FSH level 64?! Success stories please

[steph1357]

Hi ladies,

New to all this so please be gentle. TTC #1, came off the pill in May and was having 21 day cycles (but was getting positive OPKs d14 so only having 6 day luteal phase) so went to my GP to see if it was normal. She did bloods on day 17 so in theory after ov and before period and they’ve come back the following:
Progesterone 0.2 (so I didn’t ovulate)
Thyroid fine
Prolactin fine
LH 27 & FSH 64!
Saw a different GP to discuss as mine was off so he wasn’t particularly clued up on it all but says on paper the LH and FSH readings look like I’m post menopause?! I’m only 30 😢 and have had periods (light ones) and smiley faces on OPK’s so he’s a bit stumped.
Of course I’ve googled the sh*t out of it and got myself into a right state. Next steps is to repeat the test to see if I get the same results twice but I got the feeling he didn’t really know what else to do with me. I’m just waiting for a call back from him as I’m going to ask if he can refer me straight to the gyny rather than wait til next bloods to get the ball rolling as there’s a long waiting list.

So I guess my question is, has anyone had similar results and are able to explain the reasons why they might be, and what would be the next steps?

Please only positive experiences, I know that sounds shallow minded but I couldn’t cope with reading anything negative at the moment 😔

Xxx

I think you need them retaking, you need the lh tests done between cd1-5 and your progesterone needs to be tested 7 days before your period, typically called cd21. Don't panic just yet, it can take up to a year for your cycle to settle after the pill. It is worrying but as your tests have been done at the wrong time, I'd try not to focus on that right now. Hopefully you will get a referral to gynaecology. Good luck. Xx

Thank you so much for your reply, yes from what I’ve read it does seem that those tests should be done earlier in the cycle. I’m hoping maybe the GP I saw just wasn’t completely in the know about it all and unintentionally scared me a bit. I’ll ask for another test day 1-5 which is coming up so hopefully I can have some new results in the next week or so 🤞🏻 Xx

I agree with @VenusStarr

You should have your FSH repeated early in your cycle with an oestradiol level.

OPKs don’t actually test for ovulation, they test for a surge in LH which precedes ovulation, but this doesn’t confirm whether or not you have ovulated.

The progesterone level needs to be done 7 days before your expected period to be accurate so in a 21 day cycle it needs to be done on day 14, not day 17. Taking it on day 17 is too late in the cycle and you cannot tell from a result done at this point whether or not you’ve ovulated so this also needs repeating at the correct time in your cycle.

Thank you @EarlGreyT, it’s complicated though because even though my cycle is only 21 days, I was getting the positive OPK on day 14-15, so if I had the blood test around day 14 I may not have ovulated by then? I think that was why they said test on d17 because it would hopefully be after ovulation and before my period xx

I think you should have the progesterone test based on your menstrual cycle rather than what the OPKs say. Your LH on the blood test is very high so I don’t know how accurate your OPKs will be. And as I said above all the OPKs measure is a LH surge, they don’t actually test for ovulation (which is why they are called ovulation predictor kits).

@EarlGreyT thank you, makes sense. I think I was clinging on to the hope that I have definitely ovulated but like you say it’s not a given and only detecting the surge xx

@steph1357 hello, sorry that sounds very stressful. I know what it's like to get results that are unexpected and upsetting. Fingers crossed there is some kind of mistake and the next test is more normal. But just to say in my experience GPs are a little lacking in fertility expertise so if they come back not quite as you'd hoped then I would ask them to refer you to the fertility clinic - it might be a bit of a wait but it's worth trying to get on their list now as they'll be much better to interpret your results than a GP. Or if you can't handle the wait a private clinic can run tests and give you the piece of mind you need within a couple of weeks. If your FSH is still a little high it's useful to also get an AMH test done just to compare the results, often if your AMH is low your FSH is high, so if your AMH is normal that might indicate further that FSH result was wrong / done at the wrong time. your GP can't order the AMH test it has to be the fertility clinic. Good luck with the retest hopefully it's just been tricky because your cycle is a little confusing for them x

Hi @Dbop100 thank you so much for the lovely message. Yes it’s been stressful to say the least! I didn’t get anywhere with my GP today, he refused to refer me to the specialist until my next lot of bloods, I really don’t think he gets it. And typical my dates are going to fall over Christmas when the blood clinic is shut so could be end of Jan before I can get them re done. I’ve tried to call through to the hospital to see if the specialist does private consultations but could only leave a message as no answer. Hopefully they’ll call me back soon. Problem is we live on an island with no private fertility clinics as such, just the department in the hospital, but if they don’t do private over here then we’re going to look at fertility clinics in the UK that may be able to do a virtual consultation 🤞🏻 Xxx

@steph1357 oh how frustrating, he sounds so unhelpful. Sounds like your being very proactive though, you have to advocate for yourself with fertility treatment for sure! shame Xmas throws a spanner in the works. One thing I had to start doing was requesting my GP print off all my test results, they just kept saying things were 'fine' and didn't give me all the specific info I needed. I then sent them to my private consultant so she had them before we did a zoom consultation. You may end up going to a few people so it's useful to have your own copies of everything from the start. Wishing you so much luck! I found out I had a very low AMH last year at 33 and it really floored me, but feel so much better now I know what's going on and am doing treatment x

Your fsh result is meaningless- it needs to be done cycle day 1-5. Don’t Panic yet.

@Ilikeviognier

Your fsh result is meaningless- it needs to be done cycle day 1-5. Don’t Panic yet.

Totally agree with this - you need your FSH tested around day 3, but my consultant said up to day 8 is ok. Day 17 is way too late, so don't lose heart OP!

I didn’t want to say this earlier as the OP asked to only hear positive stories, but @Ilikeviognier and @CeibaTree a FSH of 64 is very high irrespective of where in the cycle it has been taken so although normally it should be done day 1-5, it still should not be this high at day 17 (or at any point in her cycle). I only want to point this out as I don’t think it’s fair to the OP to give false positivity.

@EarlGreyT

I didn’t want to say this earlier as the OP asked to only hear positive stories, but *@Ilikeviognier and @CeibaTree* a FSH of 64 is very high irrespective of where in the cycle it has been taken so although normally it should be done day 1-5, it still should not be this high at day 17 (or at any point in her cycle). I only want to point this out as I don’t think it’s fair to the OP to give false positivity.

Fair enough EarlGreyT I am familiar with what a 'good' FSH should be in the first few days of the cycle, but I actually (wrongly) presumed it was like progesterone and rose in the second half. Apologies for the wrong info OP!

Hi ladies, thank you for your comments and yes completely aware 64 is strangely high so I appreciate your kindness around this. It’s frustrating because my GP couldn’t explain it and has given me no indication of why it might be or what it might mean. I’ve managed to get a private consultation early Jan with our local gynecologist who is supposed to be fab, so I will have another set of bloods by then to discuss with her.

Still struggling to understand when I should be having the tests as my GP was useless and said “it didn’t matter” when quite clearly it does! He said to have them all done on day 17 (progesterone and the FSH/lh) but should I just take matters into my own hands and go for the FSH/LH on day 1-5, then Progesterone on day 17 as planned? As would hate to get to the appointment for her to say we need to do them again on different dates and I’m waiting another month 😳

Xxx

I think that's the best course of action, as it sounds like your GP has misunderstood something along the way. Definitely take matters into your own hands and get the tests done on the right day. Wishing you lots of luck x

@CeibaTree thank you 😘😘 xxx

I am afraid I can’t offer you the response that you want to hear, but i have been in an almost identical situation and am happy to chat any time you would like ❤️

Hi @steph1357 - I'm sorry about your upsetting results. This whole journey is a lot! i just wanted to share that my GP or fertility clinic never sent me for FSH tests but I wanted them done after getting low AMH results from the fertility clinic. So i used a company called Medichecks. They post you a kit and you can send your blood sample back to them and they get the test results back to you soon. Very handy. Obviously it isn't ideal having to pay for these things ourselves but sometimes it is a lot easier to take it into your own hands (especially when GP is saying you can test FSH on any day- it should be day 3). They are pretty cheap. Good luck xx