Increasing Fertility Threefold With DHEA? New Study Results!

[lkmiscnet]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0701145535.htm

I took 75 mg of DHEA (bought from Walmart) for 4 mo prior to my first IVF at age 42, as I had researched it quite a bit. My RE didn't object as he didn't think it would do any harm, but he also didn't really seem to believe in it at the time. He said the jury was still out. I did end up with a successful pregnancy on our first try and have a beautiful 1 yr old DS.

There is no way of knowing whether DHEA had any impact, but this study is definitely positive and hopefully will lead to more studies like it.

I thought it was worth passing this along...

[contactmaya]

Thanks for that, and good luck to you. I wish i could take this too (am 43 with no history of infertility) but am breastfeeding. Im taking COq10 though.

[poetgirl]

FWIW: I am 36 and come from a long line of women who have early menopause/ovariian failure. I also took 75 mg of DHEA for 3.5 mths before my second IVF (the first cycle yielded 1 viable egg). I had 5 fertilized eggs, we transferred 3 and I am nursing the one that made it right now.

Wishing many more ivf miracles to come!

[blueyezz4]

My high risk OB that I had seen in the past told me to take B complex, prenatal vit and 1200 Mg Fish Oil. Could I add DHEA to all of that I wonder? Fish oil and DHEA are different right?

[SeekingBabyAltizer]

im new at all of this and have been taking clomid for many, many months now, with the aid of Metformin..no luck.. what exactly is DHEA?

[mambera]

DHEA is dihydroepiandrosterone, it's a testosterone precursor. It's been taken by athletes to improve muscle mass and is also found naturally in certain foods like red meat.

Fish oil is DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid found most abundantly in (obviously) fish. Good for health of cell membranes.

The two are chemically completely unrelated; DHEA is built on a cholesterol/steroid base and DHA is a long-chain carboxylic acid.

[elf]

confused about study results....

am i correct in saying that the results said that DHEA helped people with decreased ovarian reserve only. so basically people in premenopause right?

what about other fertility issues?

DHEA is the precursor to testosterone right? so someone like me who has PCOS, should not take DHEA. I think it would make everything way worse since people with PCOS already have too many male hormones. is this what you guys are thinking?

[elf]

since my last post, i have been obsessing over the answer to this DHEA thing. I did a little research about PCOS that is causing infertility and from I gather, taking DHEA would make your situation worse.

quote:
The ovarian and adrenal glands of women with PCOS are usually the sites of production of elevated androgens. It is postulated that these women have a hyperactive production of CYP17 enzyme, which is responsible for forming androgens in the ovaries and adrenals (from DHEA-S). (2) Elevated total and free testosterone correlate with the typically elevated LH levels. Serum total testosterone is usually up to twice the normal range (20 to 80 ng/dL). High androgen levels in the ovary inhibit FSH, thereby inhibiting development and maturation of the follicles. (1,2)

DHEA is found to be elevated in 50% of women with PCOS. (2) The elevated DHEA is due to stimulation by ACTH, produced by the pituitary in response to stress. The excess DHEA then converts to androgens via adrenal metabolism, which in turn contributes to the typical elevated androgen levels in PCOS.


I guess this is what i don't like about studies such as this one being released in the fashion that it was. I think there are many conditions/hormone levels that cause infertility that would actually be worsened by taking DHEA. Unless you really do some research, on the surface this article made it sound like we should run out right now and buy a bottle.

[poetgirl]

Originally Posted by elf

confused about study results....

am i correct in saying that the results said that DHEA helped people with decreased ovarian reserve only. so basically people in premenopause right?

what about other fertility issues?

DHEA is the precursor to testosterone right? so someone like me who has PCOS, should not take DHEA. I think it would make everything way worse since people with PCOS already have too many male hormones. is this what you guys are thinking?

Elf and Blueyezz, that was what I was going to come on and clarify. You would not want to take this if you have PCOS. From my understanding, it's not a blanket for-everyone fertility treatment.
DHEA has been shown to help older women struggling to conceive and women with diminished reserve or poor egg quality. That was my situation. First, I read a lot about it, talked it over with my RE who also recommended it, then took it gradually to make sure my body was agreeing with it--25, 50, then 75 mg.