# Problems conceiving but not sure if IVF is for me - what else is there?



## Beamom2

Hi Ladies,
Really hoping someone out there can advise me.  We have a beautiful daughter born 2012 - conceived naturally.  Been TTC now for 2 years.  We had a natural BFP in March but no heartbeat at 12 week scan - devastated.  We had been waiting so long and I worry my AMH is falling and my chances are slipping away. We just completed an IVF cycle in Guys.  Was on 450 Gonal-F, and stimmed for over 3 weeks but only produced 3 follicles (v low AMH), 3 eggs, 2 fertilised and good quality both transferred at 2 days.  But I bled before I had completed the 2WW - BFN - again devastated.  I know I shouldn't have hoped for too much on first cycle but my hopes were high when quality was good.
Now I just don't know what to do.  we have conceived naturally in the past, and quite recently in March 2015.  I'm not sure if IVF is for me - I'm not ruling it out but I would like to find a clinic where they monitored my cycles very closely - scans, bloods etc to maximise my chances.  I've contacted Create Fertility and think I will go for a consultation but they seem to only offer IVF (mild, natural).
Has anyone else experience that may help me?  TIA - any advice much appreciated x


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## Beamom2

Anyone please??


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## Poppy41London

Hi I don't have any experience to add as am only just preparing to start the process - probably also at Guys. However, we are looking at going for the consultant led treatment there which costs about £1k more but from what I gather it means one consultant (of your choice) sees you at all appointments and does the scans and all the procedures and monitors you throughout. It also works out similar price to a lot of the private clinics where you aren't guaranteed to see the same person. Did you just go the regular route or did you go for that, as maybe that would offer a more personalised approach like you are looking for. Also our of interest, how many scans/blood tests did you have throughout the process? Was it every few days?


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## chooshoos

hello

if I were in your position and your age knowing what I know now I would go for an all out health assault:

Yoga
Acu
Meditation
weight balance (bmi)
Cleanse
Organic fertility diet
Supplements - zinc, vit D, folic, prenatal, asprin etc etc
go for immune testing especially thyroid
have dh check his swimmers and be on a similar health kick
no smoking, no booze

all the stuff we all know, but crank it up to volume 10. I would give it 6 months and if nothing then I would capitalise on the good health situation and cycle with hopefully better egg stock

good luck


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## Calluna

Hi Beamom,

I'm sorry for your loss. If you have low amh and are able to conceive naturally, I'm not sure that ivf will necessarily improve your chances. Are you taking supplements to help with egg quality? And have you had any testing to see if there are any other reasons why you might be struggling to get/stay pregnant? Things like immune issues can become more of an issue as we get older.

x


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## Beamom2

Thank you for the replies ladies. I need to find somewhere good for acupuncture and I think you're right to go 100% lifestyle overhaul. BMI good, no caffeine, no alcohol but probably need to relax, exercise etc Chooshoos fingers crossed for you xx
Calluna I'm not taking any supplements for egg quality. What would you recommend? I just take regular pre-natal multivitamin.  I've had thyroid done and is normal. 
Poppy41 we didn't choose the single cons option at guys, probably should have. I saw the cons on day 1 and then on day of transfer. Other than that I had NO bloods done during cycle but had 4 scans. None at the start of Stimson but then every second day watching follicle size. I wasn't awfully happy on one scan they recorded a follicle measuring 18 but then it wasn't there 2 dats later, so they said it was probably free fluid. Just frustrating and kind of made me doubt the others they recorded but I did get 3 eggs and 2 fertilised. I have no experience of any other clinic to compare.  Hope it works for you. X


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## Calluna

Hi Beamom,

There's a book called 'It starts with the egg' by Rebecca Fett, which is a good place to start for improving egg quality. It advises on supplements to take and chemicals/plastics to avoid. Ubiquinol and fish oil (EPA and DHA) are some of the most important supplements. And there is a supplement called mitochondrial optimizer which may help. Diet is important too, e.g. avoiding sugar and eating plenty of healthy fats (oily fish, avocados, nuts, olive oil).

Did you get the actual numbers for your thyroid results? (only GPs often say numbers are normal when they are not good enough for fertility) You're relatively young to have such a low amh so it's possible there may be an underlying issue causing the low amh (e.g. 'silent' endometriosis or other immune issues).

Have a read of Agate's 'guide to learning from your failed ivf cycle' and 'immune faq' on this site as a good starting point for ideas for what to investigate.

Good luck x


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## Beamom2

Thanks Calluna, I've ordered the book 'It starts with an egg'.  I'm going to look at lots of supplements once I've read it.  Really think there is so much more I can to help my egg quality.  This is so tough x


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## gruffan

There is a lot of research that specifically points to DHEA and CoQ10 supplements for improving egg quality in women with DOR.  Because I had suspected endometriosis, I drastically cut down on all animal-based fats (milk, cheese, red meats) for the few months before my treatment cycle.


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## Poppy41London

Thanks for the info on your experience at Guys. I met Tarek yesterday at the fertility show and he seemed really nice. He also did a good talk on fertility and older women. As to increasing your chances with egg health etc, I would suggest maybe going to see Melanie Brown a fertility nutritionist based in London. If you see her she will be able to suggest a range of vitamins etc specific to your needs and situation, as well as provide guidance on diet. Trust me even if you have a healthy diet there is a lot of info she gave me that was new and some quite surprising. The other thing is you mentioned you wanted to try acupuncture. Well an excellent acupuncturist I can recommend is Volker Scheid. Again, when at the fertility show yesterday I spoke to the Acupuncture Society and I mentioned I see him and they referred to him as being a star in the acupuncture world and one of the best in the UK. His clinic if interested to look him up is called The Clinic at Southbank. Hope that helps.


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## Beamom2

Thanks Poppy.  Going to look into Melanie Brown.  You guys are great with all the support and info on here.  Thank you x


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## caro226

Hi,
Sorry to hear of your losses   
I've been at Life Fertility Care in Leamington Spafor a couple of years now - look them up, someone on here recommended them to me as I didn't want to go down the IVF route but felt that the NHS could be doing more.  They've been fantastic, and I say that as someone who hasn't successfully conceived through the program, but do feel that I've been listened to and have been given the best advice and support possible for TTC with medication alone.
Feel free to PM me!
Cx


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## DarkBeauty

Hi Beamom, my story is similar to yours. First child conceived really easily. She is now 4. Lots of trying since she was about 16mths with no joy. I also have an under active thyroid. I was 36 when we started tests.

Me & hubby got tested end of June this year. I came back with a low egg reserve of 6. Range for my age is 5-45. Hubbys sperm sample was also poor.

After 2 abandoned starts we have just almost completed our third attempt. I had egg collection yesterday morn.

Google 'angelbumps fertility protocol'. Hubby & I took all the vitamins in that thread. There are a few that help egg quality. 

Embryologist rang this morn to tell me that of the 6 eggs they collected, 5 mature, 4 had fertilised.

In angelbumps thread there are also a lot of vitamins you can be taking to help avoid miscarriage. I am so sorry for your loss and wish you the very best on the next part of your fertility journey x


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## miamiamo

think on herbs (plus mentioned above),  i also visit my Chinese doc to order some Chinese herbal teas


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