" What will happen to me if I don't grow eggs at all, doctor ?"

I recently had a young woman who was very worried about doing an IVF cycle. She had a low AMH level which suggested that she might have poor ovarian reserve and might not produce any eggs at all, inspite of superovulation.

She was very scared about starting IVF treatment . " What will happen to me if I don't grow eggs at all, doctor ?"

I feel patients need to confront their worst fears - and a useful way of doing this is by thinking about - What's the worst which can happen ? It's true that if she did not grow eggs during her IVF cycle she would be devastated, as this was her last option for having a baby with her own eggs. However, even if she did not grow any eggs, at least she would have peace of mind she tried her best - and she could then move on with her life and consider alternative options.

Medically, she would be no worse off for having tried - and while it's true that she would still remain childless , doing the IVF treatment would not harm her or damage her health. Not trying because she was scared that the outcome would be bad was the worst possible decision to make - and I had to explain to her that she could not allow her fear to paralyse her into inactivity.