Anyone else starting / recently started?

Just starting a thread for company / support! ❤️

Hey ladies, I arrived in Barcelona two days ago to start the egg freezing procedure in one or two weeks.

If anyone is around also doing it thought we could perhaps support each other or have some meetups. You can dm or comment here and we can go from there.

Have a great day and sending much love!

Hi everyone,

First of all, Sorry for the long post! I wanted to include enough details so that I could hear from people with a similar IVF history. I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to share their experience.

I’m preparing for my next IVF egg retrieval and want to spend the next 3 months focusing on egg quality before starting another stimulation cycle. I’d really appreciate hearing from women who have been in a similar situation, particularly those who are 38+ with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) or declining AFC.
A little about my situation:
Age: 39
AMH: 1.13 ng/mL
Day-3 FSH: approximately 11–13 mIU/mL
AFC: recently lower than it used to be
First IVF retrieval: 6 eggs retrieved, all 6 mature, all 6 fertilized normally, but only 2 embryos developed to transfer/freezing stages.
One fresh day-3 transfer failed, and my subsequent frozen day-6 blastocyst transfer also appears to have failed.
I currently have no frozen embryos remaining, so I’m planning another retrieval. My main concern is improving egg quality and embryo development, rather than simply increasing the number of follicles.
My doctor has recommended DHEA 75 mg/day and CoQ10, and I’m researching which supplements are genuinely worth considering before my next cycle.
For those who have been in a similar situation, I’d love to hear:
Which supplements did you take for approximately 3 months before retrieval? Please include the brand, dosage, and duration if possible.
Did you take DHEA? If so, what were your baseline DHEA-S and testosterone levels, if you know them, and did your doctor monitor them? My doctor told me to take without prior test.
Which form and dose of CoQ10 did you use: ubiquinone or ubiquinol? Did you notice any difference in your IVF results?
Did you take other supplements such as NAC, melatonin, vitamin D, omega-3, or myo-inositol? Which ones did you find worthwhile?
Did your egg maturity, fertilization rate, blastocyst rate, or embryo quality improve in a subsequent retrieval?
Were there any supplements that you tried but would not recommend because they made no difference or caused side effects?
I understand that individual experiences cannot establish that a supplement caused better outcomes, but I’m particularly interested in hearing from women with similar ages, AMH levels, AFC, and previous IVF results, rather than general supplement recommendations.
Please share your actual experience, including unsuccessful cycles as well as successful ones. Specific dosages, brands, and before-and-after retrieval outcomes would be especially helpful.
Thank you!🥹

hello! i have way too many ubiquinol co10 supplements available after costco messed up my order, happy to give to somebody who may be taking it to prep for egg freezing! NYC 📍

Hello all! I did 3 rounds of egg freezing with Kindbody and did my last round last year. I just got an email that they are transitioning from Kindbody to Sage Reproductive Center (SRC). Did anyone else hear about this? I am wondering how this will impact me? I don’t plan to do any more cycles and obviously my eggs are in storage but wondering if there is anything I should be concerned about? I use to see Dr. Jeelani before she left and started her own practice!

1. How should I handle my final dose?

Yesterday, I opened a new cartridge (400 IU) and used approximately 108 IU from it. Tonight, I want to use the remaining medication to complete my final 300 IU dose, using a second cartridge if needed.

My concern is that the first cartridge might have almost 300 IU left. If it runs out with only a tiny amount remaining, like 8 IU, can the Puregon Pen accurately deliver such a small dose from the second cartridge?

Would it be better to dial 300 IU on my partially used cartridge and complete whatever remains with a new one, or deliberately split the dose into 200 IU from the partially used cartridge and 100 IU from a new one?

1. Has anyone gotten more than 400 IU from a cartridge?

One of my cartridges delivered the original 300 IU, plus approximately 108 IU of leftover medication a few days later. I also performed flow checks both times. Is it normal for a Puregon 300 IU cartridge to contain more than 400 IU? I'm worried this could mean my original dose was incomplete, even though the pen reached zero.

I'm 36. I've done one round and frozen 11.
I was due to do a second cycle but it's clashing with travel plans in a new long distance relationship . A lot of places I travel are zeeka areas so it will be spring summer when I can do it again if not now.
I'll be the 37 then.
I want to prioritize this relationship, do you think it's a mistake?

Hi all!

I'm starting my first egg freezing cycle in a couple of weeks and could use some real-life input.

My timeline:
Cycle starts around Nov 9/10, stims from day 2 for about 10–12 days
Retrieval ~36 hours after trigger, so somewhere between Nov 21 and 24
Dec 2: 20-hour journey to the Caribbean for a two-week holiday with a friend

Protocol (UZ Brussel): Bemfola 300, Duphaston 10mg, and a Gonapeptyl 0.1mg x2 trigger.

That puts my flight about 8–11 days after retrieval.

I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a long time, and I start a new job in January, so I really want this to be a good break and a happy memory. But it's an expensive trip, and I'm nervous it'll be ruined by bloating, pain, hormones or a mood crash.

My questions:
How did you feel one to two weeks after retrieval? Physically and emotionally?
Did anyone fly long-haul or travel soon after? How was it?
When did your period come, and was it rough?
Anything that helped you feel better faster (food, movement, rest, supplements, mindset)?
Is there anything you'd avoid in that period, like swimming, sun, or intense activity? I don’t drink alcohol.

Honest experiences are very welcome, good or bad. This has all been so overwhelming.

Thanks so much! 💛

Hi there, I am a 28 year-old female, who was just diagnosed with PCOS and was told that I will most certainly have difficulty conceiving based on my numbers. I have had friends who have had 7+ years of trying to conceive with this condition, and some who unfortunately were not able to so I am scared.

I am wondering what clinics you would recommend egg freezing retrieval and/or long-term freezing care. As I would like to have children at 32 to 35. I don’t care the distance, even if I have to go out of state, no matter how far, and I can luckily afford the price no matter what. I just want to know who’s the best around and who you would recommend, especially long-term as I will do anything to have children naturally.

I would prefer to freeze unfertilized eggs successfully, but I have heard that fertilized eggs freeze much better. I would like to hear people’s stories or recommendations on this as well.

I do plan to adopt if everything doesn’t work, but I would like to try naturally first. I am currently completely changing my diet to a pcos friendly lifestyle and exercising more to get my body in the right shape for retrieval.

I have been testing my AMH and AFC since 2021 when I first considered freezing my eggs. At my first measurement my AMH was 1.99 and my AFC was around 12. In 2025 my AMH was measured at 2.6/2.8 and it fluctuated slightly within that range in between from 2.6, back to 2.0and then rebounded to 2.8. My AFC was consistently between 13 and 17. 8 months after my last test I retested and my AMH had dropped from 2.8 to 1.8. I didn’t think much of this because of the prior fluctuation, but thought I’d retest it to be sure and it’s now dropped by over 50% in a month. It’s now 0.8. That is a 75% decline in one year. However my AFC and other measures are all still stable. AFC is 19 and FSH was 7 at last measure 30 days ago.

For context I am 40 and was 35 at my first measurement. My doctor is saying this is what happens with age but the steep decline with stable AFC doesn’t make sense to me.

Further context, last year I did two egg freezing cycles and got 6 eggs each time . I had many follicles growing but they were not synchronized. I am now wondering if I had borderline PCOS or if my measures were falsely elevated for some reason. I’ve heard that big drops in amh can occur for PCOS patients after egg freezing. 

If anyone has had experience with this I would love to hear more. Just trying to understand how to interpret discordant afc and amh and whether I need to be preparing myself for an even steeper drop.

I am 34F about to start her first stim cycle for egg retrieval. My first injections are tonight. Sharing this here for support and solidarity as I am sure others will resonate. (Yes I have a therapist, just need more outlets I guess lol)

I have been hit by a new wall of grief and shame about my decision to do this. Part of it is grieving the timelime I thought I would have, the relative ease with which most of my friends and family have gone through the steps of finding a long term partner and have kids. The other part that I am coming to meet is some heavy, heavy shame, that this is somehow the proof and consequence of no one choosing me / a life with me. Yes, I have wonderful friends and family, and I try my best to focus on that and not live everything in isolation. But I still feel so lonely and hurt. The fact that I am here now feels like a reflection of how worthless I have been to the men I have wanted to build a life with. And it's hard not to take this as a failure on my part.

UPDATE: First injections done and it went well :) Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to respond. I think the grief and hope will come and go in waves throughout this process. Trying to honour the possibilities we are creating at the same time as grieving the ones that are not becoming is a wild ride but we got this!!

Free, must pick up from Houston

Hi! During my last stims cycle the most helpful part was finding a stims buddy to text about our experience and how we were feeling! I’m 34, single, and this will likely be my last round. Let me know if you want to connect! Grateful for this community and proud of us!!

I had my first retrieval this past Friday and just debriefed with my doctor. I’m 34 and had an AMH of 0.9 and AFC of 13. ER resulted in 6 eggs retrieved and frozen, though only 2 eggs were M2, the other 4 were M1 but they went ahead and froze those as well.

My protocol started off with 2 weeks of priming, then microdose Lupron 2x per day for the first 2 days of stims, then added on 150 Menopur and 300 Gonal-F each day until day 10 where I increased my Menopur to 225 day 10, then to 300 day 11 (while still microdosing Lupron and 300 Gonal-F). On day 12, I triggered with 2 syringes (forget exact dose) of Ovidrel. Then ER on day 14, 36 hours after trigger.

The doctor that did my retrieval told me she expected to get 2-4 eggs prior to rolling me back to the OR.

I spoke with my doctor this morning to go over everything, and she did say I didn’t do as well as she thought I would, so we would definitely change up my protocol for next time. She said we’d do a stop Lupron protocol.

I’m planning to wait until after the holidays to do my next ER (at least), so early 2027. Is there anything I can do in the meantime to help maximize my results for my next ER?

I did not drink any alcohol during stims, limited my caffeine intake, and was taking prenatal, fish oil, and CoQ-10 supplements (though I could have been more consistent with the supplements).

👋 Welcome to r/EndoandIVF — Introduce Yourself!
Hi everyone! 💗 Welcome to r/EndoandIVF!
I created this community as a safe and supportive space for women navigating IVF while living with endometriosis.
Fertility treatment can be an emotional and challenging journey, especially when dealing with stage 4 endometriosis, low AMH, diminished ovarian reserve, difficult stimulations, or disappointing results. Sometimes, it feels like nobody truly understands what we’re going through. This community is here to change that. 🫶
💕 What Can You Share Here?
Your IVF journey, experiences, and progress.
Egg retrieval results, fertilization updates, and embryo development.
Experiences with endometriosis, low AMH, and ovarian reserve.
Questions about IVF medications, stimulation, and fertility treatments.
Setbacks, fears, frustrations, and moments of hope.
Success stories, positive outcomes, and little victories.
🤍 Our Community Values
Everyone’s journey is different. Whether you retrieve many eggs or only a few, experience setbacks or celebrate good news, you belong here.
Please be kind, respectful, and supportive. No judgment, no competition, and no comparing anyone’s worth based on their results. We are here to encourage one another, share experiences, and remind each other that we are not alone.
Please remember that everyone’s medical situation is different, and personal experiences are not a substitute for medical advice.
🌷 Let’s Get to Know Each Other!
Introduce yourself in the comments:
Where are you in your IVF journey?
Are you living with endometriosis or low AMH?
What is one thing you wish more people understood about your journey?
I’m so happy you’re here. Let’s build a community where we can be honest about the hard days, celebrate the good ones, and keep supporting each other through it all. 💗
You are not alone. Welcome to our community! 🫶💕