# Anyone out there manage to get PG with low reserve?



## freyamum (Jan 12, 2009)

Hi there, I turned 41 recently, and after having DD at 35 had probs conceiving again. We've been round the usual bends and turns in the road and having recently had a test for Anti Mullerian Hormone it came up at 0.1 (it should be >5) The clinic will do IVF but very small chance etc etc. We're looking at donor egg also but part of me thinks if I managed a healthy egg 6 years ago, could there be any others left hiding in there?! Or am I clutching at straws?  

TIA 

janice


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## hopehopehope (Dec 8, 2008)

freyamum said:


> Hi there, I turned 41 recently, and after having DD at 35 had probs conceiving again. We've been round the usual bends and turns in the road and having recently had a test for Anti Mullerian Hormone it came up at 0.1 (it should be >5) The clinic will do IVF but very small chance etc etc. We're looking at donor egg also but part of me thinks if I managed a healthy egg 6 years ago, could there be any others left hiding in there?! Or am I clutching at straws?
> 
> TIA
> 
> janice


Hi thereFreyas mum!! My AMH is 3.4 (where 15+ is satisfactory and 2.2 or below is Very low) which is at the bottom end of low. Ii am having donor IUI. On tww at the moment after firs go. My clinic told me that a low AMH indicated that i would not respond well to drugs, and i am more likely to conceive with iui. Have you tried that?? Wishing you luck


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## freyamum (Jan 12, 2009)

Hi there, sorry didn't see your reply before....I didn't actually know you could do donor IUI! How does that work? BTW Sorry to see that your's didn't work this time   

Regards Janice


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## annacameron (Dec 16, 2008)

different scales for AMH
I just posted a long post about all this on poor responders

scales are 
uk generally used
2.2 to 6.8 normal

or

15 to 48 normal

you multiply by 7.14 to get the higher scale. 


lister and UCH  say the problemns really start at 0.7 (or 5 on the higher scale)


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## freyamum (Jan 12, 2009)

Uh oh at 0.1 the problems really have started then haven't they!   Good job I have come to terms with egg donation...many thanks for your post.

Regards Janice


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## annacameron (Dec 16, 2008)

well these things are based on groups and the AMh test is not conclsuive. 

havea alook on poor respodners thread for posts by Little Jen who sets out very clearly exaclty why AMH is a bit of a doidgy test for total reliance. 


Ive had emails from a girl who had AMh of 0.1 who did 2 ivf cycles, got pg twice an has 2 perfect babies. aged 40 and 41 so it can happen. unliekly of course but she's proof it can!

dont dismay. xxx

good luck.


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## freyamum (Jan 12, 2009)

Hi Anna, seems like none of these tests really are conclusive are they! I did ask the doc at the time that I was puzzled as I was not having periods, but neither was I having menopause symtoms - he said that it must be because there were some eggs left. That did set me wondering I must admit.....thanks as ever for your huge wealth of experience here at FF  

Jx


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## annacameron (Dec 16, 2008)

FM, thanks but grrrr....drs!

do read over Little Jen's posts or pm her - they are excellent and very well written and analsyed. also she can type. when I reread anything I've typed I seem semi literate...


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## Griselda (Jan 24, 2006)

Hi Janice

Yes I did!

Just to add my two hapenny worth....  My AMH came back 5.5 (using the 0-50 scale) so pretty rubbish.  I was advised the opposite to you.  To forget about DIUI and do ICSI as there was a higher probability rate of success.  I had tried ICSI 2.5 times before and no luck.  I just think some women's bodies react better to IVF than others and mine was obviously not one of them.  My consultant did the usual sucking of teeth (think mechanic and car) over my age with a basically 'forget it you're floggy a dead horse' look on her face.

I disagreed with her as there was no contest for me between another £10k 8 week cycle of intensive drugs for a one shot at a 25% chance vs a £750 'rock up at lunchtime to be squirted' with a 4% chance of being preggers every month.  Anyway, from experience ICSI had not worked for me.  I found it highly invasive and highly expensive.  Plus I wanted to be able to look back and know that I'd tried every option available to me and that it wasn't all DH's 'fault'.  I also knew that I was extremely fertile in my mid 20s.  So I basically ignored by Consultant's advise and went for unmedicated DIUI.  She wanted to stim me to 'give me the best chance'.  But I was fed up with all the medical intervention and just went natural.

Long story short.  It worked first time.  I'm 23 weeks preggers now.  (And believe me I loved the look on my consultant's face when I went in for my 6 weeks scan.  Ha ha ha ha ha!!!).

AMH is a fairly new test and they don't really understand yet exactly what it means.  I think in my case that, obviously, it's not going to be that high as I have been ovulating for 30 years and don't have another 30 years worth of eggs left.  But it doesn't necessarilly indicate the quality of eggs left.

Good luck hun and my advice, from my experience, is definitely give IUI a whirl!

Luv
G xxx


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## hopehopehope (Dec 8, 2008)

Griselda - you're an absolute star - congrts on your pregnancy, i so hope it all goes well for you. 

Have read some negative stuff about diui with low amh over 40 and was wondering if i should give up and start saving for FET, or try to find an egg donor, but your story has spurred me on. I'm due to go for diui#3 later this week. Have had issues with Manchester Fertility Clinic as it is shut on a Sunday. This means if you get a pos LH surge on the saturday you have to wait till the end of your 'window'. I was conviinced on the last two times that  the iui was done too late as they don't bother to scan you before you have the treatment. This month AF came a day early so i'm hoping i'll get my positive on Friday so i can go in on Saturday. If it does i feel this is my first REAL go. 

MFS have done no other tests on me so i am wating for an NHS app next week to start FSH etc testing. 

Good luck to everyone


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## Griselda (Jan 24, 2006)

Ooh and another tip.  I imported my sperm from the US.  Personally, I think the UK samples can vary in quality and overseas have better samples.  My US sample had approximately 7 million swimmers in it (make sure you ask how many just for your info before they do the business).  Whereas, they are happy to inseminate you with a sample of just 2 million here stating that there is 'no medical evidence' that bigger and better samples have a greater success rate.  Also, they store the sperm in a different solution in the US to the UK that is supposed to be superior and keep them healthier.  To my mind, despite 'medical evidence' the more swimmers, the more chance one will make it!!

Good luck.

xx


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## annacameron (Dec 16, 2008)

G, a million congrats. I am delighted to see your news. especially with the AMH issue too. fantastic. 
Please can i ask when did they do the IUI  in terms of days etc? I think mine have been mistimed...


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## Griselda (Jan 24, 2006)

Hiya,

They did just one insemination the day after I had detected my LH surge.  

G xx


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## freyamum (Jan 12, 2009)

Hi G, thanks a million for your reply, sorry have not been on FF much lately! That is fantastic news, I'm chuffed to bits for you!   I think my prob is that as I have no periods (well they come when they feel like it) it would be v difficult to guage when the timing was right. I too seemed to have superfertility when I was younger but after DD was born (I was 35) things screamed to a halt which I still find very mystifying.   I think that now they have IVF etc they aren't that keen to research these things though.....

Regards Janice


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## Griselda (Jan 24, 2006)

Hi Janice

Many thanks for the reply and the sentiments.

Have you sought out more than one medical opinion? Could you just have had some sort of hormonal imbalance since the birth of your DD? I knew a lady once where that was the case. She fell easily the first time but then her periods went all up the creek after the birth and she was unable to conceive again until she had some sort of treatment. Sorry I don't know the particular details better but I was _very_ young at the time and _so_ not very interested!  Funny how times change. 

If you have only attended one clinic and seen one consultant I would definitely advise doing some internet research yourself regarding post birth conception/reproduction issues and try and find an appropriate different consultant to see for a second opinion too.

One of the problems with the medical profession is that they seem to see IVF as the 'one size fits all' infertility cure and the best weapon in their armoury.

How about clomid? Has a consultant ever discussed that with you? Whether it would be a viable option or not?

Cheers
G xx


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## freyamum (Jan 12, 2009)

Hi G, yes i very much agree that since IVF came along research on fertility problems seem to have taken a back seat. I know of SO many people who have conceived easily first time only to fail ever to fall pregnant again and no-one seems to have the foggiest idea why. At this point I have pretty much reconciled myself actually to using donor and have even found some-one (through here!!) so we're hoping that all goes to plan. But nothing convinces me that even a couple of years ago when we were trying without luck that something could have been done. My periods have all but disappeared now and that makes me think that I'm prob near out of eggs. Accupuncture weekly brought back periods and even an ovulation but LP only lasted 9 days so prob not v good quality egg. It's just so frustrating when I look back at the wasted years - first of all with GP - she said oh it's b'feeding, then oh it's your weight, then eventually got referred, then told no chance FSH too high etc etc. Oh ell, hindsight is a great thing isn't it!!! I would just love other people not to have to go through all this time waiting in the future, I feel like doing the research myself. 

Anyway hope you're having a H&H 9 months and I love your story, I wish I'd been a fly on the wall when you told your consultant you were preggers!!   

Jx


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