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High FSH levels & Natural pregnancy

37K views 49 replies 9 participants last post by  mandy_1986 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Just found out that I have high FSH of 21.8. As I am still waiting to see consultant to discuss this result I have been doing lots of reading etc and have been quite worried as you can imagine.

I'm 40 and wondered if there was anyone out there that conceived naturaly with high FSH? Or if they could explain anything else to me in their experience before I see consultant?

Thanks!
Anne
 
#2 ·
Hi I just noticed your post. My understanding is that as long as your tubes etc are okay that it is possible. The chances may be reduced due to ovualtion being a bit up and down but the chance is still there. And although it is more difficult ladies with higher fsh levels have concieved naturally. Another lady on here concieved twins on first IVF at 38 years old with fsh of 22 - she is now VERY pregnant. Consultants will generally look grave and say it wont happen but it really can. Where are you based? If IVF is the way forward you will need a high fsh friendly consultant. I can recommend the Lister in London very highly.

All the best

Ally x
 
#3 ·
Hi Ally

Thanks for your reply.
I am in Birmingham unfortunately.

I have my HSG test on Tuesday testing tubes etc so will see from there

Speak soon
Anne
 
#4 ·
Hi Binky

A diagnosis of high FSH is not the end of the road at all.I posted here last Autumn after having got pregnant with FSH levels of 19 and 29 , measured in June and July 2006.Unfortunately that pregnancy turned out to be ectopic (which I think was just bad luck).
I was advised by a consultant at St Mary's in Manchester at the time of my FSH tests that I would not be eligible for IVF and no clinic would treat me.She said I would probably be in menopause in a couple of years (ie Summer 2008) although she did say it wasn't impossible for me to get pregnant..However I did still have periods , albeit not always very regular, and I didn't always ovulate so I decided to opt for acupuncture,took Wheatgrass tablets and Agnus Castus and tried to stop stressing about getting pregnant.
I am now pregnant again and am hoping for the best this time as I have had no pain or bleeding this time and good strong results on my HPTs.I am only around 5-6 weeks gone so it's early days but I hope this message gives people hope.If anyone wants to know the name of my acupuncturist in Manchester then let me know - he has been fantastic (and has a colleague from the British Acupuncture Council who works in Moseley for the lady in Birmingham).

By the way...I turned 40 in August and conceived 2 weeks after my birthday...Life does seem to begin now after all!
 
#5 ·
Sleepyllama,
Lots and lots of luck and congrats to you first of all!
Sorrry to hear that you had rough time last year

Did you get PG naturally?

I have had 3 acu sessions so far and am having another day 3 FSH soon (when I get AF!)
I did get a really good ovulation result so seems like both tests contradicted themselves!

So, I will know more when I get day 3 done again and will let yuou know- then poss will go the IVF route (if result ok)

take care of yourself and baby!
x
 
#6 ·
This is fantastic news - congratulations!!! Have a fantastic pregnancy x

This is also extremely inspiring, I obviously have much higher fsh but hope still to be in with a shot!!

I too have been told I have premature menopause and am hoping that I may be able to hold it off as long as possible. I am on CD40 and panicking that my AF won't ever come back!!  :( Having said that I should be used to it being very irregular as it stopped for 4 months from Dec - April.

Did you have any idea what your AMH was?

I think avoiding drs and hospitals may be the way forward as I find that it keeps you in a state of being a 'patient' which implies being sick in some way!! Best just to get on and do it!!

Well done again and all the best for the next 8 months x
 
#7 ·
Hi Ally

Thank you too! Seems strange being congratulated as we've told noone yet - waiting for an early scan on Monday to make sure everything's ok so far!!

No idea about AMH - I couldn't face the idea of any more bad news and didn't want anyone else telling me how bad things were! When I got my dx 2 years ago I don't think it was much thought about either and not distinguished from the FSH test.It certainly wasn't mentioned by my consultant. I have had maybe 1 or 2 long cycles a year though ( including a 71 day monster cycle end of March - May this year) and then maybe 3 or 4 normal ones (26 days usually) and a short anovulatory one here and there.Having chatted to friends who aren't trying to conceive and aren't on the Pill this seems pretty common though for women in their late 30's - 40's ....so,yes! you're not ill.

I have no idea what my FSH level is at the moment either as I didn't want the test done again so it may be sky high for all I know? You're younger than me and that counts for a lot so there is hope.I do think that most consultants feel that IVF is not really an option for us though so we have to do anything we can do to improve our chances of a natural pregnancy.

Wishing you well too Ally x
 
#8 ·
Hi Sleepyllama and Ally,

I think being positive is a medicine in itself don't you?
I am desperately trying to reduce my stress levels and keep positive- it can't be good for you , all that stress!!

Sleepy, did you have any treatment/ivf or is it naural pregnancy?
Ally- keep your chin up and me and you will try and keep positive for each other eh!!!!

Anne
 
#9 ·
Binky...my pregnancy is natural as I was advised by the consultant that no clinic would treat me .I'm not sure whether this is because there is a lower chance of success and this will make their stats look bad?

For the past 2 years,I have been taking my body temperature and charting it every day , using cheap internet ovulation strips and really going for it for 3 days when I do actually ovulate.Getting to know your body (spotting fertile cervical mucus etc ) is important and helps you to feel more in control and less stressed somehow.
I hope you consultant is more positive with you than mine was but please remember , there are definitely many women our age who get pregnant within a few months or even by accident and never have this FSH test done . I would bet that many of them have levels as high or higher than us .I should add that I have a 5 year old, conceived by accident (forgot to take my pill when on holiday!) , and that my FSH levels at 34 were probably quite high at that point.

Please try to not to worry though I know this is hard to do! I know exactly how you are feeling and my heart goes out to you.Please let us know how you get on?
 
#10 ·
I will let you know my dear!
Anne

ps, I might get some ovulation strips?
do you just wee on em?
 
#11 ·
Please do let us know! As for ovulation strips...You can pee on them or I used to pee in a cup and stick one in there for 10 seconds or so.Would get most accurate results mid afternoon and you're meant to not to go to the loo for a few hours before you test...which is hard if you drink lots of tea ! Got supplies from BabyorNot website -they're cheap,reliable strips and delivery is very quick.I'm not sure if it's a coincidence but both times I conceived I got really strong positive results (ie the result line was stronger than the control line).
Best of luck!!!
Sarah x
 
#12 ·
Think I shall invest in some then sarah!

I am really pleased for you with your good news - this site is brilliant for keeping positive and a sense of togetherness- don't you think?

Anne
 
#13 ·
You're so right.Although you would never wish this diagnosis on anyone , it helps that others know what it feels like.I think it's particularly hard because it affects how you feel about yourself as a woman as well as being a fertility issue .The words menopause,perimenopause etc are something you don't expect to be hearing until you're well in to your 40's . I felt old at 37 overnight and almost burst in to tears when I saw old ladies in Tesco's thinking "That's me!". I think I still feel almost embarrassed about it - I haven't told my family and don't think I ever will.How stupid and vain is that! I just can't help how I feel though . The last 2 or 3 years have been very ,very hard and I really feel for anyone who is just learning that they are affected by this.It really hurts and I think that husbands can't fully understand how devastating it is.
 
#14 ·
Ah sleepy - you brought a tear to my eye there  :'( I feel EXACTLY the same (you should read my first post!), i however did tell my family and wish I had not as I now feel very 'exposed'. I have an appointment with the Lister tomorrow to discuss various options, and continue to be as positive as poss. After reading all these posts today I felt almost normal for the first time in months so thank you both so much, you are the first two ff who have really understood how it feels!

Speak soon

Ally x
 
#15 ·
Hi Ally,

I just want to say lots of luck for tomorrow  ^pray^ - pls let us know how you get on?

What is your FSH Ally? and also what does CD40 mean? (Sorry, I am quite new here so still geting used to it all!)

I have told my brother and sister in law and 2 good friends, but thats all - I can understand feeling exposed.

Sarah- It's not vain or stupid how you feel, I can understand too!!!!!

Just watching the BBC news - the world looks like it's going into crisis!!!!!

Keep in touch
x
 
#16 ·
Hi

hope you don't mind if I join in - it's me again Ally.

I totally know how you feel... I found out, 2 days later my parents arrived from overseas and asked "are you pregnant". I burst into tears so had to tell them! Sooo wish I hadn't.  I've decided not to tell any friends though - damn I did tell one.  and I've begged my parents not to breathe a word to my sisters or anyone else.  My mum is only just going through the end of her menopause now!

Everytime I look at old ladies I think that's me. I look at women with 2 children and my heart drops. I look at old ladies bodies and think that I'm there, I wonder if the reason I've started going rapidly grey is due to menopause, will my skin age rapidly? 

Unfortunatley after I got the news, we were on holiday in France but near the Spanish border. We drove to spain a couple of times and I couldn't look at spanish people without thinking they were potential egg donors! Everyone of them... (you know the egg donor clinic in spain) Awful awful holiday.

I was very cheered up as I met someone at the lister who had gone through early menopause at 40, wasn't on hrt, and she seemed super-fine to me! Mentally in better shape than I am now. She said she didn't really have any problems with it.

I've got a doctor calling me back tomorrow or Monday with some more results - honestly I just don't know if I can be up for hearing him tell me I'm about to go into or am in menopause. I've made big lifestyle changes, am following a hormone balancing diet, having acupunture and chinese herbs.  And I only found out less than a month ago!!

 
#17 ·
Hi Sam,

Lots of luck with your results, keep positive and let us know how it goes

Night night
Anne x
 
#18 ·
Hi ladies,

Hope you are all ok?
sarah, just had my  cheap internet ovulation strups, digital themometer and................ some preggers tests just in case!!!
Yes, lets keep optimisitc I say!!!!!

Did anyone see the Sex programme on Channel 4 last night???
rather appropriate I say!

Ax
 
#19 ·
Hi Anne

After hassling the menopause doc all week for my results - he finally emailed them to me.  My amh is unchanged at 0.1, and my inhibin B (another new one) is 10.5, ranges below for inhibin B.

Early follicular phase:  <  261                                 
                              Late follicular phase :  <  286                                 
                              Ovulation phase      :  <  189                                 
                              Midluteal phase      :  <  164                                 
                              Endluteal phase      :  <  107                                 
                              Postmenopausal        :  <    7 

So this is not good news.  I'm trying to get an answer from him whether this means I have gone through menopause, am going through menopause right now, or am about to go through menopause.

All very scarey though.  I'm pretty down about it all.  I think I'm going to try to see a counseller next - as opposed to another doctor - as this has really knocked the wind out of me and I'm usually a fairly strong person..... So I guess I've got to try to find a way to deal with this better than I am now.  Thanks so much for thinking of me,

How's things with you?

Sam

 
#20 ·
Sam,

I feel for you but miracles do happen- keep that thought.
It all feels so unfair doesn't it though?

What is your FSH level now?

I am waiting on my result from my day 3 fsh- should have it by Friday- s**iting myself to be honest so have asked hubby to get results from doc then him tell me rather than the doc tell me.- what a weed!
Like you, I am usually a strong person too.

Going to Scotland this weekend for our 1st anniversary so I will either be over the moon if fsh has lowered or in a state of depression!- only joking.. well maybe not.

Anyway, you keep your chin up and keep in touch
A ^hugme^
 
#21 ·
Hi Sam

I'm really sorry you're feeling down. *
When you say your cycle is irregular,how bad is it? If it's any consolation my last ones before conceiving were 47 (no ovulation),24,71(!!),43,24,26 and then just before that one I had an ectopic.
I'm certain it's just coincidental but I started to take Agnus Castus and Wild Yam again in July because I was fed up with the irregular cycles.I was also taking Menopace up until ovulation most months because I felt it may boost oestrogen levels naturally? Or I may just be daft.
I was given no hope by doctors so never went back to them again.One consultant told me that it wasn't impossible but that the best place for the eggs of high FSH ladies to be fertilised was a womb not a laboratory.My Chinese doctor was asking me if I'd my FSH retested and I kept making excuses as to why I hadn't! You have to do what feels right for you and for me it was trying to do it on my own.Making friends with other Mums of only children from my son's school and staying in touch with my child free friends has helped me keep things in perspective too.Looking back on the past few months I feel I had started to feel more at peace with the possibility there would be no more babies and I'm sure that helped.
Please don't feel down - my Chinese doctor believed FSH was affected by stress (he lectures in Chinese Medicine at Salford Uni so he's not a quack) and felt my body was trying to protect itself from pregnancy because I was so anxious.I know it's hard though so keep posting - we are here for you....xx

Anne..
Are you going to start charting then? Oh what fun that is!! Don't drive yourself mad taking your temp 10 times a day! I used the American site I mentioned before to record them and it's pretty good - worth checking anyway? xx

Sarah

* Website address removed
 
#22 ·
Hi Sarah,

Erm, I may chart but from what I can see only know when you've ovulated and not when you are about to so I may give it a go along with my pee strips!

I am very regular- usually 27/29 day cycles so wont be too hard to do I guess.

Just want this fsh result now so I can move on if that makes sense?

All I want is one little baby and I ain't gonna give up till I have one!!!!!
x
 
#23 ·
Hi Anne,  Just wanted to say best of luck for tomorrow, I hope it all goes really well for you.  Do let us know how you go. And have a fab 1yr anniversary in Scotland! 

Sarah, thanks for your support.  I am on chinese herbs - and it's day 27 no AF so the longest cycle I've had in 4 months!! Plus at my scan at the Lister they said it looks like I ovulated !! AAannnnd my lining was looking good and healthy (the last 2 scans didn't say that).  Must be all those wonderful smelling herbs :)  Fingers crossed I'm hoping I'm pregnant (of course- doh!).  Unfortunatley FSH is only part of the story for me.  I have an AMH of 0.1, which is in the undected fertility \ infertile range of ovarian reserve boo hoo hoo.  Women with low amh DO get have babies, but it's not a great chance. But I'm going to give it my best shot! I was at my acupuncturist this morning and she told me they had someone through with a low amh recently that is pregnant.  All helps to revive the spirits.








 
#24 ·
Sarah, just realised I explained amh to you, and you no doubt know all about this.  Sorry  ^idiot^ I didn't see any info on your signature so wasn't sure where you are at now. 

I've been a bit overwhelmed since I got home tonight, I've had so many people PMing me and asking me for the info I've had on premature menopause.... there seem to be a lot of us lurking about... thanks for all the well wishes girls if your reading this.

Maybe we should start a gang and picket Gordon Brown and demand more spent on POF research!  I'm all talk by the way, I'd never ever have the courgage to do that

Sam xx



 
#25 ·
Hi Sam

I decided not to have an AMH test done because I knew from charting and OPKs that I was ovulating, although not every month.I stuck with the hope that it would only take one good egg so decided to make sure I knew when I was going to ovulate and then we would go for it.I would have a temperature dip a couple of days before I ovulated so would know it was going to happen and the 2 months I have conceived I got really strong positive results on my OPKs (other months they weren't so conclusive) which may have meant the eggs were better quality than usual?

At any rate,all this charting and testing was done over more than 2 years (I first started trying for a second baby 4 years ago but was told to be patient at first,then spent a year with the NHS having tests) so it has been a long road! Please don't be too despondent about your AMH result - as I said before, I bet there are lots of women getting pregnant with similar profiles to yours but they haven't had these tests done and so doctors don't have their information to include in the statistics . Mine may well be as low as yours,especially as I have a really erratic cycle.These tests are so new and I really don't think they know much about them yet.Remember that menopausal women are advised to keep using contraception until a year has passed with no periods for the simple reason that they can still pregnant!

Do you mind me asking if you have any menopausal symptoms ,night sweat,hot flushes etc ? or is it simply that your cycle is irregular.Are your periods very close together or have you had any 35+ day cycles ? I'm sorry if I'm being nosy but I suspect this diagnosis is thrown about too much and it annoys me! According to the consultant I saw,I should be in full menopause by now.
Anyway,sorry for another mammoth post ! Take heart in the news that your scan was so positive and keep with the healthy stuff and happy thoughts- it worked for me xx

Anne - good luck with your second test -let us know how it goes?? xx
 
#26 ·
Hi Ladies

Hope you dont mind me cutting into your chat!!

I too have been diagnosed with POF and it is really soul destroying. I think it was sleepyllama who said that DH just dont understand. Nevermind how much they say that they do  :( you are sooo right!

I had my AMH done and have been told mine is 0.7pmol (not sure if converted this means its 0.1?) and im only 26. I do suffer with night sweats, day sweats, absent periods and spots. I had my FSH tested around 3 months ago and they were in the 70's! My first failed IVF 2 wks ago (got cancelled due to poor response, still heartbroken) and now have started HRT to try and sort my hormones out and get my periods back and to stop the sweats. And all this before im 27!  :-[

I found from using ovualtion tests then mine always come up with positive (ive never had 1 say im not ovaulting!) I was told by my doctor that these tests read high LH levels. LH levels go up along side your FSH - so in theory if you have high FSH then your ov tests will read that your ovulating even when your not! Ally told me about the clearblue fertility test machine that is meant to be good for us POF'ers. I havent bought one yet, but I am going to make a purchase as soon as my hot sweats have gone.

I made the biggest mistake and told my friends 2 years ago about us TTC as we started at the same time so we could be off work together. Her child is now 1 and im still trying  :( After telling my boss and a few friends at work about me taking time off work for my tests, op, etc, it seems as tho one person tells another, then they tell another and before you know it, your the talk of the office!! Im looking into moving jobs at the moment. I wish I had of kept all my business to myself. My family also do know and are being very supportive, but I just feel so ashamed that its me who cant carry on the family genes and my sister can. It does make you bitter, even tho you really dont want to be! I cant speak or mix with my pregnant friends at the moment, and I really miss them but I know they wont understand.
I know peoples lives shouldnt stop just becasue mine has, but its so hard when most of your friends have kids and thats all they want to talk about!

Sorry for all that! Even if nobody reads this at least I have been able to get that off my chest.

Good luck to all of you

Linz xxxx
 
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