i'm age 48 with FSH of 7.8

[oldbroad]

hi, gals--i've been reading your posts and am encouraged.  i'll be 48 next month and have 2 kids, aged 18 and 7.  we have been trying to conceive another unsuccessfully for about 2 years.  we know all the risks and difficulties associated with my advanced age, but i look and feel extremely "young" for 47, and we are willing to take the chance.  my FSH levels this year have ranged from 4.8 to the most recent one of 7.8, which seem quite low according to this forum, and therefore promising.  am wondering if that might mean my eggs are healthier than other women my age?  my husband has had a low sperm count so that could be a problem.  but my real concern is that both the fertility docs are adamant about going directly to the egg donation route (which we can't afford), saying my eggs are certainly bad and that anything else would be a waste of time and $.  i understand their thinking, but we want to at least try IUI, since that process includes culling out and injecting the strongest sperm.  if they continue their egg donation sing-song, should we talk to another doc(s)?  also, what's this about wheat grass juice?  any other suggestions?  thx much      

[jlkmom]

Fertility is not based on FSH alone, did they test your anti-muellerian hormone? You must have both to get a decent picture. If you can try at least one IVF cycle you may get a better indicator of egg quality so they can see what your eggs look like, if they even fertilize, and how well they grow once fertilized and what the fertilized embryos look like. I would not give up, chances are small but not impossible.

[Praysmh]

I'm 40 and my FSH  is 10, I've done 3 IVF cycles(+3 transfers)with no success.and told it's my "old" eggs, it's just based on your levels & timing. My sister is 35 and she has had 3 miscarriages and 2 were when she was 21... It's just based on your genes and God, not age!

[Anne_7]

Hold up one minute.... My sister had a baby in December at 46 naturally, and  know she will be going back for another, so I guess she will be around 48 as she is now 47.. I am 48 and have just got back my FSH test today which is 6.8!!!!  So please, lets not judge everyone by there age, its more about genes, health and lifesyle.. In fact when I was 39 my FSH level was 8.  However, I have lost a lot of weight plus workout, so I'm a lot fitter!!!!

[clyderiver77]

Did they test for an Estrodil #? I heard that the FSH number can be falsely low if the Estrodil is high.

[40smama]

Lisa - I wanted to point out something - there's a big difference (in fact I would say enormous) between 41, 45 & 48 in regards to fertility.  As well as there are great stories, there are also the many, many stories of women like myself (43+) who tried to get pg & got a little taste of reality.  I believe Yvette wasn't going to sugarcoat the reality of the situation of a woman 48 trying to get pregnant either on her own or w/assistance.

I wish you good luck, oldbroad, in whatever way you go w/ttc.  I hope it all works out - jen

[LisaRG]

Yvette and old broad,
Yvette, I am sorry to hear your IUI and pregnancy did not work out, but there is still success in the over 40 crowd.
I know you are erring on the realistic end of ttc over 40, but  I think Old broad should also see that for a  few women who did not give up there can be great results.

I personally have a friend who did natural IUI at age 44 and now has a healthy 3 year old boy that she conceived on her second IUI try.  She had never been pregnant before.  I got pregnant after 2 weeks of trying at 40 and had a healthy DD at age 41.  There are so many other great stories out there over 40.  Pam on this forum is 9 weeks pregnant at 45 conceived naturally, she had her first at 42  or 43 - I think!

Good luck old broad whatever you choose.
Lisa

[YvetteY]

By the way wheat grass is "old wives tale" and won't do anything.  You physician's are more than likely correct.  You will probably hear the same thing if you get a 2nd opinion.    But like I said before anything is possible.

I understand you want to try the IUI....and yes you may get a decent response, but because of your age (based on knowledge and experience) you may get pregnant, but you will probably miscarry.   I got pregnant with IUI (first time) at age of 42 and it wasn't a vialble pregnancy....they never saw anything in my uterus.  It's just not good when you're in your 40s.

[YvetteY]

Hi....I had a fairly low FSH....but it was masked by high estrogen level.  Are you giving a reading based on a clomid challenge test????   That's a true indicator of FSH .  Plus FSH is an indicator of how well your ovaries will respond to ovarian stimulating drugs or that you are not yet into menopause.  It doesn't have anything to do with the quality or "healthiness" of your eggs.  

Basically you're eggs are "old" and it's quality not quantity that is the key to a take home baby.  You may be able to get pregnant, but odds are you will miscarry.  And then there is always down's sydrome.  I'm not sure what the stats are for downs for 48, but I am sure you can research on the internet.  

I am not trying to be negative...this is just the awful truth.  Don't put all your eggs in one basket because of the FSH level and don't take the first testing as the true result.  You really need to take a 2nd FSH using clomid challenge test to see your REAL fsh level.  

Of course anything is possible and I'm not saying it could not or hasn't happened.  But do not let your FSH level give you a false sense of hopefulness...so good luck to you!!  

[tina1111]

My FSH has always been great as well. However, both drs I saw told me the cold hard facts. The chances of conceiving with my own eggs thru IVF are less than 5% and IF it did happen the odds of mc are like 80%. My dr said he got 40 eggs from a woman my age with good FSH and still not a one fertilized.Trying on our own was fine for a couple of years. I just didn't want to tick away any more years with the odds getting lower by the day.

We considered a split cycle of donor eggs. Our cost would have been around $15,000. IVF with my eggs would have been around $20,000. Instead we opted for donor embryos. It is going to run us about $3500. I hope you have success in which ever route you choose :)

[40smama]

I agree w/Lisa - IVF's pretty darned tough on a 44+ woman's eggs.  I don't understand why your dr won't at least try an IUI though although I don't know how successful it'd be w/your husband's low sperm count.  If it were me, I'd get a 2nd opinion.

One of the biggest problems after conception lies in miscarriage.  Unfortunately the rates are pretty high for women 45+.  When first visiting w/my re, I told her that I felt young - I couldn't imagine that my eggs had 'aged' significantly.  It seems that the young feeling has little to do w/aging eggs.

Now saying all of this, I also know that my own re had a healthy baby at 43 & a woman at my clinic, age 43, delivered healthy triplets via IVF w/her own eggs.  I really believe she got incredibly lucky.  There's also a woman on this forum who's pregnant at 45 who's in her first trimester - she got pg naturally.

The odds aren't good but there are women who get pregnant w/that golden egg - good luck in all of your ttc - jen

[Miranda9]

Hello,
Your FSH level is great.  FSH measures quantity, not quality, of ovarian reserve.  It is intuitive to think it correlates with quality, but there are a number of studies published that show no correlation.

It is more difficult to get pregnant and have a sustainable pregnancy as older women.  It is not impossible.

[LisaRG]

To h**l with Doctors and stats.
Your odds of conceiving are very low, but it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE.  I have read some encouraging true blogs.
Find another doctor.  Tell him how serious you are.
I actually don't think IVF is very good for us over 44 gals, but natural IUI and the old fashion way of ttc have proven successful.
Lisa