Question for IF Moms with condition that worsens with time/age

IBackBevo

First, let me start with apologizing if this post is either stupid or insensitive to anyone.  I just have a question and I don't know where to ask it...

Here is the situation: I have DOR and am pregnant with number 1.  My numbers were not great, but nonetheless we got pregnant through a medicated IUI which my RE called a miracle. RE had actually advised us originally to go straight to IVF. RE advised us that if we want number 2, we can't wait too long after number 1 to try for number 2.  We do want a second child, but neither DH nor I want 2 children back to back and I fear that having a baby and turning around right away and having another (I know that I am assuming this is even possible and it may not be) one could harm my career as I am a commercial litigation attorney.  However, I had the fear that if we wait a 2 or 3 years that any chance I have at number 2 may slip away. 

Here is what I was thinking: I've already decided to have my numbers retested a little while after this LO arrives. If they have gotten worse, I was thinking about going ahead and doing a round of IVF to be sure that we could still get eggs but having RE freeze the embryos and then we could use them at a later time...as in a few years down the line.  Is this something that is ever done?  I know in doing research on snowflake adoptions (where you adopt embryos from other couples) when I was first diagnosed with DOR that I noticed where some of them are several years old so I would have to assume that it can be done. Has anyone done this or heard of this being done?  Thanks for your help.

By the way, I am definately very excited about this little one and I don't mean to sound like I'm getting ahead of myself.  I am so excited about this little one and it makes me a little sad to think he may not have a sibling.

nicolita14w

Hi, I don't have a lot of info as far as the embryo freezing but also have DOR. For that reason, we started trying for #2 when #1 (who was conceived via IUI with injectables) was 9 months old. Miraculously, we got pregnant right away without treatment and I have two sons who are just under 18 months apart. In my case, though, my career was not as important a concern to me. Good luck with whatever you decide. 

IBackBevo

Nicolita - Thanks for the post. If you don't mind my asking, what was your AMH and FSH?  One thing I always feel really on the fence about is whether my situation is as bad as my RE acts like it is. 

sescms2004

Here is my 2cents:

I am DOR, spent 3 years going through IF, multiple rounds of failed treatments, chemical pregnancies, and eventually needed IVF to get pg.  I had low egg counts - usually 7-9 antrals, low AMH (.7), but excellent FSH (6-7 usually).  I started treatments when I was 31 and LO's were born just before I turned 35.  I always had very irregular cycles prior to my pregnancy.

As soon as I stopped BF'ing, around 5 mos PP, my cycles returned, and have been like clock-work ever since.  I ovulate regularly, every month, right on time, all the signs are there, no OPKs needed.  Granted, we are not trying for another, and probably won't be, but I have a feeling I could get pg on my own.  My OB says this happens to patients all the time - that somehow pregnancy resets the body.

Anyway....my RE always, always said that your AGE is the biggest factor in determining your success, by far.  And you are young.  My RE considers anyone under 35 to be 'young'. The fact that you got pg on your first Clomid/IUI cycle is huge.  Your egg quality is likely very good.  I went through 4 rounds of Clomid and 6 injectible IUI's, and all I ever had were cp's.  Ultimately, I would take your RE's advice, and if he thinks there is a strong reason why you need to do egg freezing now, if your fertility is going to rapidly decline for some reason, then I might consider it.  Otherwise, I think you are perfectly fine to wait several years.  Maybe you can get your numbers checked, have an u/s to check antral counts, every so often, just to ease your mind and ensure things are not changing quickly.  But, I really wouldn't be too worried about it yet, at your age.

GL and congrats on your pregnancy

KiKiGee

Hi!
I'm not technically DOR, but I'm close.   We also have MFI issues so we went straight to IVF.  We were part of a study that had all embryos frozen on fert.   Our short story:   9 retrieved, 7 fertilized, All 7 frozen at P1 stage, all thawed about a month later, 5 made to blast, transfered 2, one of the 3 remaining blasts made it to (re)freeze, both stuck, lost one, had a healthy full term boy!   He is now 13 months.

I had DS when I was 35.  I have a lot of reasons for not wanting back to back and I won't go into them because they don't matter here.  Just know that I understand the pressure to need to "hurry up" but not being ready.

So... we are moving forward with a retrieval, fert and freeze this summer (I'm just now weaning and have not had my first pp period after that we are on!)  We will do FETs probably in a year and a half with those embryos and if that doesn't work we will use our one frostie from our first cycle.  At that time we will make the choice whether to continue with treatments or now.

SOOOO.... yes, that can be done.  Whether it's right for you, I can't say, but it's where we have landed and I feel good about it.   Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

IBackBevo

SES - Thanks for the input!  I have never heard that your body can reset itself from pregnancy.  Thanks for sharing that info.  I find that very interesting...

I think the reason that my RE was so pushing to try again quickly was because my AMH was about 0.5 and my highest fsh was over 13 and, also, because when I first came to him I was having alot of menopausal-type symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, 1 day periods, etc.).  He wasn't even pushing the whole frozen embryo thing...that was just my idea.  He was more just suggesting we come back quickly after number 1...as in within a year.  But my RE did always say to me as means of encouraging me that "youth triumphs over all." 

IBackBevo

KiKi - Thanks for sharing!  That definately gives me hope!

nicolita14w

IBackBevo:

Nicolita - Thanks for the post. If you don't mind my asking, what was your AMH and FSH?  One thing I always feel really on the fence about is whether my situation is as bad as my RE acts like it is. 

My highest FSH was around 13, I believe, and I never had my AMH tested that I know of. I failed the Clomid Challenge twice with my FSH going up into the 20's the first time.  As pp said, age is also an important factor, I was 31 when I conceived my first son.

ETA: Another important factor in my case was a low antral follicle count, and the fact that I didn't respond well to stims. 

kme930

I don't have DOR issues, but just wanted to add my two cents that I believe there are a fair number of people on the board who did IVF, ended up with frozen embryos after their initial success and transferred them much later. I am certainly one of those, so I do think with proper freezing technique (vitrification is the gold standard these days), embryos can last for quite a while. In fact, I still have one embryo remaining from my first IVF cycle (done 9/09) that I hope to transfer when I'm ready for #3.

I agree it's worth doing testing first before you jump to IVF - especially if you don't have insurance coverage for it and you are out of pocket. Either way, good luck and congrats! 

oooCarrieB

I am DOR and we were very lucky to get pg on our first IVF. LO is almost 1 now and I'm 33, but in no rush to go back for #2. I'm still nursing and I want to enjoy my time with this baby, not rush into more stuff. Now we have better health ins too (no more OOPP), so we'll probably go back to the RE spring of 2013 so we can try again before I turn 35.

But we have already decided that if we only have 1 that is okay, so that reduces the urgency of going back.

Stimming went really well for me though. They gave me really bad odds, but I had 9 eggs retrieved, 7 fertilized, 2 blasts transferred at 5 days, originally pregnant with triplets, one amazing baby born and 1 frostie.

GypsyEsq

I'm not DOR but I'd just through this in there since I am a commercial litigator - my feelings about my career, and the definition of success, changed drastically after having my daughter.  I'm not saying I don't care anymore, I do, a lot.  And in many ways work harder and am a far better attorney now than I was then.  But I think that really all you can do is plan for how you want to proceed after your LO is here but acknowledge that your feelings about career advancement may change and may allow you to make this decision a little easier than you think. 

kgs0505

I can't comment on the DOR, but I can comment on freezing.  I have had embryos frozen for 3 years.  I am just going back for them now.  We took a break to adopt our son.  So, yes, absolutely you can freeze embryos long term. 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

laura1

My diagnosis was not DOR, but my sister (who is 11 months older than I am) had a lot of trouble TTC#2 because of DOR.  We think my mom also had DOR (not formally diagnosed, but she tried to have another child for a year when she was 34 and was unsuccessful...then went through early menopause a few years later).  Due to that family history, my RE told me the same thing -  to hurry back if I wanted another because my FSH was fine then, but history was not on my side.  

I weaned my DS from BFing at 6 months and just after that we got a BFP on our own.  Honestly, I was afraid of starting to try again so soon as well, but by the time DS was 6 months, I was ready.  My 2 are 15 months apart and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

njohnson1972

I am DOR.  I took 4 IVF attempts for me to get Jack.  I tried immediately after having Jack for #2 (he was 5 months old).  I only made 2 eggs and it was a BFN.  I am moving on to Donor Eggs this summer.  It was the closure that I needed that my eggs are done.

My FSH was between 13-15.  My AMH was less than 0.16 (not measurable?)  My right ovary didn't even make any eggs this last cycle.

I am personally glad that I didn't waste any time and tried right away so that I know that I gave it everything.  It gave me the closure that I needed to move on.

ETA: I see you are in Houston too!  I saw in another post that you went to Houston IVF.  I went to HFI.

greyt00

My AMH was 0.2 in February 2010 (I was almost 32 years old).  We went straight to IVF, which was a huge, miserable bomb (ONE egg, one embyro) and then straight to donor egg IVF.  I changed clinics and while they were working me up, I got pregnant naturally.  My son is 13 months old.  We started TTC #2 when my son was 5 months old. I got pregnant again naturally in 5 months.  I'm 22 weeks along and everything looks good.  I'm thinking that I am one insanely lucky girl.

In addition to the horrible DOR, I had endo everywhere and 1 fallopian tube pinned to my ovary.  The endo was burned off and the tube was "fixed."  This was in January 2010.  I found out about the DOR while getting a second opinion on everything.  My FSH was misleading -- in August 2009 it was 7.1, a little higher than it should be, but still normal, I think.  I've heard it can bounce around cycle to cycle, so who knows.  For a couple of reasons I'm pretty sure my left ovary is out of anything useful (both my conceptions were on the right), so I wonder if perhaps a cycle where my body will try to use the left yields a higher FSH than one where it tries to use the right.  Maybe that's crazy talk; I have no idea.

My career was not a concern, so we TTC right away.  I honestly thought it would never happen again.  I was stunned.  I wish you all the best of luck.  I only want 2 kids so I'm praying this one works out and we can close that chapter of our lives.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you never know what will happen (definitely TTC on your own, too), but I think doing an exclusive freeze round soon makes sense and sounds like something I would do if I responded whatsoever to medication.