Here is the news I got:
On Tuesday Dr. BFP’s office called me back about my blood test results. The first words nurse smiley used were pre-menopausal. I thought that was mean. I had to push her to get the actual numbers so that I could do my own research. At first she only gave me my AMH (anti-mullerian hormone), after some pushing I also got my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone.) Dr. BFPs diagnosis was diminished ovarian reserve.
Here is what Dr. Go.og.le taught me:
The AMH is a hormone produced by the granulosa cells of the early developing antral follicles. These are the immature eggs that wake up from their dormant state and develop into mature eggs. As a woman runs out of eggs, the number of these small antral follicles decline in number and as a result the serum Anti-Mullerian hormone falls. This is why serum Anti-Mullerian hormone testing is a good estimate of residual egg number.
High (often PCOS) - > 3.0 ng/ml
Low Normal
Low - 0.3 – 0.6 ng/ml
Very Low – < 0.3 ng/ml
My AMH is in the low range, ouch, I’m only 27! The weird thing is that my FSH is in the normal range…
Here is the plan:
I don’t have much time to screw around. I’m working on borrowed time and I’m ready to start taking this seriously. Motel Six is out, Ritz Carlton is in. I have a consult set up with Dr. Sher next week and if all goes as planned I will be cycling with him in Vegas in August. For the record I just want to say that I like Dr. BFP and his team and a girl I met through blogging actually got pregnant with him using the same protocol and dates as me! Go congratulate her!
I made this decision for a lot of reasons but one of the most important is seeing how multiple rounds of IVF hormones have impacted a friend's endometriosis. She went from no sign of endo to Stage 4 in a year!
Our original plan was to give Dr. BFP one good shot and if it ended in BFN to move on to Dr. Sher. It’s a matter of interpretation but for all intents and purposes I have given him his shot, we didn’t get to egg retrieval but I still went through 6 days of stims which is the part that will damage my body the most.
I don’t believe in the protocol that Dr. BFP wants to use and I think its time to give my body, and future babies, the best chance they’ll have, which is with Dr. Sher.
I support your position one hundred percent. My experience has been that the IVF meds do stimulate the endo...which makes since given the increase in estrogen. I had a .4 AMH level but a normal FSH, and I have two friends (both young) who had the same results. In my experience, the AMH is right but that doesn't seem to be true for everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe protocol that I told you about (the one I constantly forget to send you) is from Dr. Sher...and it is really helpful. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, and can't wait to hear what about your meeting with Dr. Sher.
I think your decision is a great one and am totally with you! Go with Dr Sher - and I have heard that IVF after treatment of endo has very good success rates! Hope the meeting goes well! Can't wait to hear more....I have a really good feeling about this linds!
ReplyDeleteI think you are making the right decision. I think dr bfp does fine if it is just an issue with getting embryos in the uterus and no issues with hormones. If it is more complicated I would make the same choice as you. Good luck with your consult. Can't wait to hear how it goes.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling so hopeful for you! I can't wait to follow your journey and live vicariously through you! :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a great plan! I agree time is a big issue and it is better to move forward sonner than later! Thanks for the post on my blog, I appreciate the support!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and no plans to test yet. Probably wait until the night before our Beta is scheduled. I am so affraid of a BFN that I like to stay PUPO as long as possible!
ReplyDeleteI loved Dr. Sher!!! I will be there in the next couple weeks for retrieval and September for (hopefully) the transfer. Hope you like him :)
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