TTC With A Low Ovarian Reserve

Truewoman

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Apr 20, 2017
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Hi, there! I have some problems with my fertility. Actually, I can’t conceive because of a very low ovarian reserve. I think it’s a hereditary issue. I have a female cousin she has the same issue like me. My hubby and I started our TTC journey nearly several years ago. We thought it would quite easy to do for us as neither I nor my hubby have any serious issues with my help. I was very much surprised when month after month I couldn’t get pregnant. I started to feel worried and finally contacted my gyny. She examined me and said that I don’t have any problems with my tubes and womb. The ovaries also looked quite ok. She prescribed me some vitamins and hormone medicines to boost up my fertility. However, the result came BFN again. We spent five more months TTC, and I decided to contact one more specialist. He asked me to do some tests (including, the AMH test). The AHM test and some other hormone tests showed that my ovaries have a low ovarian reserve. My doctor says that it may be a hereditary issue as my female cousin has the same problem. He advises us egg donation as a treatment method. Frankly speaking, I don’t like this idea much. I want to conceive naturally. I know there are some herbal medicines that may help to improve my fertility. I haven’t tried anything yet, but hope to find some effective ones. Is there anybody here who has the same fertility problems? Did you manage to conceive? If yes, how did you manage to do this?

P.S. My hubby says we should try our hands with egg donation. He wants to become a daddy very much. I quite understand him, but I’m not ready for this procedure. I even don’t know what to start with. Is there anybody here who dealt with fertility clinic? What did you pay attention to while choosing the fertility clinic?
 

Vida

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Aug 10, 2016
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Hi, there! I have some problems with my fertility. Actually, I can’t conceive because of a very low ovarian reserve. I think it’s a hereditary issue. I have a female cousin she has the same issue like me. My hubby and I started our TTC journey nearly several years ago. We thought it would quite easy to do for us as neither I nor my hubby have any serious issues with my help. I was very much surprised when month after month I couldn’t get pregnant. I started to feel worried and finally contacted my gyny. She examined me and said that I don’t have any problems with my tubes and womb. The ovaries also looked quite ok. She prescribed me some vitamins and hormone medicines to boost up my fertility. However, the result came BFN again. We spent five more months TTC, and I decided to contact one more specialist. He asked me to do some tests (including, the AMH test). The AHM test and some other hormone tests showed that my ovaries have a low ovarian reserve. My doctor says that it may be a hereditary issue as my female cousin has the same problem. He advises us egg donation as a treatment method. Frankly speaking, I don’t like this idea much. I want to conceive naturally. I know there are some herbal medicines that may help to improve my fertility. I haven’t tried anything yet, but hope to find some effective ones. Is there anybody here who has the same fertility problems? Did you manage to conceive? If yes, how did you manage to do this?

P.S. My hubby says we should try our hands with egg donation. He wants to become a daddy very much. I quite understand him, but I’m not ready for this procedure. I even don’t know what to start with. Is there anybody here who dealt with fertility clinic? What did you pay attention to while choosing the fertility clinic?
How old are you?
Besides from the AMH test, what were the other hormone test you took that indicated low ovarian reserve?
 

Velcro

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Apr 28, 2017
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Hi! Firstly, I’m really sorry to hear about your struggles of getting pregnant. I can only imagine what you feel after having experienced all these things. However, you shouldn’t give up by any means. If you still have periods, you may get pregnant. I would recommend you to visit more specialists and then make the final decision.

P.S. My cousin did an ED IVF several years ago. She took into consideration price, the list of services and success rates.
 
OP
Truewoman

Truewoman

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The thing is we seem to have found a nice fertility clinic. They offer us oocytes of 18-26 year old women who are mums of at least one child. According to the contract they offer us to sign up, the clinic takes all responsibilities for finding an egg donor for our DE IVF. They will test this woman carefully to see whether she’s healthy enough to share her eggs. They will also check her heredity. In addition, they won’t charge much for their services. The only thing we have to travel abroad as the clinic isn’t situated in another country. What do you think about seeking for fertility treatment abroad?
 

Zpol

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A 4:1 ratio of Myo to D-chiro Inositol has been shown to help. I take a product called
THERALOGIX Ovasitol. It has no excipients or any other added ingredients, it's pure Inositol. "A 100% pure inositol supplement scientifically formulated to promote menstrual regularity and normal ovarian function." (not validated by the FDA).
It helped me get my period back after 2 years of quitting birth control, also seems to help a little bit with constipation.
 

noordinary

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Jun 1, 2016
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Dear @Truewoman please do not despair!
From KMUD radio Ray Peat interviews I remember him saying at least twice, that there is no such thing as finite eggs reserve. And that women are born with predetermined eggs count is also not true.
That new eggs are created through life from steam cells. I would throw out the "hereditary" fate sentence out of the window and out of head as well. Things can be done, don't give up, don't despair into hereditary sentence.
Maybe think of fertility as the cherry on top of overall health cake.
Were you ever on the Pill, or used other hormonal contraceptives?
How is your cycle? Consistent, every month? Do you ovulate every cycle?
Take charge of your cycle: do you ovulate, how the cervix changes through cycle (yes you can touch it yourself), is there cirvical fluid discharge during ovulation?
Do you get cramps, fluid retention, breast tenderness, mood swings or any other PMS symptoms? Are you periods painful? Heavy?
All that will tell you a lot about there your hormonal status is. Too much estrogen not balanced out by progesterone?
Do you exercise a lot? Do you run, job, do other endurance exercise? Diet? Restrict fruits? Restrict calories? Dieted in the past? Do not have enough protein (believe me, for a woman to get enough protein in a day to thrive is a job by itself)?
Exhaust yourself at the gym?

From my personal experience (I do not have kids and did not try to conceive) but can talk from periods perspective:
Used to have PMS, heavy painful periods etc (never was on the Pill though)
After about a year of Ray Peat inspired lifestyle (yes, lifestyle, not only diet) its like whole another world: no PMS, shorter light periods, and Ovulation every cycle.
And fertility even was not my goal.
Ovulation is a biggy: i used to have anovulatory cycles for sure, did not track with Fertility Awareness Method, but from what i know and feel now and can compare.
"Strong" ovulation (if such thing even exists): cervical fluid for 3-4 days, great mood and libido, no pain with ovulation (no pressure not like it was pain), amazing.

Maybe if you will consider fertility as wholistic as whole body thing, you may change your attitude and actions.
I mean maybe it's not genes, not fate, not predetermined? Maybe the state you are currently in (physically, emotionally) do not predispose to conceive?
In the body everything is connected, I think there is no such thing, that you have a distinct problem with your eggs but everywhere else in your body your are healthy and thriving.
I'm not trying to imply that you are sick and not healthy enough to conceive, but maybe shift of perception may help?

If you think that your life is almost stress free, your environment is great: clear air, lots of sunshine, clean water, great supportive people around you, that you are well fed: enough protein (shellfish, dairy, bone broth), minerals and vitamins on point (and I'm not talking prenatal vitamins here) fruits, veggies a little bit. When that podcast interview may help:
Fertility & Conscious Conception Coach Elisabeth Manning
Fertility & Conscious Conception Coach Elisabeth Manning


Good luck to you on any way you choose to have your baby!


 

SkilledCat

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Jul 19, 2017
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Hi, everyone! OP, I think you’re the one who should make a decision in this situation. The previous poster has given you quite a lot of useful tips. I think you should study your health condition thoroughly before making any final decision. The only thing you have to find out is whether you’re ovulating or not and have an unprotected sex on the day when you’re actually ovulating. You may have not much oocytes, but still ovulate. Just stop and think… I’m not against DE IVF, but I can’t completely understand why women with fertility issues are opting for this. It’s nearly the same as adoption. The baby will never be yours as it will be conceived with the genetic material of another lady. Are you really ready for this? In addition, all people are unique, so it will be quite difficult to find a woman who resembles you greatly. Finally, DE IVF isn’t totally anonymous. In many countries (including, the UK), the baby concieved with the help of a donor oocyte may get access to information about his biological mum when he becomes a grown up person. If your baby really wishes to do this, what will you do?
 
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Ray Peat is really against the concept of ovarian reserve
 
OP
Truewoman

Truewoman

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Apr 20, 2017
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Hi, everyone! Thanks for posting replies to my post. I’ve found quite a lot of useful tips here. We really don’t give up the idea of conceiving naturally. However, we haven’t got any positive result yet. This is the main reason why we continue thinking about egg donation. I know that if we use a donor egg the baby won’t be genetically mine. I agree that it’s quite difficult to find two identical women on the Earth. However, it doesn’t mean that I won’t love my baby because of this. I’m going to give him all the warmth of my heart. We talked about this with the clinic’s reps. They told us that they have a large database of egg donors. They usually use a special software to find an egg donor for the particular DE IVF. If you sign up a contract with them, you’ll be able to see a 3D photo of the woman. This is the way they choose egg donors. What do you think about it?
 

Velcro

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Apr 28, 2017
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Truewoman, why don’t you want to relax and enjoy the process of conceiving a baby. I think the more you think about it, the harder your ttc journey is. There are quite a lot of useful tips in the previous posts. Just follow them, and you have all chances to succeed. As for seeing a 3D photo of the woman who is willing to share her eggs, yes, it sounds ok. But will they charge any fees for this? I think you need to be cautious with this. They may require you to pay more than the initial sum was.
 

Asya_D

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Nov 3, 2020
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Hi, everyone! Thanks for posting replies to my post. I’ve found quite a lot of useful tips here. We really don’t give up the idea of conceiving naturally. However, we haven’t got any positive result yet. This is the main reason why we continue thinking about egg donation. I know that if we use a donor egg the baby won’t be genetically mine. I agree that it’s quite difficult to find two identical women on the Earth. However, it doesn’t mean that I won’t love my baby because of this. I’m going to give him all the warmth of my heart. We talked about this with the clinic’s reps. They told us that they have a large database of egg donors. They usually use a special software to find an egg donor for the particular DE IVF. If you sign up a contract with them, you’ll be able to see a 3D photo of the woman. This is the way they choose egg donors. What do you think about it?

I don't know if you still check this forum, but I will write this for informational purpose for the ones who seeks info as well.
I had my daughter at 30 with no issues - got pregnant quite fast, we've tried a few months, and got our "positive" test.
Then we tried to have the second kid almost right after our daughter (9 months in), and couldn't.
I had 4 miscarriages after that, and in August 2019 my GYN said my AMH was 0.1, and my only option was IVF. I had no genetic disorders, no health issues, and all my nutrients were fine too (Vit D, iron, calcium, protein - all good!)

As I am personally against the procedure, I made my peace for not having the second child. Just for the sake of recovery, I did some fasting and cleansing diet, I went to see an acupuncture specialist. The next month I was pregnant with our son. One thing I did different this time - I took progesterone vaginally since day 1 of pregnancy up until 12 weeks. I have a little 7 months old boy sleeping in the next room now.

So ladies, don't give up on your journey.
 

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