FSH reading 23 - Am I still fertile or not?

[Anonymous]

Trying NOT to get pregnant...already have three wonderful kids....FSH reading came back at 23...early menopause....husband was going to get snipped but OBGYN says I have <1% chance of getting pregnant which is generally the failure rate of the birth control we are using (condoms) so its not necessary anymore. Can anyone comment if this is their experience/understanding as well?

[Anonymous]

How old are you? That plays into it as well. The fact that you already have 3 children leads me to believe you've been very fertile, and those are generally the women with high fsh who do get pregnant. If you are regularly having sex during your fertile period, I might guess your odds of conception are in the 1-5% range, depending on your age.

[Anonymous]

OP - I am 43....

[Anonymous]

I am 30 so prob not the same situation.... But after an fsh reading of 21 in May 2010 I got pregnant naturally that sAme month, again in september, and again in November (an had also got pg in October 09, all natural conceptions)
So... Never say never

[Anonymous]

also you need to ensure that you were tested at the right time of month since FSH varies throughout cycle- belive it's 3-6 days post period.

[Anonymous]

It's days 2-3

[Anonymous]

I am older than you (48) but haven't had a period for a year so I checked with my doctor (also wanting to avoid DH getting snipped if possible!). My FSH was 28.

Apparently you aren't officially in menopause until your FHS is 50 or above. Still, without a period and an FSH that high, my doctor said chances were less than a fertile woman on BCP, as you say.

Have you had a period recently? I would think that would be an important factor to consider.

[Anonymous]

At 43, I'd say you are pretty highly unlikely to get pregnant (and stay pregnant), especially with that high fsh. If you just avoid sex on your most fertile days, you're probably pretty safe.

[Anonymous]

"At 43, I'd say you are pretty highly unlikely to get pregnant (and stay pregnant), especially with that high fsh. If you just avoid sex on your most fertile days, you're probably pretty safe."

Agree. You're subfertile, not infertile. You don't say how old your kids are. If you have one under 2, I'd e careful. But if it has been a few years, and at age 43, the mitochondria in your eggs is probably pretty deficient, which means it would be very difficult to get and stay pregnant. You may want to consider using lubricant that isn't sperm friendly, or even some that has spermicide in it, during your fertile period for another year or two.

FWIW, my FSH was 18 when I was 38, and I never got pregnant even with fertility treatments.

[Anonymous]

PP here. One other thought - get your FSH retested, since in fluctuates each month. If it ends up being higher, you may have more of an answer.

[Anonymous]

I've read, too, that each lab who does the test can be a little different so that the normal or fertile range in one can be several points higher or lower than another. Just something to consider, as 23 isn't all that high. I have a 43 year old friend who tested in the 80s.

[Anonymous]

From what I remember, I think my ob/gyn said anything over a FSH reading of 15 means that you are safe. However, if you read some of these other threads, women are getting pregnant after being told they can't, so nothing is 100%. Better safe than sorry if you don't want a little mid-life crisis/surprise. Have your husband get snipped...

[Anonymous]

I dont think that you can get pregnant