Okay, so I am 36 - 37 in October. I have type 2 diabetes and Transverse Myelitis/MS. When I got sick I put on a LOT of weight and now I have a dilemma.
Do I go for weight loss surgery now and then in 1-2 years try IVF? Or do I push for IVF now?
The thing is, when I turn 37/38 the chances of conceiving via IVF drop drastically from about 50% to 25%. However, my chances go UP if I lose all the weight I will lose via surgery. So are the odds better being overweight and doing IVF at 36 or being the right weight and doing IVF at 39? I am doing weight loss either way, it's just a question of when.
Oh, and my pipes and uterus are fine, my ovaries are being tested now. I can carry, not sure how viable my eggs are. They might be fine, I can probably conceive naturally but I need a bit of help because of my weight/diabetes/neurological disorder.
I think this is called a rock and a hard place - one I found myself in at your age.
Are you actively losing weight at the moment via diet ? it certainly sounds like you should explore freezing eggs immediately in any event. Given the commitment and cost that IVF involves ( I did it myself - it failed - aged 36) wouldn't it be useful to throw all your efforts into losing the weight right now through some serious low carb dieting and fasting?
At 36 the chances are already well under 50% (unless something improved dramatically recently)
http://www.advancedfertility.com/images/female-age-fertility-graph.gif
it is also probably worth exploring donor eggs ? the actual rate of success stays reasonably constant upto age 47 if that is a possibility.
Many people can manage 3-4 stones in the space of 6 months with a truly serious diet especially with a deadline approaching, Have you actually started the process of weight loss surgery yet? I understood it takes a long time to actually get accepted onto the program , even if it is done right now it will take a while to actually lose the weight following it . The recommendation is that you don't attempt to conceive within 18 months of the surgery because your body won't be able to handle that and the drastic weight loss at the same time. So in reality the IVF is probably at least 2 years from now following surgery.
I was an overweight insulin resistant 36 year old wanting to get pregnant and having trouble maintaining a pregnancy with numerous miscarraiges. I tried and failed with the IVF and am still childless.
If I had known then, what I know now, I would have thrown my entire being into losing the weight naturally at 36, I would have frozen my eggs if I could at the same time. that way I would have had a better understanding of whether my eggs were even going to be viable. I would have explored egg donor a lot more seriously, a lot quicker as I thought about future IVF.
Why not aim for natural weight loss through intermittent fasting and LCHF whilst trying to get pregnant at the same time as you continue the discussions about the surgery. Most of the blood markers should improve fairly quickly and these may themselves assist you in actually getting pregnant.
My own take would be that its already a long shot to get pregnant through IVF using your own eggs whilst a lot overweight and already aged 36 and its even more difficult to carry that child to term without enormous ill effects on your own health if you are going into this with the list of health problems you have including diabetes .
