# Help I am really struggling



## Michelle44 (Dec 31, 2006)

Hi I am Michelle and am in some real need of some advice.

Having ended up alone and childless at the age of 43, desperately wanting a child, I finally decided to go it alone.

I have been to one clinic, had the initial consultation with a scan, and then had a blood test on 2nd day of period, (sorry don't know jargon yet).

I went for follow up appointment to get results and was told my only option was donor eggs.

My FSH was 10.5 and my E2 335.  That is all I was told.

Having browsed this site, I note that it is quite normal to have more bloods tested later during the cycle.  I have not been offered these.  Also I believe after reading many posts on FF that the FSH can keep changing.

I am really confused and looking for advice as to whether or not my Consultant is correct and that donor eggs are my only option.

I was considering going to another clinic for a second opinion but am unsure where to go.  Being single there are not many clinics that I can go to, but I want to be sure that I go to one that can help me.

If anyone can offer me advice or put me straight, I would really appreciate it.

Desperately Michelle


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## Lara200 (Aug 26, 2006)

Hello Michelle
I am sorry to hear you are having difficulty but you have come to the right place for advice and support.  I am not sure I can give you all the technical information you need but I would suggest very strongly that you read some of the other boards on this site where you will learn so much from the information posted.  FSH levels are very important indicators of your fertility and from what I have read doctors do prefer them to be lower than 10.5.  However, I have read of many women proceeding with IVF with FSH at your level and higher.  It is true that FSH varies from month to month and doctors often wait a few months to see if it comes down.  I am assuming you are just starting this process.  In that case I think you would feel better if you did everything possible to satisfy yourself that you are taking the right course for you, whether using your own eggs or donor eggs.  It is of course true that the older we get the less likely our own eggs will work.  I am in a similar position to you, single, now 44 ( I started at 43 and am now in the middle of my second IVF cycle).  I had some basic blood tests done before my first cycle but after that failed had more detailed tests done to check for blood clotting and antibody issues.  I also had a laparoscopy.  There are lots more tests which can be done but it is a question of when you do them and whether they are necessary.  Also, many of them are very expensive.  I would certainly go back to your consultant and talk things through with him.  If you need to chat further please let me know or send me a personal message if you prefer.  Take care
Lara


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## Michelle44 (Dec 31, 2006)

Thank you so much for your response.

What I am finding difficult to believe is that as soon as I had my blood test for FSH levels etc, my consultant basically said donor eggs or nothing.

After browsing this site for a while before that consultation, and reading all the different routes one can try, I was quite taken aback by this abrupt final way to go.

Am I getting this wrong do you think and that I should just believe what I am being told.

If you dont mind me asking, which clinic are you using and are they making you feel that they are doing everything they can for you.

Speak soon.

Mich


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## Lara200 (Aug 26, 2006)

Michelle

If you are unhappy about the advice you are receiving I feel that you must challenge it.  Ask your consultant to explain the options to you.  If necessary go to another clinic.  I assume you are having to pay for this yourself, so you can try another clinic.  I appreciate that, being over 40 and single we are limited in the places we can go for treatment but there are a still a few places around.  I am with the Bridge Centre.  There are many women on this site who have not been very happy with the Bridge and others who think it's great.  You have decide for yourself if any given clinic is giving you the best shot possible.  My consultant gave me a number of options when I began.  I said I wanted to try with my own eggs and my FSH levels have been such (between 5.3 and  that he said it was worth a try.  I am also hoping that I can get enough eggs this cycle to do pre genetic screening.  That way if the eggs are tested and they are all abnormal, I will know I should probably give up.  However, if they are fine, it gives a better chance of success and more hope to continue trying.  Do try and talk either to your own consultant or someone else who can give you all the options without telling you what to do.  It should be your decision.  If you want to chat about this I am more than happy to speak to you.  Send me a personal message if you like.  I see you are in London as well and if I can help further I would be more than happy to.  All the best.

Lara


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## Lara200 (Aug 26, 2006)

Not sure what happened in the last post but I meant to write that my FSH levels have been between 5.3 and 8!

Lara


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## daisyg (Jan 7, 2004)

Hi Michelle,

Your doctor was making a clinical statement based on the fact that you had very high E2 levels (on that cycle) which can falsely suppress your FSH numbers - meaning that your true FSH level could be higher than 10.5 given that the top E2 level they like to see is about 150. BUT your high E2 count could be due to a cyst on your ovary for example.  This needs looking into immediately as it may be that your E2 count is normal and your FSH level is not too bad.   If your E2 is normal, then an FSH of 10.5 is not too bad at all.  I got pregnant on all 3 of my own egg ivfs at age 44.5 with FSH ranging from 6 to 11 so it is not a very high FSH.  But my E2 was about 80/90 and this is what you need to get double checked.

Of course this doctor doesn't know whether you can get pregnant or not with these numbers - he is quite rightly pointing out that you would be more likely to be successful with donor eggs.  However, even with high FSH I believe (and other consultants would also believe) that you should at least be given a chance to get pregnant with your own eggs and telling you your only hope is DE is not helpful!

You need to get to a clinic that is over 40 and high FSH friendly.  I personally would recommend the Lister (ARGC will not take single women).  The Lister do not have an FSH cut off and would be more likely to give you a chance to try at your age.  They also have decent success rates with the over 40s.  Personally, I don't believe the Bridge has very good over 40 success rates (IMHO).

You need a chance to try your own eggs so that if you do decide to move to DE, you feel you can do so having really given it your best shot with your own eggs.  I would change to a successful over 40 clinic immediately.  Do not waste time with any other.  The best clinics are the Lister, ARGC, Care Notts, UCH, THe London Fertility Centre etc. (not the London Women's Clinic IMHO from personal experience).  Look on the HFEA website for stats.  You need to get moving NOW as you have no time to waste.

FSH does fluctuate month to month, so you may find on another cycle you have better results.  You are looking for the FSH and E2 measures as FSH alone is not enough to give you the full picture.  It should be measured on day 2 or 3 of the cycle.  Did they also have a look at your ovaries to see what your antral follicle count was?  Did you have a scan to look at the ovaries and uterus?  I would also recommend you have a full uterine exam.  e.g. hysteroscopy etc get things like your insulin resistance and thyroid checked.  These all impact on fertility.  There are other tests that could be useful but it depends on whether you are going to do IUI or IVF.  I would also recommend having some basic blood tests for things like blood clotting etc. (these can be discussed with a sympathetic consultant).  The later cycle blood tests you mentioned would be to see whether you are ovulating.  This may or may not be relevant to you as you are not trying to ttc naturally as you are single and you will be inducing ovulation artificially.

Please persevere as you need to really stand your corner and insist on the best treatment possible.  That starts with a clinic who will give you a chance.  I think this doctor has already given up on you and therefore you need someone who is going to be really aggressive in your treatment and who will give you the best chance.

Good luck

Daisy
xxxx


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## Plink (Mar 24, 2004)

Hi there

Sorry you feel so brushed off. I don't know your history but I presume that you would conceive with donor sperm and that you cannot conceive by insemination and need to use ivf? Perhaps you have tried before. In addition to very good answers by the others, I think its also likely that YOUR CONSULTANT has not had any OWN-EGGS successes at your age. The blood test results revealed a higher than normal E2 which can lead to a flasley low FSH. I presume this is what your consultant thinks is causing the high E2.

About clinic performance though - clinics vary! There are very few that have had successes running well into the forties and he /she maybe simply stating a fact, that is, that at THEIR CLINIC you will not get pregnant at your age with own eggs (or you will be the first or one of very few to do so)- this coupled with abnormal blood results tipped the decision for them.
  
To verify this, you could ask this question straight. Of course, nothing ventured nothing gained. ie some clinics simply will not attempt this age group treatment so obviously will not have a batch of successes!

Second point (agree Daisy) is that your FSH is borderline (not bad) but your oestradiol (E2 ) is high. This means,  that the consultant will have interpreted this as you having poor egg reserve, since the oestradiol starts rising at theend of child-bearing years. BUT there are other causes which need to be excluded as mentioned, e.g. a cyst (oestrogen-producing) sometimes left over from your previous cycle can cause a raised E2.
In this case, you need to wait 1-2 months for the cyst to disappear,usually (occas they need draining). Other cysts might need monitoring etc or draining.

Also the consultant is telling you your best chance of conceiving with IVF (not naturally) and this involves making an assessment of your likelihood of responding to stimulant drugs. With high E2 he/she has judged that you would not respond too well, or that the egg quality would not be great.
Of course this is debatable.
I think at least you should have a pelvic scan to see if there are any cysts etc  You can go on the waiting list for donor, proceed with the tests, get your FSH/Oestradiol repeated and go from there.

Good luck.btw donor egg talk is very common in fertility clinics if you appear after 40. You ask any over-40 on this board. But don't let it distract you from your goal as each case is different.
Louise xx


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## Michelle44 (Dec 31, 2006)

Thank you so much Plink and Daisyg.

I have been with the London Womens Clinic and have reaslly lost faith in them.  I have not got an appointment with the Lister in last week of January.

I am sure that I will have the tests repeated and hopefully will have some better news of at least know where I am going from there.

Obviously I will mention all what you have both suggested and lets hope I have some more positive news.

Thanks again.

Michelle


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## Michelle44 (Dec 31, 2006)

Can anyone also advise me. 

I keep reading about the AMH test and am not sure what it is.  Also where do I find info about wheatgrass, agnus cactus, vits and DHEA?  I dont know what they are but keep reading about these as well.

Help please

Michelle


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## sandee2002 (Jun 24, 2003)

What is AMH? 


Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is a new blood test developed following clinical research which measures ovarian function – how your ovaries are working. It is more accurate than a simple oestrogen test. Currently it is not available on the NHS.

It can help reassure women about their current and medium term fertility – important when deciding when to try for children ,especially for women who work. It can also help to predict a likely menopause, and is starting to be used by some clinics to help judge possible IVF success and also as a marker of polycystic ovarian syndrome – a common hormonal condition.

wheatgrass www.xynergy.co.uk 1-2 capsules per day
agnus cactus    www.AVogel.co.uk
DHEA www.biovea.com 75mgs per day

hope this helps
sandy


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## Michelle44 (Dec 31, 2006)

Thanks Sandy,

That really helps.  Where can one purchase these natural (dont know what you call them) food types?

Thanks yet again.

Mich x


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## Lara200 (Aug 26, 2006)

Michelle

Sandy's email gives you the web addresses and you can purchase the supplements from them directly.  You can also get wheatgrass tablets from most healthfood stores and larger branches of Waitrose.  Good luck.

Lara


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## Michelle44 (Dec 31, 2006)

Thank you thsnk you thank you Lara.  You are always so helpful.

I have blown you a few bubbles


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