Ovarian Reserve Testing

[Ask4joy]

Hi ladies - I hope you don't mind me posting here as I am not quite 35 yet, but nearly 34 and TTC my #1. DH is 47 and has 2 children from his previous marriage. We are hoping to have 2-3 children together, so it won't be long before I'll be over 35 and TTC.

My doctor suggested testing my ovarian reserve and I got my test results back. I posted about it in the TTC forum but I think most of the younger women in their 20s don't have this testing done unless they've been TTC for over a year without success. This is cycle 4 for us and I'm waiting to O. I had a chemical pregnancy last month very early at about 4 weeks.

Day 3 blood results showed:

My FSH was 8.4 (a little higher than I'd hoped but still below 10 so doctor said its good).

Estradiol: .41

LH: 7.66

AMH: 3.0

These are all U.S. measurements.

My Obgyn said all of my results were good/normal and my egg supply was rated "good" but egg quality was rated "fair" due to my age.

Should I be worried about any of these numbers? Is FSH or AMH a better indicator of egg supply/quality?

 

[CaliDreaming]

Those are great numbers. Although your FSH level is not "ideal" (whatever that means) it is considered normal. FSH can change significantly from cycle to cycle and can be improved with supplements anyway.

Your AMH is great and is the one that doctors believe does not change from cycle to cycle (although some women have reported improvements with certain supplements).

All that said, FSH and AMH are not the end-all be all when it comes to your pregnancy potential. Lots of women go on to have healthy, natural pregnancies with worse numbers while women with ideal numbers struggle. These numbers are most relevant when it comes to IVF and your response to the drugs.

Your numbers raise no cause for concern so egg quality/supply is one worry you can cross off your list. You should be able to have 3+ kids easily if there are no other problems.

 

[Ask4joy]

Thank you for the response, Cali! It is encouraging! My doctor suggested I take "Pregnitude" which is a folic acid and myo-inositol supplement. It is often recommended to women with PCOS, and while I haven't been diagnosed with that, I do have some frustrating PMS symptoms (acne, water retention and bloating, weight gain) and she said it might help as it can help with insulin resistance and egg quality.

 

[CaliDreaming]

I'd doubt you have PCOS since ladies with that tend to have off-the-charts high AMH. Taking Pregnitude will probably improve your egg quality and that's good even if you don't have PCOS. However, with your numbers, it doesn't seem like egg quality should have been the issue.

You're still early in the TTC game so hopefully you will get your sticky bean soon! If not, then at least you got the bloodwork out of the way and a head start on the supplements.

Good luck!