The doctor said she "had" to tell me that the one bad test (FSH) does statistically lower our chances, but that all the doctors still felt I was a very viable candidate when viewed with my other test scores. (Sound like I'm in school.) Technically my FSH isn't really even THAT bad, but slightly higher than they would prefer. They wanted it under 11 and it was 12.4. At a level of 20, they advise against a woman proceeding with her own eggs. <9 is optimal. It can fluxuate from month to month (and always fluxs during your menstrual cycle), but they try to look at it from a perspective of your highest reading at the beginning of your cycle (day 2 or 3). Stress and such may be a contributing factor for your body producing higher levels (they just aren't really sure what all may be factors).
That made me feel better because I'm guessing with their sharp increase of success rate in older women for 2010 (over previous years and higher than the national average) I was worried that they would consider me as too risky a candidate. It says a lot that they would still be confident with me as a lot plays into their SART scores. Having a higher success rate for women 38and up will certainly get them mentioned in Top 10 lists for magazines and such. So it was nice that she was still really confident regarding my chances.
My mom cracked me up with the beginning line to her response:Well, it sounded like you were talking in a different language there, but I got the gist, that you weren't perfect, but good to go.
Moms are awesome like that. It totally made me realize how much info I have learned in such a short time. Now that I think about it, that gives me a much needed confidence boost in a time where I definitely need all the help I can get.
I asked her about what the nurse said regarding freezing embryos now, and she said that she didn't feel it was an immediate concern. If we found a surrogate and were able to do a cycle in a few months and THAT one wasn't successful, THEN she would advise that we consider it. She is such a nice and professional doctor; I wish all my doctors were as great as her.
After doing some research with published papers, I noticed that my scores are a bit of an odditity. Specifically, that most women that have higher FSH scores usually have bad other scores. They even have a lot of cases where women with normal FSH scores are falsely masking a problem, but the other scores shed light on what is called "falsely suppressed FSH." In my case (an AMH score in the normal range but an FSH that is elevated) only 5% of all cases are like that. Therefore, there is not enough research to give good statistics that the higher FSH will be a problem. Add to the fact that I had the cryoablation (also an extremely small sample size of women that go the IVF route) and I guess it is anyone's guess. I halfway wonder if the missing uterine lining has an effect on pituitary gland trying to create more FSH. I should have asked the doctor the other day, but I forgot.
Moms are awesome like that. It totally made me realize how much info I have learned in such a short time. Now that I think about it, that gives me a much needed confidence boost in a time where I definitely need all the help I can get.
The foreign language turns into a "lingo" quickly once you're neck deep in it. I understood everything you said and am now wondering how long ago the cryoablation was. A friend of mine had that well beyond child bearing years (mid to late 50s) and her tissue "healed" more than they had wanted. That said, I am wondering if there are degrees of destruction in that procedure. Also, did it do any damage to the fallopian tubes? Just thinking about your research idea - it doesn't sound like a bad one because the stats are that 1 out of every 5 couples in the US deals with infertility. So, the field that studies it must begin to grow in order to match the demand for understanding and treatment of various conditions. I would have less than zero idea how to put that idea in the head of anyone who could move on it, but it's a good idea nonetheless. I'll keep reading. Oh, and you're not alone on the stress factors. I was unemployed for 14 months before I started my job 2 years ago. It's tough trying to regain stability. It happens though...slowly.
ReplyDeleteI will be 40 soon and I had the cryoablation about 5 years ago for medical reasons. From what I understand, it is very unusual to have the lining grow back, but it does happen. My ob/gyn was really surprised. Apparently it can grow back more and more (which is what mine is doing.)
ReplyDeleteStill, there is damage to the wall and one fallopian tube is completely blocked. On parts have grown back, but not enough to support a baby. If we are lucky enough to have a successful IVF, then I will need to go back and have the surgery done again as the more my lining grows back, the more issues I experience. For now I will just suck it up and hope for the best. :-)
It's really really nice to know I'm not the only one going through all this. :-) Not that I want others to, but there seems to be a great support community with all of you. That is so important. Thanks!