antral follicle count

[mrsbeee]

OK I had a scan today to see what my count was and I had none in my left ovary and 2 in my right ovary. The nurse told me sorry this was bad news and I wouldn't qualify for any treatment on the NHS. I am devastated!!!!! Anyone else in the same boat and do I have any options now?

Are there other options other than IVF because that is going to cost around £6,000 and I don't have that kind of money.

Is this the end of the road for me?

I just want to kill myself right now

 

[Sam_1980]

Hi there

Sorry to hear of your struggles Was it a follicle utrasound scan you had or have you had FSH & AMH blood work done, what were the results of these? Do you mean you are not producing any eggs at all?

IVF is very expensive its an absolute outrage that they make it so out of reach for us mere mortals, makes me so angry

I understand that you feel so down, i've been ttc for over 10 years.....no words can describe ltttc pain...heartbreaking, but hey, where theres a will theres a way. Please let me know what your AMH etc results and history of ttc have been and i will try and help/advise you best i can.

 

[Imaan]

I am so sorry hun I was wondering if you have had an AMH test? because I have heard that that's a better indicator of ovarian reserve.

 

[cooch]

OK I had a scan today to see what my count was and I had none in my left ovary and 2 in my right ovary. The nurse told me sorry this was bad news and I wouldn't qualify for any treatment on the NHS. I am devastated!!!!! Anyone else in the same boat and do I have any options now?

Are there other options other than IVF because that is going to cost around £6,000 and I don't have that kind of money.

Is this the end of the road for me?

I just want to kill myself right now

Was an arsehole nurse. At the time you develop follicles for ovulation you don't want there to be too many!! If too many develop, its usually only one that releases an egg anyway, so therefore all those others are wasted!!! When I went for a follicle tracking scan, I had 1 properly developed on right, a tiny one on right and a tiny one on left. My specialist said that was ideal!!! as a high number of follicles increases the chance of multiples plus it means your over stimulated (good if your having eggs collected for IVF and have undergone drugs to stimulate) but it wastes your egg reserve. Why oh why was a scan done?? Ask for the AMH blood test. And don't take the nurses opinion (some nurses are fab just like any other profession, there are also some that you could strangle)

If I have learned anything in this LTTC, it's do not take an opinion your not happy with, you need to be forceful and demand otherwise you get nowhere with the NHS!!!!

Good Luck xx

 

[_Nell]

As cooch says above if this was an ovulation tracking scan then yes you really only want one or two follicles growing.

If as you titled your post it was an antral follicle count then 'yes' a count of 2 is very low. BUT and it's a big but, your antral follicle count will vary slightly from month to month, nest month you may have 3,4 or more.
It is NOT the nurse who decides if you will or won't get treatment either!
I have never heard a PCT refuse treatment based on antral follicle count (unless it was zero perhaps)......have you had your FSH tested, the nhs usually base a decision on this.

As others have mentioned knowing your AMH result (another blood test) would be useful confirmation of what was seen on your scan - typically the nhs don't do this test so it's more for you to know tbh.

Lastly, it's possible particularly with your left ovary that no follicles were seen but there were some there. It's very common for the bladder to mask full visibility of the left ovary - on my first follicle count I had none on my left ovary, yet later on that same cycle it became clearer there were actually 10 on my left side.

 

[mrsbeee]

Yes this was a AFC taken on day 3 of cycle transvaginal ultrasound. I've also had my blood work done on day 21 of my cycle and AM came back as low to very low!!!

What can i do now? I am going for a laparoscopy soon to see if tubes are ok.

I am 33 soon to be 34 years old and TTC for a couple of years. Never been pregnant despite sometimes being careless when younger!!

 

[Imaan]

I think the hospital you were dealing with should have give you time; to talk about all of the options available to you instead of simply telling you that you don't qualify for treatment on the NHS. Bloody idiots! it makes me so mad.

I recently went to BMI Priory hospital Birmingham to explore my options as we are thinking to do one cycle of IVF privately. We weretold it would cost 2,500 pounds.They give everyone a free 15 min consultation with the consultant who will carry out the procedure. You could go along to a clinic in your area to discuss your opnions. Also call the hospital back and tell them you want to know what your opinions are. Until you know, there is still light at the end of the tunnel hun. It's just so unfortunate that you had to deal with a brat of a FS!

 

[_Nell]

You know i've read your post again and maybe the nurse was trying to say that your low antral follicle count doesn't make you eligible for treatment even though you may benefit from treatment (rather than a flat we won't treat you because of the low follicle count IYSWIM)
I read it initially as she was saying low reserve precludes you from treatment.

It's true that the NHS does not consider low ovarian reserve (as per an antral follicle count and low amh) as a cause of infertility for IVF - I was faced with the same problem when i found my low amh.

But then, you may not need IVF, it's possible with a low reserve to still fall pg naturally, just that time may not be on your side.

Really you will need to await your lap or HSG and see what that shows. Hopefully your consultant will be able to talk through suggested treatment and options then.

 

[mrsbeee]

Forgot to say hubby also has probs with his sperm low motility and morphology.

 

[_Nell]

(((hugs))) mrsbeee, ignore the witch of a nurse and wait until you speak to the consultant. There are heaps of rules and requirements for nhs treatment it's true - if you post your area someone may know the rules for your PCT and be able to guide you a little better.

I'm east of england and in our area IUI isn't offered, but IVF is for 'explained' infertilty (or long wait for unexplained) - which your DH likely would make you eligible as 'explained'. In our area your low antral follicle count wouldn't exclude you, but they do like you FSH to be under 15 (plus you to be non smoker,s healthy weight, no current children, under 39 etc)

 

[Imaan]

You know i've read your post again and maybe the nurse was trying to say that your low antral follicle count doesn't make you eligible for treatment even though you may benefit from treatment (rather than a flat we won't treat you because of the low follicle count IYSWIM)
I read it initially as she was saying low reserve precludes you from treatment.

It's true that the NHS does not consider low ovarian reserve (as per an antral follicle count and low amh) as a cause of infertility for IVF - I was faced with the same problem when i found my low amh.

But then, you may not need IVF, it's possible with a low reserve to still fall pg naturally, just that time may not be on your side.

Really you will need to await your lap or HSG and see what that shows. Hopefully your consultant will be able to talk through suggested treatment and options then.

That's positive Nell and you are 100% right there.

Make sure you get your dh on the vitamins asap. My dh had low count and mortility and I got him on 75mg Q10, high-strength cod liver oil, 1000mg vitamin C, and 'Fertility Plus for Men'.

We have been waiting almost a year to begin treatment but he's been taking the above for 8 months and his is up on all parameters, e.g. his count went from 20 million to 78 million in 8 months!

So don't lose hope. You can improve you dh's , you can get cheaper treatment (i.e. much less then 6,000 that you mentioned), and I am sure you can still have a baby hun. Don't worry

 

[mrsbeee]

Thanks - my area is Plymouth, Devon (South West)? Anyone know?

When do i get to see the Consultant as i've only seen the nurse twice so far?

 

[mrsbeee]

Yup hubby has just started taking his vitamins so hopefully that will help!!!

Thanks for the kind and positive words. I've just re-checked the ivf sheet and it's just over £4,000 which includes the medication prescription that goes along with it (£800).

Sucks how you can get it free in some areas and not in other areas. And how many goes you get depends on your area too - some 3 goes but in Plymouth only 1 go if you qualify. Its wrong!!! Everyone pays national insurance contributions so it should be the same whereever you live

 

[cooch]

Its good your getting a lap instead of HSG, as it can show other things. I would ask in advance of the lap, that if a tube is blocked can they try and unblock it with cannulation/catheterization. As NHS left mine blocked and now I'm having to pay privately to try and get it unblocked.

Also there's still Napro ( I keep going on about it, but it's giving me hope). xx

 

[mrsbeee]

What's napro?

 

[cooch]

It Natural ProCreative Technology. You need to find a doc who does it. You chart and from your chart they prescribe meds to sort you out, hoping that you will naturally conceive a baby. Its on the 1st page of my journal x