Low AMH at 27 IVF

[StargazerLillyPie]

Hi everyone,

Have used mumsnet so much over the last year but this is my first post. I'm currently 27 years old and have an AMH of only 2.4. I started mild IVF last month but unfortunately BFN. About to start round 2 (have paid for 3 cycles) and am more terrified than ever it's not going to work and I am running out of time. I don't know anyone my age going through IVF so reaching out for some sisterly support during, what seems like, an incredibly bleak time of my life.

Sending lots of love and positivity to anyone going through this x

Hi @StargazerLillyPie I'm 30 and have a low AMH and antral follicle count. Not going to lie I was so shocked. We'd been trying for a long time but I just thought it was bad luck!! We're you advised clomid before your rounds or straight to ivf? We haven't started our round yet but hopefully soon!! My friends doing natural modified with a low AMH. Unfortunately i think we do respond poorer than most because of our AMH. But there are success stories out there xx

Hiya @vea1601 sorry to hear you're also experiencing a similar situation. What is your AMH if you don't mind me asking? Have you considered Create? I am with them currently and they are fantastic.

No clomid advised as we went straight to ivf due to male factor (match made in fertility heaven ey!)

Wishing your friend lots of luck. I've actually responded quite well to the medication given my low AMH and for round 2 looking like i'll get 8 eggs! xx

My AMH is a little higher at 4. Antral follicle count 2. I have considered CREATE as my friend is very happy with them, but we qualify for NHS funding for 3 rounds. We can do those rounds at CARE fertility so we've moved there. We decided to do the nhs funded route first and hope for the best!! Best of luck with your treatment. Egg quality is at least on our side at our age!! I'm very lucky that my husbands sample was excellent in all areas. I'm just trying not to dwell and ignore everyone else's surprise pregnancies!!

@StargazerLillyPie
Hi Lovely, I’m 29 and also have low AMH! My AMH was 6.09 last check but it’s probably dipped by now. I’m in the middle of my first IVF with ICSI cycle (we have MFI issues too) and I got 5 eggs, 4 of which have fertilised and we’re waiting on growth reports now.
You are not alone - our time is reduced compared to others but do not panic about running out of time. There are so many protocols they can try and tests that can do to help.
If you ever want to chat - just PM me xx

@StargazerLillyPie I'm so sorry this is your situation at such a young age. I have an AMH of 2.1 at 34 years old. My consultant is very adamant that age is the most important factor so hoping that helps you. She's confident about my situation and I'm 7 years older than you. Good luck with the next cycle let us know how it goes!x

Hi everyone, so what seemed as a great second cycle has ended in disaster :(

My clinic recommended I change my protocol to buseralin and bemfola which worked and I had over 18 follicles, but my nurse panicked & thought I was going to ovulate and put me on cetrotide too. So I was taking all 3 injections each day! this made some of my follicles stop growing or even reduce.

They got 12 eggs (only had 3 last time!) so I was really happy until the call to say only 5 fertilized (all 3 did last time) and now all grade 3 on day 3 so this cycle is pretty much over :(

I'm so upset and have no idea what caused such bad quality this time (last cycle they were 8 cell and 7 cell day 3 both grade 2). Do you think it could be the protocol?

Hope you are all getting on ok? Just shows that even with low AMH can still get lots of eggs! And even though i'm young can still be poor quality :(

Can't help but feel like I have only months left with such a low AMH xxx

@bobblehatwobble how did your embies get on? I have my fingers crossed for you xx

@StargazerLillyPie
Hi 💕
So I had two embryos put back on day 3, one grade 1 and one grade 2. We decided to put them back early because it they’re going to make it to blast my clinic says they’ll do that inside you or not inside you. There’s no much difference, especially with low numbers. The other two made it to blastocyst on day 5 but weren’t good enough grade to freeze. I currently have zero symptoms apart from tiredness but I’m only 4dt3dt so it’s early days.
Are you having your low graders put back? Did they offer you a 3 day transfer? I’ve heard of lots of bfps with low grade embryos.
I reckon it could be your protocol that has done it - something doesn’t sound quite right with all the injections. Can you ask your consultant? Xxxx

Gosh I’ve just read that back and clearly another symptom is not being able to type correctly!

@bobblehatwobble
Wow that's amazing, how many cells were they? We can't do transfer as we opted to do 2 frozen cycles and my nurse said the protocol I was on has left lots of fluid on my lining :( I have a follow up with my consultant next week so will see what they say.

Good news they all made it to blasto - what grade were they? definitely good sign that your others will make it being better quality. Have my fingers crossed for you xx

These are the little embies that we transferred. One was an 8 cell and the other was an early blasto. Apparently they looked pretty good so I’m hopeful.
I didn’t ask what grade the other two were - I was quite upset about it and wanted to get off the phone. I just wanted to mourn as I guess their grade didn’t matter. One of them was only a four cell on day 3 so I knew that one wouldn’t be good enough.
Tbh I’m hopeful but I know what the odds are for women like us and I have to be realistic.

What’s your plan for what to do next? My fiancé and I have had to talk about it at length because my time is running out to a certain extent. It’s such a unique experience being under 30 going through IVF, I get told all the time how young I am but it never makes it any easier. Xxxx

@Bobblehatwobble did they grade them? They look really good! when do you test? Is it a home one or blood test? I know it's horrible being on the phone to them when you get bad news :( never know how to process the information and get totally overwhelmed just answering the phone. I found the 2WW the hardest, I couldn't let myself think positively at all.

I am going again as soon as period starts as we paid for 3 cycles and apparently it's better doing them B2B while more follicles are 'awake' - we have pretty much maxed out all of our finances after that, we may have enough to squeeze in another but just so scared, I know if I don't keep going as much as I can in the next year my chance will be gone. My AMH is so low but I can't find anywhere that tells me how long I have left :( every scan I get so worried they won't find anything! xxx

@Bobblehatwobble oh and totally agree, the amount of people that have said to me 'You're young you have plenty of time' is too many to count! :( it breaks my heart every time.

My clinic grade the opposite way around (So like their 1 is other clinics 5) but basically one was the best quality you can get, no fragmentation etc. The other was not as good but still ok. A lot of the time grading is less important - I’ve seen women with very low grade embryos get BFP and have children. Sometimes it’s just luck of the draw.

It’s a home test I have to do then go from there. I’m so anxious about doing the home test - I’ve still got some hope at the moment and I know as soon as I test that will disappear. As much as the ignorance is difficult, the reality if it doesn’t work is not something I want to face. I like living in the what ifs and dreams stage at the moment.

You’re a hero doing the cycles back to back, you’re so brave. I know how difficult they are and of course I’d do the same if I had to (I HATE it when people say ‘oh I could not do what you’re doing’ like it’s a bloody choice of ours) just hope you recognise that what you’re doing is really brave and a testament to your strength.

Well when I spoke to our consultant he said that they don’t really know about time scales. Your AMH could plummet or it could stay the same. Unless the find the underlying reason why it is happening they can’t predict it. I did find an article online somewhere about helping you predict it based on levels and symptoms. I can’t remember where it was online.
Did you have any symptoms of peri menopause?

If this cycle doesn’t work, we’re going to do one more round (we can afford 4 more rounds - NHS won’t accept I have infertility) with my own eggs and then we’re moving to egg donation abroad. That was a really difficult decision to make, lots of tears and therapy over that one.
Have you thought about egg donation possibilities? Absolutely fine to say no or I don’t want to talk about that possibility yet etc, I totally totally understand. Xxx

I know what you mean, you just want to keep hold of that feeling knowing the embryo is inside you for as long as possible!

Thank you so much for your kind words, it's really nice to hear it. It's honestly so nice to talk to somebody in the same position, it's been such a whirlwind as we only really found out about it all 8 weeks ago and have done 2 rounds of IVF in that time already, it's the only way I can deal with it though, just to keep doing something to try.

When I found out about low AMH, one of my aunties told me my nan was 42 when she went into menopause so i'm guessing that's the cause. I literally had no idea and my parents had never really thought about it - I was devasted. I don't think I have any symptoms, I'm not sure what they are though so will have a google.

How come NHS won't accept it? I have tried to talk Husband about other options but he's not in a place where he wants to talk about it yet, he has very severe MF too so we kind of agreed if it's one of us it's both and we would adopt, although I would still consider donor eggs if it becomes an option for us as I have always wanted to be pregnant and be a mum! I honestly still can't believe its happening, it feels like a bad dream :( We are still young though so that is on our side for now! xxx

I completely understand - I found out at the end of June and have gone from there to here so quickly. We also had to change clinics in that time because our first one was appalling. I do know what you mean - I feel more in control now we’re doing IVF because at least I can physically do something to help as opposed to when I found out and I cried for days because I didn’t know what to do and I couldn’t control any of it.

My mum went through menopause at 34 after my dad died so they reckon there’s a genetic link with me and her. They think that when we experience stress (I have a super stressful job) that it depletes our egg reserve.
My only symptom was that my cycles shortened and I started spotting for 3 days before my period was due. They say shortening cycles can be linked to low AMH.

NHS doesn’t take AMH into account! So on paper we’ve not been trying long enough and my fiancé’s MFI isn’t bad enough to fast track us. (His samples are always variable on motility and morphology - sometimes they’re acceptable and sometimes they’re terrible). He’s very funny about discussing his sperm results - I think men can be quite precious about their sperm as it links to masculinity (wrongly!) in some of their eyes. By the time the NHS will take us based on how long we’ve been trying, it’ll probably be too late and my AMH will be lower than they will accept.

You will be a Mum, I absolutely guarantee you will be. Genetics do not make you a Mum. My Dad isn’t genetically related to me and he’s my favourite person (apart from my fiancé) so in the long run it isn’t the be all and end all. Xxx

Oh my heart breaks for you 💔 it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced.

Now you mention it, every other month I would have a 27 day cycle, and when I went for my scan that ovary only had 2 Follicles whereas the other had 5 so that does make sense - less eggs to choose from I guess!

You’ve produced some very good quality embies so have every reason to believe you’ll be a mum too please keep me updated I am rooting for you! Xxxx

Hi @StargazerLillyPie
Just wanted to come back and update - I got a BFP so for now, the IVF has worked. We won’t know whether everything is okay for another couple of weeks but trying to stay positive.

Goes to show that us low amhers can do it - Have you started your next cycle yet? How are you? Xxx

@Bobblehatwobble yay so pleased for you! That is amazing news 🥰

Have to skip a cycle this time as I have a few cysts so have a while to wait now 😔xxx

Maybe that will be a good thing to give your body time to settle and then be extra ready for the process again, a clean slate almost.
I have read that lymphatic massage is good for clearing your body of toxins and balancing hormones. Could help calm things down? I had them before starting IVF to try sort out my bizzare cycle symptoms/ovary pain and it did help.
Always here to chat if you need an understanding ear to listen xxxx

@Bobblehatwobble congratulations, so pleased for you. So nice to hear of other low AMH-ers getting a BFP. We've also just been told we're not eligible for IVF on the NHS as AMH is too low. Starting IUI this month, my husbands sperm is fine so the consultant said it was worth a shot, but thinking about IVF next month. Would you recommend your clinic for low AMH? Are they London based? Also did you do natural / mild IVF? Sorry for all the questions! Good luck over the next couple of weeks let us know how it goes x

@Dbop100 Hey 👋
So I did a short antagonist protocol so not natural or mild. If I’m completely honest with you (and this is in no way indicative of your chances) but our clinic is good for low AMH and our consultant is very blunt and very frank. He advised us against IUI and mild/natural as they said that we (with our own personal circumstances) had less than 5% chance with those options. We had 20% with normal IVF so we went with that. They’re especially good with younger women like us, focusing on quality and will use ICSI based on the sample on the day (even if your husbands sperm is fine most days, they’ll double check all of them and if there’s even a fraction of a chance they won’t fertilise through IVF they’ll use ICSI there and then to ensure you get sperm in egg) which helped us immensely.
They have lots of protocols - there’s a woman at my clinic with low AMH who I speak to and she’s just had 7 eggs collected which was more than me with a lower AMH because of the protocol (Short flare protocol) they tried with her. I can’t recommend my clinic enough but it is in Eastbourne. We travelled to it and I don’t regret it for a second.
They always make time for you, the receptionists are so knowledgable and you always deal with the same nurses so they know you. They use extras like embryo glue which we used and communication is excellent.
Quality over quantity is the most important thing. If you have any more questions I’m happy to answer them! X

Just sharing a quick update. Had a lymphatic massage yesterday, felt amazing, thank you so much for the recommendation @Bobblehatwobble I hope you are doing ok?

We got some news that we now have 2 frozen 1 7 cell day 3 and 1 day 6 grade 4 Blasto which is good! Just waiting for my ovarian cysts to settle down before starting cycle 3.

Have been looking up embryo glue and endo scratch - my clinic doesn't recommend but what are your thoughts on this helping? Will try everything I can, given the situation, it feels pointless to wait for 'repeated implantation failure' knowing I don't have long left! xxx
x

Hey @StargazerLillyPie! So good to hear from you!

I’m so pleased you had one - they really are fantastic and work wonders on hormone balance. I used to have mine every fortnight and can’t wait to get back to them! I’m alright - had a couple of scares RE: the pregnancy but had a scan yesterday - only one sac/yolk sac but too early for a heartbeat yet so we’re keeping everything crossed for good news at our next scan in a couple of weeks time.

That’s fantastic that you’ve got a couple frozen!!! What great news!! I didn’t manage any in the freezer so that’s such a win!

I had embryo glue. I had two embryos put back and by the looks of things it worked with one and not the other but I’d still use it again in a heartbeat. Lots of places won’t do a scratch until you’ve had 3 failures but again, if it will make you feel better than id say definitely push for it.

Keeping everything crossed for you that those pesky cysts disappear xx

@Bobblehatwobble Hiya lovely, did you have your second scan? Have been thinking of you!

My cysts all cleared up, I definitely putting it down to the massage, thank you again. My cycle 3 starts this week - I have had so many conversations with doctors around timescales with my situation, they often say that I need to 'bank my eggs' if only they released how much just 3 cycles has cost us! Anyway, fingers crossed, you have given me so much faith.

Take care & I hope you have some good news and a lovely Christmas on the way xxx