42, 3 IUI going on 4th

[NDisguise]

I am 42 and have been trying to get pregnant for over two years. I have had HSG (normal) SIS (normal) and blood work. This may be the problem my FSH is 25 and AMH .1. I have been told i am not a candidate for IVF yet I am a candidate for IUI. This is not what I want to hear because IUI has not worked for me thus far. I can obviously go someplace else but I am concerned that throwing money at it will not produce my desired result (a baby). If my current doctor is right I have a slim chance of conceiving and IVF wouldn’t be “fair” to me financially. Does anyone know the success IVF success rate for women my age with a FSH of 25 and AMH .1?    

[mjmom69]

Congratulations! I am so happy for you! I'm thrilled to hear about your success as it gives me hope for myself also! I'm 41 (will be 42 in April) and I had a FSH of 15 and was told I probably couldn't do it on my own. I'm so happy to hear that it isn't impossible. Every time I hear of a success story, it makes me a little less stressed. What exactly was the protocol this time. I know it was IUI but what meds did you get? Good luck to you and I can't wait to hear about your progress.

[NDisguise]

Thanks!!! =) I did do it with my own 42 year old eggs. Now I just have to pray that they are still good. This fertility, conception and now pregnancy has been a roller coaster. One I pray end with a healthy baby. However the statistics are daunting. Women at my age have a 35 to 50 % miscarriage rate. The more I read the more worried I become. It seems every site has different data and most of it is very scary. I’ve decided to search in an optimistic manner. For instance I use to search “miscarriage rate for women 42”. Now I search “new mom over 35” the results cause me much less stress. Plus I already know all the data on advanced maternal age and pregnancy. Good luck to everyone….

[mhv]

Congratulations!  What wonderful news!  And you did it with your own eggs!  Bravo! : )  

[happynifer]

congrats!!!

[NDisguise]

Great news, I got a positive pregnancy test 1/7/11. This cycle I had two months of vitamins and my FSH dropped to 11 and my AMH rose to .25. These aren’t the best numbers but they worked for me. We had a superovulation with injectable and an IUI. This was our last try before moving on to d/e with IVF. To say we are thrilled is an understatement. However the risk of miscarriage and birth defects cause fear to linger and dampen the happiest news I’ve ever received.  I am three weeks today and try to take one day at a time. For all of the women whose stories helped me conceive I am eternally grateful. Thank you all for educating me and helping me get this far. I strongly believe my vitamin regimen improved my FSH and AMH numbers.  I also believe doubling the injectable or a superovulation cycle helped me achieve pregnancy.  

[Risa615]

Increasing blood flow is what can help women like us with high fsh levels. IUI have not worked for me, but I started acupuncture and I started having better follicles and lining. After fours months of acupuncture I tried fermara which I had not taken in over 9 months.  Had a good results of 3 follicles, but did not get pregnant.  So, this cycle I am doing injectables to see how I respond.  Another way to increase blood flow is to do yoga. Lots of free workouts on youtube.com Also,  Google "increase blood flow for fertility" and you will see some good suggestions.  I will probably do another IUI this cycle of injectables work.  Good luck!

Risa

[Allip77]

I think the reason your doctor told you you're not a candidate for IVF - and I agree it would be a waste of money - is because FSH is actually a measure of how well you will respond to IVF meds.  With a high FSH they just can't stimulate you enough to produce a high number of eggs, which is the whole point of IVF.  I myself had an FSH of 15.4 and went through IVF only to produce one and only egg - the same one I produced every month anyway.  It didn't fertilize, and I was $20K poorer.  

On the other hand, your doctor did tell you that you're a candidate for IUI because if you're still producing an egg every month, IUI will help you maximize your chances of fertilizing that egg.  It might not be working because a lot of your eggs are probably not good...but it only takes one.  You never know when your last good egg will be- might already be gone but you might have some left.  Doctors have admitted to me that they are perplexed sometimes when patients with really high FSHs end up getting pregnant on their own.but it does happen!  (The only two times I've gotten pregnant were on my own naturally.  My FSH wasn't as high as yours but it was still high).

If the timing of when you have a baby is super important to you, you could start looking into donor eggs.  If you'd really only like to have a baby of your own, but you'd also be okay with not having one, then keep trying, try to relax and have fun, and best of luck!  

Best of luck to you.

[adgal]

Well, I am going to be honest here.  With a fsh of 25, if this were me, I would probably not spend the money on IVF with my own eggs.  I would be looking into donor eggs.  High fsh certainly does not impact your ability to carry so you would still have the wonderful experience of carrying a baby to term and giving birth.  I have met several women on this forum who have taken this route, and trust me, they way they feel about a baby conceive with donor eggs is no different then how they feel about their babies conceived with their own. I know it's a big decision, but it may be your best option.  Whatever you decide, I wish you well!