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O/T early fertility testing.

AJanie's picture

Before I jump into this blog post I want to add a disclaimer: I am not trying to get pregnant right now due to my less than ideal situation in life at the moment. I know some people, having followed my blog, will be quick to jump in and say "not a good idea!"

What I am doing is trying to get some answers because I do plan to be a mother at some point and I am in my 30's now so I feel it is the appropriate time to look into it...

Anyway, I decided to start some testing to get an idea of my fertility or lack thereof. I wonder if any of you have experience with this?

I am going for a "Day 21" (of my cycle) blood test and then a "Day 3" blood test. Then an ultrasound. Then they will gather all of the results and meet with me (this is scheduled for beginning of March.)

I feel anxious but I want to make sure everything is okay, and if it is not okay, I want to be aware of it. I have some things that are not in my favor, such as being naturally underweight, having trouble with cysts, but otherwise I have "regular" cycles.

I know I want to experience motherhood at some point but I also know if I cannot conceive 100% naturally, that I will look into fostering to adopt through the state. The only reservation I have about this is the resentment of BM and DH having an "ours" baby and me possibly never having that biological connection. I would not want an adopted child to be any "less" in his eyes. But that is a heavy discussion and I will save it for another day.

I guess I am just trying to be proactive and mentally prepare myself. I am scared shitless though. All of these years and never so much as a pregnancy scare, and we actively tried a couple years back for several months. It seems some women look in the general direction of a man and get pregnant.

Anyone have experience with these tests? I assume they just measure hormone levels.

Comments

Indigo's picture

Let's not forget that a significant % of infertility issues stem from the men. Most common cause, per my Dr. Schoolcraft. My ex-DH had less than 1 1/2% viable sperm in his late 30's when we did IVF/ICSI/AH. He was fertile before with no obvious indicators that he was not still fertile. He was infertility doctor-averse. We tried for 10 years with multiple miscarriages. Some of my miscarriages likely were the result of his DNA anomalies.

If you have the funds, go for it while realizing that this is merely a snapshot in time. At that moment, this is where you are.

Looking back at my infertility journey, I would more than likely have enjoyed spending the money on a Bahama vacation at this time of year --- especially since you are not ttc right now.

z3girl's picture

I had a similar experience. I expected all of my fertility issues to be me (irregular periods/bleeding) but one of the first things my doctor insisted on was sperm analysis, and it came back with DH having virtually no sperm, and our only option was ICSI. (Certainly made me wonder about SD's paternity at the time...)

That all said...in between rounds of IVF, I became pregnant naturally. I've now had 3 babies born naturally in my mid to late 30's, no miscarriages or problems. All after being told that I had a less than 3% chance of ever having children, even if DH had a regular sperm count.

IMO it is absolutely a great idea to be prepared after 30. I never worried about my fertility in my 20's because I thought I had plenty of time. Not always the case...

WokeUpABug's picture

He I've been through this myself and I'm a physician- I think this is a great idea! I think every woman who thinks she might want to become a mother and is older than 30 should do this to get a sense of where she stands. I know I was shocked when at age 33 I was told I had the eggs of a woman 10 years older!

Here is my advice: when they do a day 3 bloodwork they will probably do what is called an FSH level - FSH stands for follicle stimulating hormone, and starts to go up as the remaining number and quality of our eggs decreases. The problem is it's an old test, and doesn't start to rise until pretty late in the game, like when you're approaching menopause. What you want them to do is the new test, called AMH or antimullerian hormone. It's much better at picking up early drops in egg quality and reserve.

I say this as someone who had a normal FSH, could not get pregnant, and when I finally went to fertility clinic was told my AMH was so poor I'd need donor eggs. Luckily after 4 rounds of ivf I'm now pregnant with my miracle baby, but I'm determined not to let this happen to anyone else. Bottom line: ask for AMH test!

z3girl's picture

Same here!! My first RE told me I had less than 3% chance of ever having a baby, and I have 3 now! (And she told me the percentage while I was sitting in her office, staring at pictures of her own children...)

ej'scrazy's picture

I'm in the same process. I am looking to do the IVF before the end of the year, though. The testing hasn't been too much. There is a possibility, if you are 35 and older (like me), you will have to a maternal fetal medicine, depending on your timeline.
Your dh will need to be tested as well. His testing is easier than yours, but some guys, mine included, don't like doctors.

If you have specific questions, let me know in a private message. It's still fresh in my mind, since I did it this month.

Jlbfinch's picture

It took my DH and I two years to conceive the twins I'm carrying. I'll be 33 in May and he'll be 32 in November. We went through all of those tests and everything came back normal. My DH got a super good report back on his sperm as well. We were diagnosed with the dreaded "unexplained infertility" and in our case secondary unexplained infertility bc we both have children already. I think the tests are definitely a good idea, if they find any issues at least you will know what you're up against.

not2sureimsaneanymore's picture

Didn't go through it myself but during my acupuncture internship, I saw several patients who did the tests and then began actual fertility treatments when the tests came back poor. (Fertility clinics often pair up with acupuncturists because there are some studies that suggest acupuncture used in tandem with IVF can increase chances of success.) They measure hormone levels (the rise and fall during your cycle to check if it's correct.) The ultrasound is to check how your follicles are developing. Your body usually starts developing anywhere from 8 - 12 follicles and then one of them becomes the dominant one to be released while the rest die. Some women either don't develop enough or develop too little, regardless of how much medication to increase it they take. They also check FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) levels--too much of it means your body is pumping the hormone in to try and stimulate follicle growth but it's not getting any success so it keeps pumping more and more in. This is probably one of the worse scenarios because it means the ovaries likely have no more eggs and you're hitting menopause (one of my patients had this.)

Then there's also issues with progesterone level after conception to keep a pregnancy--if someone has too low of that hormone, the egg will be fertilized but the pregnancy won't keep so it's something they will monitor to see if you will need a boost after fertilization.

not2sureimsaneanymore's picture

It's importance for neural tube defects is undeniable but be careful--new study shows link for excess folic acid during pregnancy and autism, and also neurological damage for you if you take too much. You get it in your regular food so unless you eat really unhealthy, I would go with the lower dose.

AJanie's picture

My apologies for not responding (skid weekend) - I read all responses and appreciate all of your input very much! Thank you all.