Got my results, high FSH (13)

[SWLondonMum]

Hi all, I have now seen my GP and got my blood test results from the hospital (I didn't want to wait to see them as my scan isn't until end Jan and follow up appt end Feb)
Anyway, I have a high FSH, which I was expecting. It was 9 in 2007 and is 13 now. I also had a low follicle count (6 in 2007, not checked yet this time) I had a m/c Dec 2010 and nothing since. I've also been having endo symptoms this year and GP is asking for a laproscopy, hopefully before my follow up appt. I got pregnant very quickly in 2007 (DS1) and 2010 (m/c) but nothing since the endo symptoms so I'm hoping it's that instead!!
Anyone had any experience of this or any ideas about what to do next? The fertility specialist said IVF straight away (he did say Clomid might work too but needs to wait until ny scan and follow up end Feb to check it is suitable), even after only seeing my 2007 results and nothing else but my GP says there are a range of options, of which IVF is the most extreme, the other end of the scale being to try naturally.
The GP, specialist and a friend who has been through IVF all recommend private initial consultation to get more tests (eg AMH)/find out my options, which I am happy to do (I'm not sure about private IVF mainly because of the cost but will worry about that when I find out if I need it).
Any help/advice from you lovely ladies on here would be most appreciated!

 

[readyformore]

If you have 2 doctors telling you 2 different, I would probably listen to the specialist.

He wants you to do IVF, but you can always negotiate and try something else for a few months first. My RE always starts off slowly and then gets more aggressive as treatments fail.

I hope that helps.

 

[SWLondonMum]

If you have 2 doctors telling you 2 different, I would probably listen to the specialist.

He wants you to do IVF, but you can always negotiate and try something else for a few months first. My RE always starts off slowly and then gets more aggressive as treatments fail.

I hope that helps.

Thanks, the specialist didn't have any recent results at the first appointment in Nov and won;t make any recommendations until the appointment at the end of Feb when he'll have all the info. So he didn't actually recommend anything properly (he said Clomid might work too, so he hadn't made a final plan for me) - he was pretty unclear and I was a bit upset as he said I should have IVF without all the info, so I didn't really question him properly. Not sure where you are but I'm in the UK and the NHS system is slow so I was wondering if anyone in a similar situation thought it was worth trying private test first rather than waiting so long for the NHS (and the private tests are more thorough).
Hope that makes sense, maybe I didn't explain it fully at the start but thanks for the words of advice. I understand where the specialist is coming from - I've just turned 39 and from a medical point of view the best thing would to be to get pregnant quickly (ie IVF) rather than wait to see what my body does!!

 

[AnnaLaura]

SWLondonMum, It's all kind of confusing, at least it is for me.

I am no expert, not like some of the women here who have actually been through this, sometimes more than once.

I would go in and at least talk to them. I'm not in the UK so I can't comment on the merits of waiting for the NHS or not, but perhaps you could do a combination of the two--take care of the testing (you said it's more thorough privately) and your laproscopy, while you wait for your "real" appointment through the NHS. If it's going to take several months to get an appointment, then you might have to wait for a few more cycles while they get you ready for IVF if that's the route chosen, it seems like to me. So you could use these months to investigate/correct anything that would delay the process even after waiting a long time for an appointment.

These are the thoughts I have, hope this helps. Yes, I think that a private consultation, at least, is worth it. What they tell you can be another piece of the puzzle in helping you figure out what you want to do.

 

[midlifemama]

Hi SWLondonMum...I too just got the news that my FSH level is high.27 and I am 38, so trying to be proactive, I have learned that wheatgrass juice is suppose to be good for stimulating the follicles for healthier eggs. I found it online at Vitaminworld.com. I just ordered some for DH and myself. The RE I am working with also said that acupuncture has been very helpful to may woman, so I am also looking into that. Some woman say that some forms of Yoga also have the same effects as the acupuncture.

DH and I have decided to try these things leading up to our IVF. DH also feels like it is extreme and is disheartened that we have not been nor will be successful on our own. My thoughts are that I am willing to do WHATEVER it takes to bring our little one into being!

This is our only shot due to my age and insurance, so I feel blessed to have this chance and I pray that the Lord blesses us.

Keep positive thoughts as they will manifest! Beware of negative thoughts and hush them as quickly as they appear. Our minds control our bodies, not the other way around.

I hope this is helpful and be blessed!

 

[SWLondonMum]

Hi SWLondonMum...I too just got the news that my FSH level is high.27 and I am 38, so trying to be proactive, I have learned that wheatgrass juice is suppose to be good for stimulating the follicles for healthier eggs. I found it online at Vitaminworld.com. I just ordered some for DH and myself. The RE I am working with also said that acupuncture has been very helpful to may woman, so I am also looking into that. Some woman say that some forms of Yoga also have the same effects as the acupuncture.

DH and I have decided to try these things leading up to our IVF. DH also feels like it is extreme and is disheartened that we have not been nor will be successful on our own. My thoughts are that I am willing to do WHATEVER it takes to bring our little one into being!

This is our only shot due to my age and insurance, so I feel blessed to have this chance and I pray that the Lord blesses us.

Keep positive thoughts as they will manifest! Beware of negative thoughts and hush them as quickly as they appear. Our minds control our bodies, not the other way around.

I hope this is helpful and be blessed!

Thanks, you are right I should think positive and also research what I can do to improve things. So many people take so many different supplements on here that it;s confusing but I guess I should read a bit more about it and maybe just take one or two (I do take a good prenatal vit) and do all I can to be healthy! I also read that lots of protein is good and as that's a really easy (and pretty enjoyable!) change to make I'm going to make sure I'm getting plenty of protein as I am a real carb fan!
Thanks again for your positive thoughts and good luck to you too

 

[SabrinaKat]

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me offering some advice and encouragement. I was also told that IVF, probably with donor eggs, was my best option (I was 43 at the time, now 44). We decided to try once to three times with my own eggs, and went to Zita West's clinic to speak to a fertility specialist and had our initial consultation at the Lister in London.

In the meantime, I did all the pre-IVF blood work and scans, and we discovered that I had an underactive thyroid and my GP monitored me for a few months, we (she) adjusted my medication in May, my blood work came back at 2ish and I had a perfect 28 day cycle and I became (and am) pregnant in June naturally -- I also did acunpuncture, lost weight, took metformin for PCOS, took vitamins/folic acid, e.g. everything as if I was about to start IVF and was probably the healthiest I have been in 10 years.

My advice is to get the pre-IVF blood work done now, perhaps try acupunture if for nothing else but to relax you! and continue to try naturally -- that way, you have the IVF/IUI paperwork done, YOU know you're as healthy as you can be, and you have another outlet in trying to conceive. I felt more proactive, if you will, and after trying to conceive for almost two years after a mc in 2009, was happy to consider IVF -- that I got pregnant naturally after all the doctors said it would be almost (but not quite) impossible is just an added bonus.

Interestingly, the fertility nurse at Zita West said that many ladies did get pregnant naturally in the few months before starting IVF cycles as they were the healthiest that they had probably been for years (and thyroid, blood work, etc., all under control), and I proved her right.

best wishes

 

[SWLondonMum]

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me offering some advice and encouragement. I was also told that IVF, probably with donor eggs, was my best option (I was 43 at the time, now 44). We decided to try once to three times with my own eggs, and went to Zita West's clinic to speak to a fertility specialist and had our initial consultation at the Lister in London.

In the meantime, I did all the pre-IVF blood work and scans, and we discovered that I had an underactive thyroid and my GP monitored me for a few months, we (she) adjusted my medication in May, my blood work came back at 2ish and I had a perfect 28 day cycle and I became (and am) pregnant in June naturally -- I also did acunpuncture, lost weight, took metformin for PCOS, took vitamins/folic acid, e.g. everything as if I was about to start IVF and was probably the healthiest I have been in 10 years.

My advice is to get the pre-IVF blood work done now, perhaps try acupunture if for nothing else but to relax you! and continue to try naturally -- that way, you have the IVF/IUI paperwork done, YOU know you're as healthy as you can be, and you have another outlet in trying to conceive. I felt more proactive, if you will, and after trying to conceive for almost two years after a mc in 2009, was happy to consider IVF -- that I got pregnant naturally after all the doctors said it would be almost (but not quite) impossible is just an added bonus.

Interestingly, the fertility nurse at Zita West said that many ladies did get pregnant naturally in the few months before starting IVF cycles as they were the healthiest that they had probably been for years (and thyroid, blood work, etc., all under control), and I proved her right.

best wishes

Thank you soooooo much for your detailed post, that's exactly what I needed to hear. I think there's a lot in what you say, in that the preparations make you healthier and more likely to conceive naturally - especially as my fertility is not (at the moment) really low but has just gone below the ideal levels. It really depressed me to think that I had to go straight to IVF - that's not something I take lightly as a close friend went through several cycles and it was really tough on her, physically and emotionally (and of course financially). She got pregnant at ARGC after cycles at two different places (and really recommended it) and having had a look on fertilityfriends website they (like many other places I'm sure) area really hot on all the pre-treatment and getting your body totally ready. All the people on that forum seemed to do acupuncture and Zita West plus take all the supplements. My friend said they were really into high protein diet at ARGC which I am happy to do as I like my fish/eggs/meat (but it's easy to not eat enough when you are in a hurry).
I'm not sure about acupuncture but it seems to get a lot of success so I should maybe not rule it out - reducing stress seems to be a big factor everywhere (unsurprisingly) and DH and I have been under a lot of stress recently with work, which is coming to an end. I am usually pretty healthy but because of the stress I have definitely been eating worse and drinking more which probably doesn't help - the dentist says we both grind our teeth badly! I get quite badly affected by stress and get a really tense stomach and have even had my periods stop with it (before DS1)
I've had the regular NHS bloods (day 3 & 21 plus screening) and DH has had SA (all good). I'm also being (hopefully) referred for a laproscopy for possible endo and having an NHS fertility scan end Jan. I guess they do more tests for IVF prep - is that right? What else do they do? I've heard of AMH tests.
Sorry I have gone on a bit but I think you're right - I need to check out the fertility clinic and get some initial tests done and if I accept that I may have to go down the IVF route and am happy with that, I may just end up being healthier and conceiving naturally! Thanks and have a happy and healthy pregnancy - congratulations!