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Low AMH and under 35
Since 8/2012
August 28, 2012 at 11:26 pmHi,
It's my first topic on a forum as I can't seem to see anyone like me so far. I feel I have a strange situation as I naturally and very easily conceived my first child when I was 29, having my little angel after my 30th. Since it was so easy I wasn't expecting the second baby to take long to conceive. However, it's been almost 10 months TTC and I'm nearly 32 now. I have only seen the specialist once as they are quite difficult to get an appointment with, however, I was wondering whether anyone was similar to me and had success stories or anything. I haven't yet had an ultrasound so I'm think that the Low (below 1) AMH is my only problem. I still have regular periods about a 26 day cycle. I seem to ovulate according to the OPKs and blood tests, probably around 12-14 days into the cycle. I haven't heard the doctors say anything was wrong with the FSH levels. So I'm guessing they were ok. But I'm still not pregnant and it's coming up to a year of TTC. Anyone out there similar, maybe someone has had some success or is on some kind of treatment. I would love some support or advice.
So far the specialist has said:
That women with results like I have will have menopause within 5-8 years. Most likely 5.
That the AMH test only tells you how many eggs you have left, not the quality of your eggs. That is determined by your age and as I am only 31 my egg quality should be fine. (Well that comment doesn't seem to be that true as I haven't yet been able to conceive).
I had a MC only a few days after I found out I was pregnant at around 6m of TTC.
DH results seem fine so far.
I'd love to hear from someone :-)
Since 4/2011
Sarah - OvaCue Specialist
Since 6/2012
I had ovarian reserve testing at 35 and was told my reserve was low as my AM hormone was at 0.6. However, at 36 I conceived my son first month of trying. Like you I have always had regular cycles so I don't think the low AM on its own should be too concerning unless they also find other issues. I am now 39 and things seem to be taking a bit longer but I am much older than you so keep trying and stay positive.
VA
Since 6/2012
I had ovarian reserve testing at 35 and was told my reserve was low as my AM hormone was at 0.6. However, at 36 I conceived my son first month of trying. Like you I have always had regular cycles so I don't think the low AM on its own should be too concerning unless they also find other issues. I am now 39 and things seem to be taking a bit longer but I am much older than you so keep trying and stay positive.
VA
Since 6/2012
VA
Since 8/2012
Since 6/2012
VA
Since 8/2012
We too originally were trying to conceive one sex, however, we were trying for a boy. I already have a beautiful baby girl. Anyway we only tried that for 2 months as I couldn't handle the disappointment. The DH went o/s for a month do when he came back it was back to normal trying. Unfortunately resulting in another 4 month without success well that was until the mc. Then it seems 2 months later. Good news!!!
Anyway, I actually think maybe 1 tube may be blocked. It seems I only get good results on the one side. However, this was my 1st month of using bbt and I found it pretty helpful in making sure we know when we can have a break.
Anyway, it's a good idea to get all your checks done. The 3rd day one usually checks your FSH doesn't it? Anyway, I hope all is well with your cycle. I'm guessing if you are bbtemping and you are getting the dip with your period and rise after ovulation then you'll hopefully have regular cycles. I actually only joined this so I could chart my bbt. I have no idea about this product. But if you stick to trying for a girl I hope your wish comes true, soon. As for me, I never really cared. A girl is good for my daughter and a boy is good for my husband. And I'll be happy for either. Let's just hope this one sticks and is as healthy as my 1st.
Let me know how everything goes with your tests and I'll let you know when I get my blood work done.
Also, I remembered that 3 days before I was due I dipped a fair bit and was sure I wasn't pregnant. I don't know if I put that result on the chart as it was an hour or so earlier then I usually test so I did it again an hour later and it was better but not great. Anyway let's hope it's good news for you too.
Since 8/2012
Since 8/2012
Since 6/2012
My progesterone results came back a few days ago and everything was perfectly normal. The Dr does not think I have anything to worry about so she has suggested I do not focus on my vaginal readings post ovulation as these seem to be a bit up and down for me but that does not mean I am not ovulating or that I have a progesterone issue. That is good news. I think I was getting too hung up on the post O readings so I am going to relax after O this month.
Interestingly the Dr also said my low AM reading at 35 may not have much impact on my reading this time so I shouldn't expect it to be lower just because I am older. She said one isolated low AM reading is not enough to conclude there are fertility issues or low ovarian reserve. She said to make that diagnosis she would normally order tests for about 3 months in a row and compare the results as you can have temporary shifts in hormones. All very interesting as the Dr who did the testing initially told me the low AM and high FSH results I had were a real concerned and indicated low ovarian reserve already. I will be very interested to see what my results say this time around but will have to wait about 2 weeks to get the results once my blood is taken on Saturday.
Sounds like everything is going well now for you from your other posts. When I was pregnant with my son I was told that once the Dr can register a strong heartbeat on the ultrasound there is a significantly reduced chance of a miscarriage even if the scan is only at 7 or 8 weeks. On that basis alone I think it is worth having an early scan and not waiting until 12 weeks as it does give you some peice of mind while you are still in your first trimester.
Any nausea yet?
VA
Since 8/2012
Thanks for getting back to me. I'm sorry this month didn't work out... baby girl dust coming your way..... Anyway, i love hearing what you have to say about the AMH etc. It's so interesting, i guess as it is a newish test all doctors seem to be interperating the results slightly different. Making it impossible for us to understand.
Yes, i bet you are right about giving the tests after ovulations a rest, you can't really change anything from that point onwards so why not relax as best as possible. I was so good up until the last few days.... it was a killer.
Are all these test expensive?
Good luck this month :-)
Since 6/2012
Prior to pregnancy the good thing about the private system is you can order all these tests even if the Dr does not think they will be abnormal so it gives you a good clear picture about what is going on with your cycle and some peace of mind. Fairly important when you are TTC at 39 years of age as we don't have too much time to just try and see what happens. So I really recommend the private system.
I have heard of too many pregnant ladies having urgent issues in late pregnancy to believe that a 20 week scan should be the last one in any pregnancy. Even if everything is great at 20 weeks it does not mean the baby will carry to term and not have issues later (as I found out).
Can't wait to hear how your first scan goes. :-)
VA
Since 8/2012
I realised after I got off the Internet last night that I didn't answer your question. No I'm not feeling sick yet. I don't remember feeling too bad last time up until closer to the second trimester. But I was only sick if I was hungry or brushed my teeth. I mainly struggled in the 1st trimester with being really tired. Which hasn't started yet. The only symptoms are: growing breasts, change in CM and pimples.
I also remembered something about your chart last month. I think I checked it out and I can't really remember it 100% but I remember seeing where I thought you ovulated and noticed where you BD. Anyway I don't know if you discussed this anywhere else or this was your first time of charting but I believed (from what I remember) that you should possibly have sex up to 3 days before you ovulated. I think you were 5? I know that sperm can live up to 5 days but I'd try 3 days if I were you because i think it is more common for them to not. What do you think?
Since 8/2012
I'm 37 and have a low AMH @ < 1.0 pmol/L I was able to get pregnant very quickly only a couple of months after trying; unfortunately my HCG level was very low and it end up in a miscarriage - this a year ago. At the moment, I’m trying acupuncture and Chinese herbs. I usually have cycles of 27, 28 and 29 days. It depends on when I ovulate. I usually ovulate on CD16, CD17, CD18 or CD19.
My luteal phase it seems to be in the short side between 10 - 11 days.
I had my progesterone levels tested a couple of times; they seem to be in right!
I had a blood test done on CD1 last month to check my FSH, LH, Oestrogen and Progesterone levels and everything was fine.
I had a blood test done last month on CD15 to check my Oestrogen and Progesterone and the results came up as: Oestrogen: 354 pmol/L and Progesterone: 3.8.
I meant to have this test done just before ovulation last month but last month I ovulated very early on CD13/CD14. I think because of the Chinese herbs that I’m taking.
The results at mid cycle really confused me because if I really ovulated on CD13/C14 then the blood test was done about a day or two after ovulation - but I’m not sure whether an oestrogen level of 354 pmol/L is OK for one or two days after ovulation.
For what I know, I ovulate every month but it seems the quality of my eggs is not really good to get me pregnant. So, that's my main challenge trying to improve the quality of my eggs to achieve a successfully pregnancy.
Since 8/2012
Since 8/2012
Anyway my point was MB, do you worry about things like i wrote in the above comment????
Since 8/2012
I also think that I tend to stress a bit too much. The time that I got pregnant which end up in early miscarriage I conceived when I was on holiday. It seems that holidays are a must to get pregnant! ;)
Don't worry too much about being angry and annoyed. Let me tell you, I'm not pregnant but lately I've noticed that I get angry easily so do not worry about it. I'm pretty sure that it will get better soon :)
Since 6/2012
Agree re BD. I am being advised by a gender selection clinic and the list of things we need to do to increase our odds of a girl is as long as my arm. One of the things, however, is timing of BD. We are meant to stop 3 to 4 days prior to ovulation. Last month (and the 2 months prior) we stopped 4 days out to give the boy sperm a good chance to expirebefore ovulation but this month I am going to BD 3 days before to close that gap a little. This timing (whether 3 days or 4) will reduce our odds of conception somewhat but I don't think I have any fertility issues so hopefully we will be pregnant soon. It was so much easier with my son when we could BD right at ovulation time. I was pregnant first month then. Ovacue has been enormously helpful for me to get a decent amount of warning prior to ovulation and so far my pink box has been on the predicted dark blue box each time so the combo of oral and vaginal sensors is essential for me. Without ovacue I would not get enough warning of ovulation.
VA
Since 8/2012
I love your positive attitude about conceiving, it's awesome. Pink baby dust for you :-)
Since 6/2012
Re the egg quality issue - I don't like to be negative but my Dr told me there is no way to improve the quality of the eggs once they start to age. It is a natural process as we approach perimenopause for our eggs to age to the point where they are no longer capable of being fertilised. This is normal and irreversible so while you can assist fertility by improving the quality of your CM and otherwise preparing your body for conception by helping regular ovulation I don't think you can improve the egg quality once they start to deteriorate.
However - on the positive side what my Dr also said is that not all of our eggs age at the same rate so people like me (aged 39) probably have some eggs which are unable to be fertilised and some which are still OK. The proportion which are still OK for fertilisation will deminish the older we get until we hit menopause. I have been told that, therefore, at my age we need to make sure we try to conceive every single month as there is no way of knowing from month to month whether I will release a healthy egg or an expired one so to cover our bases and make sure we have a chance to conceive on the months when a healthy egg is released we should not skip a month of trying as we may then need to wait another 3 months for another healthy egg to be released. This is why it on average takes women over the age of 35 longer to conceive than younger women.
The great news is it only takes one egg to make a baby so you only need one egg which is not yet suffering from the aging process to meet one of DHs millions of sperm and you are there. I also look at it like this - aging is normal and aging of our eggs is as well. My Dr is not that concerned about it in my case even with the low AM as she does not think I have any other fertility issues and my son was conceived very quickly when I was 36. If she is relaxed then I am more relaxed. We knew at the age of 39 it was going to take a little longer so we just need to be patient (something I am not finding that easy now that we are on month 4 of trying!).
VA
Since 6/2012
I had some not so good news today. My Dr just called with my CD4 blood results. All except AMH result which is due next week as it takes longer. When I was tested at age 35 my FSH level was 8.75 and my AMH was 0.6 which indicated a fairly low ovarian reserve at that point. My son was subsequently conceived in the first month of trying so I was not too worried about the ovarian reserve results. However I am now 39 so 4 years on. My FSH level has risen to 13.41 which is now very high. The Dr said my estradiol and progesterone results are right on normal and she already confirmed that last month I did ovulate so she is not too concerned at this point and wants to wait to get my AMH results back to make a judgement call on whether this will impact my fertility much. So not the end of the world at this stage but definitely a sign that my fertility is a bit impaired due to low ovarian reserve. I guess a factor of my age but the Dr said average results at my age should be lower so my ovarian reserve is worse than a normal 39 year old's. However, on the plus side my cycles are very regular and Dr knows of other patients with similar FSH levels who have conceived so she thinks we will be able to but it just may take longer. Now looking forward to getting the AMH result and will of course still stay positive for this month as O is about 6 days away now.
VA
Since 8/2012
I hope your next results are good. It really sucks when the second time is so much harder considering the first was nothing. It's something you don't really factor into you planning of a family. I can't wait till I'm in a safer place with this pregnancy so I can stop worrying about the possibility of having to start ttc again, so I can relax and stop reading forums and website about anything to do with pregnancies and just enjoy the precious gift I've been given. Here's to a few weeks time when I'm past the scary stage and you get a BFP.
Baby dust
Since 6/2012
VA
Since 8/2012
Since 6/2012
I got my revised AMH result back today. Not good news as it has dropped from 0.6 to 0.4. That, together with my increased FSH is bad news. Very low ovarian reserve by the look of things and a limited window to conceive. The Dr wants to see what my follicles look like before O so she can get an idea as to whether the eggs that are left are viable. She has scheduled an ultrasound for tomorrow morning as I told her I am meant to O tomorrow during the day. Although my ovacue surprised me today and confirmed O today!1 day early. This has never happened to meet before. So I guess we will see tomorrow if I have Od early or not. The. We need to think about how to move forward given the limited time I appear to have.
Still, my son was conceived easily 3 years ago with fairly poor results so maybe the worse results will not turn out as bad as the Dr is worried about.
VA
Since 8/2012
Since 8/2012
As for what you said above, that's no good. How did your ultrasound go the other day????
I still love the fact that you always stay positive. That's fantastic.
Since 6/2012
VA
Since 8/2012
Baby dust
Since 6/2012
VA