High FSH

[MaryFen1970]

This is my first time posting. I was 40 this month. I had my day 3 blood tests done 6 months ago and I had an fsh value of 8 with an oestrogen level that was within the normal range. Because all of my blood tests were normal I decide to delay going to a fertility clinic. Each month I felt I was ovulating normally with positive opk results and all other physical signs i.e. ovulation pain, increased temps. I did have a short cycle (24 to 25 days) but my doctor told me that that did matter. I had been on the contraceptive pill for about 10 years and my cycle had returned to normal straight away. When after a year of trying, I still was not pregnant, I decided to ask my doctor to refer me to a fertility clinic. Then, in preparation for my fertility appointment, I had my day 3 tests done again. I was shocked to find my oestrogen level had doubled and my fsh level was now 13.5. I believe I did not ovulate this month either for the first time since coming off the pill. It will be confirmed with my 7dpo blood test but my af started on cd18 so there is no way really. I am still in shock because I know what this means. Within 6 months my fsh level has jumped from 8 to 13.5. I am so angry with my doctor. When I went to my doctor this week she told me the re-test results were fine. When I asked her to read them and said I was shocked she then started to look closer but had no idea what the results meant. Either that or she wanted the fertility specialist to break the bad news to me. She laughed when I asked her for a print out and joked that I would be trawling through the internet that night looking for comparisons. I was shocked by my results and was shocked by her attitude. I'm shocked that this has all happened so fast, and am terrified that I won't get to try ivf now with such bad results. I know the chances of success would be slim too. But I'm going to try every avenue now and fast. That is all I can do. I know I have left this so late in life but I would love to have a child with my partner whom I love so much. It is my dream. I feel my my dream is slipping away but I will still try not to loose all hope.

 

[Nise]

Awe good luck to you lovely. I personally believe that the hormones measured for fertility purposes actually fluctuate from cycle to cycle. Also, it is very common to have an anovulatory cycle at any age from time to time. Acupuncture and traditional chinese medicine are proven to lower fsh values and there are many acupuncturists that also practice tcm. I brought my FSH down from 16.9 to 8.6 and even the FS was a little flumoxed and changed his tune. Hope things work out for you and you get to live the dream

 

[HappyDaze]

Hi MaryFen -sorry to hear that your doctor sounds so useless and has a stinky attitude. I just wanted to say though that my FSH levels were 15.75 (I'm 36 yo) and my FS was pretty pessimistic to begin with. she said that she didnt' think there was much point in doing IVF (OH and I had already decided we didn't want to go down this route anyway). However she did say that we could try IUI - First round was unsuccessful, so the second round we used clomid and I got my BFP.

Look on the positive side - you know the issue is there now and you can start to do something about it. I too had short cycles like yours but I was ovulating every month, albiet very early some cycles. The clomid gave my 3 mature follicles, and i was v lucky that one of them fertilised - and here I am... it's still early days but I have had a scan and seen the heartbeat, so so far so good.

keep positive - and good luck!

 

[Cui]

I'm 38 going to be 39 at the end of the year. My day 3 FSH was/is 16.
Don't despair. The first RE I saw gave me this incredibly gloomy outlook like all hope was lost and give up now, donor eggs the only option.

So I said thanks but no thanks and found a RE who is high FSH friendly. And the clinic is awesome. They don't feel like it is a problem and for the last 5 months or so I have just been doing monitored, unmedicated cycles to see what my body is actually doing. My body is doing everything it is supposed to when it is supposed to, and they can't find any problems.

I had one month where my FSH was in normal range but the Dr explained it that the estrogen was suppressing it or something ( I may have explained this wrong) so it wasn't an accurate number maybe this is what happened with your original lower number?

Maybe try some monitored only cycles to see what your body is doing, and see if you can find a Dr. who is high FSH friendly.

 

[FBbaby]

After months of reading thousands of messages on various boards about ttc after 35, ttc with POF etc... (gosh what has ttc done to me!), I am becoming less and less convinced of the value of fsh results, and even amh seems not to be as reliable as claimed to be.

I have read about women getting normal fsh results but low amh, women getting high fsh but normal amh results, I have read about women with high fsh falling pregnant naturally, and those with low antrafollicular count getting decent numbers of eggs during IVF.

I was talking about ttc with my mum yesterday, and she told me that with my genes, I shouldn't worry, I was bound to fall pregnant soon (I'm 40 in Nov, my mum fell pregnant naturally at 42, her mother had her naturally at 45). My first thought was that it had nothing to do with genes, but was all about my fsh and AFC etc... Then I remembered that those are tests that neither of them would have had a clue about. They ttced in total oblivion compared to us, didn't even have opks, or knew about temperature rising etc... Maybe their fsh levels were dreadful, they just didn't know and had no choice but to keep believing it would happen naturally.

My FS suggested I did an amh test, but I don't see the point, how is believing that my fertility is bad going to help me? My decision to either do IVF or not is unlikely to be based on a test result, but on whether we can afford to do it emotionally, physically and financially.

If you can try, don't let anxiety overpower you. It is totally normal to have an anovulatory cycle once in a while, regardless of our age or fsh levels and your fsh result is just a number, not a prediction tool as to when you will get pregnant.

Good luck

 

[MaryFen1970]

Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful!! I was feeling very anxious, but as you say, FSH is a number, not a prediction tool. That is so right. It is good that I know now where I am at. I am going to take every step I can now. I have made an appointment with an acupuncturist. I have changed doctors. The result has really spurred me into action. I was also wondering about getting the amh test done. That would only create more anxiety. What good would it do me! My mother had me at 42, and I'd say she doesn't know what an FSH level is I'm going to stay as positive as I can, because I haven't given up yet.

 

[WannaB]

FSH can bounce from cycle to cycle, but fs believe you are only as good as your highest fsh level, blah to them!!! Im 42 this month and my last fsh was 34, cope that one!!! I panicked and thought my ttc days were all but over, but I got pregnant month after month after month, every second month to be precise for 8 months, total of 5 pregnancies, so much for not being able to get pregnant with high fsh! Yes 4 didnt end well, but it seems now they were due to a different issue which you can see by my ticker has be fixed (fingers crossed!). Even if you wanted to go the ivf route you can lower your fsh levels artifically with wheat grass, doesnt fix the problem, but it does allow you to pass for IVF purposes! I wouldnt worry about the one number too much at all, as you say its only an indicator of what might be going on, not a definate and it needs to be put together with the whole picture to give you an accurate result.