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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Did any of you that are pregnant have low ovarian reserve?

28 replies

LivMay · 14/05/2019 06:22

Anyone here still become pregnant with low ovarian reserve? I’ve just been told my AMH levels are quite low (5-8) and I just don’t know if we should spend the $$ for IVF or keep trying naturally. What did you do?

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Crustyjugglers · 14/05/2019 06:39

LivMay I don't remember having that test (although it was all a bit of a blur back then!) as was diagnosed with POF at 38 and had a "manual" count of my eggs by ultrasound. I had next to none and wasn't a suitable candidate for IVF with own eggs. After initially discounting the idea of DE IVF, a year later, after much soul searching, we decided to go for it. It's the best decision we've ever made. I sit writing this with my four month old snoozing on my boob! From the second I found out I was pregnant, she felt like "mine".
Best of luck on your journey.xFlowers

Original poster
LivMay · 14/05/2019 06:43

Thanks for sharing Crustyjugglers! And congratulations on your little one 😃

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Lauren83 · 14/05/2019 06:46

I am, my AMH is 2 (pmol/ml) I'm 34 weeks pregnant now. DS1 is 16 months and was the result of donor eggs after 5 cycles of IVF with own eggs and donor eggs, I caught naturally when he was 8 months, I only have 1 tube too

ml3jp · 14/05/2019 06:59

I was told I had low AMH levels which I spent 2 years worrying about although I didn’t do anything about it. We conceived without any problems though so I wish I’d never known that!

notoafternoontea · 14/05/2019 07:05

I have two children and had an AMH of 2.65 when I was tested. That was in 2011 so I don’t know how much emphasis clinics on it now. My first child was as the result of IVF (3rd fresh cycle, I also had a failed frostie) and my second arrived all by herself 16 months after the first!

Don’t give up.

HungryForSnacks · 14/05/2019 07:12

I had fertility tests done almost 3 years ago and was told AMH levels were 8.2

Since then we've conceived naturally three times. Two pregnancies have resulted in miscarriage unfortunately but I don't think that's related to the lower reserve.

Rememberallball · 14/05/2019 07:18

My AMH was recorded as being 1.85pmol/ml and I was told my only option was donor egg ivf as the low result was also indicative that what few eggs I would produce would also be poor quality and, if by some miracle I did get pregnant using my own eggs, I would be far more likely to be diagnosed with severe chromosomal abnormalities than women with a better reserve. And, because of my age, I wasn’t entitled to any NHS treatment or support so would need to go private if I wanted children.

That was 4+ years ago. DH and I decided to go abroad for DE IVF and are currently approaching 20 weeks with our precious twins conceived during our second cycle of treatment.

Sessy19 · 14/05/2019 08:27

@LivMay, how old are you. An AMH level of 5-8 isn’t always low from my understanding....normal reserves are indicated by levels over 6 pmol/l... unless your measurements are in a different unit x

PetraRabbit · 14/05/2019 11:16

Yes. AMH of around 1.5- "very low" (level was tested 3 days before my BFP only a few weeks ago when I'd tested with a view to considering IVF). Personally I think AMH isn't a perfect guide to who will get pregnant or how quickly. FYI- I don't have premature ovarian failure- I had a baby at nearly 42 and I'm now 10 weeks pg and if it goes ok I'll be 44.5 at the birth. I'm not sure if my AMH is low, average or high for my age. I've been googling and can't find an answer to that.

Teddybear45 · 14/05/2019 11:18

I read somewhere that with low AMH the chances of a natural conception (if you are younger than 40) can often be higher than IVF. However before you discount IVF altogether it’s best to get them to look at your hormone levels - all clinics have different AMH baselines and are often willing to relax them if you are younger or have other positive markers that suggest IVf might work.

Original poster
LivMay · 14/05/2019 17:27

Thanks so much for sharing everyone. And sorry I posted this wrong - my AMH is 4.7 and my AFC is 5-8. These are also Canadian scale which I believe is different from US and other countries.

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Original poster
LivMay · 14/05/2019 17:30

I’ve heard people with low AFC can still conceive and people with high AFC sometimes can’t conceive - so it doesn’t help much lol! We have a 4 years old that desperately wants a sibling so it’s tempting to go the IVF route but would prefer to conceive naturally. Just a hard decision when the clock is ticking and my eggs get older.

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Original poster
LivMay · 14/05/2019 17:33

Sessy19 - I just turned 34. And sorry my AFC is 5-8 and AMH is 4.7. So I guess it would be lower than normal

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Sessy19 · 14/05/2019 19:51

@LivMay, if ‘normal’ range for AMH is between 6-20, then you’re not really low. As per other PPs, you could conceive naturally with much lower levels.

And as for your follicles, 5-8 is not too bad, even if that is for both ovaries. I had a measurement of ‘less than 8’, and I’m pregnant.

So, overall, I think you have as good a chance as many women our age. Would you consider seeing a good fertility clinic to get a reasonable evaluation of your chances? Would that help you? An assessment isn’t committing all your dollar, but could be invaluable in terms of whether to keep trying without intervention. Has your partner had a sperm analysis also?

Nogravyforyou · 14/05/2019 20:06

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought AMH was the measure of the hormone that stimulates your follicles rather than your egg reserve. I only say that as I have read of cases where an AMH level has increased, and you can change the number of eggs you have in your body.
The woman I know of that has raised AMH levels is called Siobhan Kehoe but is based in Ireland so probably no good to most of ye. Her website has some testimonials on it, fertilitytreatment.ie. She is a herbalist and acupuncturist but is a trained midwife.

Sessy19 · 14/05/2019 20:21

Raised AMH (over 20, by a lot I think) indicates polycystic ovary syndrome. It’s a marker for ovarian or follicular reserve.

Original poster
LivMay · 14/05/2019 23:06

@Sessy19 this would be a separate appointment with the specialist called evaluation or assessment? We just had our first appointment and the specialist just blew through it and told us what was wrong (AFC, AMH) and to get my tubes checked and consider trying IVF.
It’s all so overwhelming and I don’t want to gamble with our money or not having a child!
For those of you who had low ovarian reserve, how long did it take you to get pregnant naturally?

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Sessy19 · 15/05/2019 06:51

@Liv, so no one checked sperm yet? That would be the first next step. Because you HAVE a count, you are not at critical low yet, but if your DH has slow swimmers or a low count, it would change the playing field, you get me?

You can both get checked at the same time, whilst continuing to try naturally.

I had a low count, I was pregnant within 2yrs. I’m 37.

nic01234 · 15/05/2019 12:57

Hi @LivMay, hope my experienced is useful...

I had an AMH of 0.9 and a low follicle count when tested at age 35 (out of curiosity, we hadn't started trying but I was concerned about being 'old'). Was strongly pushed towards egg freezing/IVF by testing centre (who of course stood to make a lot of money as a result).

Got my GP to refer me to an unbiased NHS gynaecologist for a second opinion. He told me it wasn't all doom-and-gloom, tested my partners spent count, and told us to try naturally for 6-12 months first.

It took only 3 months of trying for me to get pregnant naturally. Unfortunately that time didn't work out. Started to try again - got pregnant first month trying and now 39 weeks!

So I would say don't be rushed into expensive procedures unless you've been trying for a long time naturally without success. The test results are only part of the story!

Chips4dinneragain · 15/05/2019 13:11

I only had FSH tested and it came back 'borderline' at 9.6, I spent ages reading about ovarian reserve and natural conception and found a very good (recent) price of research that suggested ovarian reserve has little impact on natural conception.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2656811

Chips4dinneragain · 15/05/2019 13:14

Oh and I am currently 9 weeks pregnant, it took 5 cycles of properly 'trying' (after a while of being all relaxed and not tracking etc)

TheGruffalosLoveChild · 15/05/2019 14:00

In Oct 2015 I was told my tests showed I was either going though premature ovarian failure or early menopause (it was a regular GP who called me, not a fertility specialist, so there is a chance he had misunderstood the results. When we finally saw the specialist as we were about to start IVF she seemed less concerned). Fast forward to now, and I am pregnant with my 3rd (naturally conceived) child.

I completely agree with what Sessy19 said. Your partner needs to be tested. I had years of testing, including an operation, before they thought to test DH’s sperm. When we eventually saw the fertility specialist she said that issues with his sperm were actually much more problematic than my issues!

Original poster
LivMay · 15/05/2019 19:31

Yes his sperm has been tested a couple times and is fine. We’ve been trying to conceive for two years with a miscarriage a year ago. I’ve also recently been diagnosed with high gluten intolerance so I think that may be a factor as well.
Thanks for your feedback everyone.
Seems like the consensus is that the numbers don’t really matter unless if you’re impatient to get pregnant!!

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Sessy19 · 16/05/2019 15:19

Are you tracking BBT and ovulation etc? Do you KNOW you’ve been in the conception window for two years? I don’t mean that in a patronising way, just...well, I thought I knew my cycle, how to conceive, we were trying for two years...but I only really nailed it after giving OPKs etc a bash...

Original poster
LivMay · 16/05/2019 17:55

@Sessy19 Yes I’ve been using OPKs - I ovulate 3-4 days early however from when my app says I should be ovulating. Is it worth also tracking BBT when using OPKs?

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