hope needed...has anyone had high FSH levels but gone on to conceive naturally?

[eleveld]

hi

I have high FSH levels (last two tests show 15 and 16) and am late 30s with no DC.

Have been told won't be able to conceive naturally and doesn't look like IVF an option for us.

Has anyone been in similar position yet gone on to conceive naturally?

Clutching at straws here!

Thanks

[Talksunderwater]

Hello

I may be able to give you some hope. 2 years ago (at age 36) I was told by IVF clinic that I had only 5-10% chance of conceiving naturally because of fsh levels which ranged from 10-16.8 and to forget IVF. I was lucky enough already to have a son (conceived naturally) but desperately wanted a second dc - had been trying for 3 years with no success. 2 months after being told to forget thoughts of another child - I was shocked (and delighted) to fall pg naturally last June. Ds2 is now a gorgeous 4 month old! So it can happen - I really hope that you are successful - don't give up hope.

[eleveld]

Thanks talksunderwater

That's just what I needed to hear as am feeling pretty desparate at the moment.

your situation sounds practically identical to mine so I really hope something similar happens to me.

Just can't ever imagine it happening for me.

Have got to have final blood test in next few days and, if FSH still over 12 (which he has practically said it will be) then they won't do IVF.

I just feel gutted but also frustrated as since being told this I have researched it and have found loads of instances of women with higher levels and still being treated (successfully) by IVF

Thanks for your reply, it has cheered me up a bit!

[Talksunderwater]

Glad to give some hope. I was devastated in May/June last year and couldn't have believed that a year on I'd be writing about ds2. For what it is worth - I think giving up trying/timing etc and relaxing may have had a lot to do with my finally falling pg. I know it is not at all easy to relax in that situation but perhaps a holiday? Best of luck!

[Northbynortheast]

A friend of mine has a very similar story to talksunderwater and has since had 2 dds in her late thirties after being told to give up with IVF and start reconciling herself to an early menopause. She changed her diet to all organic about 1yr prior to becoming pg.

[Talksunderwater]

No, Anniemac, I changed nothing (except perhaps had a little less wine ). That is why only thing I can think of which might have made a difference to me was not trying so hard. Good luck to you too.

[eleveld]

hi Anniemac

I thought about Angus Castus but wasn't sure whether it was suitable in these circumstances?

I know it helps to increase some hormones but wasn't sure which ones - wasn't sure if it increased FSH?!

[eleveld]

Thanks for that.

I may join you in trying it then!

I sounds exactly the same, get spotting couple of days before period and, teh last few months, periods have been very irregular.

Was just worried it could have made the situation worse

Thanks - we'll have to compare notes!

[lostittoday]

I am glad I found this thread.
I am worried about high fsh levels.
A test back in April showed my fsh level as being 16 and I feel desperate.
I have an appoitment at the fertility clinc on the 30th of July where thye should be able to give me the results of a latest fsh test.
I do expect it to have raised alot higher as I am certain I am in menopause due to various symptoms, I have been experiencing irreggular periods since I started ttc last August.
I am currently on cd 74 with no period and its breaking my heart that I have probably left it too late for my 2nd dc.

I have started taking Agnus Castus but I am really not sure if its going to do any good if I am indeed leading up to menopause but anything is worth a try with how I am feeling.
I am 37 and I am old with thyroid problems and early menopause is in the family.
I realise that its unlikely to happen.
I just wanted to say eleveld that I really feel for your situation.

[xserialshopper]

You can get your FSH levels down. MARILYN GLENVILLE talks about it in her book NATURAL SOLUTIONS TO INFERTILITY which you can get from your local library. I can't remember if Zita West wrote about it in her book Guide to Getting Pregant, but you can also get her book from the library as well (no need to buy).

If the book isn't on the shelf they can order the books in from other librarys for you (and NO I'm not a librarian and I don't work in a library.

[fircone]

I had high fsh levels. Got a letter from the fertility clinic saying I would never have a baby and offering me counselling at £90 per half hour.

The next month I conceived naturally and along came dd

[sav007]

for eleveld and all the people who think hope has gone. me and my wife were trying to conceive for 3 years with no joy we were sent to the local hospital where they did sperm and fsh tests.both results were bad,my sperm was very poor and my wifes fsh was a little high. we were sent to st.marys in manchester and were sent a lot of information that we read and things seemed not so bad,we had hope. when the appointment came we had our tests done again and awaited the results.we went back a month or so later and they told us my wifes fsh had gone up to 16.5 and that not only was it impossible for us to concieve naturally but ivf would not work as well.i can not tell you what the walk back to the car was like, total and complete devastation does'nt cover it. we stood in the car park sobbing for ages. a few days later after i read stories on this and other websites that they were wrong so many times we decieded to just try again.it turns out 7 DAYS after they told us what they did my wife concieved she is now 6 weeks pregnant. DO NOT BELIVE EVERYTHING THESE DOCTORS TELL YOU, JUST BELIEVE THAT IT CAN HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT.i have been in your shoes and you have got hope.maybe your trying to hard,stress is a bad thing.try and relax and just believe. good luck.

[lostittoday]

The stories on here are encouraging for some but at the moment I feel so depressed, cheated, and old that I just don,t know what to do.
I have the fsh of an old woman well thats how I feel about my useless body.
I am 37 and my fsh was 62 in June it really feels like the end for me and I am gradually becoming more and more depressed.
My visit to the endo to find out what was causing various symptoms I was experiencing finished me off completely.
She sat there and blatently said your menopausel and your chances of concieiving are very slim but thats something to discuss at the fertility clinic.
So the last year of worrying about missed menstrual cycles not knowing if it was down to an undercative thyroid or not as my doctor kept saying and then carrying out loads of pregnancy tests, trips back and forth to the doctor for various hormone tests which I was repeatedly told were okay has led to this.
I feel devastated and I resent my dh for just carrying on without a care in the world when I am slowly sinking deeper and deeper.

[weezee]

hey, 'lostittoday' - i am in floods of tears here reading your post. i haven't seen this site before, i was feeling quite positive reading these posts. we've been ttc for 4 1/2 yrs now, have been to a handful of 'experts' who seemed to think everything was fine, just keep trying! (we have a son conceived naturally 6 years ago so i think got fobbed off by the docs even though he took best part of a year to conceive) but only now have discovered high fsh levels, and not many follicles in my ovaries (through a scan) - at 29 i wasn't too worried and thought it would happen eventually, now at 34 i realise time slips on by and like you feel very cheated, depressed and feel like my body is useless too. i know how you feel about dh too, mine totally doesn't understand, and is reluctant to try expensive rounds of ivf which we can't afford when the chances of them working are so slim anyway with increased fsh levels. we recently went to a fertility clinic through nhs, where these problems were highlighted. they provide counselling services, i'm sure we would benefit by these - especially when you can't talk to dh's about it. are you going to go to a fertility clinic? they might have further suggestions?

[lostittoday]

Hi weezee I am sorry my post upset you so much understandable for anybody ttc.
How high is your fsh at the moment, your still relatively young so you may have more time to overcome any obstacles.
I know that I have probably had it I mean I know there has been lots of women with high fsh but mine is right at the top of the scale and I realise that I should probably give up now as I am almost 38 and I doubt it will get any better now.
I am attending a fertility clinic and at the moment they are investigating as to whether I have premature ovarian failure, or early menopause, thye say that the ovarian failure can be treated but not if its menopause.
Apparently they both give off menopausel symptoms even though they are different.
I have to take a months supply of hrt and then if I get af which I have not had for 4 months then its good news and suggests ovarian failure and everything should be okay, if I don,t get af then its most likely ealry menopause which they can confirm with a laproscropy where they cut the ovaries and check for egg reserve.
The consultant said that my fsh is rising because of the pitutary gland desperately trying to spur the ovairies into action and that the hrt will switch the pitutary gland off giving the ovaries a rest from this constant hammering.
He said that after this rest the ovaries would generally start working again on their own.
I am not too hopeful to be honest as I do suspect ealry menopause.

[notlosinghope]

Hi
This is the first time I am posting. Over two weeks, I was diagnosed with high FSH. We have been trying to conceive for over two years, we went through several bumps along the road because my husband was given some testosterone treatment and this caused him to have azoospermia. As soon as we realised his medication was causing that, he stopped taking it, so we kept trying. Now, another low blow on my side.
I am trying to keep positive and I have already started with acupuncture, I have also lost some weight and keeping a smile on my face. We will start the visits to the fertility clinics next week and see what they recommend. I try to keep positive but my husband tries to be "realistic" and every time he mentions anything, he just brings me down. I understand it is hard to be going through this, but I believe we need to be strong and keep positive for this to happen.
Reading all of your stories have made me feel even more hopeful and now I will try my best that my husband's realistic views don't put me down. We always have adoption as another way of becoming parents... :)
I know this post is OLD but thanks for sharing!