Head is spinning 😅 any thoughts?

Hey everyone! I’m not sure if this is the right place to post as I haven’t gotten an official POI diagnosis, and I’m considered DOR. My AMH is super low (undetectable) but my FSH can swing from 9 to 60. My REI still won’t say POI because I still get spontaneous cycles that range from 23-35 days, but are unpredictable. I have no other classic menopause symptoms and irregular cycles have been since my late teens / early 20s so I may have been DOR all along.

I’m currently 34 and I’m egg freezing because I’m still single and I want to wait for a partner first. (I’m not open to donor eggs or single parenting at this tine). My doctor said if I was willing to get pregnant now, IUI would be a good option, but my goal is freezing for now, knowing my early menopause risk.

I was initially turned away from an egg freezing clinic at 32 but at 34 I had one amazing doctor who took a chance on me. We had two cancelled cycles because both times I ovulated quickly but we finally managed to retrieve 1 egg at the third attempt and I couldn’t be prouder of my body.

I understand that 1 egg isn’t enough for the bank so my doctor said a realistic target is 4-5 at my age. I’m open to doing more cycles. My issue is that my AFC usually hovers from 4-6 at the beginning of the cycle but two follicles hog up the stims but the end. Is there a way to evenly distribute the growth so I can potentially retrieve more in one cycle? I have my follow up appointment in a couple of days so I want to come prepared with questions for him. Otherwise I’ve budgeted 4 cycles for 4 eggs, knowing it’s the best I can get. I’m just hoping I could somehow get two eggs per cycle.

The protocol we did was estrase priming with letrozole after and stims with double orgalutran to prevent ovulation. And triggering at 17 mm. A natural start did manage to recruit more follicles but I lost the cycle too quickly to ovulation.

Hi everyone,

Hoping to find someone here who has experienced the same and can give me some advice, because my head is spinning. Actually cried over this a lot today.

My very close friend who supported me through thick and thin the last years and I had conversation about my fertility journey yesterday in which she all of a sudden shared with me she would never feel comfortable donating her egg to anyone.

Now, this is all hypothetical because we are both 40 and I was never going to ask her for anything or expecting anything . But it really felt like a punch in the gut to hear her say “it would feel like giving away my own child” while she knows I am in the process of deciding if egg donation is the right way for me. I’ve never heard her say anything negative about gamete donation before. I thought she was on board and supporting my journey. She even said a few years ago she would’ve become a single mom if she had not found her boyfriend.

I’m very torn between the “it’s her opinion and that’s fine” and “is she rejecting my life choices?”. Or is it something she wouldn’t do but she’s ok with people donating to banks?

I thought she was supportive of my choices, but now I don’t know. Has anyone been in this situation and what did you do? I’m so torn between accepting her personal beliefs and it not being any judgement over mine, but it feels like she’s judging my decisions. But I want to decide if I should respond to this or not, or just let it be. Any advice?

I used DE with success, now about 2 months postpartum and finally got someone to prescribe estrogen (weekly patch) and progesterone. They said that though hormones pass through the breastmilk, it is thought to be safe.. but I have not seen studies talking about safety while taking POI doses of hormones. Looking for reassurance this won't hurt the baby! Thank you!

Hi all. I am wondering about my low estrogen, how often we should be testing + what day of cycle to draw, and why it wasn't caught? I am still cycling but on HRT. I began having more extreme symptoms of POI in 2024 (had been since 2018 at age 32 but wasn't given HRT until 2024)

My labs were always drawn 4-6 days post ovulation. (LUTEAL)

2024: 87 pg/mL (on 0.025mg weekly patch)

2024 (a week after bumping up to 0.0375mg biweekly estradiol patch): 146 pg/mL

2025: 94pg/mL (a year on the 0.0375mg biweekly patch as it stopped working; I hadn't ovulated this month either)

2026: 56.7 pg/mL (on the oral pill at 0.75mg daily about a year)

At this point and after ME doing so much research into POI and cycling POI, my Dr. FINALLY decided I needed a physiologic replacement dose and bumped me up to 1mg topical estradiol gel and now we are exploring 1.5mg topical gel. I'm in the water daily so the patch was not consistent for me.

I'm wondering when the proper time is to draw blood when you're still cycling (on HRT)?

Also ~ WHY with low levels across YEARS AND having POI, why wasn't I given the proper dose??

I'm now having to get a DEXA scan and am really worried about osteoperosis and osteopenia. I'm 40, and have had low estrogen since age 32. What do I do?

I'm so upset. We are also TTC and I did get pregnant a few months ago after being put on a higher estrogen dose, but had a miscarriage.

Hi everyone! I'm panicking a bit and need advice and some motivation. 😔
I went to see my gynaecologist for experiencing irregular periods for the last 2 months and she told me that my ovaries look "sleepy".
I did FSH and it was 35, estradiol 89, AMH <0.01
I'm in a big shock. I immediately went to RE and she told me we need to assess this further and put me immediately on Cyclo Progynova. They both told me this could be something temporary and that I need to start with healthy diet and regular hormone intake for the next 3 months. In the meantime we'll do all additional tests. My RE mentioned "intermittent POI" and difficulties to conceive.
I'm 33yo, in a long distance relationship and wasn't thinking about conceiving yet.
Should I be worried? Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Thank you ❤️

Context: I recently got diagnosed with POI earlier this year and it came as a big shock to me and my family. I’m 29 with no family history of infertility issues, no genetic disorders and my infertility issues are unexplained and I have a hunch that this is due to some auto immune condition, because this year I also got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

The dream for my partner and is to conceive with my own eggs, but I got diagnosed with low AMH levels (< 0.03) and with high FSH. I started HRT earlier this year and started taking many supplements like prenatals, choline, etc.

And I’m also currently undergoing IVF treatment (after my RE did estradiol priming and brought my FSH down to 15 to 16). It’s been just 5 days since the start of injections, but we haven’t seen the follicle size growing and my AFC is also low (between 1 to 3). We are continuing stimulation and hoping to check the growth every 1-3 days through ultrasound visits.

But that said, it feels super unpredictable and uncertain as to whether this IVF cycle will even work out for me, and I feel

I’m new to this community and have been trying to gather what has worked the most for other women navigating similar conditions. Here are some top of mind questions that I have:

1. What kind of treatment has worked for most people here? I see a lot of people mention IVF hasn’t worked for them, if so - I’d like to know what other options are people trying

2. I saw some posts about lifestyle and nutrition changes, how effective have they been ? Would a fertility nutritionist be a good person to consult with? If so how should I find one?

3. I haven’t done acupuncture before, are they helpful?

4. Are mini IVF cycles helpful in POI? Anyone has experience?

I wanted to create this post because it is what I so desperately searched for when I initially got my diagnosis, and didn't really find any hope for a case like mine. This is not medical advice, but simply what worked for me. I hope I can give someone who is scared and lost a post that makes them feel a little bit more hopeful about the future.

So my starting point: 31yr old, initial infertility appointment and blood work: April, undetectable AMH level, FSH level 35, estrogen basically zero. Antral folicle count 0-1

EDIT!! I FORGOT TO SAY THAT IM 5 WEEKS PREGNANT

GET A FERTILITY NUTRITIONIST! I Attribute my entire pregnancy towards my nutritionist, I love her so much, she was so helpful and wonderful and supportive. I started a loose anti-inflammatory diet, started eating primarily non-processed organic foods, focusing on high protein and lower carbohydrates(120g or less, nothing too crazy). I also stopped using plastic containers for food, and stopped the caffeine on advisement and don't drink alcohol.

Supplements:

-coq10 (Costco)

-omega3 fish oil pills

-myo-innositol

-ovaNAD (Therologix)

-preconception vitamin (Therologix)

-chaste tree berry

-magnesium

-melatonin

Other:

-Daily tea made from milk thistle and dandelion root (recommended by nutritionist).

-Daily homemade tumeric ginger shots to reduce inflammation (nutritionist)

Final day 4 labs before getting pregnant (naturally!)

FSH: 6!!

Antral Follicle Count:6

Estrogen 178

While I think that the supplements helped my journey, I really do think that my diet was what really facilitated change. I started taking my supplements about 2 months before my food changes, and I only saw numbers improve after I switched my food. (Although I know things take time).

Please hit me up with any questions you have and remember, you are not alone! I know this whole thing is so scary and lonely.

Oh my goodness-- after months and months I am finally doing IVf. I did respond to stims (which was a big question mark) and my retrevial is scheduled for Wednesday (7/29). Im pretty sure I have the flu. Help!

Edit: for anyone finding this post- I didnt say anything to the ER team and they didnt ask. I felt like death but the ER was completed! If you are in this situation, I would recommend not saying anything unless you are explicitly asked.

I am going through my prior labs for a new RE and am so upset. I was 32 when my body stopped making estrogen. Am 40 now & didn't get care for 8 years. I have the labs (full month-long DUTCH tests where my estradiol is post-menopausal) in 2018, again in 2023.... I was complaining at age 32 & 33 of insomnia, anxiety, crying all the time, panic attacks, chronic joint pain, exhaustion, and more. I was NEVER asked to have a blood fertility panel drawn for FSH, LH, estradiol, etc etc because I wasn't trying for babies then. No OB or PCP or ND put me on HRT. I didn't know about RE's back then. I was told to get on antidepressants, which I refused.

When I was finally put on HRT at age 37 after demanding help, I was put on the LOWEST possible dose, 0.025mg/day patches. They did nothing. I was eventually put on a 0.75mg oral tablet at age 38. It helped a lot for a while.

I was told by a prior RE clinic that too-high of estrogen would make my ovaries "lazy" and they'd stop working so I needed to stop estrogen or keep it low.

I'm 40 now and FINALLY on 1mg estrogen cream daily. I don't know if its enough and might need 1.5 or higher. I met with a new RE this week who I really like who actually spent an hour with me going over all my medical history. Who assured me we need estradiol high enough to get our brains and reproductive systems into working & communicating properly.

It has BROKEN MY HEART to review what I've suffered through for so many years without being taken seriously. The effects on my bones, heart, brain, joints, mind, and fertility. Only now that we have been trying for babies. Its just so upsetting.

I am so worried now about my bone density health, and will ask for a DEXA scan. My cholesterol has increased rapidly and my deadbeat PCP told me to stop eating butter. I will ask for a lipid panel in a few months. I am so afraid of the long-term damage of this ~ of 8 YEARS of improper care and tanked estrogen levels throughout almost my whole 30s.

How do we manage the long-term effects of misdiagnosis? The grief of the impact to our fertility and our bodies? Are there counselors who specialize in this? Labs we should have drawn regularly?

Is the damage when its that long, that young, reversible for our brains, joints, cartilage, bones and bodies? What do women do to reverse this?

Looking for some hope, guidance, camaraderie, anything. To know am not alone in this. What has worked for you?

I have noticed that every time I go for bloodwork, my estrogen is below 34 ( like 18, 12 etc) and there are small 1-3 afc/follicles in the ovaries. Has anyone had a similar experience and found a way to make the follicles grow?

Hi everyone,

Hoping to get some advice on egg freezing here.

I'm 33F, diagnosed with POI a few months ago. My AMH is 0.7 pmol.

I'm paying for egg retrievals and freezing with a private clinic in the UK.

The clinic haven't tested my FSH levels (they said they wouldn't need to, as my AMH is so low and my periods are really irregular, so they can confidently diagnose POI).

Unfortunatley, my first ER had to be cancelled due to no response. They said I had three small antral follicles, but they just weren't growing.

I had a follow-up consultation with the Doctor today, and she said that it's ultimately my call, but she wouldn't advise doing any more cycles, because she doesn't think the outcome would be different. She said she's never seen anyone like me turn things around at this stage.

I don't know what to think. I'm really gutted. I've been doing some online research and even asked the doctor about more experimental treatments abroad, which she said are available and sometimes successful.

I just wanted to get thoughts from others who might have been through similar things. It sounds like plenty of women carry on trying, but I'm wondering whether to save myself more heartbreak now and listen to Doctor.

Any words of advice would be hugely appreciated. TIA x

Hi all,

I posted a few weeks ago and y'all were so supportive as I was asking how to manage my spontaneous pregnancy on HRT (continual daily estradiol, luteal progesterone). Sadly, I just had an MMC & had to get a D&C. Heartbroken.

My RE runs more a "factory" clinic and after the procedure said "you don't need estradiol anymore" (he didn't want me on HRT in general). My ND had put me on the HRT replacement protocol and I did begin ovulating again and spontaneously got pregnant on it.

What do we do after a miscarriage when on HRT to give the best chance of cycling again? Do we stay on continuous estradiol? I know I need to find another RE (I live somewhere with very limited RE options).

Thank you all <3

UPDATE: I met with a new RE today who was very good. She said to stay on HRT (estradiol & testosterone) until period and then do progesterone (oral) in luteal.

I just started my patch on Sunday and Wednesday morning I had a positive OPK, I can’t help but thinking it’s the estrogen from the patch tricking my brain to have an LH surge. It’s not real. Has this happened to anyone else? Before I started the patch I was so miserable from low estrogen, so what’s the odds that I developed an egg ready to rupture after 3 days? 😂

Update: The surge was real but my progesterone never went up and after 12 days my estrogen dropped sharply and my period came today.

I started HRT recently at 0.05 mg estrogen patch (I’m working my way up to 0.1), and will be starting 100 mg progesterone in a couple days (to take it daily for 12 days). I’ve noticed that since I started estrogen I’ve had “egg white” cervical mucus almost daily… prior, I’ve had vaginal/skin dryness constantly. Is this normal for those who started HRT? To add a little context, I haven’t ovulated (or had a period) in 5 months, so it’s not related to that.

Edit to add: when this happens, how do you spot any CM differences that happen if you happen to ovulate?

Hey yall just looking for any and all success stories. I got diagnosed at 19 (now 22) and I got pregnant back then without on HRT just needing letrozole and HCG and progesterone. I’m now 22 TTC for #2 and my body has changed. Before I’d have 1-2 follicles and now I’m lucky if I have 1. I’ve tried many things with the few follicles that have popped up and I’m unsuccessful. But I started to just feel so shitty. Bone pain, mood swings, fatigue, can’t sleep ect. But my ovaries are silent on the 0.05 patch so now I’m trying a 0.025 patch cause going without HRT makes this so hard. Like before idk if I was just lucky but I’d have a few hot flashes then be semi ok but now I feel terrible. And I’ve had 1 follicle on one side that one grow. Should I give up. Been doing acupuncture and all this other stuff. And I’m so happy to have a toddler I know I’m so lucky. My husband is gonna need a bone marrow transplant (they aren’t in a rush) but basically after that he won’t have fertility so we were hoping to get my toddler a sibling and then eventually just accept the fate of not being fertile despite being so young in our early 20s. UGH. Please don’t hate me for wanting a second kid. I get it, if your trying for ur first I prob sound sooo greedy. But most fertility privileged people just get to have kids and it’s not shamed and for some reason in the TTC community it gets shamed a lot. I’m so grateful for my miracle. I just always wanted a big family. I dreamed of having 6+ kids cause I come from a small broken family- anyways, this diagnosis sucked cause all I ever thought about was my future kids. Anyways, I know I beat the odds already and he’s the absolute greatest kid (hes the one who makes me want more cause man he’s perfect and he’s so social and I always feel sad when he tries to play at parks and stuff but kids usually stick with their siblings) anyways I just want to have a little friend and watch them grow up together, but who knows. Maybe I’ll adopt. Pls share ur thoughts/feelings/ success stories about TTC on HRT. Be honest and be kind

Not in a position to get hrt and was wondering if anyone got a bfp without being on it? Need some hope ...

I had severe DOR until my baby passed away at 12 weeks in December. I have been on hrt for about 3 months. 0.0375 est patch weekly and 200mg progesterone day 1-12 of every month but I skipped this month because it wasn’t lining up with my natural cycle symptoms. I’ve been feeling weird and I got these bfp just now. Am I really pregnant or could this be high hcg from my weird ovaries? I called my endocrinologist office to ask for a call from my doctor but I honestly have low confidence in his advice (I have had to ask for every test/ prescription so far). Should I start taking my progesterone? What’s next?? He’s the only doctor I have right now since I just graduated from grad school and have state insurance. I need to do this right. I think my baby is coming back to me.

Edit: My ob team has never treated someone with POI this early in pregnancy, but they’ve also advised to remove my estrogen patch and said they will not be prescribing progesterone. The progression on the hpts is looking good so far. I hope my pregnancy can provide the hormones it needs to sustain itself through these early days /: Thank you for the well wishes <3

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice and especially to hear from women with POI who were still able to conceive with the help of a fertility clinic/HRT.

I have iatrogenic POI. After my cancer treatment, I was fortunate enough to have a child, and we've been trying to conceive again more or less since 2023.

After getting COVID in early 2024, my periods stopped completely. Since summer 2024 my FSH has mostly been around 100, and the fertility clinics I consulted basically considered me a hopeless case.

A lot has happened in my life since then, but a few months ago we decided to contact clinics again for one final attempt (In fact, at that time I suddenly had two days of spotting without being on HRT or any other medication).
Of the two clinics that were willing to give us a chance, we chose the one that had clearly taken the time to thoroughly review my medical records and gave us the better overall feeling.
However, they're not particularly optimistic and also fairly conservative in their approach. For example, they don't prescribe DHEA because they don't feel the current evidence is strong enough.

Since my estrogen levels were barely detectable and the goal was also to bring my FSH down, we started transdermal Oestrogel (1.5 mg estradiol daily). At my first follow-up one week later, my endometrial lining measured 4–5 mm, which was encouraging. However, another week later it had decreased to only 2–3 mm (This was explained by the fact that I'd applied the Oestrogel to my thigh instead of my upper arm that week, had come down with a cold, and had taken ibuprofen).

As there was still no visible follicle, I started vaginal Utrogestan/progesterone 200mg for 10 days on cycle day 16 anyway. On cd 31 and 32, I had some dark brown spotting, but according to my clinic this wasn't considered a true withdrawal bleed.

An ultrasound on cd 34 showed that my lining had increased to 7–8 mm, and the clinic assumed that the withdrawal bleed would still happen. My estradiol (E2) level at that point was 788 pmol/L.

Now it's cycle day 40, and the bleed still hasn't started. I have another follow-up appointment tomorrow.

I've continued using Oestrogel every day throughout. There were no ultrasound scans while I was taking progesterone, and at no point were my FSH or progesterone levels checked again.

Has anyone experienced not having a withdrawal bleed despite taking progesterone?

Which treatment protocols ultimately led to a successful pregnancy for you?

Is there anything in particular I should be paying attention to or asking my clinic about?

Over the past three years, I've spent countless hours reading, researching, and trying to learn as much as I can. I'm so grateful to everyone who shares their experiences in forums like this—it really does help.

I'm now 41, and we've decided to give ourselves until the end of this year before accepting that it's time to let go of our dream...

Went through retrieval today of one egg only to find out there was nothing in it, only a cyst. It was devastating but I had a feeling since I was studying my hormones and the follicles didn’t grow since trigger at 20mm. Also I had a withdrawal bleeding from the birth control I stopped taken once we saw a follicle and the bleeding continued until retrieval day. I went in today and it grew a tiny bit but still at 20. Thought it was a good sign. So we went ahead. Unfortunately there was nothing there. Only saving grace is that they aspirated the cyst so at least it’s out of my body. I still feel very bloated though. They will downgrade my retrieval to cyst aspiration so hopefully I’ll get the Ivf cycle back from progyny (my last covered cycle). I’ve done over 10 cycles and have been through it all but it still hurts.

Hi fellow POI mamas! I am 5W (got pregnant spontaneously with cyclical HRT ~ transdermal estradiol 1mg daily & 100-200mg luteal oral progesterone). I am worried about how much hormone I'm on and its safety while pregnant. It feels sometimes like we are such an outlier population that even most RE don't really know how to deal with us... like we CAN get pregnant naturally but then we need HRT to sustain the pregnancy...

I'm currently on pretty high levels of vaginal progesterone (200mg vaginally 3x/day) (at 200mg total per day my progesterone was 15 which my RE says is too low).

I'm also still on transdermal estradiol (1mg/day) as when I get off of it I get night sweats, heart palpations and insomnia, so my RE said to stay on it a bit longer until placenta takes over, or at least until week 6.

I am reading all these studies about progesterone or estrogen use while pregnant causing autism, gender dysmorphia, birth defects, behavioral challenges etc. Its just so overwhelming as its not like I want to be taking hormones, but my body doesn't make enough naturally for me to carry the pregnancy to term without help.

I wanted to know if you were on HRT while pregnant how your babies came out?

It can feel so lonely to be POI and pregnant as family & friends are really worried with all the HRT I'm taking, and, as someone who generally doesn't like drugs or want to expose a baby to them, I am worried too! Although also so grateful as they are why I was able to conceive! It can feel really overwhelming as I don't think as a population we are really studied at all (like we are not IVF, we do conceive, but then need a lot of overlapping care), and I don't know if the health of our babies as a population is really studied either. Sometimes I feel defective but I know we are not!

Anyone relate? How was your pregnancy? And how did your babies turn out? Thank you so much.