What does high fsh mean ?

[Littlemissnutmeg]

Hi there. My husband and i have been trying to conceive for 2 years with no luck. Recently i had some hormone blood tests, routine ones came back clear. I had an appointment with my doctor today who told me i have a high fsh and then advised me i should be on HRT. I heard the word HRT and sort of panicked and didn't take anything she said in really. She said something about being high fsh and borderline. Any suggestions please ?

High FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)

High levels can indicate reduced egg reserve, really high levels can indicate menopause, do you know your number? The drugs used in an ivf cycle are FSH that's why ivf isn't suitable for ladies with high FSH as their body will already have high levels, your body pumps more and more out when its struggling to ovulate

Did you have a AMH and LH done at the same time?

Lauren x

I think the doctor mentioned something about LH and some other hormone too, think the fsh was 19.2 which she said was borderline then rattled on about HRT. I'm only 37 so surely it can't be menopause. I'm shocked to be honest! Think maybe i need to book another doctor appt and discuss it further. Thank you Lauren for the info x

Mines 23, I'm 30 and in the menopause, were you planning on hoping to have fertility treatment? It can fluctuate month by month, it would be useful to know your other results too x

Menopause at age 30, oh bless you. Surely that can't be right though ? Yes i had been thinking about fertility treatment and i mentioned this to doctor. She basically told me to scrap the idea and advised me to take HRT or the Pill as a form of HRT. Iv'e been researching fsh this last hour and it says you get a most accurate measurement on days 2 to 4 of period. Thinking back i had my test on day 3 of my last period. I will book another appt to have another test x

Yeah anything between 2 and 5 is ok, I had mine double checked and it was even higher, I have been t

Told I can't have ivf again with my own eggs, my clinic requires an FSH under 10, think there's a few clinics that will do up to 15 and higher than that serum a clinic in Greece will

I'm going on HRT then having a cycle with donor eggs x

Let us know how you do with the HRT Lauren. Bless you, you are so young for menopause. Do you have any children ? x

Nope none, do you? Had been trying 7 years nearly but couldn't due to endometriosis, had my last surgery to remove it July and hit menopause by Dec, only got 1 tube too so only had a couple of months where I had a chance

They won't give me the HRT til they repeat some bloods next week but hopefully then I will do

How are you feeling after your news

Lauren x

I have 2 children aged 14 and 11. If i got pregnant, which i think is going to be highly unlikely now, it would be mine and new partner's first together. I felt upset today and bewildered to be honest. It certainly seems i must be going through menopause so little chance of a baby now. Very disappointed. So sorry that this is happening to you at such a young age and devastating as you haven't been able to have children. You must feel awful, i can't imagine. You do sound very strong and very together. So would a donor egg be the only option for you now then ? x

Thank you I appreciate your kind words. Yes it is, the CCG have acknowledged my request for Donor egg treatment and a private clinic with an unknown donor so just got to wait now for a reply with a decision, so nervous

Are you thinking of going down the ivf route?

Lauren xx

Oh Lauren, i do feel for you. Do you know when you will have a reply then ? I don't think donor egg treatment would be the thing for me. If i didn't have children though and was in your situation then i'm sure i would most definately go ahead with it. At the end of the day, i guess the way you have to look at it, it is just an egg. It's fertilised by your partner's sperm and your body will nourish and nurture that little embryo and grow for nine months inside you. It will be your baby. I'm going to book another doctor appt for the start of my next period, although this will be tricky as my periods are irregular. Iv'e been reading that it's best to take hormone blood a month apart to confirm a menopause diagnosis. Iv'e been googling the past couple of days on fsh levels and IVF. They all seem to come up with the same thing, fsh levels over 15 are bad and IVF won't work using own eggs. Mine was 19 so i guess that counts me out xx

My FSH levels were 25 - 4 years ago when I was 32. I was told that was it and there was no reason to pursue IVF. That being said the levels had been consistently high, over the months I had been tested and just got higher.

I've stuck my head in the sand about menopause - until the last few months when all the symptoms have hit me at once it seems.

What sort of menopause symptoms are you having if you don't mind me asking ? I'm having irregular periods, which i had put down to stress and also night sweats some nights. I thought 37 was way too young for menopause, but after reading yours and Lauren's posts it would seem not. Iv'e been reading about natural IVF but then i suppose as i'm in menopause there would be little point in pursuing it.

I'm having night sweats, and then waking most nights feeling like I'm going to spontaneously combust.

My skin has changed. My periods have gone from regular (lasting 5 days with one heavy day). This one is a week late, last one lasted 10 days and the one before only lasted 3, but was so heavy I flooded :(

Oh and my libido is non-existent, which is the worst thing of all and causing massive problems for my relationship.

I have noticed this too, i never feel as 'sexy' as i used to.

Sorry to be short and sweet - I have hands full of twins. My Fsh was as high as 17 and my AMH just under 2 but I had success with ivf aged 33. I know I was lucky but it is worth investigating places like the Lister in London who specialise in treating older ladies or those of us whose ovaries are a bit more wrinkly than they should be. I know Ivf isn't for everyone and don't want to get people's hopes up unfairly, but I don't think I'm the only person who has had success x.

Thank you Teds and Congratulations on your twins! Being 37, fast approaching 38 i realise i do need to act swiftly if i'm going to pursue IVF x

My FSH was 19 then 23 the month after, I'm getting it retested next week, last year it was 8 when my AMH was 2 so dread to think what my AMH is now

Congrats Teds lovely to hear stories like that

If we would afford it I would absolutely try again with own eggs but I need to use my NHS funded cycles to try again and they touch me now x

Hi I was advised by dr about 3 years ago when I was 33 that I had a high FSH of 18, I had been TTC for over a year with no luck so once I understood what the implications were I was devastated. However I did lots of research, which resulted in me taking a whole concoction of vitamins, reflexology, acupuncture and cutting down on work stress. I had been referred to hospital for further rests but never had to go in the end as got my BFP, whose now a lively 16 month year old

This is what I did;

Grapefruit juice and wheatgrass daily
Angus Castus
Vit B6
Evening Primrose Oil (before ov)
Iron tablets
Pre natal vit
Pineapple juice and wheatgrass post ov
Cough medicine around ov

Weekly acupuncture and monthly reflexology. I was also quite a big drinker so cut back.

I'm now TTC again it's been 6 months and nothing's happened. I'm planning to get my FSH retested and start my healthy regime again next cycle, with the hope it works again, we shall see!

Hi girls,

Please can I join? I have high fsh of 12 and amh of 2.76. I just turned 35 and my husband and I have been Ttc for a year now with one miscarriage to show for it so far. I too have been devastated by the diagnosis and scared of what the future holds. all our friends it seems are also currently pregnsnt or have babies which makes things a lot harder. sorry to hear some of your stories but at Least we can share experiences on here. if it helps anyone I ve been doing acupuncture for a few months now and I believe it can help. It's good to hear some of the success stories too. Keep them coming!

Hi Chattycat!

Congrats Mooney :)

I took most of those supplements and more and my situation still got worse, glad I tried at least though

Be interested to see what mine comes back at next week, getting my thyroid checked too

Lauren xx

Hi Chattycat78. Nice to meet a few ladies on mumsnet who also have the low AMH/high FSH diagnosis. Are you still trying naturally or in the process of starting to get some medical assistance?

So you got a recent FSH test too Lauren. I get my result next week too. We may have to bring out the tissues together. I really need to have a good number to give me the motivation to continue as I head into another IVF but after reading of so many women on here younger than me with high FSH's, I am feeling like I am over the hill and it will be high.

Hi guys! Thanks for the welcome. it means a lot to talk to people in a similar boat. we are trying naturally but we re signed up for IVF after my next period in about 5 weeks time. If that doesn't work we ll be looking at paying for private treatment. BTW I hear that natural cycle IVF could be good for people like us. Might be worth considering.

Shellster- what's your situation?

Lauren- can I just say you seem very level headed about all this and I admire you, especially hsving to deal with this at just 30. Life is very unfair is it it? i have really struggled in the last few months with all of this. when will u find out about your donor funding?

Teds - did u do your successful IVf with the Lister clinic? I have looked at them already and might contact them in the future if we don,t get anywhere with the Nhs cycle.

Also one final hope story for all. my best friend received a similar diagnosis to me almost a year ago. However, she got her bfp just before starting IVF. So there is always hope xxxx hugs to everyone xxx

There is always hope. With a FSH of 25 and AMH of 0.7 at 32, I have still gone on to be a mum of the most amazing little girl.

I may have gone down a totally different route from what I planned, having always just thought I would give birth one day, but adoption was obviously meant to be for us. If we hadn't considered adoption, then we wouldn't have DD and I can't begin to imagine that.

Different journey...but so worth it.

To answer your question Chatty78, I had an AMH of 2.5 at 34. I am now 36 with 3 unsuccessful IVF cycles under my belt. Planning IVF again for cycle after next and this time adding Viagra to thicken lining in hope this makes the difference. I don't get many eggs and hubby has 100% abnormal sperm morphology to top it off. That's my story in a nutshell. Happy to give any more details if you would like to know as you embark on your IVF journey - just trying to keep it short as I could write a novel if I gave all the details.

PS - I second your thoughts on admiring Lauren for her attitude and battling all this at such a young age and agree IT'S NOT FAIR.