How quickly can AMH and FSH levels change between pregnancies?

[booklady1990]

About two years ago (when I was 33) I did some private testing to see how my fertility was looking- and was told my AMH was borderline low (at 7.1 pmol) and my FSH slightly out of range at 11 IU/L. I discussed the results with a doctor who advised we should not delay trying to conceive. In the end we conceived naturally within a couple of months of trying, and now have a nearly 18 month old.

I saw a gynaecologist again a couple of months ago who reiterated that if we want another child we should be trying to conceive as soon as possible. It was stressful and difficult to hear- we have both recently lost our jobs and have a lot to figure out in that area. It's really hard to tell how much the doctor is right, and we need to get on with it or not ( I am 36 now). Does anyone have any information as to how quickly hormone levels can drop in that amount of time? She even asked if I wanted more testing but I feel like that would just stress me out more while I am trying to find a job.

I don’t know the answer to your question, and so perhaps shouldn’t have replied. But the doctor is right. I had my first child just after I turned 36. We also conceived quickly and I had (when I had private health insurance, between no 1 and no 2) very good AMH/ follicle count testing, so we perhaps could have left it longer. But, in reality, even if your fertility were better than average, 36 is a good time to get on with it if you’re in a supportive partnership and already have one child. I had my second child just after I turned 38, and felt much worse than I had during the first pregnancy.

I will add that I didn’t feel I had children late in life at the time. At 36/38 I was still essentially a young woman. Now they’re 11 and 9, I’m tired and perimenopausal, and do in fact feel definitely on the old side to still have primary aged kids. Most of my colleagues in their late 40s have children leaving home…

From what I’ve read, there isn’t one simple answer. Some women can have great AMH levels even in their 40s, while in other cases AMH can drop quite quickly over just a few months.
The book It Starts with the Egg is very helpful and offers a lot of recommendations on how to support ovarian reserve. On MyIVFanswers, there are also many recorded webinars about getting pregnant in your 40s, as well as discussions around non-traditional approaches to improving egg quality.