Dhea-Ghost

[Nadia123]

Hi,

I've read a lot about the benefits of dhea for older women, in that it improves the success of IVF.
But, I wonder if the supplement should be taken if I have an elevated testosterone level normally. Would I still see the same benefits or would it harm the quality of my eggs?
Thanks,
Nadia

[Ghost]

Hi,

I've read a lot about the benefits of dhea for older women, in that it improves the success of IVF.
But, I wonder if the supplement should be taken if I have an elevated testosterone level normally. Would I still see the same benefits or would it harm the quality of my eggs?
Thanks,
Nadia

The jury is out on DHEA. Maybe it helps, but more and better studies are needed to find out. Many doctors are not convinced yet.

I'm not sure it harms egg quality, nor am I sure it helps egg production. Maybe, but the published evidence is not yet convincing.

If you already have elevated T, why would you need DHEA? Is that like pouring gasoline on a fire?

[Nadia123]

Thanks Ghost.

One more question, is there anything I can do to lower my FSH level and improve the quality of my eggs?
I've read about bee pollen and wheatgrass etc. what do you think?
Thanks,
Nadia

[Ghost]

Thanks Ghost.

One more question, is there anything I can do to lower my FSH level and improve the quality of my eggs?
I've read about bee pollen and wheatgrass etc. what do you think?
Thanks,
Nadia

I doubt any of that matters.

FSH is not so much an indicator of quality as of quantity. With young healthy follicles, the pituitary does not need to produce as much FSH to stimulate them. As the follicles age, fewer follicles are produced and the pituitary (through the hypothalamus) senses their decline and increases the FSH. Quality declines with age, too, and therefore correlates with rising FSH, but I have not heard any convincing evidence that the rising FSH harms the eggs. Maternal age is the underlying factor driving both egg quality and egg quantity. But sometimes we get older patients with great eggs, just very few of them. Their FSH is high because of the small quantity, despite the good quality. We also sometimes get young patients with low FSH that produce many eggs of low quality.

You cannot reverse the age, of course. But follicle production varies randomly from one month to the next. You might have 5 one month and 10 the next. It's reasonable that, in a given month when you produce more follicles (by chance), the pituitary will sense the extra follicles and produce less FSH at that moment. I've seen no proof of this, but it makes physiologic sense. If true, then yes, a lower FSH this month could be an indicator of a better-than-your-average month for follicle development and egg yield.

There are some looking into growth hormone for improving egg quality. It actually seems to help a little. My clinic has not yet tried it.