My Fertility Testing Results..

[soffphie]

Hi, so im 29/30 in March just got my day 5 bloods back taken midday. please can someone help tell me if these are ok and i am worrying about nothing! all come back normal but (as typical with me) i worry about smallest things so...

Serum TSH level 0.673 miu/L [0.38 - 5.33]

Gonadotrophin level
Serum follicle stimulating hormone level 8.2 iu/L
3.8 - 8.8 IU/l (follicular phase)
4.5 - 22.5 IU/l (mid cycle peak)
1.8 - 5.2 IU/l (luteal phase)

*Heres where my worry is, i am 8.2, max normal is 8.8? so how close am i to pre menapausal at that level am i reproductively "older" then a typical 30 year old?

Serum LH level 8.9 iu/L
2.1 - 10.9 IU/l (follicular phase)
19.2 - 103 IU/l (mid cycle peak)
1.2 - 12.9 IU/l (luteal phase)

Rest of it to me, reads ok, just have a worry about FSH levels.. please tell me im worrying over nothing!
I cant find anything concise on what is a normal FSH level for a 30 year old

 

[lisey]

Hi,

I would ask for them to be repeated, it is on the high end of normal but not in menopausal range.
The ranges have changed somewhat now but mine were 17 and the top end of the range at the time was 10 so way over (I was 30 too).

Lots will say it's fine, even doctors (they said mine was!!)

Higher FSH means the body is having to work a little harder for ovulation to happen which can be a result of reduced egg reserve. I wouldn't imagine that's a worry for you yet as you are still in the 'good' range but because it's the top end and I am quite cautious about these things because of my history, I would either have them repeated or have a AMH test to get an idea of reserve.

I hope I haven't scared you, I just think people can be too quick to assume 'oh you're young' etc. If I had listened to my GP rather than looking into it myself, I wouldn't have my daughter. Now my results were way over yours so you needn't worry in that sense but knowledge is helpful when it comes to ttc.

Good luck and hope it happens for you soon x

 

[soffphie]

Hi,

I would ask for them to be repeated, it is on the high end of normal but not in menopausal range.
The ranges have changed somewhat now but mine were 17 and the top end of the range at the time was 10 so way over (I was 30 too).

Lots will say it's fine, even doctors (they said mine was!!)

Higher FSH means the body is having to work a little harder for ovulation to happen which can be a result of reduced egg reserve. I wouldn't imagine that's a worry for you yet as you are still in the 'good' range but because it's the top end and I am quite cautious about these things because of my history, I would either have them repeated or have a AMH test to get an idea of reserve.

I hope I haven't scared you, I just think people can be too quick to assume 'oh you're young' etc. If I had listened to my GP rather than looking into it myself, I wouldn't have my daughter. Now my results were way over yours so you needn't worry in that sense but knowledge is helpful when it comes to ttc.

Good luck and hope it happens for you soon x

Hi, thank you. I will probably have them repeated when / if i go for IVF.
Based on my result i got to still have atleast a year right until im in pre menapausal?
I just wondered really how long i had left before i started getting a diminished egg reserve based on the 8.2 vs 8.8 reading?

Oh so im clear you had a 17 reading at 30? did they still happily do ivf on you? I keep reading different things about different numbers with some people saying below 10 is fine others below 8 etc.. so im finding it confusing..

I also wonder what it is that made yours at 17 at 30 and mine at 8.2 at 30? Im sorry, im such a science girl at heart and it always intrigues me.

I thank you tho, because in a way you have relieved me that yours was double and you still got a lovely little girl did it take you many rounds of ivf?

Will it make any difference that my test was done at day 5, ive always read day 3 is optimal?

thank you in advanced, i think i am going to call doctors and ask for someone to phone me about the numbers and see what they say aswell, but always lovely to hear first hand from someone who had higher then me who got a baby at the end of it, gives me hope!

 

[soffphie]

Hi,

I would ask for them to be repeated, it is on the high end of normal but not in menopausal range.
The ranges have changed somewhat now but mine were 17 and the top end of the range at the time was 10 so way over (I was 30 too).

Lots will say it's fine, even doctors (they said mine was!!)

Higher FSH means the body is having to work a little harder for ovulation to happen which can be a result of reduced egg reserve. I wouldn't imagine that's a worry for you yet as you are still in the 'good' range but because it's the top end and I am quite cautious about these things because of my history, I would either have them repeated or have a AMH test to get an idea of reserve.

I hope I haven't scared you, I just think people can be too quick to assume 'oh you're young' etc. If I had listened to my GP rather than looking into it myself, I wouldn't have my daughter. Now my results were way over yours so you needn't worry in that sense but knowledge is helpful when it comes to ttc.

Good luck and hope it happens for you soon x

Oh, and was your AMH a better result then your FSH one? thanks. sorry for long post of questions, i appreciate your time.

 

[lisey]

Always happy to help.

If you are going to have IVF then definitely get the AMH done before, this will give them an idea of what drugs you need. I had to be put on the absolute highest amount of stim drugs. My AMH was dreadful at only 2 so my body really needed a good hard push.

You will have more than a year before menopause for sure. Mine was done 5 years ago with a reading of 17 and I'm not menopausal yet.
Alot of places wouldn't have done IVF for me, I wasn't a good patient statistically to them, from blood results and scans they wouldn't have thought I would have success. I had a less than 20% chance of it working when at my age it should have been closer to 50%.
The thing is, when you had reduced reserve, it's best to get on with IVF because the goal is to get lots of eggs, that's obviously harder when there are less there to begin with so just from my point of view, I'd either get an AMH test done soon to really give an idea or I'd look into IVF soonish, just so you're not at the stage of having to push your body so hard to get the eggs. It's also way more expensive. Our drugs alone were £3000, just the drugs!

I had 2 rounds, both resulted in bfps, the first one was a very rare twin pregnancy that we lost at 12 weeks, we waited over a year to try again and that resulted in my daughter. There is always hope and your numbers are way below what mine were/are.

Also, be aware that when you speak to the GP regarding results, they are not always knowledgeable on fertility. My GP said my 17 was fine and she was just basing that on the ref ranges that showed I wasn't menopausal...when my fertility doctor saw them he was really concerned and ordered the AMH immediately.

xx

 

[lisey]

Oh and day 5 for the tests is fine. MY fertility doctor said anything before day 7 is actually ok x

 

[soffphie]

Oh and day 5 for the tests is fine. MY fertility doctor said anything before day 7 is actually ok x

Thanks for your insight even if it does really scare me!! ive got my dr calling me today (i hope!) and i will ask about having a AMH test done.

So, you think personally tho, overal i shouldnt worry? And 8.2 is good / nothing to worry about regardless of it being close to 8.8 it doesnt mean i am close to pre menapausal?

and you think i have definately a year, possibly more, before it gets out of 8.8 levels for FSH?

again sorry to keep asking questions!

it is surprising you have a 17 fsh level at 30, and without sounding horrible/rude, i am so glad i dont have that and probably shouldnt be as worried as i am based on what you said!

 

[soffphie]

Always happy to help.

If you are going to have IVF then definitely get the AMH done before, this will give them an idea of what drugs you need. I had to be put on the absolute highest amount of stim drugs. My AMH was dreadful at only 2 so my body really needed a good hard push.

You will have more than a year before menopause for sure. Mine was done 5 years ago with a reading of 17 and I'm not menopausal yet.
Alot of places wouldn't have done IVF for me, I wasn't a good patient statistically to them, from blood results and scans they wouldn't have thought I would have success. I had a less than 20% chance of it working when at my age it should have been closer to 50%.
The thing is, when you had reduced reserve, it's best to get on with IVF because the goal is to get lots of eggs, that's obviously harder when there are less there to begin with so just from my point of view, I'd either get an AMH test done soon to really give an idea or I'd look into IVF soonish, just so you're not at the stage of having to push your body so hard to get the eggs. It's also way more expensive. Our drugs alone were £3000, just the drugs!

I had 2 rounds, both resulted in bfps, the first one was a very rare twin pregnancy that we lost at 12 weeks, we waited over a year to try again and that resulted in my daughter. There is always hope and your numbers are way below what mine were/are.

Also, be aware that when you speak to the GP regarding results, they are not always knowledgeable on fertility. My GP said my 17 was fine and she was just basing that on the ref ranges that showed I wasn't menopausal...when my fertility doctor saw them he was really concerned and ordered the AMH immediately.

xx

and when you say do ivf soonish do you say that because you think the fsh level 8.2 is too high for my age and i dont have long? sorry , i am freaking out!! (can you tell?)
i spoke to a fertility clinic near me and told them my fsh level was 8.2 and they said it was 'normal' but didnt/wouldnt comment when i asked how normal it is for a 30 year old..

 

[lisey]

Sorry, I don't mean to freak you out.
You are still in normal ranges but at the top end so I wouldn't wait years before having AMH tested or years and years before trying IVF if you didn't conceive naturally. I am overly cautious with that though because I had people assuming I'd be fine because of my age and just assuming I'd have a large pool of eggs when I didn't. As I said though, my situation was more advanced in that sense.
I am not a doctor obviously but with your levels, no you're not approaching menopause so don't worry

How long have you been trying? Has your OH had sperm test? I always recommend high dose vit d for people ttc, it's good for sperm and for women too, when I had my second IVF my FSH reduced to 11.9 (still high but better) and my AMH increased to 4. I obviously didn't grow more eggs but think my body was working a little easier from changes and approaches I chose x

 

[soffphie]

Sorry, I don't mean to freak you out.
You are still in normal ranges but at the top end so I wouldn't wait years before having AMH tested or years and years before trying IVF if you didn't conceive naturally. I am overly cautious with that though because I had people assuming I'd be fine because of my age and just assuming I'd have a large pool of eggs when I didn't. As I said though, my situation was more advanced in that sense.
I am not a doctor obviously but with your levels, no you're not approaching menopause so don't worry

How long have you been trying? Has your OH had sperm test? I always recommend high dose vit d for people ttc, it's good for sperm and for women too, when I had my second IVF my FSH reduced to 11.9 (still high but better) and my AMH increased to 4. I obviously didn't grow more eggs but think my body was working a little easier from changes and approaches I chose x

Its no worries, thank you, i will be still trying & luckily ill only ever have 1 child anyway so hopefully soon i wont have to worry about this or do this again!

We are on cycle 14 now technically. DH not had sperm analysis yet.

I started vitamin D this cycle! i saw a folic acid + vitamin d combined supplement and thought.. well why not!

So you think 8.2 / 8.8 as drs have it at my surgery is ok and i do have in theory a good year or 2 before im outta norms? what does it mean when im out of norms, just? does it mean i am very close to running out eggs or just starting to? just trying to understand it really. I just spoke to my dr and i said to her im worried as im 8.2 / 8.8 and she went no its absolutely fine, and told me last thing i need to do now is worry. she didnt want to do a AMH test and wondered why i thought i needed one so.. atleast thru nhs aint getting a amh test any time soon.

 

[Sugarpop]

Its no worries, thank you, i will be still trying & luckily ill only ever have 1 child anyway so hopefully soon i wont have to worry about this or do this again!

We are on cycle 14 now technically. DH not had sperm analysis yet.

I started vitamin D this cycle! i saw a folic acid + vitamin d combined supplement and thought.. well why not!

So you think 8.2 / 8.8 as drs have it at my surgery is ok and i do have in theory a good year or 2 before im outta norms? what does it mean when im out of norms, just? does it mean i am very close to running out eggs or just starting to? just trying to understand it really. I just spoke to my dr and i said to her im worried as im 8.2 / 8.8 and she went no its absolutely fine, and told me last thing i need to do now is worry. she didnt want to do a AMH test and wondered why i thought i needed one so.. atleast thru nhs aint getting a amh test any time soon.

If that’s a GP I would request to be referred to fertility. They are the people who will order relevant tests. GPs lack the knowledge for exactly what is needed.

 

[soffphie]

If that’s a GP I would request to be referred to fertility. They are the people who will order relevant tests. GPs lack the knowledge for exactly what is needed.

Thanks. Do you think the FSH tests are good or?

 

[Sugarpop]

I can’t remember what mine were, but I think I remember them not being right but because it was done on the wrong day because I didn’t ovulate when I should.

 

[soffphie]

I can’t remember what mine were, but I think I remember them not being right but because it was done on the wrong day because I didn’t ovulate when I should.

Ah ok.. i keep hearing under 10 is fine etc.. ivf clinic i would go to said they would be considered normal so im less inclined to worry i think now.

 

[miamia]

in case of low ovarian reserve, mesotherapy treatment to ovaries might be one of options

 

[Pamela Lee]

I just recently got my test results back from the fertility clinic....not good...I have a low ovarian reserve:-

FSH: 10
AMH: 3.86 pmol/L

I am 36 and a half years old...the only option I have been given is IVF....time is running out. We have 6 weeks to make up our minds, that’s on the NHS. We want to book privately for a second opinion. I also would like a HSG dye test to check my tubes are clear and not blocked.

I am taking 200mg of co-q10, folic acid and vitamin D. I have been going to acupuncture for 2 months now every week.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or heard of anything similar?

Pam x x

 

[soffphie]

I just recently got my test results back from the fertility clinic....not good...I have a low ovarian reserve:-

FSH: 10
AMH: 3.86 pmol/L

I am 36 and a half years old...the only option I have been given is IVF....time is running out. We have 6 weeks to make up our minds, that’s on the NHS. We want to book privately for a second opinion. I also would like a HSG dye test to check my tubes are clear and not blocked.

I am taking 200mg of co-q10, folic acid and vitamin D. I have been going to acupuncture for 2 months now every week.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or heard of anything similar?

Pam x x

it seems its your AMH that is causing the problem here.. if i was you i would write this on a seperate thread.
*also why only been given 6 weeks to decide?

also to add i read somewhere that if your eggs are 'dire' they recommend 500mg coq10 outta pure paranoia this is what i have started taking.. along with vitamin e (another one that can help!)

i agree tho, go get tubes checked, apparently its a pretty big reason why people cant concieve.. i personally am very nervous about AMH & Tube checks, i feel for me it will be either low quality eggs, blocked tubes or too acidic cm..

 

[soffphie]

copied & pasted off another site about what is normal AMH levels for future reference for myself & anyone else who reads this post

20-29 years 13.1 – 53.8
30-34 years 6.8 – 47.8
35-39 years 5.5 – 37.4
40-44 years 0.7 – 21.2
45-50 years 0.3 – 14.7

 

[lisey]

I just recently got my test results back from the fertility clinic....not good...I have a low ovarian reserve:-

FSH: 10
AMH: 3.86 pmol/L

I am 36 and a half years old...the only option I have been given is IVF....time is running out. We have 6 weeks to make up our minds, that’s on the NHS. We want to book privately for a second opinion. I also would like a HSG dye test to check my tubes are clear and not blocked.

I am taking 200mg of co-q10, folic acid and vitamin D. I have been going to acupuncture for 2 months now every week.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or heard of anything similar?

Pam x x

Hi Pam,

I have low AMH (2 and then actually increased to 4 2 years later). It was 2 when I was 30. FSH was 17!
We had IVF and we have our daughter from our second round. The first worked too but we lost at 12 weeks.
If IVF is something you are willing to do then I would personally do it sooner rather than later. The key with IVF is to get lots of eggs to work with, the lower the reserve goes, the harder it is to get the eggs.
We actually got 11 on the first round and 13 on the second which everyone was amazed by but I had to be on a very aggressive drug protocol to get there.

There have been lots of low AMHer's on here over the years, maybe pop a separate thread in the long termers part and you'll hopefully get lots of support, I know how worrying it is. There is hope though x

 

[Pamela Lee]

Hi Pam,

I have low AMH (2 and then actually increased to 4 2 years later). It was 2 when I was 30. FSH was 17!
We had IVF and we have our daughter from our second round. The first worked too but we lost at 12 weeks.
If IVF is something you are willing to do then I would personally do it sooner rather than later. The key with IVF is to get lots of eggs to work with, the lower the reserve goes, the harder it is to get the eggs.
We actually got 11 on the first round and 13 on the second which everyone was amazed by but I had to be on a very aggressive drug protocol to get there.

There have been lots of low AMHer's on here over the years, maybe pop a separate thread in the long termers part and you'll hopefully get lots of support, I know how worrying it is. There is hope though x

Thank you so much for your reply. That is very hopeful. I spoke to my acupuncturist last night and she said to try and improve my egg quality over the next 6 months before I jump into IVF. It's a lot to take in. I am glad it all worked out for you in the end. It's a tough journey.

That is a lot of eggs that you had, 11 & 13 - I don't know how many eggs I have........I had an internal ultra sound - I was that devastated with the news the doctor gave us with the FSH & AMH, I forgot to take copies of all my results, I am just waiting for the hospital to send them out to me.

IVF is just an expensive option........we can afford maybe one round.........but after that would need to start looking into finance, the extra pressure that brings.

Thank you again and take care.

Pam x x x