Have any of you taken Melatonin during IVF cycle or prior?

~HopeAndFaith~

If so, did you take it while stimming or while on BCP?  What was the dosage?

https://www.ivfconnections.com/forums/content.php/588-What-Do-Egg-Quality-and-Sleep-Have-in-Common-Melatonin.

Press release - International Federation of Fertility Societies
Wednesday 15 September 2010

New research presented at the World Congress of Fertility and Sterility in Munich has found that treating women with the hormone melatonin may help improve the egg quality in IVF.

They confirmed this finding in mice, and noted that addition of melatonin seemed to reduce the damage to the egg caused by the presence of oxidising agents.

The group then initiated a trial with a group of women coming for IVF treatment at the Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine. Women who had failed to become pregnant because of poor oocytes quality after one cycle of IVF were split into two groups; 56 women were given 3 mg of melatonin before the next IVF cycle, and 59 just received a standard IVF cycle without any melatonin.

XXXXX222

Wow, that is super interesting! I've never been ordered to take it but I used to take it to help me sleep and stopped during IVF when I read that it can cause excess estrogen. Hmm, thanks for sharing! I did take DHEA up until egg retrieval this cycle; apparently that helps egg quality.

~HopeAndFaith~

Sulfababy: Thanks for the DHEA information.  I'm going to do a little research. 

STL34

Robert Greene, M.D. the SIRM RE in Northern California blogged about taking Melatonin during/prior to IVF cycles a month or so ago.  I wonder if not getting enough sleep was part of the reason my IVF #2 was so poor.  It is definitely something I intend to speak with my RE about.  That being said, I have tried taking just a fraction of the recommended amount and, if I don't get 8 or more hours of sleep afterward, I feel hungover in the morning.  So, I am not sure if I would be able to make it through an entire cycle taking 3 mg a day!

Good luck!

mikeandangie

I am taking it now. We'll see how my next cycle goes in February...

~HopeAndFaith~

STL34: Thanks for responidng.  Good luck to you this coming year.

MikeandAngie:  Are you taking Melatonin during BCP or are you currently stimming?  Thanks.

mikeandangie

~HopeAndFaith~:

MikeandAngie:  Are you taking Melatonin during BCP or are you currently stimming?  Thanks.

No, I am taking it just during my break cycles. I will stop all supplements once we begin stimming. 

Trippleb

I am currently taking Melatonin.  I've been on 3mg for the last month.  Curious to hear when others plan on stop taking them. 

Unless I hear otherwise. my plan is to continue taking the 3mg while on BCP and then sometime during the transition from BCP to Lupron I am going to switch to 1mg.  Sort of just wean myself off of them slowly.   Once I move to stims I plan to quit all OTC meds.  Except of course my prenatal and folic acid.

 

 

patchen30

sulfababy:

Wow, that is super interesting! I've never been ordered to take it but I used to take it to help me sleep and stopped during IVF when I read that it can cause excess estrogen. Hmm, thanks for sharing! I did take DHEA up until egg retrieval this cycle; apparently that helps egg quality.

Be careful of DHEA b/c it might not be right for everyone.  It's a hormone and your body converts it to estrogen which is then converted to testosterone.  It would not be good for PCOSers who already have excess testosterone.

Edwina.McDunnough

Feeling lazy so I'm just going to post a link, but be careful with DHEA and definitely get the approval of your RE.

In the study, melatonin was taken for the month prior to the stim month ONLY, and I remember reading that is not recommended for long term use.

It was discussed earlier on the board, if you do some digging.

madelyn07

Interesting. I had always heard and read that Melatonin affected fertility negatively.

 

XXXXX222

patchen30:

sulfababy:

Wow, that is super interesting! I've never been ordered to take it but I used to take it to help me sleep and stopped during IVF when I read that it can cause excess estrogen. Hmm, thanks for sharing! I did take DHEA up until egg retrieval this cycle; apparently that helps egg quality.

Be careful of DHEA b/c it might not be right for everyone.  It's a hormone and your body converts it to estrogen which is then converted to testosterone.  It would not be good for PCOSers who already have excess testosterone.

Yes, of course! Sorry, I should have added that it was approved by my doc. 

lilredj

madelyn07:

Interesting. I had always heard and read that Melatonin affected fertility negatively.

 

I have read/been told this too!!  That's why i have gotten rid of what i had!

ctyankee32

Yes.  I had two rounds of failed IVF before I went on 3 miligrams of melatonin.  My endocrinologist put me on the melatonin to reset my sleep cycle.  I was on it for about 6 months before I did the final round of IVF.  I was 46 and the doctor almost wouldn't let me because "I was too old".  My response was what is the worst that will happen nothing, oh wait like nothing happened the first two rounds.

The last round was my best round.  My 4 eggs were put back in where as the 2nd round my 4 eggs all failed in the petri dish. Unfortunately two days before the pregnancy test the eggs didn't take but I believe the melatonin helped my eggs.  After that I ended up having two small fibroids from the fertility on my uterous.  They were removed and I did a detox through a nutritionist.  At 47 I ended up getting pregnant naturally and gave birth to my daughter on July 2, 2013.  I believe the combination of the melatonin, the detox, and the scraping of my uterous, which provided a fresh layer was the perfect storm for getting pregnant.  The fertility clinic told me I wouldn't get pregnant because I was too old.

Twinkie0612

I took melatonin last cycle and am taking it this cycle because I have been experiencing crazy insomnia (Last night I got about 3 hours of sleep).  My nurse gave the ok for melatonin and sleep aids (only before ET) last cycle.  As far as helping egg quality, I can't testify to that experience.  I only had 6R, 5M, 3F and no embies made it to transfer.

I am hoping that once I switch from lupron to ganirelix (next week before my baseline), that my insomnia will let up and I can discontinue the melatonin.

J&D2007

Please be very careful with melatonin as you aren't supposed to take it at all if you are taking any thyroid meds, which a lot of us are for fertility reasons. It can raise your tsh levels and cause other problems.

O2girl

I looked into this very thing because I have taken melatonin for years... Apparently it also boosts our estrogen levels.... So I figured i could use all the help I can get.... Plus I love sleeping so winner winner