Well that is the question. Most online info out there shows about 1/3 of the fertility clinics are using DHEA supplementation as standard protocol for DOR or PCOS. I am struggling with this one. Will DHEA make my body “more fertile”? Will I have this level tested BEFORE the protocol starts? Do my adrenals need attention?
The supporters say that DHEA will help with:
- Adrenal Fatigue / Poor Adrenal Health
- Increase Egg/embryo Health
- Premature Ovarian Failure
- Low Libido
- Infertility due to diabetes
It is claimed by several clinics that DHEA can also:
- Increases IVF Pregnancy rates and number of eggs/embryos
- Reduces the risk of miscarriages
- Shortens time to pregnancy
- Improves cumulative pregnancy rates in patients under fertility treatment
Damn I feel like I should find a way to sleep in the stuff. I just know that there is no magic bullet and screwing around with hormones still scares me. Hell if you are on this stuff too long you may get aggressive with acne, facial hair and have your voice deepen. None of which appeals to me.
Most all of the studies I have come across online have a control group of only 35-30 people. We know nothing about these folks… where there other factors that contributed to their pregnancy rates? Was DHEA the only thing that they changed in their protocol?
Dr. Sher is confident that DHEA supplementation in older women with DOR and PCOS should not be done as it can MOST LIKELY do more harm than good. The defining factor here is “most likely”.
So the question is still to DHEA or not DHEA.
The crooked path through IVF 
You can get a prescription to have your DHEA level tested—it’s not that expensive, and there are even companies that will do it for you online. If I were you I would get the level tested to see if your DHEA level is actually low. If it is low, take the supplements; if the level is normal, don’t take the supplements. This is what i wish I’d done! (I did not have the level tested, and did not take the supplement.)