Over 40's TTC lots of baby dust to us all 6

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New thread ladies 💕

Welcome Tiletiletile1. Dhea seems interesting and good reviews but I dont know if it will work for me low amh 0.01and not had a period since last year. But can I ask where do I purchase it from?

I just found the “it starts with the egg”
Page with info about it. It looks like it’s prescription only in the uk, although you can buy online from abroad (she doesn’t recommend it). This is a useful page: itstartswiththeegg.com/faq/dhea-and-egg-health/

I am taking a bunch of supplements already, feeling quite overwhelmed by the ones in “it starts with the egg”. I should probably get my levels checked before I take a lot of random things! Quite tempted to see a private fertility clinic, although it’s very expensive.

Welcome to the thread @gizmo167 & @Tiletiletile1
I've been taking DHEA on and off for my IVF cycles. I found it fine at first but then started to get the pretty unpleasant side effect of painful joints (which I can't find listed as a side effect) but as soon as I stopped taking it, the pain went away. The Cochrane Review article pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26608695/ is interesting.

Evening ladies, I’m 42, single, no DC (yet!) and starting my suppression injections in 12 days for my first IVF cycle. Interested in DHEA, when is best to take it if you do decide to add it to your prenatal vitamins etc?

DHEA needs to be taken continually for at lest 10-12 weeks before it will benefit egg quality (at a dose of 75mg per day). It's not available OTC in the UK but can be bought from America. I use Biovea and delivery takes around 5 weeks.
I get no side effects whatsoever from it, but a lot of ladies do.

Gosh theres alot of important information there on dhea and lots of things to consider. Has anyone on this forum concieved whilst taking that?

@CritterTamer thank you, I won’t worry about It for this cycle then but will think about it for any future ones necessary.

@sunbird24 I don't t think clinics normally recommend it for a first cycle. They'll see how you respond to a standard protocol first, and then if there are issues with egg quality / number they might recommend it (or testosterone gel which is quicker acting)

@CritterTamer thanks again! Reading the info on the links above it doesn’t look like it’d necessarily be recommended for me anyway as my AMH was good. I’ll just see how this cycle goes and ask questions about next steps based on what happens. It’s hard not to try and throw everything at it though isn’t it?!

@sunbird24 yep I know what you mean. My AMH was ok at 10.4 but we only got 2 decentish quality 5 day blasts on round 1 so we added testosterone gel in for the next go and got 4 top quality blasts.

Hi Crittertamer...how do you use the gel?
Is Dhea used only for IVF? Or can anybody take whilst trying to concieve x

I should add that wasn't the only change we made, but there is scientific evidence to back up that it can improve the quality and quantity of the eggs collected.

@Hopefully123 the gel can only be prescribed by a consultant for ivf cycles as its very strong and can only be used for a short time (up to 3 weeks I was told). I'm not aware of anywhere that it can be bought without a prescription. DHEA is a weaker version that can be taken safely for extended periods of time and it can be bought online (not available in the uk though and has to be ordered from America). It isn't good for everyone though so do do some research before you make a decision.

Just booked an appointment into a fertility clinic. Feel quite guilty about the cost, especially since we decided we won’t go down the IVF road as already have two DC (and really can’t afford IVF).

Anyone else gone private but didn’t go down the IVF route?

Tested again this morning, smu using IC & bfn again! Looks like I'm def out, cd31 today, still no sign of spo tting etc!

Regarding dhea, I considered it when I was 40. I had just had a tfmr at 13.5 weeks: hydrops, cystic hygroma (basically fluid all round baby) and later diagnosed as t21 as well. I had my amh measured at age 38 which was good, but I know things can change. I looked into it and all the negative effects, hormonal changes etc and decided to just keep trying in the hope I would find the 'right egg' after a very early miscarriage we did. I'd like to add I did nothing to change my lifestyle, (please don't judge me) I like my red wine and eat reasonably healthy, but not massively so.

I did take folic acid tho

Hi Rubyroost. Are you pregnant now? If so congratulations to you. Just to ask did you take DHEA? I'm thinking of giving it ago as I am 43 years old. What other supplements did are you taking?

@Hopefully123 no I'm not pregnant, nor am I trying. I shouldn't really be on this board anymore. 🤦‍♀️😳 I have a 5 month old, conceived when I was almost 41. I didn't take any supplements apart from folic acid, nor did I change my lifestyle. I looked at the effects of dhea and was particularly worried about the hormonal effects and decided against it

Hi everyone,

I hope you don't mind me joining your group. It is lovely to see the support and advice coming from you all.

I am 44 in a few months and TTC #2. I had a failed IVF when I was 39 and conceived naturally 2 months later when I was 40. Now have a lively 3 year old DD. We really want her to have a sibling and have had two failed IVFs since.

We discovered a male issue before the third IVF and had ICSI where I produce only one follicle and one perfect egg which fertilised normally but didn't implant.

I am at a crossroads - DEs or try ICSI one more time. My consultant mentioned trying DHEA and Ubiquinol as she had seen some great results. I already take Ubiquinol but wanted to know what brand and how much DHEA you take.

Thanks you for taking the time to read this essay and babydust to us all.

Hmmm doesn't look like I've ovulated this month 😩😢 am cd19, got peak opk on CD 14 and 16 but my temps haven't risen

Partner keeps saying there's no point anyway but I say there is as it only takes 1 😢

Guess cycle 13 is unlucky for us then 😢

Hello ladies, I was briefly on this thread last year (hello @Rubyroost how are you?). I’m now 41 with a happy healthy 5 month old baby. He was conceived naturally after a mmc and another early loss. I had a c section in April so have been advised to wait a year but I’m now trying to get my body in the best shape possible to ttc #2 when the time comes. I’m breastfeeding and no AF yet. I’m so scared it won’t come back. Also really worried about my chances now I’m a bit older. Looking forward to chatting! X

Hello @Catconfusion lovely to see you here. Personally, I would ignore the advice about c section and crack on with it. I got pregnant at 5 months post c section, sadly it wasn't to be. But no one blinked an eye lid about previous c section when I turned up to antenatal appts etc. I think it's only a problem if you want a vbac due to risk of uterine rupture l, but if you elect for another c section it shouldn't be an issue. I had no time tp waste which is why I started trying straight away. X

Hey @Rubyroost, how are you getting on? I am in two minds whether to just try although AF hasn’t come back yet. Any tips on that? I’ve dropped the night feed. He’s just so hungry. We’re also weaning with two small meals a day plus two formula top ups. I’m still feeding him a lot as well considering how much he’s eating.

My friend had an emergency section with her first and her uterus split so transfusion and nearly died. She was pregnant 3 months later and had another elective a year to the day with no problems. I guess I’m worried the scar won’t heal up as well as I’m older. So scared of a rupture. Xx

@Catconfusion ahhh I see, sorry I missed that about your period. B feeding didn't stop my periods either time. As soon as the lochia stopped my period started about a month later. I guess the only thing that would ensure a return to regular cycles would be to stop b feeding, which I appreciate is not always an option. I would happily stop b feeding, but he's being fussy with bottles. Lucky you dropping the night feed. He was sleeping 6/7/8 hours a night consistently and since a month ago, he's waking up as early as 1.30, often 3 am and using me as an all night cafe. 😭Last night he refused to go back on his cot after 5 am so I had to spoon him instead, to get him to sleep. 😂