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Testimonials #1- Premature ovarian failure with highest FSH 98, AMH 0.05
Premature ovarian failure with highest FSH 98, AMH 0.05 On October 1, 2008, I decided to take charge of my own fertility treatment, via traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, when the 3rd reproductive endocrinologist (RE) I’d visited told me that I was in either premature ovarian failure or peri-menopause. (Two weeks later, a 4th RE, told me that I was in full blown menopause.) All four REs told me that the odds of my conceiving a child with my own egg were extremely low, whether naturally or through IVF, and suggested that I consider either adoption or IVF with a donor egg. In August, one of the REs put me on Clomid; shortly thereafter my FSH level skyrocketed and I stopped menstruating. When I first went to see Dr. Zheng, I hadn’t had a menstrual period for five weeks and my FSH was 84.5. Two weeks later, my FSH was even higher --98. Based upon my high FSH levels and age (I was close to 40), four REs in a row told me I shouldn’t expect to ever have my own child and, while some were willing to try IVF at least once, they made it clear that they thought it would be a waste of time. I found their approach to my situation to be overly simplistic and crude, with some of them pushing donor egg very aggressively almost immediately upon meeting me, based mainly upon my age. The day I first met with Dr. Zheng, she listened to my case history, took my pulse and examined my tongue, then told me she didn’t think I was infertile or menopausal and put me on daily regimen of Chinese herbs and twice a week acupuncture, cupping, and acupressure. She told me that the herbs would detoxify some of my internal organs (spleen, kidneys, etc.) and improve the functioning of my ovary. (I lost one ovary when I was 34, due to an ovarian cyst.) The acupuncture would improve blood flow to my ovary and uterus and reduce my stress level (which was very high, thanks in part to the steady stream of bad news I had been hearing from the REs since I first saw one in May). In addition, Dr. Zheng recommended that I improve my diet, and I began eating a nutritionally balanced diet, with as much organic food as possible and very little sugar and refined carbohydrates. By 10/28/08—only 4 weeks after beginning treatment -- my FSH was down to 10, and on 11/5/08, my period returned after 67 days. I was amazed. Even Dr. Zheng was surprised at the rapid turnaround. We hadn’t expected to see any measurable improvement for at least six months. On 11/24/08, my FSH measured 7(!) & 2 mature follicles were seen on a sonogram. Three days later, on Thanksgiving Day, I had 2 eggs retrieved. No fertility drugs were used; it was a natural cycle IVF. Two days after retrieval, two embryos were transferred, with acupuncture administered by Dr. Zheng both immediately before & after the procedure. Even though it was inconvenient for her, and on very short notice, Dr. Zheng was kind enough to come to my RE’s office on the morning of the transfer to perform acupuncture on me, to calm me. When I was done with the transfer, I took a cab to her office for another acupuncture treatment. Ten days later, my husband and I received the happy news that I was pregnant! It all happened so fast (on our first and only try at IVF) that we still can’t believe it. I have continued to see Dr. Zheng for weekly acupuncture throughout my pregnancy, and continued taking Chinese herbs throughout my first trimester (to prevent miscarriage). I am now 7 months pregnant with a baby boy due in August. My husband and I cannot thank Dr. Zheng enough for her fantastic work and for her unfailing kindness. Without a doubt, she is the best and most caring doctor I have ever had. Words cannot describe just how highly I recommend Dr. Zheng for the treatment of fertility problems. I am incredibly lucky and thankful to have found her. Premature ovarian failure, FSH 50 to 70, Possibility to conceive with own egg was “almost zero" Let me begin by wishing you the very best in your journey for parenthood. Whatever you are going through right now, I feel I can somehow relate to since I too have just lived through the agony, heartache and despair. I only wish that my story will give you hope and encourage you to continue pursuing your dream of becoming a mom… When my husband and I first started trying more than 2 years ago, we never thought it would become such a tough battle. After almost a year of futile attempts, including a chemical pregnancy which tore my heart into pieces, I reluctantly went to a fertility clinic recommended by my OB. That was when the bad news started to stream in. During one of my initial visits there, the doctor told me matter of factually, after an ultrasound, that even though I was only 35, my ovaries "looked like those of a 40-year old". My heart sank, but tried to shrug off his conclusion and stay positive. After a few cycles of fertility monitoring, the "death sentence" came in: I remember vividly picking up the call that day around 5pm. I didn't even bother asking people to leave my office since I thought it would be a quick call where they would simply tell me the best days to try, based on the blood test and ultrasound. Little did I know that the next couple of sentences from across the phone line would totally collapse my whole world in an instance. I was told that based on the test results over the last few cycles, they have concluded that the possibility for me to produce my own eggs was "almost zero". I remember fighting off tears and debating with her that I was only 35. My hands were trembling when I tried to write down the list of dreaded number she gave me, including this FSH which I have never heard of before. Apparently my FSH ranged from 50 to 70, which basically meant "your best option is to choose donor eggs". To this day, whenever I recall this instance, I could still feel the sorrow, fear, shame and despair that this ruthless diagnosis rendered. Things spiraled down afterwards with more visits to various fertility centers - premature ovarian failure and pre-menopausal were new labels given to me. As if to prove the specialists right, my menstruation stopped in July 2008 and in subsequent months, I even started to have hot flashes! That was when we started looking into Chinese herbal treatment and acupuncture. My husband found out about Dr. Zheng in an online chat room. In August 2008, I began my treatment with twice-a-week acupuncture and daily herbal medicine. Dr. Zheng's expertise and professionalism, warmth and compassion, and her dedication to her patients gave me not only the medical help but also the encouragement and support that I so desperately needed during the darkest days of my life. During my treatments with Dr. Zheng, I only went to visit the fertility clinic occasionally. I guess I didn't want to be a slave of the "numbers". I remember my FSH fluctuated but I tried my best to stay optimistic about the future and relax my body and mind. Around November 2008, I heard about D.E.'s story from Dr. Zheng (see D.E.'s testimonial for details). Similar to me, she was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure with FSH 98, but only after a few short months of treatment by Dr. Zheng, she conceived through natural retrieval of her own eggs and got pregnancy on that cycle. I was very encouraged and based on Dr. Zheng's suggestion, like D.E., I too switched to boiling raw herbal medicine (instead of taking powdered ones) which is more potent. Even though it's more time consuming to prepare, I definitely believe it was well worth it. Fast forward another few months, I went out of the country for a much needed vacation at the end of January 2009. My New Year's resolution was to become more flexible and open-minded to other alternatives in this challenging journey. To my pleasant surprise (and everyone else's who's aware of my struggle), I found out on Feb 23rd, 2009 that I was 6-week pregnant!! My husband and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Now at 7 months of pregnancy, I constantly feel and am touched by the happy kicks of my baby girl, the most precious gift life has given me. Words fail to describe how grateful my husband and I are to Dr. Zheng, whom we are so fortunate to have met, for creating this miracle in our lives. Thank you once again, Dr. Zheng, for you tireless efforts and your utmost care. Thank you for reading my story. I only hope it gives you a glimpse of light and the courage to carry on. I'd be more than happy to share my experiences and provide my support to anyone who is going through similar situations. You can get my contact info from Dr. Zheng. Good luck and God bless… FSH 24, didn’t qualify for IVF with a renowned infertility clinic in NYC A character from a popular TV show once said that you spend your 20s to try not to get pregnant and 30s to try to get pregnant. That is exactly my story. By the time my husband and I decided that we were ready to have children I was in my mid 30s. When nothing happened after a couple of years of trying, we started to see doctors and take medicines, but nothing helped. We finally decided to get InVitro hoping that it will give us babies. Alas, how little did we know? We went to a renowned infertility clinic in NYC. We educated ourselves by talking to the doctors, taking classes and reading up everything we can find online. At the day that we were supposed to start the treatment, we got a call from the doctor telling us that my FSH was 24 and the chance of retrieving good quality eggs was poor and he suggested us not to go through the process. I was devastated and did not comprehend how something so natural and easy for some people is so difficult for me. At that time, a friend of mine introduced me to Dr. Zheng. I was skeptical at first because I was not sure how modern science and invasive surgery could not help me but Chinese medicine can. I loved Dr Zheng and her staff the first time I went to her office. The soothing aroma at her office and her personality calmed me right away. Not only she is knowledgeable, but she is caring and warm which I have not seen in any other infertility specialists. I went to her office twice a week and got acupuncture and herbal medicine. A month later I found out I was pregnant. I can’t tell you how excited I was that day. I was excited, happy, relieved and little confused too…I went back to the clinic and told the doctor that I was pregnant and his answer was and I quote: medicine is not science. I guess since my chance of getting pregnant is not good and will potentially hurt their statistics, the doctors did not even want to give me a chance to have a baby via InVitro. Thanks to Dr. Zheng’s continuous effort, I was able to get pregnant on my own. I continued to see Dr. Zheng in the first three months of my pregnancy. Now my son is a happy and healthy one year old. July 11, 2009
Repeated IVF failures (4) with poor egg quality Dear Dr. Zheng, I hope all is well with you and that you remember meJ The day of the retrieval was excellent. I had 9 follicles and eight eggs were retrieved. A record for me. Six of them fertilized and were viable for transfer on day two. The transfer took place on day three with a total of six embryos! Imagine that the worst ones were as good or better than the last three in vitro. All were GRADE1 (best grade). INCREDIBLE!!! We decided to freeze one grade eight that the embryologist and doctor agreed had cells that were a little compacted around the nucleus. Three embryos were transferred. Two had eight cells and one had 9. The embryologist and doctor said they were textbook perfect! The transfer went perfectly too. We got all teary eyed (including the doc) on how well everything went. We were just waiting for the pregnancy test in about two weeks. Dr. Zheng, there is no doubt in my mind and in my husbands mind that you helped tremendously. Before we started seeing you on a regular basis, my egg production was very poor, nor did the quantity or the quality compare to this cycle of IVF. In my last four Failure IVFs, most of the cycle gave me only one very best at 8 cell grade 2 and then only one 6 cells or less. Two RE suggested me go for egg donor IVF. After I received five months of treatment from you with acupuncture once a week and herbal medicine every day, my ovarian function and egg quality had been incredibly improve. You have been a miracle worker! Thank you so much! July 30, 2006 Liliana T, New Jersey Three repeated IVF failures, two miscarriages and two chemical pregnancies Dear Dr. Zheng, I am forever grateful to you for giving me the greatest gift – the gift of a child. Before meeting you I had been experiencing 3 straight years of bad luck. First I lost my son at 39 weeks due to a cord accident. Then I suffered from secondary infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss having experienced 2 miscarriages and 2 chemical pregnancies after going through 2 IUIs and 3 IVFs. My western Reproductive Endocrinologist finally told me that he didn’t think I could have kids and told me to look into adoption or donor eggs. That was when I found you. You did not think I was a lost cause and told me that after 3 months of acupuncture and herbs and I could try naturally. I did not believe you that I could get pregnant naturally, but EXACTLY 3 months after my first acupuncture session with you I took a home pregnancy test and found out I was pregnant – NATURALLY! Because I suffered 4 miscarriages in the past, I continued to see you and we successfully made it past the 1st trimester. My pregnancy went on to be picture perfect and I came back to see you at 37 weeks in preparation for my 38.5 weeks scheduled induction. Although your treatments did not induce my labor before getting induced, I think it helped shorten my labor. After my water broke, I delivered my baby girl in 30 minutes WITHOUT epidural! Yes, there was still pain but ONLY for 30 minutes, perhaps thanks to your acupuncture and herbs. Dr. Zheng thank you so much for helping me achieve my dream of having a child. You are a miracle doctor and I am forever grateful. November 19, 2007 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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