Cathy (another of Dr. Schmidt's wonderful nurses) called me a little while ago and said that she got the rest of my labwork results. The main result that they were waiting for was AMH (anti-muellerian hormone). This is an even more accurate indicator of ovarian reserve than FSH. My AMH level is 0.16 (almost undetectable). "Normal" is over 1.0. Cathy said that this number makes it very unlikely that my FSH level was a lab error. My high FSH level plus my low AMH level mean that I have officially entered premature ovarian failure (POF). This essentially means that my body is in early menopause. My ovaries no longer function properly, and the few eggs that I do have left are probably not viable. This explains why my ovaries have not responded appropriately to the high doses of strong ovary-stimulating medications I have taken for the last 8 months. Cathy said that Dr. Schmidt is not one to give up without a fight, so it is still possible that he may want to try the most aggressive IVF protocol on me for one cycle to see if he can stimulate enough eggs to make some viable embryos. But, she said it is more likely that he will suggest doing IVF using donor eggs instead. I am going to ask him to be completely honest with me, because I don't want to waste an IVF cycle (our health insurance company covers 2 IVF cycles completely per lifetime, and any cycles after the 2 covered cycles are completely out of pocket ... one IVF cycle costs approximately $12,000-$15,000) if there isn't a realistic chance that my ovaries will respond to the meds.
So, at least I have some answers now. I will have more answers after we meet with Dr. Schmidt on Wednesday. I am feeling a profound sense of loss right now. I guess you could say that I am grieving for the loss of my fertility as well as the loss of a baby (from my own egg) that I always thought I would have. Cathy said that she can't believe my numbers are so off the charts, considering my age (she called me "young" ... I am definitely not feeling the slightest bit young right now, but I appreciate her saying that). She raised concerns about the radiation treatment that I had two years ago for thyroid cancer, which is what I have been afraid of all along. My biggest regret now is that I didn't look into harvesting my eggs before the radiation treatment. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess there's no point in dwelling on that ... there's nothing I can do about it now. I'll just wait and see what Dr. Schmidt has to say on Wednesday.
OH how I wish I could say or do something to magically make this better. I can't but know that I'm here for you. Hugs my dear friend.
ReplyDeleteChristi
PS I'd donate eggs for you but mine are not any better than yours. I'm thankful that your sister is there for you. Baby S is a dream that we're all looking forward to coming true one way or another.
I do have a question...is it normal for this to happen 2 years after the treatments and not immediately? My ovaries did so immediately after my chemo-embolization...even though nowadays they are just prone to growing big cysts.
Sending you a big hug. Wait and talk to your doctor. Don't look back... We can't change those things in the past. Keep focusing on the future. love ya.
ReplyDeleteso sorry Jess....wish there was something to do to just make it all better :) sending lots of love your way :)
ReplyDeleteWell that sure isn't good birthday news :-(. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something still works for you.
ReplyDeleteChristi ... my endocrinologist (thyroid cancer doctor) told me before radiation that there was a chance that the radiation would affect my ovaries/eggs, but there wasn't enough definitive research to confirm this. I, however, believe that the radiation does affect the ovaries and eggs. I belong to an online support group for women with thyroid cancer who are trying to conceive. I am dismayed at how many of us aren't able to get pregnant. I don't think that's just a coincidence, either. I have read that women should absolutely not get pregnant for up to a year after having thyroid radiation because of the damage it does to the eggs and ovaries. I find it hard to believe that this "damage' just magically disappears after one year. I guess I will never know for sure, but I sure do wish I had pursued harvesting my eggs before I had radiation.
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