DHEA users please come in

anitaflora

Hi ladies!

I have introed over here a couple times but my main home board is TTCAL. I hope it's okay to pop in for a question now and then.

Since reading a bunch and hearing a lot from several TTC over 35ers, I decided to increase my DHEA supplements from 25 mg to 75 mg as well as add in coenzyme q10 at 300 mg.

This was only a couple days ago but I noticed something that seems really unusual for me. My temp dropped pretty far under the cover line this morning and I believe I am 4 DPO. I know that cycles can be wonky and maybe this is just a wonky cycle. But I think it's suspicious that my temp dropped so much right in line with taking the increase in DHEA.

When I went through my repeated loss testing my FSH, estridol and antral follicle counts were all normal. Actually my AFC was 13 which was apparently pretty good. But my AMH was under .16 which is wayyyyy low. So based on that my RE has diagnosed me with DOR.

I asked him about starting to take DHEA because I had heard good things about it and he basically said he wasn't opposed to it but didn't have any recommendations about dosage or anything since he didn't have any conclusive evidence that it worked. So I had started on 25 mg back in Feb and decided to increase it a couple days ago.

But now what I'm reading and learning is that it can effect estrogen levels in some cases so I'm wondering if I took too much and that's why my temp dropped so crazily. Plus if its supposed to help increase AFC and mine was already okay maybe the 75 mg is too much.

I have an appointment in July with a second opinion RE who will hopefully be able to give me more advice on this. I also have a call in to the nurse at my current RE's practice to ask some questions as well as find out if there's another dr in the practice that might be more knowledgeable on this.

But was just looking here to see if anyone has any similar or dissimilar experiences. Or any feedback at all.

I have been charting for a long time and my link is in my siggy.

For those on mobile I could link my chart if you want. Also, my history is in my siggy but short version is 5 BFPs all early losses since Dec 2012.

Thanks in advance!!!

mlamping

I asked my RE and there is no date to prove it helps in conceving. I am sorry. that is what she said. I know many people take it, but as you said it can also hurt. 

anitaflora

mlamping:

I asked my RE and there is no date to prove it helps in conceving. I am sorry. that is what she said. I know many people take it, but as you said it can also hurt.nbsp;

Thank you for replying! No need to be sorry! I'm finding a lot of info on both sides and I thank you so much for asking on my behalf.

ELF4321

I took it for about two cycles before getting my BFP.  The RE that I worked with said he did not believe it had enough evidence to help, but did not oppose me taking it.  The RE that I got a second opinion from, who works at a well known and highly regarded clinic, DID recommend it and mentioned a study from UC Berkeley (I think) that showed some benefit in terms of egg quality (I have not heard of any benefit for quantity, though), in addition to the other smaller studies that had been done before.  She recommended getting it from a compounding pharmacy, rather than one of the supplements sold in stores, because she doesn't trust the potency/quality control of most supplements like that.

I started at 75 mg, which should not be taken all at the same time, but instead at 25mg, 3x per day. It CAN cause issues for some people, and for me it actually caused heart palpitations, so I reduced it to 50 mg a day and did not have any problems with it then.  I don't know if our success can be attributed to it, to the acupuncture and yoga I started doing at the same time, or just to good old fashioned luck.  But I definitely don't think it hurt. 

justadogmommy

I took 50 mg. I believe it really helped me with fsh of 14. I took about 4 months. Got natural bfp at 37 after 2 years of trying and was 2 months away from ivf.

Reilly626

I started taking it in August and was pregnant in December they had me take it with my prenatal my whole pregnancy also.

kentcarrie

I have DOR with AMH <0.16.  My doctor told me to take 25mg of DHEA 3x per day.  He said that the best results are when you have been on this dose for 3 months.  It does sometimes cause side effects like greasy hair & acne.  I have found that if you slowly increase the dose it is better.  Since you were only on 25mg before, you might want to do 2 doses per day for a week or so then bump up to all three doses.  I just bit the bullet and started with all 3 doses, because I am impatient!