Just quickly I am with SIVF too, and have just done an antagonist cycle, flare cycles are also available with them as my FS considered them but decided an antagonist one woudl be better for me.
My FSH reading of 9.7 produced three egggs which were of good quality producing one blastie. ET didn't happen since I have to test for a genetic condition and the one blastie unfortunately was affected.
Given that Tigga reports her levels bouncing around maybe it would be worthwhile if you do another test? With the flare cycle they normally test your levels on CD2 and then decide whether to start or not depending on the readings.
Sara69 - how frustrating to get a good embryo only to have it affected. Will you be doing another cycle? fingers crossed for you if you do.
Baby Dreamtime - how have you found your experience at Sharkey's? I've heard so much about it - but never gone there. What's their process & costs? I go to a naturopath and I wonder if it's not similar.
Rae - Hope you are well.
Dusty - Thanks for your post. It's always reassuring to read something and think, "hey, that's how I felt too" - it normalises this crazy experience. I too, never thought I'd be doing IVF. DH & I had happily resolved to a child-free life (after 18 years of no contraception and not one BFP - ever!). Then a surprise BFP, which ended in M/C shook our resolve and world up and here I am a year down the track contemplating donor. I am learning to never say never
Since my last post...My sister offered me her eggs. She's 37 this year - we're going to explore this option - I thought her age would prevent her being a donor but clinic didn't rule her out??? She already has children, youngest is 8 months - maybe that influences their decision. Anyway. I'm not sure yet how I feel about donor - but am processing the idea at the moment. Truth be known, I still have my fingers crossed for low FSH in Feb so that I can at least give it one go on my own. AF is due Mid Feb.
This week, I point blank asked my FN if I'm wasting my time and should I just move on with donor option her response was along the lines of "We only measure the FSH of women who have infertility, but who knows how many pregnant women had elevated FSH levels on Day 2/3". Fair point. I can pin some hope on that for a little while longer.
Tigga: keeping fingers crossed for you that you can do a cycle. Your sister as a egg donor sounds like a very generous offer too. My next AF is due Feb 20 and I'll also do an FSH test and then will see if I can start.
If you are interested in Sharkey's I would recommend only going with Stacey Roberts, as out of the 3 other consultants I have seen she is by far the best. The consult is around $70 for an hour, and the herbs are around $70. They go over your temp charts if you have them, your history, lifestyle, diet, state of mind etc etc and make recommendations as to how to improve your fertility, both you and DH. They mix the herbs on the spot (it is a liquid you take 5ml morning and night), and would be similar to naturapaths however have the ability to put all the herbs in one doses, rather than mulitple tablets. My forumla has about 15 different herbs, depending on what support I need.
For me, this obviously hasn't resulted in helping me achieve a pregnancy up until now, but I do feel that the herbs help put my body in the best possible place to hopefully conceive one day. Might be worth considering. I also take multi vitamins, thyroid support, CQ10, ifolate, antioxidants, fish oil etc on top.
Sara69 - hopefully we can 'cycle' together this month to BFP's!!! I'm feeling positive this time.
Baby Dreamtime - thanks so much for the info on Sharkey's. Sounds alot like what I am currently doing with naturopath & acupuncture so might persist with that until I feel like I need something new. I recently went back to a kinesiologist (I hope that's how you spell it), anyway I saw him in Sept 2007 and he did what they do (very weird) and said that I'd be pregnant within three months. Low and behold in January 2008 by total surprise I got a natural BFP (blighted ovum but still a BFP). My DH thinks it's all a bit weird and that it's all in my head - but nothing ventured, nothing gained I say...time will tell. Anyway, I don't have years to trial stuff so I figure I'll put it all out there and hope something works. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed for your FET's.
Rae - if you're reading. I hope you're ok.
Last edited by Astrolady; February 7th, 2009 at 06:48 PM.
Tigga: How did you go this month? Also just read "Inconceivable" by Julia Indichova ( Thank you baby Dreamtime!) so kind of ironic that my FSH just got even worse - maybe I shoudl try the Wheatgrass?
Baby Dreamtime: Did your FSh level improve due to Sharkey's herb?
Rae: have you made a decision?
AFM Went for BT this morning and my FSH came back with 13, my doctors says she thinks I should wait a month and see if it gets better but it seems that I can go ahead with the antagonist cycle if I want to.
As you know from my other posts last time my FSH was 9.7 which they considered borderline but advised to go ahead, it turned out I had three eggs, one blastie, the blastie was affected and I didn't get to ET.
I am wondering if I should go ahead anyway as I am afraid the FSH might come back even worse next month? Was thinking that as soon as I have the first ultrasound we'll see anyway what the situation is and can cancel then if it's bad?
I'll turn 40 in June and don't feel I have can loose any more time.
Hope you all have a good weekend and thanks for letting me know your thoughts.
Sorry to hear about your FSH, I hope you can come to a decision about what to do this cycle.
Re Sharkey's herbs, I had already been taking them for approx a year give or take a few months, before I had my first FSH base line BT done, which was 12 at the time. So I have no way of knowing if it had had any effect. I have continued to take the herbs over the last year and a half, I think my last FSH in Nov last year was around 8. So something has brought it down. I think I mentioned in the past that Stacey Roberts from Sharkeys had a patient who had an FSH of 150, and after treatment this was brought down. It might be worth giving them a call. I don't know that they will be 100% of the solution, but surely it will help.
I too also heard about daily shots of wheat grass, I read some where a study where infertile animals (I think it was cows) were given wheat grass, causing them to become fertile again. I think I also read somewhere about daily fresh vegetable juice.
I agree with the others in that your FS should know what is the best way to treat high FSH, however I also believe that natural remedies can make all the difference.
Good luck with what ever you decided. Big hugs, xx
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