I recently had my first tests and exam for egg donation. The first step is an ultrasound and lab work done 1-3 days after starting your period. The doctor used the ultrasound to see my ovaries and count the follicles in each one. I had three in one and four in the other. That didn’t seem like a very high number to me, so I asked how it looked. She said she would have expected about 15 for my age (34). She did say that since I have an 18-month-old and stopped breastfeeding recently, that could be affecting things and my ovaries may not have “bounced back” yet.
They did my lab work next and checked my estrogen, FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), and AMH (Anti-Müllerian hormone). Our coordinator called me with the results, and my estrogen levels were within normal limits at 12.6 (normal is <70). However, my FSH levels were 24.8, which was much higher than the desired level of <16. They explained that if my FSH is already high, my body won’t respond well to the medications they give to stimulate my follicles to produce eggs. I did some googling on this, and it is possible that the recent breastfeeding is still playing a role. I read that FSH levels can rebound and elevate after weaning, so I am hoping that is the reason. However, if my FSH levels remain high, they will not even consider me as an egg donor.
My AMH level was lower than desired as well (mine was 0.4 and they want it >1). AMH is a marker of ovarian reserve, or how many eggs are in the ovaries. The fertility clinic said the recent weaning may or may not be affecting this number.
The fertility office wants me to recheck my FSH levels with my next cycle in December, however, I spoke with Casey and Jamie and we are going to wait a bit longer to give my body a bit more time. It hasn’t been even six months since I stopped breastfeeding, and the doctor said six months is a better washout period.
To be honest, I feel crushed by this news. As I previously mentioned, I have had no fertility issues and got pregnant extremely easily. I thought this would be a slam dunk and I would have tons of eggs! Now I feel like I will let my sisters down and be a major disappointment if I don’t have as many eggs as planned.
I fear that the lack of sleep and high stress levels over the last couple years (particularly since Dylan’s diagnosis and preparing and executing an across-state move with three little kids) may have done a number on my fertility. So, my focus now becomes trying to optimize things as best I can. I am going to continue to try to improve my sleep, which means trying to enhance my kids’ sleep (ahem, Archer and your 4 am wakeups!). I am also going to meet with a functional medicine nurse practitioner that both Casey and I have seen and figure out if I need to add any additional supplements or tweak anything. I will be utilizing Casey’s tools for stress management and start seeing an acupuncturist. My diet could also be cleaned up, as I tend to reach for sugar frequently.
As someone very prone to anxiety and worry, the hardest part for me now is trying not to stress and ruminate over this. As we all know, telling someone who is worried to “just relax” or “calm down” isn’t very helpful. So, instead of being stressed out about being stressed out (ha!), I aim to improve my overall wellness and hope that the numbers improve with time. I’m choosing to believe it is related to the weaning; if not, we will cross that bridge when we get there.