19 replies to this topic

[nicmc]

Hi,

 

My wife and I are new to this forum. She is 38, soon to be 39. We have been trying to have a baby for the last year. We have gone through 7 cycles of IUI and 1 failed cycle of ICSI with assisted hatching; quite depressing as some of you may know.

 

We were recently speaking with a friend who has gone through the same frustration as us. She had suggested starting DHEA. Now, of course, I have read medical journals on research in regards to DHEA and infertility. There has not been any negative affects that I can see. We are looking to try just about anything to make our dream come true (so far we have done acupuncture, dietary changes, Coenzyme Q10, just to name a few).

 

I know some clinics are strongly against DHEA and will not prescribe it to their patients. We have an appointment two weeks from now to see our FS; however, we want to get the ball rolling on DHEA. I know it is only a prescription drug in Canada; however, some go over the border to get it in the US.

 

Question to anyone who uses DHEA:

Where did you purchase DHEA? In the US or Canada?

How much did it cost? (looking at a 4-6 months supply)

 

We are going to try another ICSI cycle 4-6 months from now.

 

Any help would be great

[EMJ]

Hi nicmc,

Welcome to ivf.ca!

I purchased my dhea at a compound pharmacy in Calgary after getting a prescription from the clinic. My RE didn't mention it but wasn't against writing the prescription when I brought it up. I paid $112 for a three month supply (75mg daily) and it is not covered by work benefits since it is a compound drug. I figured with the cost of IVF, what's another hundred bucks.

Also, from what I know about dhea, it is best to take it for a short amount of time, especially in older women. Be sure to ask your doctor if a 4- 6 month supply is necessary. I was told to take a break from it after three months.

Good luck with your next cycle! Looks like you guys are doing all the right things to increase the odds in your favour.

[LastTry]

 I paid $112 for a three month supply (75mg daily)

Wow - this is cheap! I've paid for mine 90$ for 1 month supply (and then another 90 and probably there will be one more)

But if you are looking at the total cost of ivf (10-15K), another 100-300 dollars will not put you into debt...

I've got the prescription from the doctor when asked her if I can do something to improve the quality of my eggs... Apparently she thinks it might help. Or at least, doesn't hurt :-). I could not take 75 mg per day because I've had skin irritation. But 50 mg was OK for me.

[JacMac]

I bought mine online with no prescription....

[MEMac]

I also have DOR and my Dr recommended DHEA after my first IVF cycle resulted in 7 follicles and 2 embryos. My second cycle after 3 months of DHEA and other supplements resulted in 7 follicles and 4 embryos. Below is an info sheet my clinic has on DHEA and another on what you can do to prep for IVF. I am on every supplement suggested, around 20 pills/day . I received a prescription for DHEA and purchased from a compounding pharmacy (Pharmasave) $50 for 90 pills (1 month 75mg/day).

 

http://www.victoriaf...bedoingnow..pdf

http://www.victoriaf...ecember2010.pdf

[Seems like forever]

I purchased mine in the states at gnc. It was $11.99 for 90 pills of the 25mg. My doc wants me to take 25mg 3 times a day so a 30 day supply would be one bottle.

[Lisa1981]

Hi

 

I was also on 75mg of DHEA for 3 months. I paid about $50 for a 90 pills (1 month). For me, it helped a lot.. IVF#4, I made it to egg retrieval and transfer. I started my cycle with 9 follicles instead of 6. Ended up with 8 eggs retrieved instead of 2 (those 2 retrieved on a previous cycle didn't even made it to transfer). 

 

If I were you, I wouldn't get a 4-6 months supply, I was told that 3-4 months is good enough and then you need to take a break. DHEA is a form of steroid... best to be careful

 

I was told that it would be best to get a prescription and get the DHEA from a compounding pharmacy... Anything you buy over the counter in the US or online, may not be as pure and as efficient as what you would get with a prescription.

 

Good luck to you and your wife

 

Lisa

[snowmom]

Three months of use is the norm. I was on it for my last cycle, which resulted in a much greater egg response than the previous two, and a bfp. Warning tho, it made me really really irritable.

[mama2be]

Lisa is right - most studies I read suggest at least 6 weeks up to 3 months. Best results were within that range.  The anything longer then that did not give as good of a result in studies that I've read about. I am on it right now and have been for just over 3 weeks.  I will keep taking it until I do my IVF early Nov.

 

I would buy it with a perscription for sure and mine cost me just under $100 for 270 pills  - 3 months worth. Mine was compounded at Rexall Drugs. I am on 75mg/day (3 pills of 25mg/day)

 

I did have my blood levels tested first to make sure I wasn't high in my DHEA-S and my testosterone.  It's important to know your levels because not everyone is a candidate for DHEA.  It is a mild male hormone.

 

Also, has your wife had her thyroid tested?  They are now testing thyriod function in most clinics.  Mine was in the normal range but my RE has put me on a very low dost thyroid med to lower my thyroid numbers a little bit. This has proven to lower the risk of miscarraiges. My TSH levels are 3.82 and he wants me around 2.

 

Good luck with your next round. Accupunture a healthy diet low in sugar, or no sugar and not caffeine are all good things to try.

[Mom2BNot2L8]

My clinic presribed DHEA for 3 months leading up to the IVF #2 cycle start, 75 mg a day.  I had to go to a compound pharmacist to make it and I had to make sure it was micronized.  You can get it in the USA but it's illegal to import it.  I am 41 with DOR, mild to moderate endometriosis, hypothyroid and gluten intolerant.  DH is 45 and had PESA procedure.  I was also on L-arginine and ubiquinol (Vital Q - 3 x daily and Fertil Pro).  It is all supposed to help improve the quality of your eggs also.  I tried maca powder and royal jelly and was on low dose aspirin for IVF # 2.  I took vitamin D and iron and omega 3 fish oil. 

 

Our 1st IVF at a different clinic in Burlington was unsuccessful. - also no DHEA, no other supplements.  We ended up with 2 embryos, 8 cell grade 1 and they didn't implant.  I hadn't had the LAP though for endo, no diagnosis for endo, thyroid, no diagnosis for gluten, etc etc.  My medical history was truly ignored. 

 

We went thru our 2nd round of IVF in August 2013 in London - with the DHEA and other supplements and after the LAP.  We ended up with 3 embryos - grade 1 but only 4 cells and did a day 3 transfer of all 3 embryos.  Well we got our BFP with one of those 4 cell embryos.  And yes that is 4 cell on day 3 transfer.  However, we just found out we have a missed miscarriage at 9w3d.  I believe the DHEA helped and would do it again.  Not all clinics subscribe to the DHEA theory.  We had a consultation at Henry Ford in Michigan and they didn't believe in it. 

 

Good luck to you!

 

mom2BNot2L8

[kunkun789]

 i don't know that DHEA has connection with infertility.  this article is very useful for me. thanks so much. by the way, i am so sorry that i cannot give any useful advice for you.

[Chan]

Where are you all from?  I'm in Toronto and I just got a prescription for a 1-month supply of DHEA and it's going to cost me $102.  My insurance isn't going to cover it, but they aren't covering my IVF costs either which I'm sure is going to be in the high single digit thousands of dollars.

[PaleoMama]

Hi,

 

My wife and I are new to this forum. She is 38, soon to be 39. We have been trying to have a baby for the last year. We have gone through 7 cycles of IUI and 1 failed cycle of ICSI with assisted hatching; quite depressing as some of you may know.

 

We were recently speaking with a friend who has gone through the same frustration as us. She had suggested starting DHEA. Now, of course, I have read medical journals on research in regards to DHEA and infertility. There has not been any negative affects that I can see. We are looking to try just about anything to make our dream come true (so far we have done acupuncture, dietary changes, Coenzyme Q10, just to name a few).

 

I know some clinics are strongly against DHEA and will not prescribe it to their patients. We have an appointment two weeks from now to see our FS; however, we want to get the ball rolling on DHEA. I know it is only a prescription drug in Canada; however, some go over the border to get it in the US.

 

Question to anyone who uses DHEA:

Where did you purchase DHEA? In the US or Canada?

How much did it cost? (looking at a 4-6 months supply)

 

We are going to try another ICSI cycle 4-6 months from now.

 

Any help would be great

DHEA is a simple compound, there is NO reason for it to be expensive.

any micronized DHEA from a reasonably known company will do.

i've been taking DHEA for about half a year before getting pregnant with my first,

and then another 3-4 months before getting pregnant with my second child.

 

i have high FSH and AMH in hardly detectable range,

so i am sure DHEA did play a role in me getting pregnant.

good luck

[PaleoMama]

P.S. but it was probably not only DHEA

i was taking at the same time: vitamin D (2000IU daily)

CoQ10 (500mg, this was more expensive then DHEA supplement, but i live in europe so maybe that makes a difference),

diet without sugars and hardly any pasta and bread.

 

good luck

[PaleoMama]

IMPORTANT:

 

here is a link to a paper (Gleicher N. et al.2011)

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC3112409/

 

they review over 60 papers related to DHEA published from 1995-2010, summarize results etc.

i am not aware of a better review, free PDF

[Kayte]

I'm grateful for all the info and links in this thread. Thanks!

 

I am starting a long protocol at the end of the month... ie. starting Lupron the last weekend of January. My new RE mentioned taking DHEA - I wasn't well-informed and said I heard it could cause facial hair or increased hair growth in women and a lowered voice, so in the moment I said no. I have some PCOS-y symptons already without having the irregular periods.

 

But this cycle I want to try something different and what I can to help with my DOR. I will be stimming less, which means less eggs and hopefully higher quality, but that's also scary to me. It's my first and probably only PGS-testing round, and I wish I had banked eggs and tested in the past, but oh well. Now I just want to hope and pray for good little eggs... I have been taking Ubiquinol for awhile too.

 

Anyway, if any of you familiar with taking DHEA could please, please let me know what you think and I will call my RE on Monday, as I'm rethinking the DHEA....

 

1) Do you think it's enough time or worth it to try starting it now, if my long protocol begins in 2 weeks?

2) Do you think being on DHEA for this amount of time would produce notably negative side effects?

 

THANK YOU!

[L_in_Calgary]

The effects of DHEA are cumulative with the recommendation that it is taken for 3 or more months prior to retrieveal. It is generally not recommended for those with PCOS. I have been on DHEA twice now and the negative side effect have been greasy hair and acne none of the other side effects. However, I've had some positive side effects better strength in gym, easier to build muscle and better libedo. Plus it increased my folicle counts.  I've only been on 3-4 months prior to a retrieval so perhaps the other side effects are from longer use - it is also used as a supplement for fitness/body building....I imagine they are on it longer term. Good luck in your cycle!

[Kayte]

Thank you for all the advice. I can deal with those side-effects, but am now wondering if there's no merit if I didn't start 3 months in advance I will leave a message with my RE tmrw.

[Kayte]

So I'm back with another question. I talked about it with my RE and I'm going to try it, although I'm only a couple weeks before beginning a cycle.

 

They called the prescription into my pharmacy (2 hours away from the clinic), the pharmacy called and said they don't carry it. They said to try a health food store?? I was a little surprised by that considering what I know about this drug - they said it's a supplement. So I called several local stores and no one has it. One of them said a practitioner has to sell it and you need to have a prescription... and I do... but where to know??

 

My actual clinic has it but I'm not back for another week. Where do you get it? Has anyone else needed to be creative with finding it?

[dragnfly]

Kayte- I am in the US & am guessing u are in Canada. I know that some supplements are not as readily available as they are here. I ordered mine on Vitaminworld.com and had then shipped to me. Even if you can't get them until u go back to your clinic, get them and start taking them. What can it hurt. I started my DHEA a week 1/2 into my 2nd IVF cycle. Don't know what it was about our 2nd protocol that made the difference but we tried everything we could and don't regret any of it. Only froze 2 embys the first cycle (3 mature 2 fertilized, 1 of which had a very poor grade but they froze it anyway since I only had 2 & it didn't survive thaw) with 2nd cycle I had 13 mature & 9 fertilized. 5 made it to Blastocyst, much better results. Are u doing a FET or fresh transfer? I stayed on the DHEA after our FET (9dp5dt now) & will probably stay on it until end of Feb. I have read that it is not good to take it for more than 3 months at a time, though the reason for that is not clear to me.

Anyway, best of luck with your cycle, praying all goes well for you