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Our Medical Directors are outstanding physicians that you will find to be very personable and compassionate, who take care to ensure that you have the most cutting-edge fertility treatments at your disposal. This is your outlet to ask your questions to the doctors.

Dear Patients,

I created this forum to welcome any questions you have on the topic of infertility, IVF, conception, testing, evaluation, or any related topics. I do my best to answer all questions in less than 24 hours. I know your question is important and, in many cases, I will answer within just a few hours. Thank you for taking the time to trust me with your concern.

– Geoffrey Sher, MD

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159 answers

Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve

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Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 22, 2023

Cut off Age for using own egg

Do you have a cut off age for using own egg. I am 46 and have never been pregnant, my last amh was about 0.4. Main reason of my infertility is currently blocked tubes which i experienced after fibroid surgery… — Jane M.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

Our cut off for egg retrievals is 47Y. Frozen embryo transfers....no definitive cut off. See below: Age should never be a barrier to hope and fulfillment when it comes to IVF. Many women in their early to mid-40s are successfully having IVF babies using their own eggs, especially…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 22, 2023

Sjogren’s Syndrome and Fertility

Hello Dr Sher, I am currently going through IVF in Phoenix, AZ. I am prepping for my first egg retrieval and I am very concerned that my Sjogren's Syndrome will affect my success and/or, if successful, might cause implantation failure.… — Roma T.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

Sjogren Syndrome is likely an autoimmune condition and can be associated with an autoimmune, immunologic implantation dysfunction (IID), in my opinion.See below: In the world of assisted reproduction, when IVF fails repeatedly or without explanation, it's often assumed that poor embryo quality is the main culprit. However, this…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 18, 2023

LOW AMH AND PREGNANCY

Hi I am struglling from last 6 years to conceive but there is no luck yet.Had 4 round of IVF with short and long protocole 2 rounds of IUI and dozen of cycles of ovulation induction with Letrozole and Clomofin,nothing… — Sobia H.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

The journey of in vitro fertilization can be a rollercoaster of emotions for many patients. Often times they have to face the harsh reality that the number and quality of eggs retrieved has fallen short of their expectations. Then, should fertilization of these eggs not propagate chromosomally normal…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 9, 2023

Lots of immature eggs

Hi, I have done 4 rounds of egg freezing at 3 different clinics. First round- 30 follicles growing, 15 retrieved but only 6 mature. I believe I was triggered to early as the majority of eggs were less than 16mm… — E J.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

It seems as if you have produced enough "mature" eggs to give you a shot. However, as to the reason for so many immature egg cells, consider the following: One of the commonest questions asked by patients undergoing IVF relates to the likelihood of their eggs fertilizing and…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 9, 2023

Functional cyst

Hello! I was told I have a 40mm cyst in my right ovary at my baseline Ivf ultrasound today. They called this afternoon and said my baseline bloodwork is normal (estrogen level is normal) and I can proceed with stim… — Molly S.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

Respectfully, I would not proceed with stimulation with a 40mm cyst present. An ovarian cyst is any collection of fluid, surrounded by a very thin wall, within an ovary. An ovarian follicle that is larger than 22mm is termed a functional follicular cyst. They are non-malignant (benign) and…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 3, 2023

Synarel and DHEA

Hi, I have been a responding best to the long protocol where I start with Synarel on day 21. Because of low testosterone I’ve been taking DHEA for the last weeks. I read that DHEA can cause an increase in… — Linda B.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

Synarel is a GnRH agonist. It is administered nasally. As such, absorption sometimes erratic. I prefer Lupron or decapeptyl which are administered intramuscularly. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), is steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands and ovary. It is involved in producing the male hormones, androstenedione testosterone and also estrogen.…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 2, 2023

Human Growth Hormone Administration in IVF

Hi, very interesting article. I was using this hormone in my IVF treatment but I did not get results. It was administered one month before the egg retrieval and only for 30 days. Could this be the cause of it… — Alejandra G.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

No! You (in my opinion) do not need to take the HGH for long. My patients start a week before ovarian stimulation commences. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I am attaching online links to two E-books which I recently co-authored with my partner at SFS-NY (Drew Tortoriello MD)....... for your reading…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jul 2, 2023

Empty follicles

Hi dear doctorI hope you are well ,why my All my three follicles was empty I used controlled ovarian stimulation thanks a lot — Feriba E.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

Frequently, when following vigorous and often repeated flushing of follicles at egg retrieval they fail to yield eggs, it is ascribed to “Empty Follicle Syndrome.” This is a gross misnomer, because all follicles contain eggs. So why were no eggs retrieved from the follicles? Most likely it was…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jun 29, 2023

Please Help!

Dear Dr. Sehr, I’m almost 37 years old AMH 1,08 (measured under the pill, last measurement 09/21 was 3,5) Husband has OAT3, used zymot last Icsi. Had 4 ICSIs, 7 transfers, one MMC 9weeks, one MC six weeks. Last four… — Jana S.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

I very respectfully disagree with your RE who informed you that only the best morphologic embryos should be biopsied. I also disagree with the use of "flare" (short)-DR protocols for women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). The journey of in vitro fertilization can be a rollercoaster of emotions…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jun 27, 2023

Improving Maturity Rates and Blastocyst Development Rate

Hi Dr. Sher, I've been through 8 IVF cycles with two separate clinics. Overall, despite changes to protocols, I've encountered the same issues. The first issue is that, though my ovaries produce a good number of oocytes, not enough of… — J C.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

I think we should talk. Please call my assistant, Patti Converse at 702-533-2691 and set up an online consultation with me. In the interim, please read the articles that I have written...below. A: EGG/ EMBRYO QUALITY IN IVF & HOW SELECTION OF THE IDEAL PROTOCOL FOR OVARIAN STIMULATION…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jun 22, 2023

GV eggs

Hello I’m Asala from Saudi Arabia I’m 28 years old with stage 3 endometriosis my husband has normal semen analysis My fsh 9.9 amh 1.3ng/ml I have done 5 eggs retrievals with no success My first cycle one year ago… — Asala S.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

The journey of in vitro fertilization can be a rollercoaster of emotions for many patients. Often times they have to face the harsh reality that the number and quality of eggs retrieved has fallen short of their expectations. Then, should fertilization of these eggs not propagate chromosomally normal…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jun 17, 2023

What to do / what not to do

Hello, I’m 39, low AMH (0.3), Hashimoto (in thyroid med) and had 2 failed IVF’s. What are the do’s and don’ts for moving forward? — Katie H.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

The journey of in vitro fertilization can be a rollercoaster of emotions for many patients. Often times they have to face the harsh reality that the number and quality of eggs retrieved has fallen short of their expectations. Then, should fertilization of these eggs not propagate chromosomally normal…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jun 17, 2023

Differences between medication

I had many ivf cycles most of them failed due to empty follicles, I got 0 eggs after collection. I used gonal it shows goid response but no eggs collected. MENUPOR the ovaries didnt response at all. PUREGONI got 6… — Talia D.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

The journey of in vitro fertilization can be a rollercoaster of emotions for many patients. Often times they have to face the harsh reality that the number and quality of eggs retrieved has fallen short of their expectations. Then, should fertilization of these eggs not propagate chromosomally normal…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jun 8, 2023

IUD

Is there any chance that having a Mirena IUD while going through egg freezing, specifically at an older age, can have a negative impact on the maturity process of the eggs? My uterine lining is very thin at around 0.3mm.… — J C.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

In my opinion having an IUD in place during an ER cycle will not affect egg quality. Your thin lining is more than likely a direct consequence of the IUD but should not be a problem after removal......prior to, and during an FET cycle, Geoff Sher ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:…
Egg Health & Ovarian Reserve Jun 7, 2023

Low number of mature eggs

Hello, I'm a 38 year old woman (soon 39) and recently went through my third cycle of egg freezing. The first time I was 37,5 years and out of 23 eggs retrieved, 5 were mature. The second time resulted in… — C J.

Dr. Geoffrey Sher answered

The journey of in vitro fertilization can be a rollercoaster of emotions for many patients. Often times they have to face the harsh reality that the number and quality of eggs retrieved has fallen short of their expectations. Then, should fertilization of these eggs not propagate chromosomally normal…

Ask Our Doctors

Supporting Your Journey

Our Medical Directors are outstanding physicians that you will find to be very personable and compassionate, who take care to ensure that you have the most cutting-edge fertility treatments at your disposal. This is your outlet to ask your questions to the doctors.

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