I took this from my RE's website as kind of an FYI for all of us. It tells more if you want to see the whole thing.
http://www.advancedfertility.com/day3fsh.htm
Day 3 follicle stimulating hormone: FSH
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is one of the most important hormones involved in the natural menstrual cycle as well as in pharmacological (drug-induced) stimulation of the ovaries. It is the main hormone involved in producing mature eggs.
FSH is the same hormone that is contained in the injectable gonadotropins which are used to produce multiple eggs for infertility treatment.
When a women goes into menopause she is essentially running out of eggs in her ovaries. The brain senses that there is a low estrogen environment and more FSH is released from the pituitary gland in an attempt to stimulate the ovaries enough to produce a good follicle and estrogen.
You can think of it like stepping on the gas pedal in the car to get going. The FSH is the gas, and the pituitary gland releases FSH to get a follicle "going" at the beginning of every menstrual cycle. If there are less follicles left (and perhaps lower quality follicles) the "gas" has to be increased to get a follicle to start developing. In a menopausal woman, the gas pedal is on the floor for the rest of her life - even though there are no follicles (or eggs) left that are capable of developing, the woman's body never gives up trying and FSH levels are permanently elevated.
Women in menopause usually have FSH levels that are above 40 mIU/ml. As women approach menopause their baseline FSH levels (day 3 of their cycle) will tend to gradually increase over the years. When they run out of follicles capable of responding, their FSH will be quite high (over 30-40 mIU/ml) and they will stop having menstrual periods.
By measuring a baseline FSH on day 3 of the cycle (we do it on either day 2, 3, or 4), we can often get an indication that the women is closer to menopause and has relatively less "ovarian reserve". Another way of saying this is that if the baseline FSH is elevated the ovarian reserve (how many eggs are left) is reduced and sometimes also the egg quality is reduced. In other words, an elevated FSH represents a reduced egg supply (in numbers of eggs remaining) and it might also reflect a compromise of egg quality. However, in general, the best quick and easy "test" for egg quality is looking at the woman's drivers license - her age.
Rebecca- I know it feels like the end of the world right now, but don't completely give up hope just yet. It's good to have an answer of some sort, because that gets you a bit closer to solving the problem.
What did your doctor say? I know you are going to do meds & IUI... did they say anything specifically in terms of what to expect, statistics, etc?