NEW - scared with high FSH low AFC

[bigboy09]

DS MENTIONED BELOW

Hello - i wanted to introduce myself. im somewhat new to the nitty gritty of IF so please bare with me. also, it seems like this is the most active board? i looked at some others and the posts dates seem very old.
anyways, i am going to be 32 june 1 and have DOV. my FSH at CD3 came back at 12.3 (SO nervous for the next cycle's number) and my AFC was 8. i got the AMH draw yesterday - im sure it wont be good either. and it seems that just isnt a good recipe for IVF, based on what i have read. - almost like im better off just doing TI. however my RE wants me to do a round or two of clomid and then move to IVF, given that the other tests (SHG, sperm analysis) comes back okay, as the rest of my hormone values were fine. The reason he wants me to do clomid is because 3 years ago, i had hypothalamic ammenorrhea. i didnt ovulate for 6 months. i had to gain a little weight, then i resumed ovulating. the first month i resumed ovulating my RE gave me clomid, and i got pregnant with my son. at the time, my FSH was 5.5 but he thinks maybe the hypothalamic ammenorrhea was masking the true number, as even back then my AFC was 9.
fast forward 3 years later, my husband and i decide to TTC in january..i got pregnant but m/c at 5.5 weeks. im in the middle of my 3rd cycle post m/c now, when i learned i have DOV. im just really sad/scared, etc and worried that IVF wont even work given my stats. and my RE wants to give clomid a small shot first, since i got pregnant with my son....he keeps saying i "responded" but to me, it's like okay, i had ONE mature follie at 17.5mm when i started to surge. guess it was the luckiest fluke of my life given that i got my son. but to me that's not really responding on clomid. now i understand that he probably means "well, your ovaries didnt shut down on the clomid and you did get an egg out - which is huge for DOV".
....im just wondering if anyone is familar with DOV and can share their thoughts/experiences? and if my message has a few typos im sorry, ive got this netbook that is really slow. thanks : )

[DCRunningMama]

Hi--I was 31 (nearly 32) when I was diagnosed with DOR based on my AMH levels (1.1) and my antral follicle count (7-9). My FSH and E2 levels were normal. I am now 33 and very early into a pregnancy from my 5th IVF. Just because you have DOR does not mean that you can't get pregnant. It just means that you have fewer eggs in response to stimulating drugs. I have seen some women with DOR that have gotten pregnant no problems, despite making a few number of eggs. The biggest factor in quality of eggs is age, so you have time on your side. This being said, I would be more aggressive with your treatments.

Unfortunately for me, it took 5 rounds of IVF and 10 transfered embryos to find the right embryo. On each cycle I would only make 6-9 eggs and would only have 2-3 embryos. Most were really high quality embryos that would make it to Day 5, but never "stuck." This last round of IVF, I had only 6 eggs, 4 were mature and only 2 fertilized. We transferred them both back and I am now pregnant (hopefully).

I think there is a big difference between being diagnosed with DOR in your early 30s versus your early 40s. Hopefully, age will be on your side.

[bigboy09]

thanks for responding. im going to be nervous for my next CD3 FSH draw and im already nervous about the results of my AMH draw. honestly though if i have a number over 1 im going to be really happy...i would have been happy with a 1.1 AMH draw! (that's on the ng/ml scale right?).
my RE seems to think i have a 50% chance of a successful IVF right now. a little lower if my AMH is terrible. but bc i got pregnant the first cycle we TTC three years ago, he is more optimistic? and bc the first month we TTC this year i got pregnant but m/c....so i guess he is thinking that bc of those two things i might have a decent chance? so much is unknown at this time. my sister has the same thing and did IVF when she was 36 and it worked the first cycle - twins. so im kind of optimistic but this could be crushed if my FSH goes higher and my AMH is just awful.
were you getting regular periods? i went off the pill in october bc i wanted to see if i was regular and i was. (i used LH kits and checked CM so husband and i would avoid until after i ovulated). my OB wanted me to wait like a year to go see an RE! but i just wanted to make sure and went to see him anyways and unfortunately, i was right, something was wrong.
congratulations on your pregnancy. good luck. im sure you are on pins and needles and "checking" all the time to see if things are okay. i would tell you to relax but im sure it's just so hard. good luck. have a happy healthy pregnancy : )

[Janinenz]

Hi there
This is my first post and i hope it is useful. Fertility tests and results scan be scary and confusing. The AMH test is the best detector and reflects the true picture of your fertility health. High FSH means to a fertility doctor that you won't respond well to their drugs and may yield very few eggs per IVF cycle. If you have a good AMH test and high FSH..take time out to change your lifestyle. I'm a fertility acupuncturist and have seen FSH drop by treating stress and stimulating the ovaries. This will not change your AMH. A poor AMH however fails to reflect the quality of your eggs. You may have low egg reserve, but better eggs than a younger woman. Your first IVF cycle gives you info on quality. A six week course of DHEA may help the FSH so that you will respond better in IVF and get better eggs. You are still young and can still try on your own for a while. Think about the life style bit maybe. And best wishes!!