amh fallen by 97% in 2.5 years - fsh the same

[feebochops]

Hi,I feel like I'm slowly getting obsessed with amh levels!

I got tested for fsh and amh at 33 and 34 fsh was 4.9 and amh 7.1ng/ml (about 48 pmol/l) at 34 and was roughly the same year before. Didn't have high estradiol and lh was about 5. Two and a half years later at 37 all the other stats are the same pretty much but amh is now 0.87 ng/ml. I just can't believe this is right and all they say to me is that well of course fertility drops. IF this amh is a test for menopause age I don't see how that can change over a few years. I've gone from being devastated to just dubious about how much store to put by this. Anyone else had such a big drop over a few years? I now feel like I know quite a lot on this on this as have read SO many accademic studies. (have research and stats background so understand the methodology) and I know this drop is not in line with the studies. REALLY interested what others say as I'm basing my decision to go it alone re having a baby on this when I'd rather wait a year or so...Thanks xx

i had a rise in fsh from 6 (aged 37) to 25 in two years. amh was not tested the first time round, but was the second - 1.1 same scale as yours.
go for a baby. i was lucky to conceive spontaneously twice in this time (dh low sperm motility, so was on IVF for several years), but the story could have been very different (and I still don't have a baby, pg 27 weeks now)

Have you considered repeating the testing to see if the value that you get is the same?

was too fast to post...
my point is that even having been successful in conceiving, a live baby is not a given. i lost dd1 , who was at 24 weeks (and she lived for three weeks) due to undiagnosed incompetent cervix and gbs infection when i thought finally our family would be complete. there are never ever any guarantees even when all seems to be so close...

was born (sorry, need to start previewing)

You know all these stats and figures end up being fairly meaningless but the fertility clinic/NHS will have to use test results to know what protocol you are going to go on if you decide to 'go it alone' (v good luck btw) with IUI/IVF. They have to use stronger drugs to stimulate you presumably if your amh is low? I wouldn't wait a year either way. If you know you want a baby you should just give it your best shot - as you have no idea what the future holds but you do know what you want right now.

Good stats don't equal pregnancy unfortunately. At 37 I fell pg pretty instantly in a new relationship and have a 2yo DS. Since I was 38.5/39 I haven't had a whiff of a pg and my amh is 9.5 and fsh the same, plus we have had lots of SWI at the right time. I've no idea what my figures were 3 years ago, but they don't seem that bad now given my age. (We don't have a great sperm count, but that shouldn't make pg impossible.) So I'm afraid I have had to let go, put it down to fate and have decided to make the most of one DC as I'm obviously v lucky.

I'm afraid there's a lot more to this game than the numbers. You should follow your heart's desire if you want a baby and I hope you don't have a dreadful time TTC. Thinking of you.

xxx

bg have you seen the book "taking charge of your fertility"? the author and some other sources advocates not lots of sex at the right time but abstaining for at a week to 10 days before ov to build up the count and then sex 12-24 hours after lh surges for couples with low sperm count (same issue in my relationship). once we adopted this strategy i fell pg twice (on the 2nd month after trying this and 3rd month after trying).
my consultants were always advising to try every other day during fertile period and nothing happened spontaneously for 10 years with us despite sperm count being low but not zero!
just wanted to share after your line "I'm afraid I have had to let go"
i am 40 btw (and with bad fsh and amh stats and low sperm count dh)

Thanks for replying.

Congratulations on your pregnancy bemybebe. Not long now, I'll have my fingers crossed for you. And thank you for the book advice will have a look at this.

Yes, catsareevil, have been retested so will wait and see what they say, I realise that they are just numbers, you're right and nothing is guaranteed whatever numbers say, but wow, it's amazing how obsessed I got googling away with my results in hand..

Not too sure what I want Beangrower at the moment but hoping it will become clearer if I give it some headspace.

Good luck to us all anyway x

Sorry OP - I will be hijacking with below so I hope you don't mind.

Hi bemybebe - first of all congratulations on your pg (sorry missed that in your first post) - I am SO chuffed for you. 10 years?! OMG - that sounds so hard; it's amazing that you've since had 2 BFPS and didn't give up hope. I have every finger, toe and limb crossed for a healthy baby for you and your family. Life literally begins at 40.

It's incredibly kind of you to write the above. I did read Toni Weschler's book (with great interest) but couldn't quite find that level of detail you describe and was wondering how long we should abstain for pre-sex. I do believe that we were probably having too much sex (EOD and sometimes 3 days in a row around ov) and somehow 'felt' it because the sex experience seemed much less powerful for my lovely DP the more we were having - quite a physical sensation IYKWIM. So your words are extremely helpful. I have been testing LH with FMU (CB monitor). Should I wait til the eve of the first peak or even until the next day do you think?

My DP has poor motility and only 4% gooduns, but since we had one pg/DC I was assuming there was a chance of another, especially as my tests showed nothing obvious as an obstacle.

We will give your advice a try. I've been doing my damnedest to stop being a TTC nutter - hence the line about letting go. I am much closer to feeling at peace with the universe given my happy pg, lovely birth and healthy son. There are people here (and in RL) who've had a terribly hard time and I'm amazed at how brave people are.

Thanks again and I'm gunnning for you over the next few months.

Btw Feebochops - it's a difficult experience knowing your clock is ticking and not having a partner on board. I was there at 36 (cancelled a wedding, 3 days before the big day) and then began enquiries at a fertility clinic about going it alone (no amh test available then). I got freakily lucky the following year, in that I got together with a friend from school and we both wanted children (and got one), but after years of rocky relationships this came as a complete surprise. (Not assuming this is your situation by any means just trying to show empathy....)

I really wish you peace of mind, whatever your decision. I hope the retest figures help. And whatever your decision I hope you have lots of support from loved ones.

Have you considered having a scan to check your follicle count? If you are oving and have follicles developing in the ovaries each month this is enough to know you can get pg whatever your amh.

Good luck.

bg there is a chapter in the book called "maximizing your chances..." and subsection "if the man's sperm count is low" in my book it is page 162. now looking in the book i cannot see 10-7 day window mentioned explicitly (although i have this noted in handwriting in the back of the book, but god knows what source i used), but if you analyse her charts (like the one 11.14) she does not suggest having sex at all before "eggwhite" (so, that is as long as 12 or more days). I for sure read somewhere that it is not necessary to have it that long (hence my note), but i cannot remember where...

i also used ov predictor tests as i was was a bit confused with the cm analyzing (although it did coincide pretty well) and I was trying to be patient and waited at least until the eve of the day of the surge,but mostly dtd the day after. i also stayed with dh after the ejaculation for a long cuddle - some of the best time spent ttc (pm me if there are any other questions, but i think i put pretty much everything here)

sorry for the hijack "fee"

Hello. Just thought you might like an update in case this helps anyone going thro what I did. I had my amh retested and they totally changed. I'm now amh of 8.1 pmol/l nearly 4 months later (from being in the less that 1.5/undetectable range). Of course this is still lowish but then i'm 38 so prob about right for my age. I just want to post because I'm REALLY not sure this test means that much or is so reliable/doesn't change as we're told and it seems to be causing us women so much upset. Maybe I can have a kid/maybe I can't, it still feels like the uncertain area that it is for me but I personally haven't found shelling out 300 for fertility tests have clarified this for me at all. (in fact I'm feeling a little swizzed by them right now). Good luck to anyone trying..
xx

good to hear fee, good luck

That's better. I paid the same for those tests. I think it is worth it just to know it's still on the cards. In a way I would have been relieved by bad results too because I could have given up TTC but that would have been upsetting in the short term. Good luck in the future. Have that baby, go on go on go on! If you want to that is.... Xxx