IVF Advice for low AMH- so confused

[Jane1284]

Hello- I am new to this stressful world of IVF decisions and would really appreciate some advice from those of you who have more knowledge and experience than myself. Long story short, I am 35 and have been TTC for 9 months. Came off the pill in December but don't think I properly started ovulating until around May as i was on the pill for around 20 years. Went for the 6 month checks with my doctor which were all fine and was referred to the fertility clinic for additional tests. They informed me last week that i have a low AMH number (4.6) and due to this i should start IVF. It all came as a bit of a shock since both my sister and mother have gotten pregnant multiple times in their mid 30s very easily. After doing the usual thing of googling low AMH and discovering that it is an indication that IVF won't work well and that my body may not respond to IVF drugs well i have become even more confused.

I am now questioning whether i should keep trying naturally while focusing on improving egg quality through diet and lifestyle or whether i am foolish to waste any time with such a low AMH number. I feel so confused and keep changing my mind every 5 minutes. I know it takes 3-4 months for egg quality to improve so part of me wants to wait until early next year to start IVF to give myself the best chance but with such a low number is every month waiting reducing my chances? Does it make sense to get the IVF ball rolling now rather wait?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated! x

Hi lovely! I'm 30 and found out a few months ago I have an AMH of 4 and an antral follicle count of 4 total. Ivf isn't that speedy. We've transferred our NHS funding to a private clinic and have our first appt booked for 5th October. We found out at the start of August. Since then I've lost weight, taking a ton of vitamins but I still don't feel I can weight. I worry the AMH may drop further. So I'm taking the personal decision to take control and start IVF. And hope... A friend with an even lower AMH (and older) is doing natural modified IVF with CREATE. Which is different to your standard ivf. Hopefully your egg quality is good with your age.

@jane1284 I had an AMH of 5.7 and I was sent away to try naturally for another 3 months. After that it was retested and it had dropped alarmingly fast to 2.1. With the benefit of hindsight I wish I'd just got started straight away and you don't know how many rounds of IVF it will take so the sooner the better

Thank you both for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate your responses and it makes me feel slightly less alone when it feels like everyone around me is getting pregnant with no troubles...

@Vea1601 That is a very good point. They have told me it is a 6-8 week to just get started. There is always the appeal of
going private but worried the cost will build up if i need many rounds. I've had a look at Create and they sound like a good option for low AMH however i am tempted to try a round of regular IVF first on the NHS to see how i respond to the medication/stimulation. I hope your appointment goes well for you in October and your IVF journey is successful.

@Weswoo Wow that must have been such a shock. I am very sorry you had to go through that and i really hope you are having a better experience now. Very good advice. I am going to get started.

It's such a difficult decision. When we told my mother in law she said "don't do nothing and regret it in a few years time". She never gives an opinion on anything. Which has always frustrated me. So when she said that I listened a bit...

This is exactly what i needed to hear to encourage me to start the process. I would hate to leave it a few months and find out I am in an even worse position. At least now I can feel proactive. I have spoken with my clinic just now and I am booked in for tests and scans end of Oct early Nov with a view to starting my first cycle end of Nov (all going to plan).

We'll probably be quite in synch then with our first rounds :) keep in touch xx

@Jane1284 it is a good plan to start with the NHS if you can get on with it relatively quickly to see how you respond. If you do end up going private there are companies that do finance packages for multiple cycles that will refund a certain percentage if unsuccessful (Access Fertility for example).

Good luck xx

I would do both. Get the ball rolling and try naturally too.

My amh was 2.8 age 34 so I was in a similar position.

However I’ve been pregnant 3 times since then- once through Ivf and 2 natural pregnancies. The ivf worked first time and One if the natural pregnancies was after 1 month trying.

Studies have shown that low amh does not impact natural conception if that’s the only issue. Also it doesn’t mean that ivf can’t work- I only had 2 eggs and 1 embryo and my expectations were through the floor as we were told that it was unlikely that it would work.

Egg quality is everything,

Good luck.

@Vea1601 yes! Will do. Hopefully we are both very lucky and it goes well for us.

@Weswoo Thank you- that is definitely something i will look into!

@Ilikeviognier Thanks. That's the plan. I am starting with a naturopath this weekend with the aim to get my eggs in top condition over the next few months. I really hope they are in a decent condition already. I am so glad to hear your conceived naturally with low AMH too. I did read a study on the NHS wesbite about AMH/natural conception which was encouraging.

I keep telling myself it only takes one egg. Trying to stay positive!

@Jane1284 did you have an antral follicle count done too? My scan showed low follicles and also "quiet" ovaries

@Vea1601 Pretty sure i have very low AFC too. i had my consultation over the phone sat in the car on the side of a busy road so my notes are pretty rubbish but i vaguely remember her saying something about two follicles which seems very low so i am trying to tell myself i just didn't hear her properly. I was also still in shock about my low AMH so I wasn't paying much attention. Oh well. Will have my next scan on 29th Oct so hopefully will have a better number of follicles by then or at least pay more attention to what they tell me!

@Jane1284 I had 2 on each ovary so 4 in total. They said 2+2 to me. I think 15 is an ideal number so either 2 or 4 is pretty low. We have our age in our favour. Fingers crossed they're good quality eggs. You can't improve AMH but can improve quality a bit I think. I'm taking Ubiquinol, royal Jelly and bee Propolis to help. God knows if they do...

@Jane1284 @Vea1601 don't worry too much about one low AFC reading - mine went from 2 one month to 7 the next so it does vary!

Also on the supplements point, low vitamin D can give an artificially low AMH reading so make sure you are supplementing. I take it in spray form.

@Vea1601it's That's very true- it's all about focusing on that egg quality now. I am currently on royal jelly, Omega 3, CoQ10 and a prenatal vitamin. I'm seeing a naturopath this Saturday for the first time so expecting her to add to that list. Who knows if it helps but at least we are trying! I have seen fertility bloggers suggest cutting out so many things including caffeine, alcohol, gluten, soy, dairy and sugar. I think that may be a step too far for me but I may be singing a different tune in a few months!

@Weswoo thanks for that. Really encouraging. I was told you can't improve your AMH but then see a few people saying theirs has varied and gone up. Interesting on the vitamin D. I will look into it, especially going into winter.