tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post2665873274428343320..comments2024-01-02T06:57:26.352-05:00Comments on Life and Love in the Petri Dish: My sister's AMH results are backUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-88559541160673321082013-03-19T23:46:08.129-04:002013-03-19T23:46:08.129-04:00I don't know why people keep posting the scale...I don't know why people keep posting the scale of below 2.2ng/ML = low fertility! Not True! 2.2 is smack dab in the middle of perfectly normal range. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-14503686842228139552012-05-05T23:17:33.015-04:002012-05-05T23:17:33.015-04:00Hi
I hope you don't mind me jumping in here ...Hi <br /><br />I hope you don't mind me jumping in here particularly so long after the original post. I am hoping (not having read all your posts) that your sister is in an ok place after receiving this news..I'm in a similar boat to you, with low chances of conceiving naturally due to what is looking like premature menopause on the horizon but two sisters willing to be donors. I thank my lucky stars for them. <br /><br />However, I am also a tad skeptical about reproductive medicine and thought you might be interested in this site...not sure if you have come across it (apologies if you have and I'm telling you to suck eggs!) but thought it might put some perspective on the whole AHM level thing. So, for what it's worth....http://thefertilesoul.com/chinese_medicine/?tag=amh<br /><br />All the best...I really hope you succeed in your quest for children (and your sister too, if she decides she wants them!)<br /><br />MeganAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-55418817934568624112011-12-18T15:19:08.667-05:002011-12-18T15:19:08.667-05:00So sorry to read this latest news. Not the time or...So sorry to read this latest news. Not the time or place for debate, but really.... Um, those numbers by definition indicate suboptimal fertility... I really don't think there are a bunch of fertile women out there with those kind of numbers... How do you think docs came up with the ranges? Yes, a few people are the lucky exceptions and are able to have a baby. That doesn't mean people with those numbers are fertile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-67570830773166670582011-12-18T10:17:45.472-05:002011-12-18T10:17:45.472-05:00I remember my numbers were really low, but I canno...I remember my numbers were really low, but I cannot remember what now with all the history since then, but I do know that I researched and found that it can really go up and down for some folks. I was much older than your sister, of course.<br /><br />I am so sorry. For her, for you (FOR YOU) and just cannot stand how hard this stuff is. <br /><br />Stand up 9 I guess.<br />What the hell.<br />With love <br />KateKatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12533501052787233233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-30863223929536046082011-12-18T09:21:39.162-05:002011-12-18T09:21:39.162-05:00Hugs!Hugs!Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06510526698436385683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-1055276771132545092011-12-18T02:17:08.116-05:002011-12-18T02:17:08.116-05:00Seriously. (big huge hugs)Seriously. (big huge hugs)jenicinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16361606793108116475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-38546934508196321332011-12-17T21:27:35.052-05:002011-12-17T21:27:35.052-05:00Oh Mo, I'm so sorry about this news. I was ho...Oh Mo, I'm so sorry about this news. I was hoping that your sister would be the "answer" for you and Will. I can't imagine how you and Will are feeling right now. It's just not fair. <br />Thinking of you guys, <br />CarolineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-84074821017865442942011-12-17T15:28:01.340-05:002011-12-17T15:28:01.340-05:00So, so, so, so sorry...
How incredibly frustrating...So, so, so, so sorry...<br />How incredibly frustrating...<br />Sending you hugs...Kristenhttp://www.buckupbuttercup.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-71163385640794385682011-12-17T13:30:22.477-05:002011-12-17T13:30:22.477-05:00I am so sorry... That's all I am going to say...I am so sorry... That's all I am going to say...Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13879258455604814111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-49445939904067833342011-12-16T22:32:38.083-05:002011-12-16T22:32:38.083-05:00@orodemniades OK, but you have PCOS, or do I misre...@orodemniades OK, but you have PCOS, or do I misremember? And out of curiosity, were you ovulating? Because regular periods is one thing but -- well, isn't that the point of TCOYF? <br /><br />And don't get me wrong, I think the book is far from perfect and wouldn't actually recommend it in general to the infertile (which group, again, Mo's sister hasn't joined...) because of its rather annoying "You can do this!" tone which, you know, I can't (and I know you couldn't either, and yes, it sucks...). <br /><br />But all that said, a big issue with conceiving given a possible DOR/POF dx is whether one is or isn't ovulating ... if not, there's arguably not much ART can do, or at least, we (I am DOR, though now at 43 I'm more just old) aren't good candidates for ART, and conversely, if we are, well, again, there may not be much ART can do (nor should we need it). <br /><br />Of course none of that is perfect (I myself started down the IF path due to MF; absent that my DOR might not have been a problem at all, though of course I'll never know) and the real issue is what Mo's sister does want and will want (and face, see above re: MF) in terms of having children -- a huge unknown I think (based on what Mo has said) even for her. But I'm really not convinced that an RE will have much to offer, and (if she wants to pursue it) I'll stand by the idea that using at-home techniques to get more information about her cycles could be useful.Alexicographerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06029216139568740202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-38209529929099894242011-12-16T21:55:35.178-05:002011-12-16T21:55:35.178-05:00@Alexicographers: I have to highly disagree with y...@Alexicographers: I have to highly disagree with your suggestion for Mo's sister to make assumptions based on regularity and tracking - I can count on one hand the number of periods I've missed and yet, surprise, it took 8 years, moving countries, lots of money, and IVF to have my son. I totally agree that <i>for most people</i> TCOYF is brilliant, but I wouldn't want anyone to stick their head in the sand because of what it says what is <i>most likely</i> happen.orodemniadeshttp://www.dazzleships.net/birchandmaplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-78278311375224208232011-12-16T21:45:46.007-05:002011-12-16T21:45:46.007-05:00Good gods, I am so sorry to hear this news, for al...Good gods, I am so sorry to hear this news, for all of you.orodemniadeshttp://www.dazzleships.net/birchandmaplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-39024970204446658832011-12-16T21:09:06.247-05:002011-12-16T21:09:06.247-05:00Ugh:(
For both of you.Ugh:(<br />For both of you.SassyMamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00018022347771467869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-14994281074377898322011-12-16T16:29:18.195-05:002011-12-16T16:29:18.195-05:00That is very crappy news - for you and your sister...That is very crappy news - for you and your sister. But I agree with the others who have said that this discovery gives her an opportunity to do something quickly. Had she gone on with life, and not made this off, had she not been the kind soul she obviously is, she would only have discovered this issue when it was far too late for her to do anything about it. Your need for an egg donor has not caused this low reserve - it has revealed it and created a chance to deal with it. Little comfort at the moment, to either of you, I know, but hopefully it will help in the long run. From my own point of you, I can only say that having a totally unrelated and unknown egg donor - and only very minimal choice (yes or know to a very scant few personal details) has not stopped me loving my son WAY more than I thought it was possible to love anyone.Silverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15524066274559867949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-2630050263133838592011-12-16T15:35:15.927-05:002011-12-16T15:35:15.927-05:00Mo, not sure why you and your sister are going thr...Mo, not sure why you and your sister are going through this right now but I continue to be amazed by your b*lls of steel. For real. <br /><br />Big hug to your sister as she wanted to do something so generous and now is going to find out news that she doesn't want to hear. The silver lining is that you might have given her a chance for vitrification that she might not have considered. <br /><br />You rawk. Remember that. There are a gazillion of us waiting to read your wisdom each day.Chickachickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128946134941207234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-49882591612596372862011-12-16T15:03:26.155-05:002011-12-16T15:03:26.155-05:00F*Bomb...no wait...F Atomic Bomb. This is such tr...F*Bomb...no wait...F Atomic Bomb. This is such tragic news on so sooo many levels. Mo...I am at a loss for words why you have been heaped with such an enormous amount of bad luck...and your sister. I am just so so sorry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-45445496497158791952011-12-16T14:35:04.513-05:002011-12-16T14:35:04.513-05:00yuck. it just seems unreal, you know? how many thi...yuck. it just seems unreal, you know? how many things can throw a monkey wrench into this situation? <br /><br />big hugs to you as you talk your sister through these results and what they mean for BOTH of you!!<br /><br />xxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-86539306524952743432011-12-16T14:15:48.190-05:002011-12-16T14:15:48.190-05:00Yuck. That definitely correlates with her FSH. Her...Yuck. That definitely correlates with her FSH. Her AFC is decent I think for doing some cycles of egg vitrification. If she wants some info, www.highfshinfo.com offers good resources. It also lists high fsh friendly docs who can help her. If she is near you up in NYC, there are several who will work with her if she does want to move forward. There is also a great support board at http://www.network54.com/Forum/209394. <br /><br />As for you, dont know any magical answers except that it is one more mountain to climb. You guys will conquer this.Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07403345244218621559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-48671232100656484652011-12-16T14:00:28.448-05:002011-12-16T14:00:28.448-05:00Wait, wait, stop. I agree that ... in a probabili...Wait, wait, stop. I agree that ... in a probabilistic sense (high FSHer here ... I have seen many "compatriots" get pregnant, <i>even</i> using IVF ... with numbers like that) this does not bode well for your using your sister as a donor. It's not like you and Will are really looking for a badly rigged crapshoot at this point, and unfortunately <i>using ART</i> with numbers like that <i>is</i> something of a crapshoot. Not necessarily a do-not-pass-go kind of proposition; I've got one in a Ladybug onesie (well, no, he's outgrown it, plus the other kids would mock him) at preschool <i>right now</i>. But, not good. <br /><br />But, wait, stop. Look at the emphases in what I wrote (not the "right now" bit, the "even using IVF" and "using ART" bits). <br /><br />"Bad" numbers (similar to your sister's) <i>do</i> bode less than well for those of us who <i>are</i> infertile, meaning we <i>have had trouble conceiving and/or carrying a pregnancy</i>. We have <i>no idea</i> what they mean in the general population. Seriously. Go ask 100 pregnant women -- they're always so easy to find -- what their AMH and FSH results were before they conceived. How many do you think will be able to tell you?<br /><br />You (Mo and Will) are both trained medical professionals -- you know (if you take a step back; don't get me wrong, I realize this is an emotional gut-punch you've just received) and will understand this -- it's a selection problem. You are thinking of the implications of this news were your sister in one group (those with fertility problems) and/or pursuing one course of action (ovarian hyperstimulation). While your sister may well want to talk to a reproductive endocrinologist and I'd certainly advocate supporting her in doing so if she chooses to, <i>REs really don't know beans about the fertile.</i> (Words spoken by my own RE). They specialize in and see people who are having trouble conceiving, and they know (something) about what the technologies they have available can offer -- and their likelihood of working. Absent data to suggest your sister <i>has a fertility problem</i> there is no reason to think that anything you've just learned bodes ill for her prospects of conceiving the old fashioned way.<br /><br />(If she wants to do anything, honestly, I'd recommend getting her a copy of <i>Taking Charge of Your Fertility</i> and tracking her ovulatory patterns -- if they're regular and predictable, I'd bet she's fine; if not, then in her shoes I'd seek medical advice -- but not before then, for all the reasons outlined).<br /><br />OK. (Climbs off soapbox) I am so sorry for this news in terms of your <i>own</i> family building plans, and certainly it doesn't bring me joy in terms of your sister -- but neither does it horrify me, for the reasons outlined above, and nor should it horrify you (on her behalf). Really.Alexicographerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06029216139568740202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-72987591554758802642011-12-16T12:25:15.808-05:002011-12-16T12:25:15.808-05:00Okay...the complete suckiness of this just blows! ...Okay...the complete suckiness of this just blows! I'm so sorry.kdactylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02123983421783902463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-65996325137534507762011-12-16T11:59:59.794-05:002011-12-16T11:59:59.794-05:00Sorry to hear that you have hit a wall.
Regardin...Sorry to hear that you have hit a wall. <br /><br />Regarding your sister, I am thinking that I wish someone had told me when I was younger that my fertility was declining. I would have made different choices back then. Because of you, she now has information about her eggs that she probably wouldn't have had otherwise, and can take appropriate steps to freeze eggs if she wants to.Dananoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-31471560386336432222011-12-16T11:34:22.701-05:002011-12-16T11:34:22.701-05:00That sucks, but at least she will have the informa...That sucks, but at least she will have the information. sorry you have to give it.Nhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248293979879390754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-62355792340717029052011-12-16T11:18:03.335-05:002011-12-16T11:18:03.335-05:00I'd like to borrow a page from Womb for Improv...I'd like to borrow a page from Womb for Improvement and leave you with a string of curse words (although at our house currently 'bathroom words' aren't allowed, so I'm not so good at the cursing like a wounded sailor anymore), so cursing 3 year old style:<br />crappy, poop, poop, nose dirt, ask!<br /><br />I really hope that you get a break soon (for real universe... you hear me!?). I hope that your sister can at least make informed decisions going forward, and really, you did her a favor by giving her a heads up before she was ready to look into it... But I sure do hope that you get a break and SOON! Geez.Erin Bakalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611203589607633273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-30764442670002909632011-12-16T11:00:52.342-05:002011-12-16T11:00:52.342-05:00Hi Mo and Will
Its Anonymous doc from the great w...Hi Mo and Will<br /><br />Its Anonymous doc from the great white north again...<br /><br />So, yeah, those numbers are not ideal...<br /><br />It may be tough on your sis to know that her fertility is not in a good place.<br /><br />However, what you've done is give her knowledge, and as a result, power to plan for her future, and to get good with it in her head, that things might not go as planned for her. You've given her the opportunity to be her own best advocate (it always comes back to that) now, long before decisions are made for her...<br /><br />I recall having a fiance ditch me when I fessed up that having kids would be a challenge for us, (wow, did THAT ever turn out to be the understatement of the century) I was somewhat pleased to hear recently that his wife (with their 2 beautiful children) left him for another man. I know, I'm a horrible for thinking such thoughts. But I'm human. And he was such a jerk to leave me for that reason. <br /><br />Hopefully that will never happen to your sis. She will have all her options laid out before her, and when emotionally she's in a good place, she will choose, or at least prepare a short list of choices, and plan for her future.<br /><br />You will have spared her the agony of being 40 and possibly with a partner, and finding out then, that she needs donor eggs or a GC. Being ambushed by such news can be pretty darn de-stabilizing in a relationship. <br /><br />It will allow her to align herself with those who would support her, and not hurt or abandon her...and I can think of no greater gift one sister could give to another.<br /><br />Mo, Will, you guys still have some decent options...put on your big girl and big boy pants and soldier on. <br /><br /><br />We decorated the tree last night and dared to hope...this could be our last Christmas without kids...our GC is 28 weeks along now...<br /><br />I wish you and yours all the best this Holiday Season. May all your wishes come true.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5160381109996491098.post-60457678901160203382011-12-16T10:34:42.061-05:002011-12-16T10:34:42.061-05:00Oh geez, Mo. That is terrible news, for you, for ...Oh geez, Mo. That is terrible news, for you, for your sister. I'm so sorry - and sorry still that you will have to explain this news to her too. I just keep hoping all these karmic marbles in the jar will come back to you in spades. Soon.Piehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07331859341593997811noreply@blogger.com