High FSH - what does it mean?
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Anonymous
| My FSH was high two cycles ago (at 11), we were on hiatus last cycle because of large cysts, and now at the beginning of this hopefully IUI cycle my FSH is at 14. RE seems concerned but haven't talked to her yet about what it represents, and how it could hinder IUI process. Thoughts? And what's the normal range for FSH? |
Anonymous
| Not entirely sure what the range is but I though less than 10 was better. the lower the better? High FSH indicates your body is working that much harder to generate follicales, thus making pregnancy more difficult achieve. I beleive some insurance companis have limits on how the FSH will go and still pay for treatments. (eg, a 50 year old woman with FSH of 25 wants IVF with her own eggs...insurance would turn that down). Also keep in mind that FSH can fluctuate, not sure why but mine varied 2-3 points over a year. I think mine was 11 (this was a year and half ago) and I am not pregnant from first IVF cycle. |
Anonymous
| PP here..I am NOW pregnant... |
Anonymous
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I think they like to see it under 10. When it's high, it means that your ovaries aren't responding so well anymore to the FSH your body produces, and so your pituitary gland goes into overdrive with the production. For fertility treatments, it means you probably won't be responding so well to stimulation.
They also say that the highest FSH is the one that counts to assess your ovarian function, and you also have to look at your FSH in conjunction with your estrogen, because when your estrogen is high, FSH is suppressed to a certain degree. However, it doesn't mean anything regarding your egg quality, and for IUI, you only need one egg. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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Go to:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/209394/ and search for some posts by "Alex" -- she has a great summary of what high FSH means. |
Anonymous
| not to hijack... but people always say you are only as good as your highest FSH. I don't understand this. If you have one high FSH- 17.1 then over the next 8 months, you get tested 4 times and each time your FSH is between 6 and 9 why is the 17.1 held against you? That is like saying someone who weighed 400 lbs and lost 150 pounds still weighs 400 lbs or someone who once had high blood pressure always has high blood pressure. Thoughts? |
Anonymous
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The fact that FSH can vary from cycle to cycle is the reason why more doctors are looking at AMH as a more accurate measure of ovarian reserve. It does not vary in the same way.
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Anonymous
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I have high FSH (13) and got pregnant from my second cycle. The first one was cancelled due to a poor response to the meds.
Don't stress to much about it. I skipped IUI and went straight to IVF. |
Anonymous
How old were you when you got pregnant? |
Anonymous
| PP here . I am 35 and just got a BFP this month. I was totally freaked out by my FSH and thought it was the end of the world. I did acupuncture and wheat grass shots with my first cycle which was cancelled. I didn't do anything this cycle and it was a success. We even had 1 embryo to freeze. |
Anonymous
| If your FSH is between 11 and 16, it is not high, it is elevated. Depending on your age, it could mean nothing. For example, if you're in your early 30s with high FSH, it just means you may have trouble stimulating during IVF, it doesn't mean you won't get pregnant. FSH doesn't correlate to egg quality. |
Anonymous
| For whatever it is worth (an anecdote, so not much?!) at 40 with an FSH of 12 I got pregnant on my first IVF. |