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

[jul197]

Would just like  to comment that I have been trying for another baby since 2006 without any success. I have had three miscarriages and 1 chemical pregnancy. I have one child born in 2003 without any complications. I tried one cycle of IVF in January 2011 and had a negative result. I took DHEA for a few weeks and felt amazing like I did in my twenties full of energy and really healthy. I cant prove whether the DHEA was what worked for me or whether the IVF boosted my fertility but i produced 14 eggs for IVF which were all poor quality. Im assuming that the IVF boosted my fertility and the DHEA must have improved the egg quality. Im sharing this information as im now 5 months pregnant and had a downs syndrome test which indicated a 1 in 5000 chance of a child with downs. To me this means the DHEA produced a good quality embryo. When I was going through my fertility problems and miscarriages I found there was hardly any help or support out there. I became flustrated as im sure if this problem happened to men there would be a lot more research and support into fertility problems.  I took 50mg of DHEA a day for about 6 weeks befor getting pregnant. Research has shown that DHEA has most effect a few weeks before conception. I just hope my story helps others going through the long and flustrating process of fertility problems. Good luck to you all.

[meeko2468]

To All

I've not used this site before but, having had a look, wanted to post something positive relating to DHEA.  I am currently 38 years old and I gave birth to our precious, longed-for little boy in September 2009.  Although I cannot say whether it was DHEA that helped us realise our dream of becoming parents, in my mind I do believe that it was a major factor.

My DH and I had been TTC for nearly 5 years and had been through 3 lots of IUI (the final one was cancelled because of poor response) when we found out that have a very low AMH of 1.6.   We were told by the specialist that our only real hope of having a baby was either down the donor egg route or adoption.  My whole world fell apart as this information was just too much to take in.  

We live in Scotland and in total have had 4 lots of IVF (2 cancelled because of poor response).  After finding out about my low AMH, I was desperately low and found it difficult to not cry myself to sleep.  I refused to admit defeat however and scoured the internet for anything that would help and I came across DHEA.    At the time, there wasn't a huge amount of info or randomised research on DHEA and so my specialist, although not totally against it, was sceptical.  Out of the four IVF treatments, I was on DHEA for the last 3.

The current thinking is that you need to use 75mg of micronised DHEA for at least three months for there to be any benefit.  Whilst it doesn't increase the number of eggs retrieved, it does help with quality as well as reduce the likelihood of miscarriage.  Now that there is more evidence supporting its use, my specialist is recommending I do exactly the same again when we try for a little brother or sister in our next round of IVF treatment that we plan to have in September 2011 (ie I'll have been taking DHEA for 3 months by that time).

I realise that for anyone reading this, you may well be in the same position that I was in two years ago.  Please take some solace though that there IS hope.  I am proof of that.  There is obviously a lot more information that I could give, but I don't want to overload or 'hog' the forum and so if you have any questions then please do get in touch.  The email address you can reach me on is ***@****  I will try to check it most nights.

Meanwhile, all the best to those of you reading this.  I know the IVF journey is an emotional rollercoaster but I wish you all the luck in the world.

S
xxxx

[DesperatePatty]

Hi Everyone
I am very happy to read all your stories and experiences on DHEA.  I started using this about 6 weeks ago and also wanted to know how long is too long? Unlike a lot of you I am v. old (will be 43 next b/day) and am not very hopeful.  My AMH was 4.6....can anyone tell me whether that's good/bad? I've only had 2 cycles of IVF and am now on a down regulation cycle.  Does anyone have any opinions about this? Any thoughts/comments would help. Thank you all.

[CitizenG]

IT makes me so sad to read all the pain the everyone has gone through here....I've read this discussion for a while.  I'm also over 40 and have been trying to get pregnant for a long time.  In addition to taking DHEA, vit. D supplements and using progesterone cream, I am  trying a gluten free diet to see if this makes any difference.  I've been off of gluten for about a month now and I do feel a lot better, with my elbow and knee pains gone. Maybe this would help others?  There is a very strong link between gluten intolerance/celiac disease and infertility.  I'll leave these links here for review, you can also use google to find out more:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1507.asp

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/dont-touch-that-bagel.html

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0015028210027755

[hopeful114]

I'm sorry to hear what you've been through, Gypsy Rose.
I just wanted to add my own experience here.  I'm about mid-way through IVF cycle #2.  I have a very low AMH level (less than .01) and stage 4 endo. (I'm 38, been trying for 7 years)  I've been taking DHEA 50 mg (25 mg 2x a day) from www.dhea.com (ultra micronized) and it seems to be good quality. I'm in the US, don't know about ordering it elsewhere.
Cycle #1 we got 3 follicles after 8 days of stimms, but my LH rose too early before they caught it (on Antagon protocol) so it was cancelled.  I had been on DHEA about 6 weeks then.  This cycle, after over 4 months on DHEA, my E2 levels are great, and so far 5 follicles!  I almost didn't believe my ears when I got the results.  This is way early, but I just wanted to say this cycle is looking much better than last time.  I don't know if it's the DHEA, but I'm glad I'm taking it.  I also just increased my synthroid before starting this cycle (I have hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's) and probably my thyroid was a little low (TSH a little high) last time.  
Wishing everyone success!

[mariesansregret]

I'm either ordering from here for a 3 month time at 3 times a day:
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-DHEA-Time-Released-25-mg-300-Capsules

or here but the price is high and only covers 20 days.
http://www.luckyvitamin.com/1/1/31453-kal-dhea-25-mg-60-tablets.html

I haven't figured out if micronized is the same as time release.

I'll probably go with the first link.

cheers everyone,