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]

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