Aa
Very High FSH
I turn 35 next month. TTC for 3 years. My RE called with my Day 3 FSH blood results and it was 84, E2 was 44. I did Clomid for 6 months, I have had 6 IUI, one ectopic pregnancy in March, Last month I did injectibles for the first time and my RE suggested to take a month off in between to give my ovaries a rest. According to my RE he is baffled because I responded well to the injectibles and had 4 follicles, the dominant one was 20mm the day of my HCG trigger. My RE commented that such a high fsh level could mean I am pre-menopausal! I am so heartbroken. I am hoping this is just a Lab error....Any similar experiences both good and bad will be greatly appreciated.
I am in a similiar situation-33 years old and a really high FSH-do u have any info.?
Thank you so much for your helpful and supportive comments! And you were right - I shouldn't have given up because, as it turned out at my appointment, I DON'T have high FSH after all! The readings over the last 2 months were between 7 and 8! I asked the doctor if he would diagnose me as having high FSH and he said no, because my blood tests don't support that diagnosis.
I don't need to tell you how happy I am. All my other blood tests came back as fine too. My progesterone was 50 last month and 30 (boarderline apparently) the month before. He was a bit surprised I didn't get pregnant last month given that 50 is a very good reading he said (maybe he meant for my age, as I am 37.5 now). He doesn't feel that I need my lining or follicles monitored because I am only on 50mgs of Clomid (being a low dose). The pain I have been feeling after ovulation is my ovaries being stimulated, and that is a good sign he said.
Regarding my cycle length my doctor said that 26-27 days was ok - he had been referring to a shortening of around 24 days. So, I am to remain on Clomid and if it doesn't work over the next 3 months he will try something more aggressive. My next appointment is mid-Nov - hoepfully i won't need it!
I feel that I have been thrown a life line after receiving a terminal diagnosis - terminal in that he had such a poor prognosis for me ever being able to conceive again.
I only wish that at my first appointment when the doctor told me I had a high FSH (10.2 not 10.6 he now says) and had only had a 5% chance of conceiving etc etc, that he also said that this was only one reading and could fluctuate - and not tell me how i wouldn't be able to get pregnant again. I haven't been able to really concentrate on anything else since - and haven't even been sleeping well. The other interesting point for me is is that dispite the stress I felt, my body carried on and did its own thing regardless. I mean, i didn't get pregnant (and at the time couldn't see that i could given the stress level), but despite all the anxiety and doom and gloom feelsings my blood levels for everything were fine, and i guess I could have. Not sure if I have expressed that in an understandable way or not.
Anyway, the main thing is is that we are green to go!
I will let you know whether the clomid works or not. I would like to say thanks again to you all for your support - I found it really helpful knowing that there were others 'out there' who knew and understood what DH and I were going through. And I wish you well on your journeys.
I don't need to tell you how happy I am. All my other blood tests came back as fine too. My progesterone was 50 last month and 30 (boarderline apparently) the month before. He was a bit surprised I didn't get pregnant last month given that 50 is a very good reading he said (maybe he meant for my age, as I am 37.5 now). He doesn't feel that I need my lining or follicles monitored because I am only on 50mgs of Clomid (being a low dose). The pain I have been feeling after ovulation is my ovaries being stimulated, and that is a good sign he said.
Regarding my cycle length my doctor said that 26-27 days was ok - he had been referring to a shortening of around 24 days. So, I am to remain on Clomid and if it doesn't work over the next 3 months he will try something more aggressive. My next appointment is mid-Nov - hoepfully i won't need it!
I feel that I have been thrown a life line after receiving a terminal diagnosis - terminal in that he had such a poor prognosis for me ever being able to conceive again.
I only wish that at my first appointment when the doctor told me I had a high FSH (10.2 not 10.6 he now says) and had only had a 5% chance of conceiving etc etc, that he also said that this was only one reading and could fluctuate - and not tell me how i wouldn't be able to get pregnant again. I haven't been able to really concentrate on anything else since - and haven't even been sleeping well. The other interesting point for me is is that dispite the stress I felt, my body carried on and did its own thing regardless. I mean, i didn't get pregnant (and at the time couldn't see that i could given the stress level), but despite all the anxiety and doom and gloom feelsings my blood levels for everything were fine, and i guess I could have. Not sure if I have expressed that in an understandable way or not.
Anyway, the main thing is is that we are green to go!
I will let you know whether the clomid works or not. I would like to say thanks again to you all for your support - I found it really helpful knowing that there were others 'out there' who knew and understood what DH and I were going through. And I wish you well on your journeys.
Hi alex. Keep your chin up. I had similar Clomid experiences in that my doc never did an u/s to check lining or follicles, and I did wonder........however she always checked my day 21 progesterone levels which were always VERY high ( which may have have given her an idea my lining would be ok ). Is your doc checking your prog levels to see if you're ovulating?
Also, my cycles were 26/27 days on Clomid ( as opposed to 20-23 days previously ) and I had one 31 day cycl as well. So I wouldn't worry about cycle length as long as you are ovulating.
I took 7 cycles on Clomid b4 I got my bfp, however I had the benefit ( for better or worse ) of NOT knowing of my high FSH level ( 11 ) tested prior to treatment starting. I also, thought as each month went by, I was never going to get my positive.
To be honest, if I HAD known about my FSH level at the time, I probably would've been more aggressive with treatment. I wish you all the best!!
( Btw girls, thanks for asking, I am 9 wks 3 days now and so far so good. Fingers crossed for the next 3 weeks! I feel very blessed...)
Also, my cycles were 26/27 days on Clomid ( as opposed to 20-23 days previously ) and I had one 31 day cycl as well. So I wouldn't worry about cycle length as long as you are ovulating.
I took 7 cycles on Clomid b4 I got my bfp, however I had the benefit ( for better or worse ) of NOT knowing of my high FSH level ( 11 ) tested prior to treatment starting. I also, thought as each month went by, I was never going to get my positive.
To be honest, if I HAD known about my FSH level at the time, I probably would've been more aggressive with treatment. I wish you all the best!!
( Btw girls, thanks for asking, I am 9 wks 3 days now and so far so good. Fingers crossed for the next 3 weeks! I feel very blessed...)
I'm sorry you are feeling so down. Don't give up-- FSH is highly variable and there are so many women who report pregnancies after having high numbers. I responded well to the meds-- slowly, and with a lot of meds-- but they retrieved 13 follicles, 9 containing mature eggs, all of which fertilized. The meds can really make a difference. I would certainly seek out more effective treatments. I had three dr.'s opinions and all said to do no more than 3 or 4 IUI's before moving to IVF. About your cycle, I know how you feel-- the month after stopping clomid I had a 17 day cycle-- I was so depressed. Since then, I haven't had such a short cycle. In fact, with acupuncture (or at least that's the only variable) my last two cycles have been 28 days. I do notice they are a bit on the lighter side, but at least I'm still cycling. Be assertive, get second opinions, ask all the questions. Be strong and stay positive-- I'll be thinking of you!
Second time I am writing this – the system lost the first version – Grrr.
Anyway the Clomid didn’t work for me again this month. I have an appointment tomorrow with the specialist but given that Clomid works by increasing FSH levels, then my latest readings must be higher than the 10.6 I got 2 months ago. I spend quite a bit of time wondering by how much (gulp). My doctor is so negative about having a high FSH to any degree that I just know that as soon as I enter his consulting room he is going to say “Well, bad news I am afraid” and will use the phrase “It is what I expected though” a couple of times.
I want to ask him why he isn’t offering me more aggressive treatment, like IUI or IVF which most other women with high FSH are undergoing. Also the drawbacks of Clomid, like thinning of the lining – without monitoring how does he know this isn’t happening to me? And I don’t know what sort of response (if any) my follies are having to the Clomid because they also have never been checked.
I am now on my third cycle of Clomid and have no expectations of it working this month either. The symptoms of a high FSH that the doctor mentioned last time – mainly a short cycle are now happening. I seem to ovulate day 11 and my cycle is only 26 days now (after being regularly 28) – so I feel a bit down at the moment. Also a friend my age has just told me she is 3 months pregnant – I am thrilled for her but it just adds to my anxiety about when it is going to happen for me!
Anyway the Clomid didn’t work for me again this month. I have an appointment tomorrow with the specialist but given that Clomid works by increasing FSH levels, then my latest readings must be higher than the 10.6 I got 2 months ago. I spend quite a bit of time wondering by how much (gulp). My doctor is so negative about having a high FSH to any degree that I just know that as soon as I enter his consulting room he is going to say “Well, bad news I am afraid” and will use the phrase “It is what I expected though” a couple of times.
I want to ask him why he isn’t offering me more aggressive treatment, like IUI or IVF which most other women with high FSH are undergoing. Also the drawbacks of Clomid, like thinning of the lining – without monitoring how does he know this isn’t happening to me? And I don’t know what sort of response (if any) my follies are having to the Clomid because they also have never been checked.
I am now on my third cycle of Clomid and have no expectations of it working this month either. The symptoms of a high FSH that the doctor mentioned last time – mainly a short cycle are now happening. I seem to ovulate day 11 and my cycle is only 26 days now (after being regularly 28) – so I feel a bit down at the moment. Also a friend my age has just told me she is 3 months pregnant – I am thrilled for her but it just adds to my anxiety about when it is going to happen for me!
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Fertility and Trying to Conceive Community
Many couples are turning to acupuncture to treat infertility. But does it work? We take a closer look.
Does exercise really lower fertility? We take a look at 8 common myths about fertility.
Your guide to safely exercising throughout your 40 weeks.
Learn which foods aren't safe to eat when you're eating for two.
Is your biological clock sounding the alarm? Dr. Elaine Brown explains new advances in egg freezing.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
