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Does FSH fluctuate?
I'm 41 and had mc in Jan. Karotyping came back all normal, to my relief. After ttc for 5 cycles dr ran another day 3 FSH. I had one done last Oct was 6.3, this time was 7.2 My question is, does the amt of FSH fluctuate? Even if done on day 3 every time, can the # go up and down? Also, I know when you are on birth control pills you do not ovulate. Does that time not ovulating keep those eggs in your egg supply and extend the time you will ovulate after off b/c? I only ask because I don't understand how women younger than myself run out of eggs or have really high FSH. Am I just lucky or is there a reason? Thank you in advance for your help.
i went to a private clinic on nov 15 2006 i am 39 yrs old i have had 5 pregnancies 3 live births and 2 miscarriages i untied my tubes in april of 2006 after being tied for 3 years unaware of my tubes having scar tissus and that the tubes were block my fsh was 9.7 on the 15 nov 2006 13 days before my period i have always been regular i have had tubal reanastosomosis on may the 10th 2007 and will 40 in aug and my fsh on june 20 2007 was 2.1 why is there a wide discrepency i got my periode on the 23 of june and my estrogen level was 373 what dooes that mean
My mc was due to placenta separation due to heavy lifting. I was 12wks. The baby was tested and 100% normal, nothing wrong with egg, nothing genetic.
While you're waiting for the doctor to respond: I've read that the FSH score does fluctuate, and that eggs are not stored up (or women who have had lots of children would stay fertile years longer). Also, it's not just a matter of how many eggs you have, but the quality of the eggs, which is mostly a matter of your age, no matter what your FSH score. But I'm 45 and currently pregnant without fertility treatments (my last 3rd day FSH score was 10), so from my vantage point at least, you have plenty of time to conceive :)....
I'm very happy for you, I think it's great. I conceived on my 1st try at 40. Needless to say, very shocked as I have never been pg. I was also relieved when they did testing that showed fetus was normal. I'm just into my 5th cycle since mc and hope this is the one. Happy and Healthy pg to you! :)
All very good questions. FSH does fluctuate, but values of 6.3 one month and then 7.2 another month actually do not constitute fluctuations. A value of 12 on month and 6 another month is more what I would define as a fluctuating value, and we do see this.
Being on the pill, unfortunately, does not conserve eggs. The pill prevents eggs from maturing, but the process of egg loss (called atresia) never stops, whether on the pill, whether pregnant, or whether trying to conceive. In fact, women's ovaries contain about 7 million very immature eggs when a woman is only a 4-5 month fetus, and from then on, egg loss begins. By the time a woman is born, she has 2 million eggs, and by the time regular periods start, only 400,000!
Your FSH values are normal, which means that your egg quantity (how many eggs you have) is still good. FSH does not tell us about egg quality. Thus, a 33 year old with a high FSH might have fewer eggs than most 33 year olds, but the egg quality may still be good because of her young age, and she can still get pregnant. At age 41, I still worry about egg quality even if egg quantity (normal FSH) is OK. Poorer egg quality due to age may have, unfortunately, played a role in your miscarriage. Having said that, you are DEFINITELY better off with a normal FSH than with a high FSH.
Finally, you might want to think about fertility drugs and insemination to try to improve things a bit. If so, I would recommend injection fertility drugs, which are stronger than clomid, due to your age. The only problem is the cost, if you live in a place without insurance or national health coverage.
Good luck!
Being on the pill, unfortunately, does not conserve eggs. The pill prevents eggs from maturing, but the process of egg loss (called atresia) never stops, whether on the pill, whether pregnant, or whether trying to conceive. In fact, women's ovaries contain about 7 million very immature eggs when a woman is only a 4-5 month fetus, and from then on, egg loss begins. By the time a woman is born, she has 2 million eggs, and by the time regular periods start, only 400,000!
Your FSH values are normal, which means that your egg quantity (how many eggs you have) is still good. FSH does not tell us about egg quality. Thus, a 33 year old with a high FSH might have fewer eggs than most 33 year olds, but the egg quality may still be good because of her young age, and she can still get pregnant. At age 41, I still worry about egg quality even if egg quantity (normal FSH) is OK. Poorer egg quality due to age may have, unfortunately, played a role in your miscarriage. Having said that, you are DEFINITELY better off with a normal FSH than with a high FSH.
Finally, you might want to think about fertility drugs and insemination to try to improve things a bit. If so, I would recommend injection fertility drugs, which are stronger than clomid, due to your age. The only problem is the cost, if you live in a place without insurance or national health coverage.
Good luck!
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