[mojo-risin]

My AMH levels are back. And, not good. . 0.23. I am just floored. I thought my issues were a combination of bad luck and a luteal phase defect. Now, severe DOR and significantly reduced pregnancy rates. I think this news was more painful than my miscarriages. I am crushed. I know there is still a glimmer of hope, but it is getting harder to stay positive. Have any of you ladies had low AMH levels?

[*JenJen*]

*hugs* I'm sorry you got such a blow. I have no experience with low AMH, but I asked a friend that used to post here if she would pop in and answer when she gets a chance. I know she was dealing with severe DOR as well and did IVF last summer.

[L-SBB]

HUGS...i had to google what AMH was as i don't think I've been tested for those levels yet. I'm sorry you got a bad result...what is your RE recommending based on the test results?

[ccartanddesign]

Hi Mojo, I am so sorry about this news. Just remember that the report may not be great but there is hope beyond what the report says! Don't let this get you down please.

Did the dr. tell you what the normal AMH range should be?

[KMH]

I'm sorry the news wasn't better. I don't have a lot of info to help, but I hope someone else does!

[Lash]

I will post more later when i am on my computer and not phone- I had a .29 AMH

[kayakr]

Mojo – this is not the end all be all. There are millions of women with bad results on tests with BFP and or pregnant now or holding their babies. There are also millions of women with perfect numbers on test results with no babies or not as many babies as they would have liked.
These numbers don’t tell everything. They are just axes points for the RE to go on and get a game plan together for you to achieve your BFP. Please don’t let some numbers discourage you and make you think you won’t achieve your goal. If you do have DOR be glad you are trying now and you didn’t wait 5 years from now to start trying again. You’ve got this! This number doesn’t predict your family or your happiness. It is just a number and yes maybe another hurdle but that’s it.
I do understand how you feel though – which each hurdle it is heartbreaking and something else to deal with in this already tough journey.

[mojo-risin]

I'm actually an embryologist, so I work for my RE ! Knowledge makes this journey both easier and harder KWIM?? For our clinic, 0.8 has been the cutoff for good pregnancy rates. Anything below .8 has reduced pregnancy rates. I've seen ladies with low AMH get a baby, but mine is just so, so low. I just keep kicking myself for waiting as long as we did. I just never thought I'd be here. I am so glad I have somewhere I can come to vent my frustrations with people who understand!

[kayakr]

Embryologist?? Awesome! Boy do I have 100 questions for you at some point. 
First one though pertaining to you is – does the AMH number change monthly or from cycle to cycle like the FSH does? Maybe you just had a bad month and can have the test again next cycle?
Don’t beat yourself up for not trying sooner. You can’t look back although it’s so super hard not to. You didn’t know and how could you? If no one’s fault that you or DH weren’t ready to try sooner so nothing really changes. It’s better to be ready now and know this information than to have tried to early when you guys weren’t ready and to be miserable and not ready and challenge your good relationship and family. No regrets only moving forward now. You will be in the best of care since you work for your RE. That has to be a good feeling. Do you know what your FSH level was?

[LilHerndon]

So sorry about the low AMH levels. There are things that can be done though, so try not to beat yourself up too bad or lose hope. :hugs:

[mojo-risin]

Thanks, everyone!

Kayakr- AMH doesn't change from cycle to cycle (theoretically... I've seen some variation in a few patients that were tested multiple times). It is still a relatively "young" marker in the IVF field for ovarian reserve. I expect in the coming years, it will be more widely used. The fact that it can be tested at any point in the cycle makes it an attractive option over FSH. Especially for anovulatory and PCOS patients, neither of which usually cycle regularly.

I haven't had my FSH tested yet as my HCG levels are still falling from my last loss, and although AF came Friday, I am not sure this would be the cycle to test it. I am anxious to see what it is though!!!

[kayakr]

My RE did do my AMH as well and said he liked that test better than the FSH.
Well I hope that even though your results are out of the range that you can still hold your baby next time!

You will!

All the women in my RE office have never had to go through any of this. They just have all worked there for years and years so they are very compasionate and grateful that they haven't had to go through some of this stuff. It must be frustrating to work in this field and have to experience it as well. You'll get your forever baby soon. Good Luck to you!

[ccartanddesign]

Yes, I agree - you WILL be a mom!

I know how you feel about waiting. I beat myself up too. I am 38 and so is DH. We have kicked ourselves about waiting although I truly did not know it would be so hard.

[Lash]

Mine happened before the age of 30, so I have to say that time and age may not always play that much of a role. I had an AMh down to .29 by the age of 28, and have been trying since 2008 to get pregnant and continuously miscarrying or not getting pregnant at all.

I know you know the reality of it, so I won't sugar coat an ounce of it for you. I literally spent every waking moment researching our approach, our doctor, our protocol, etc. I feel strongly about our doc that we chose and his abilities, and I feel strongly that my protocol was spot on. I was able to get 6 total eggs, and 4 of those fertilized, 1 didn't make it out of those 4 and in the end only one was useable. We transferred all 3 left, but the last two were subpar kind of embryo's.

Anyways, I get that feeling. I blogged about the emotions of it extensively and I think my blog is still linked in my siggie. We know now we pretty much are entirely out of the game and it's over for us, before we ever hit 30.

This board was hands down the most informative and educational for me at the time
New High FSH Support Forum

My FSH was sky high too, at one point on day 3 it was almost 30. Abnormal is over 10, 15 is a freak out, and 30 is FREAK THE *** out kind of level. That prompted the AMH test.

[Lash]

Two days that you can probably REALLY relate to

The Day I found out:

At the time I had no idea what that meant. I was driving to work, called in to the RE for a quick update on my blood work, and the nurse told me "Your AMH is .29".
"Ok thanks, I'll call tomorrow and see if my FSH levels are back yet"

I had no idea what AMH meant. None.

Quick Googling on my phone in traffic turned up the quick results of "you are almost barren, you have very few eggs left, you have no time at all, act right now, right now, right now".

OH.

WELL WAIT, how reliable is this test?

Oh. Around 97% Accurate.

Cue the frantic panicked crying in traffic. Cue my calls to my husband, my mom, and my best friend, all telling them my shocking results and all together falling apartness.



So I was still in bed on an icy February morning in 2011. February 1st 2011 to be exact. I reached for the phone to call and see what the RE could possibly tell me, or hopefully not tell me, about the status of my bloodwork. I had no calls from them in a week, so I assumed nothing was back yet. RE's always call you when your blood work comes in.

"Oh yes, here it is, we got your FSH. Yeah it's at 33"

WAIT WHAT? 40 is menopausal!!

Cue more crying. I have few eggs left, and the hormone responsible for growing eggs is slamming through my body at 3 times the normal amount, slamming my depleted eggs with massive amounts of stimulating hormone and spilling eggs left and right. Great.

So I got in the bathtub and cried it out. What else do you do at that point?

Jumping Over The Rainbow- It Won't Rain Forever!!: There's No Use Crying Over Spilt Eggs- Or is there?

Jumping Over The Rainbow- It Won't Rain Forever!!: But I look just like my mother, and how 10% is a bigger number that it seems.

[kayakr]

I am sorry Mojo and Lash - that you guys have to go through this. I have the exact opposite.

My numbers are good, but I am 41 (42 in a few weeks) so they don't even care what my numbers are. They say just becuase my numbers are good I am still old and my eggs or old and of no quality anyways. It doesn't matter that I have plenty of them they are old.

All of this is so heartbreaking. I sure hate to see you guys have to go through this at such a young age. I wish I could do something to help....

[Jenn in DC]

mojo-risin - I am very sorry to hear about your AMH numbers. I don't actually know what my AMH levels are but I have been told by two different REs that I have DOR. For me that meant that I couldn't seem to conceive on my own and I had a poor response to stims so IUI and traditional IVF didn't work for me either. However, I went through "mini-IVF" with a doctor who was okay with me only having a few follies and didn't over-stim me trying to get more and I'm now 12 weeks pg.

I realize that my situation may not be the same as yours but I just wanted to say that having DOR doesn't mean that all hope is lost. I wish you the very best!

[mojo-risin]

Lash - it literally knocked the air out of me. Your blog posts definitely reflect exactly how I feel. The scientist in me ran straight to my database and I ran stats on our IVF patients with an AMH of less than .5. Out of twelve patients, we had one with a take home baby. My AMH was not only in the bottom three, but I would also have been the only patient younger than 31. Knowing this, I think my chance of pregnancy would be pretty similar with IUI. So, that's what I'll do. I am fortunate to have the resources I do, but having infertility waved in front of me day in and day out is so frustrating.

I love what I do, but I get so frustrated when I call a patient who has 20 oocytes retrieved and 15 fertilized, and the patient says, "That's it?" I want to reach through the phone and shake them. How many women would 1) kill for that many 2PNs and 2) kill to be able to just get to the point you are?

[Lash]

I have posts on my blog too about irrational anger that feels really consuming on so days, even towards other infertile women-- so I TOTALLY get it!!

PM me, really, if you want to talk or vent or process this.

[bryan and nina]

This is so heartbreaking.. I also wish there was something we could do to make this easier for each other. I like to believe that there are always options but you guys know way more about this than I do. I don't think I have even been tested as far as my AMH or FSH levels go...

I do dearly hope both of you get a take home baby one day!! Best of luck!!