POF and autoimmune thyroid disease

opheliasmusing · 05-18-2009, 08:46 PM

stats: i'm 26, turning 27 a week from today. on cycle day 146 (last period on 12/24/08). only 1 ovary (other was removed 9 years ago). hypothyroid, diagnosed shortly after ovary removed in 2000. diagnosed in march 2009 with POF.

i just had karyotype and anti-thyroid/adrenal antibody testing done. karyotype/fragile X came out negative. anti-adrenal = negative. anti-thyroid is through the roof (over 1000 IU/mL).

my hormone levels for reference:
Estradiol = 20 pg/dL (low)
Progesterone = 0.14 ng/dL (low)
FSH = 57.7 mIU/mL (high)
LH = 34.0 mIU/mL (normal)

my doctor says that basically, my ovary is wearing earmuffs and can't hear the signals my pituitary gland is sending out, thus, the high FSH and low prog/estro levels. he says there is a chance i might have eggs/follicles, and that i still have the chance to have my own biological children. most likely some kind of hormonally induced cycle (either the pill or recombinant FSH injectible), retrieval, and IVF.

this sounds almost too good to be true... does this sound right? it sounds like it's almost reversing my Dx of POF, but from what i understand, POF is permanent, like, once i'm in failure, there's no getting the fertility back. i'm not saying my doctor is lying to me, but i just want to know from others if this sounds feasible?

Feona · 08-11-2009, 09:49 PM

Ophelia,

I was also diagnosed with POF June of this year. My doctor also believes it's due to thryoid antibodies that have attacked my ovaries. My FSH was 33.7 and I have been hypothyroid for 13 years.

I have been to 4 different RE's, and none of them said I could "reverse" this diagnosis. However, half of them said that because of my age (31) my eggs may still be healthy even though there aren't many left. One of them said I have no hope at all and to consider donor eggs or adoption (I dropped that RE immediately).

I wasn't ovulating so I tried clomid for 3 months, which gave me a few follicles each time but I did not get pregnant. Then the 4th month I ovulated on my own! This was a great sign and very encouraging since it seemed that my ovaries were jump started or something. I then tried IVF with the super injections this month, but I produced no follicles so it was cancelled. My doctor, as well as my acupunturist, believe that the injections were too much for my body. They are putting me back on clomid now for a 2nd try of IVF.

Do you ovulate on your own? I ask this because if you do, it is a good sign. My acupuncturist tonight told me that he believes I can get pregnant on my own with acupuncture and herbs because I ovulate (even if not all the time), I'm still young, and I am healthy (minus my thryoid issues). I was so happy to hear this and feel a lot more confident.

I don't think your doctor is saying your POF is reversable, but that you may still have a chance to get pregnant with your eggs. POF means the egg quantity has gone down but doesn't necessarily mean your eggs are bad. Your age is the best predictor of egg quality. You are very young so most likely your eggs are healthy. You only need one good egg to get pregnant! So, if you respond well to the stims (or whatever they put you on) you could get a few good follicles and get pregnant.

What I've learned is that these doctors are taking an educated "guess" at what medication and what dose to give you. They don't know for sure, and sometimes it takes a few cycles for them to get the medication and dose right.

Your age is on your side so that's great. Good luck and keep us posted on what happens!

05-18-2009, 08:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
opheliasmusing 0-99 post 2 of hearts Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 3	POF and autoimmune thyroid disease stats: i'm 26, turning 27 a week from today. on cycle day 146 (last period on 12/24/08). only 1 ovary (other was removed 9 years ago). hypothyroid, diagnosed shortly after ovary removed in 2000. diagnosed in march 2009 with POF. i just had karyotype and anti-thyroid/adrenal antibody testing done. karyotype/fragile X came out negative. anti-adrenal = negative. anti-thyroid is through the roof (over 1000 IU/mL). my hormone levels for reference: Estradiol = 20 pg/dL (low) Progesterone = 0.14 ng/dL (low) FSH = 57.7 mIU/mL (high) LH = 34.0 mIU/mL (normal) my doctor says that basically, my ovary is wearing earmuffs and can't hear the signals my pituitary gland is sending out, thus, the high FSH and low prog/estro levels. he says there is a chance i might have eggs/follicles, and that i still have the chance to have my own biological children. most likely some kind of hormonally induced cycle (either the pill or recombinant FSH injectible), retrieval, and IVF. this sounds almost too good to be true... does this sound right? it sounds like it's almost reversing my Dx of POF, but from what i understand, POF is permanent, like, once i'm in failure, there's no getting the fertility back. i'm not saying my doctor is lying to me, but i just want to know from others if this sounds feasible? __________________ ~Ophelia's Musing Hannah Wept, Sarah Laughed: A blog about the ups and downs on the journey of infertility. Last edited by opheliasmusing; 05-18-2009 at 09:02 PM.

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08-11-2009, 09:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
Feona 0-99 post 2 of hearts Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: California Posts: 15	Ophelia, I was also diagnosed with POF June of this year. My doctor also believes it's due to thryoid antibodies that have attacked my ovaries. My FSH was 33.7 and I have been hypothyroid for 13 years. I have been to 4 different RE's, and none of them said I could "reverse" this diagnosis. However, half of them said that because of my age (31) my eggs may still be healthy even though there aren't many left. One of them said I have no hope at all and to consider donor eggs or adoption (I dropped that RE immediately). I wasn't ovulating so I tried clomid for 3 months, which gave me a few follicles each time but I did not get pregnant. Then the 4th month I ovulated on my own! This was a great sign and very encouraging since it seemed that my ovaries were jump started or something. I then tried IVF with the super injections this month, but I produced no follicles so it was cancelled. My doctor, as well as my acupunturist, believe that the injections were too much for my body. They are putting me back on clomid now for a 2nd try of IVF. Do you ovulate on your own? I ask this because if you do, it is a good sign. My acupuncturist tonight told me that he believes I can get pregnant on my own with acupuncture and herbs because I ovulate (even if not all the time), I'm still young, and I am healthy (minus my thryoid issues). I was so happy to hear this and feel a lot more confident. I don't think your doctor is saying your POF is reversable, but that you may still have a chance to get pregnant with your eggs. POF means the egg quantity has gone down but doesn't necessarily mean your eggs are bad. Your age is the best predictor of egg quality. You are very young so most likely your eggs are healthy. You only need one good egg to get pregnant! So, if you respond well to the stims (or whatever they put you on) you could get a few good follicles and get pregnant. What I've learned is that these doctors are taking an educated "guess" at what medication and what dose to give you. They don't know for sure, and sometimes it takes a few cycles for them to get the medication and dose right. Your age is on your side so that's great. Good luck and keep us posted on what happens!