I just found out through b/w today that I have extremely high FSH levels and I am devastated!! The nurse told me that normal levels for cd2 (which I am on) are 10 or below - mine were 22!! I just read an article that said elevated FSH levels indicate decreased/diminished ability to produce follicles/eggs and eggs of good quality. It also mentioned that it is very difficult to treat this type of infertility!! and that best way was through donor eggs!

I now believe that this is why I haven't been able to conceive. My reg Doc also did testing last year on CD3 and never told me that my FSH levels were too high - so this may just be a recent thing. Either way it doesn't look very promising. I just can't believe this!! I feel like my chances for getting pg and having my own child are quickly evaporating right in front of my eyes! I am so down right now!

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Rebecca- This is not good news. But you know how these doctor's are. First I would get your results from your regular doctor. Exact #'s so you have something to compare. Second repeat the test. levels flucuate from month to month.

The chance of conceiving on your own is reduced it's not at zero. What is it that would make that level go up? I don't understand why they can't just make it go back down again?

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Betsy - From what I have read, your FSH levels go up in response to your ovaries telling your system that they require more FSH to produce a follicle/egg. When you take follicle stimulating meds like Clomid, Follistim etc. they raise your FSH level to "trick" your body into producing more follicles - thus increasing your chances of becoming pg. When your levels are already high, the meds can't trick your system into producing more b/c the levels are already high just to produce 1 follicle/egg. Basically the meds may not have an effect.

There is nothing they can do to make the ovaries require less hormone to produce a mature follicle/egg. Usually this happens in older women and not someone my age (34) so this is really not good news at all.

My RE recommended a cyle of injectibles with an IUI this month. He has just upped my Follistim shots from 225 to 450mg/day due to the high FSH levels. Basically they have to pump me full of meds to see if they can get my ovaries to produce more follicles.

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Rebecca - This is for you.

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Rebecca~ Just curious, but if they recorded a high FSH on CD2 this cycle, does that mean it will be high every cycle? or is it possible that it may just be high sometimes?

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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?

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Bump for Emily. Found it.

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