of supplements. I do accupuncture and yoga and other exercise (albeit inconsistently). Only yesterday i was convinced mini IVF was the way to go and now i've just been on the CHR website which says not so at our age. The doctor at Fertimed (Czech) initially said mini ivf wasnt the best option but i still believed it was. I look at the stats for successful ivf over 45s and it seems to make no sense to spend all this money for just one round. I think unless you can afford many rounds and be in it for the long haul (as you are) then it may not be worth it. If i were in your position and could go again and again and again i would not hesitate. I now have to decide if i should go for my one round, will it be mini or traditional ivf and if i decide against it i will keep going with natural attempts, possibly clomid and always have in the back of my head that i can do egg donation next year. Please keep me posted, i'd love to keep in touch and i'm so hoping i hear some good news for you! i gather you live in america, where? i wish i could go to CHR or New Hope in NY but its impossible. I live in Scotland and its just too outwith my resources. I hear the doctors in Cz are good so i'll decide very soon if to go. i change my mind every day. This is overtaking my life. I spend most of my time on the internet searching for new information. I'm sure you all know what i mean.
It makes me feel a bit more normal to know others at this age are in the same situation.
It makes me feel a bit more normal to know others at this age are in the same situation.
Hi Holly,
You will see there are a lot of women our age TTC. I cannot remember where the post is on this site, but there is one very good post describing the age question. I have found that every person I have met on this has their own vey agonizing story. I am now 46 and currently doing mini IVF. I won't go in to details on my sad story (read my Journal...the first one). But what I can tell you is I am almost on the fence about DE. I have been trying since last September. I used Clomid and had 4 months of continued cysts....so now 8 months later I have only had 1 retrieval. As I sit here emailing you, I just under went my 2nd retrieval. The only thing I have learned about this whole process is, it is not predictable. I went from clomid, to injections now to my first natural cycle....and still my follicles don't look good. If neither of my eggs make it this cycle, I am going to try again...and probably again, thanks to Melanie (the one who wrote to to you). She actually gave me a great pep talk yesterday before my retrieval. You should definitely connect (via the telephone) with members. I have made so many friends, and one very dear friend, Sherry who is 48. You are not alone in this plight and we will be here for you....god knows everyone has been here for me. If you want, email me privately and leave me your email address and I will give you my number.
Sincerely,
Sharon
You will see there are a lot of women our age TTC. I cannot remember where the post is on this site, but there is one very good post describing the age question. I have found that every person I have met on this has their own vey agonizing story. I am now 46 and currently doing mini IVF. I won't go in to details on my sad story (read my Journal...the first one). But what I can tell you is I am almost on the fence about DE. I have been trying since last September. I used Clomid and had 4 months of continued cysts....so now 8 months later I have only had 1 retrieval. As I sit here emailing you, I just under went my 2nd retrieval. The only thing I have learned about this whole process is, it is not predictable. I went from clomid, to injections now to my first natural cycle....and still my follicles don't look good. If neither of my eggs make it this cycle, I am going to try again...and probably again, thanks to Melanie (the one who wrote to to you). She actually gave me a great pep talk yesterday before my retrieval. You should definitely connect (via the telephone) with members. I have made so many friends, and one very dear friend, Sherry who is 48. You are not alone in this plight and we will be here for you....god knows everyone has been here for me. If you want, email me privately and leave me your email address and I will give you my number.
Sincerely,
Sharon
Hi, Freezing embryos is an art. My first ivf was not done by experts in my opinion and it was a full no ivf. With the mini ivf the re was, in my opinion an expert at cryopreserving embryos and that was with a mini ivf he also is an expert in cryopreserving donor eggs. Good luck and maybe taking vitamins etc will be the magic that helps you get pg. I think for me Donor eggs were the way to go. oh and i also did acupuncture but still didn't get pg with my eggs.
Hugs,
Mel
Hugs,
Mel
Thank you for responding. I am so sorry you have been throught all this!! I did read your threads the other day and it made me have second thought about going to Cz. Your FSH is so good, I just dont understand this. I have been reading Randine Lewis and various other sources regarding improving egg health in 150 days and these suggest that getting PG at any age is very possible. I am wondering if IVF is not the answer. And by the sound of your experience freezing embryos via mini ivf is very vulnerable. Is it not better to transfer fresh embryos after each mini ivf round? Whats the rationale in freezing many to then thaw and transfer more at once later? I have no support from fertility specialists here due to my age. I am now considering purchasing clomid online and trying to do DIY it. Do you have any thoughts on this? I would need to do my research well before commencing such a programme? Bottom line though is that donor eggs may be only real possiblility though i understand this can be done up to age 49 quite successfully...
Big contrats on your BFP :-) xx
Big contrats on your BFP :-) xx
Hi Hon,
What can I say about TTC at 47. I don't want to sound like a debbie downer but I'll just give you my situation. I am 45 almost 46, I am 4 months pregnant with the help of donor eggs. I started TTC with my own eggs at 44. I have a fsh of 7 and an amh of 5.3, I have 3 kids from my 20's and my new dh has none. I had my tubes tied 16 years ago. So at 44 I did ivf, I made 18 follies 11 fertilized and we transferred 3 embies but got a bfn, 7 snow babies one survived the thaw. bfn. Then we had a tubal reversal and tried natural for 4 months then had 4 medicated iui's but nothing..bfn. So we went to nyc for frozen donor eggs but they talked me into a mini ivf. I made 11 follicles and 3 made it to 5 day blast. we transfered 2 but MC at 9 weeks with empty sac and no HB. We had 1 left and did fet and bfn. So we went with frozen donor eggs and I am 4 months pregnant with a healthy baby!
God BLess. I wish I had a crystal ball!
Hugs Melanie
What can I say about TTC at 47. I don't want to sound like a debbie downer but I'll just give you my situation. I am 45 almost 46, I am 4 months pregnant with the help of donor eggs. I started TTC with my own eggs at 44. I have a fsh of 7 and an amh of 5.3, I have 3 kids from my 20's and my new dh has none. I had my tubes tied 16 years ago. So at 44 I did ivf, I made 18 follies 11 fertilized and we transferred 3 embies but got a bfn, 7 snow babies one survived the thaw. bfn. Then we had a tubal reversal and tried natural for 4 months then had 4 medicated iui's but nothing..bfn. So we went to nyc for frozen donor eggs but they talked me into a mini ivf. I made 11 follicles and 3 made it to 5 day blast. we transfered 2 but MC at 9 weeks with empty sac and no HB. We had 1 left and did fet and bfn. So we went with frozen donor eggs and I am 4 months pregnant with a healthy baby!
God BLess. I wish I had a crystal ball!
Hugs Melanie
You must join this user group in order to participate in this discussion.
You are reading content posted in the TTC Over 45 Group
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
