Fsh levels and estradiol. Need advice

[Trishy74]

So I had my dr run my fsh levels for cycle day 3. I'm 39 years old, almost 40 in 3 mos. along with the fsh levels he ran my estradiol. So he called with the results the other day and said everythibg was good. I always request a copy of my blood work bc last time I tried to conceive my son, I had issues and had to go to fertility drs and it took 10 mos to get preggo. So I'm kind of pushing my dr to get the ball rolling with checking hormone levels and an hsg which I had done yesterday and was fine during the procedure but when I left I was in so much pain I literally got real nauseaus having to pull over on the side of the road and almost passed out. Thank god my mom was with me. When I had the hsg done last time I didn't feel anything like that. I was able to go out to eat last time after it. This time I had to go home and do a BM (sorry tmi) and felt a thousand times better after. Not sure if I felt like that bc of taking fiber pills lately and not really having an increased amount of BMs bc I've been crampy on and off lately. Ok on to my fsh question. Sorry to get off topic.

So I got my blood work in the mail and I'm confused bc dr said fsh levels are normal. However, I had the test done on cycle day 3 and I believe that is the follicular phase, it states the highest number for testing at that time should be a 10.2 and my number came in at 15. So why would my gyno have told me its normal? I understand im in normal range for midcycle and not in menopause range bc that starts at a 23 but i thought cycle day 3 is the follicular phase of the cycle which it states normal only goes up to 10.2? I'm really getting worried over here and do plan on asking my gyno when he calls about my hsg results but in the meantime I'm sitting here worried that my ovarian reserve is poor. My estradiol came in at 55 which is a normal range for that time of the month.

Can someone explain to me if an fsh level of 15 is bad for cycle day 3 and what it means that my estradiol is a 55 which came in normal? Do the two go hand in hand? Is there anything I can take to help my egg supply? I know we are born with all the eggs we will ever have but I'm really really concerned. Thanks in advance for reading all of this and any help anyone can give me. I do remember 3 years ago when I went to the fertility dr he was all excited my period was starting and he did an ultrasound and was concerned bc I only had like 3 follicles. But I thought that was bc my prolactin levels were high which in turn were causing my body to think i was preggo from a med I took back then which I haven't taken it since and I got preggo that month as soon as I stopped taking it. Any advice or info is so much appreciated.

[Trishy74]

Bumping in hopes AS sees this. I'm starting to get really worried that I don't be able to conceive.

[nuthinbutpink]

An FSH of 15 is high. It suggests that it will take longer than normal to conceive. You are 40 though so that is not so abnormal for 40.

Your estradiol is fine.

[atomic sagebrush]

Please don't worry about it, all it means is that when we get to be a certain age, we get a little bit "deaf" to the FSH and our body starts to crank it up in order to get an egg to mature. It's totally normal at age 40 to have above normal FSH and it doesn't mean you can't get pg.

[atomic sagebrush]

did they do amh test?

[nuthinbutpink]

AMH is the more modern test. If your AFC was low and your FSH high, your AMH is likely low too. None of that matters unless you were trying to do IVF. You would not be an IVF candidate but if you were able to get pregnant before you can do it again. I would not do any swaying that compromises your fertility though.

[Trishy74]

AS no, I never heard of that test. Should I be requesting it?


did they do amh test?

[nuthinbutpink]

Are you struggling to conceive now? Have you been TTC?

[Trishy74]

Thank you NBP. Just wondering what does AFC stand for? I'm not really doing anything else to sway pink aside from le diet. I even started thinking to myself maybe I need to start eating more healthy such as not white breads or refined sugars. I've been eating a lot of sugary sweets like jelly beans since doing this diet or eating white bread bagels etc. would any of that be bad for my issues with fsh? Or would it really not matter. Just wondering why would I not be a good candidate for ivf? Would I be a candidate for iui if it came down to another few months of trying and I wanted to go forward with fertility drs? I'm do sad that this number is high. I'm so upset my dr told me its normal. Wish he would have explained if he meant normal for my age. Although 3 years ago I only had 3 follicles the month I conceived, they ran my fsh level back then and the number coincided with my luteal phase bc I was only spitting that night. So basically what I'm saying is the blood test was good and in range bsck then yet only had a few follicles when they did ultrasound.

One more question for you and AS, each month I'm getting positvie lh surge and tracking my bbt and it seems I'm getting a temp dip at ovulation and a slow temp rise over following two days. Are those still good signs for me? With higher fsh does it mean more anovulstory cycles and if so would I not get the temp shifts?

AS would you still only recommend one attempt at positive opk for me? I have been doing 2 attempts at some cycles and nothing. I'm hoping the hsg will help me out with that. I'm def stopping using the astroglide now that I know my numbers.

Thank you both for answering my questions. Can coq10 help with fsh levels?


AMH is the more modern test. If your AFC was low and your FSH high, your AMH is likely low too. None of that matters unless you were trying to do IVF. You would not be an IVF candidate but if you were able to get pregnant before you can do it again. I would not do any swaying that compromises your fertility though.

[Trishy74]

Yes I've been trying for 4 mos. however I asked dr to do blood work and hsg bc I know last time it took 10 mos to get preggo. Once I had hsg done and corrected prolactin levels I got preggo month after hsg and 7 days after correcting prolactin level. I'm so nervous now after finding all this out. I know my estradiol came back good and so did my prigesterone and prolactin levels too. I thought I read online that estradiol means quality of eggs are good or bad and fsh means the reserve of how many eggs are left. Is this true? So does this mean I have good quality eggs but not too many left in the supply?


Are you struggling to conceive now? Have you been TTC?

[nuthinbutpink]

Antral follicles are the small follickes present the beginning of each month that represent a potential egg for recruitment. 3 is very low. For IVF, you usually want 10-15 eggs retrieved. You DO only need one good egg each month though and your body does a better job of selecting the RIGHT one each month. IVF is all artificial and eggs are recruited using medication.

With a FSH of 15 a few years ago, it may be harder to conceive now that it's a few years of aging fertility OR maybe that is just you and your body's norm. You got pregnant last time with that FSH do that's proof you can do it again.

FSH is a number that shows quality and quantity and AMH does the same. AMH can be done any day of the month.

FSH norm- under 10
AFC norm 10-15 total
AMH norm- over .75

At 40, all of this is expected though. It's not always easy to conceive at 40 so there's nothing "wrong" with you. It's just trying to get pregnant at 40.

[nuthinbutpink]

Oh and estradiol need to be under 75. If it is over and too high, it can falsely suppress your FSH. That's not the case with you. It doesn't really tell us anything about the eggs.

[Trishy74]

Thank you for the info. Appreciate it. I'm getting a positive lh surge each month. I have one now but was told with the hsg to wait 48 hours so that's not until tomorrow afternoon. However just wondering would a high fsh interfere with lh surge? Also would eating healthier or taking any supps help with anything with the fsh?

Oh and apparently 3 years ago my fsh was normal. I think bc my prolactin levels were high when I had that ultrasound done that caused only 3 follicles. Not sure though.

[Trishy74]

Bumping in hopes AS or NBP can tell me if eating a better diet or taking any supps can help my egg quality.

Also I'm bbt charting and I'm getting the thermal shift each month. Is this still normal with elevated fsh levels? And still get the lh surge as well on positive opk for 48 hours. Just wondering if this is all still typical with elevated fsh levels. I'm going to request amh levels to be checked as well. I noticed that since doing the le diet my period cycle has gone from 28 or 29 days to 26 days. Which I thought was a good sign for a girl but I'm thinking now its bc if my fsh levels bc I read online that this is a symptom of elevated levels. Wondering if I should change my diet for my fertility now. I'd hate to think I messed it up more bc of eating white carbs and refined sugars a lot more than I used to. Also I was taking levaquin for a uti when I had the blood drawn. Anyone know if that would cause false results with fsh? Just wondering. Thanks in advance for all your help.

[nuthinbutpink]

The issue is egg quality. You may be ovulating every month like normal but your FSH level indicated diminished quality. AMH will be a better indicator of quality but the elevated FSH is what's likely causing it to take longer to conceive just like it did before.

I don't think swaying and what you're dealing with mix. You should be as healthy as possible and DTD every other day around ovulation to try and catch the one good egg.

I took DHEA to help with quality. It helped me. I had bad pretesting too. DHEA helped me. Here is the link to the info about it - DHEA and Fertility :: CHR (http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/dhea.html)

[Trishy74]

Thanks again for the info. I was looking online and saw coenzyme q10 helps with this. I'm going to ask my dr about that as well as dhea. However I just looked back at my bloods from 2010 before I conceived ds and my fsh bsck then was a 4.51. It's just amazing how much its jumped in 3 years. My gyno is just a gyno not a re so I'm wondering if I ask him all these questions if he will send me to a specialist. I hate to question his expertise by asking all these questions but I need to know.

So you recommend I start taking a prenatal again? I stopped back in sept when I found this site. I'm thinking if maybe going back to my normal eating bit maybe still skip breakfast. Not sure if that would do anything though. Id love a girl but at this point I just want a healthy baby.


The issue is egg quality. You may be ovulating every month like normal but your FSH level indicated diminished quality. AMH will be a better indicator of quality but the elevated FSH is what's likely causing it to take longer to conceive just like it did before.

I don't think swaying and what you're dealing with mix. You should be as healthy as possible and DTD every other day around ovulation to try and catch the one good egg.

I took DHEA to help with quality. It helped me. I had bad pretesting too. DHEA helped me. Here is the link to the info about it - DHEA and Fertility :: CHR (http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/dhea.html)

[nuthinbutpink]

What day of your cycle was the 15 and the AFC of 3?

[Trishy74]

The fsh this time was cycle day 3 I'm assuming. I started to spot the night before my full flow but the spitting had totally stopped overnight and once I got the full flow I counted that as day 1 instead of the spotting I got the night before as day 1. So I'm assuming I did that right? The spotting was bright red blood not brown. I thought I read online to start counting cycle day 1 as the full flow day. Was I incorrect to do so?

When I had the AFC done 3 years ago it was the sane thing the night I stated to spot and period started full flow the following day. So not sure if you'd consider that luteal phase still or the beginning if the follicle phase.

Oh and my fsh levels 3 years ago where I got the 4.51 were taken the the same night my AFC was done. So not day 3 back then.


What day of your cycle was the 15 and the AFC of 3?

[nuthinbutpink]

Well, FSH can and does bounce around. Fertility doctors "judge" you by your worst number though. You may be able to get clomid prescribed if your doctor thinks it could help! Go see a fertility doctor. It's only been 4 months TTC though? Knowing it took 10 months last time and you are 3 years older, of you want help now, just make the call!

[Trishy74]

Yes it took 10 mos three years ago and that's why I'm pushing my dr to do these tests. I figure if nothing this month and next mos then I plan on going to re dr. I just don't have the time to waste bc if my age. And being my history of how long it took last time it makes me nervous. Thanks for your help. Appreciate it.


Well, FSH can and does bounce around. Fertility doctors "judge" you by your worst number though. You may be able to get clomid prescribed if your doctor thinks it could help! Go see a fertility doctor. It's only been 4 months TTC though? Knowing it took 10 months last time and you are 3 years older, of you want help now, just make the call!

[atomic sagebrush]

AMH is the more modern test. If your AFC was low and your FSH high, your AMH is likely low too. None of that matters unless you were trying to do IVF. You would not be an IVF candidate but if you were able to get pregnant before you can do it again. I would not do any swaying that compromises your fertility though.

Agree 110% - ladies, please understand that many fertility doctors view you thru the lens of "success with IVF y/n" and for IVF you need tons of eggs. We old birds can't lay that many at a time LOL so from the doctor's perspective that means we're good for nothing but the soup pot. :p

For natural conceptions, all you need is one egg. And we don't even need one every month, even if we only have 3-4 good eggs a year we can still get pg! We just gotta wait for the golden egg to show up and just like Nuthin says, we can't be doing tons of sway tactics that really reduce fertility. And this is esp. true for you trishy since your hubby has issues too.

[atomic sagebrush]

AS no, I never heard of that test. Should I be requesting it?

Well, that depends. Would it change what your plan is?? Would you go HT? Use donor eggs? Because that's where they're going to go with that.

[atomic sagebrush]

Trishy, your doctor said it's normal because it IS for a 40 year old. It would be a miracle if it wasn't higher than a 20 or 30 year old. Tons of us got pg with FSH that was probably totally crapola (myself included!) it's just part of aging. What your number was 3 years ago is irrelevant because fertility drops off like a stone as we get older.

I think you need to let go of your prev. experience with your number of follicles because you had high prolactin then and that really has a neg. affect on fertility and doesn't tell us anything about what your body is doing in the here and now.

The reason you are not a good candidate for IVF is because for IVF to work, they need you to be able to pop a lot of good eggs and for whatever reason, when we get older, we just can't do that. Most ladies are going to have better chances of conception TTC naturally.

Your temp dips and rises are meaningless, that's just how some people experience the temp rise. Most times if you do not ovulate, you will not get a temp shift, yoru temps will just seesaw up and down with no pattern to them. Getting older means more anovulatory cycles regardless of FSH.

I honeslty can't tell you what to do in terms of number of attempts. It is 100% possible to get pg with one attempt. I did it at 41 years old but my husband doesn't have sperm issues (that I am aware of anyway). All I can say is that one attempt is best odds for pink and if you haven't given it a month without using Astroglide, then you really haven't tried to get pg with one attempt. But you never know when it's the last fresh egg in the carton either so you have to weigh those two things against hte other in light of how much you want to be in wiht the best sway and how much you just want to get pg. That's something I can't really decide because Im not inside your head.

I think you are a little confused about what the issue really is here so I just want to clarify - the problem is that you may not ovulate and/or may not ovulate good eggs, every month. It's not something that is solvable by having lots of attempts every month, altho if you DID have a golden egg then having additional attempts will only help sperm meet that golden egg.

I ~personally~ am not of the opinion that supps for egg health are super effective for those TTC naturally. I think many people even over 40 are gonna get pg eventually anyway and they start taking supps and get pg and assume it was the supps when really it was just luck. A lot of the studies done were in gals going HT and yes for them supps may make the difference but I feel like most of us already have the means via a normal diet, to make that one egg happen every month and if it's not happening, it is largely down to genetics and a lifetime of accumulated damage and not something that is gonna be magically undone by Coq10.

So if you want to take Coq10, I don't think it's that bad for a pink sway. But do I think it's going to be a magic bullet for conception, not so much.

[Trishy74]

Well, that depends. Would it change what your plan is?? Would you go HT? Use donor eggs? Because that's where they're going to go with that.

When you say HT does that mean donor eggs? If so no that's really not for me. I was thinking to ask for that blood test bc I feel it would give a more stable rate as to how my egg supply is doing.

I know you've recommended coenzyme q10 to other posters on here. I'm just wondering would you recommend that for me too? Dirs it help make the eggs better quality?

I'm not doing any other sway tactics aside from the diet. I stopped using astroglide and actually dtd this month with no lube. I have fed noticed in recent mos that I barely have cm, my cycles are getting shorter. Thought it was le diet but read online it could be from fsh level risibg so not sure if that's the case or diet. Would you still recommend trying a little preseed next month if I don't get bfp this month? I noticed today my temp dropped about a hslf degree which is strange! I had a huge spike yesterday (ovulaton shift) and even had my monthly ovulating migraine and today temp dropped. I was shocked. Never saw that happen before. Anyway just really wondering about coenzyme q10 supp and if you think we should use preseed next month.

I take it nobody knows if antibiotics could cause fsh levels to change? I've been suffering with utis every month since sept so hsve taken levaquin 2x and other antibiotics since then. I mean an antibiotic every month! Crazy! I was taking levaquin when I had my fsh checked on cycle day 3.

[Trishy74]

I just realized you responded with your last post when I was typing mine. Thanks for addressing everything. I was hoping you'd say the coenzyme q10 would help quality of eggs. As for temps when we have anovulatory cycles do you know if progesterone still rises with out actually ovulating? I think but obviously done know for sure that I'm ovulating most months with not so great eggs bc there isn't a month that goes by that 48 hours after the first lh surge that i dont get an ovulation migraine.

Also still wondering if anyone knows if antibiotics can affect blood tests, etc.

[nuthinbutpink]

Antibiotics do not affect FSH. Our age does. Is additional fertility testing going to change anything you are doing? It doesn't sound like it so I wouldn't bother with it and just keep trying.

[Trishy74]

Well I actually spoke to my gyno yesterday and he explained the fsh to me as a random number and explained yes it does mean diminished ovarian reserve. He heard the concern in my voice bc I brought up how long it took to conceive my son so he referred me back to the fertility dr I used 3 years ago. He said why not go that route bc my insurance covers that area. I know that they will rerun all my bloods bc this is what they did the last time I was referred. My DH has not had blood run since then either so it will be helpful for him as well bc he is a kidney transplant recipient so who knows what his hormone levels are like. His sperm count is on the lower end of normal. I will bring up the amh test bc I'm the type if person who would rather know that number than hsve to hear my fsh bouncing back and forth. Yes I'm a total boy mom and this proves it in my personality! Lol.



Antibiotics do not affect FSH. Our age does. Is additional fertility testing going to change anything you are doing? It doesn't sound like it so I wouldn't bother with it and just keep trying.

[atomic sagebrush]

Trishy, I think you are grasping at straws looking for a quick fix, and ignoring the elephant in the room here. the issue is that you're 40. All the rest of the stuff, whether you were on meds or what your diet is; your cycle did NOT go from 28 days to 26 because LE Diet is making your FSH shoot up, it simply doen't work like that. The issue is age. And it's not an insurmountable issue either but I dont' think it's good for your sway in terms of the Mary-Martha stuff, to be obsessing over "was it this, was it that, what happened 3 years ago" - KWIM?? And certainly not good to be misdiagnosing the problem and focusing on things that ahve nothing to do with the core issue here.

Forget what happened 3 years ago. That has nothing to do with what is happening now and was totally down to the prolactin and none of it matters. Past results do not predict future success/failure here.

Re diet, I am working on a more fertility-friendly LE and trying to get that out to you guys as soon as I can. I do not think that LE is by nature bad for fertility but you may need to bump it back on the empty carbs for some people. That having been said, I got my girl at 41 1/2 eating tons of empty carbs so I do know it's possible but may not be best for everyone.

I do not recommend start taking a prenatal because of this. The thing that helps the most in terms of egg quality is hte high dose folic which you are already taking. 150 IU iodine may help you sustain a pregnancy when one occurs and I recommend that as long as it's ok with your doctor (I know you've been on some medication and had some health issues, so I think you ought to have it cleared with a doctor first). If you WANT to add in Coq10, that's ok. and I have some people add in zinc 8-15 mg 3x a week and you may do this if you so desire. But most other nutrients just aren't proven to even help with egg quality much if at all and I hate to see you feel so panicked over something that is totally normal for your age, that you throw away a sway trying to take things that aren't even going to help.

Re DHEA, I do not recommend that for anyone swaying pink. It raises T levels and I personally think that it may cause problems for as many people as it helps.

I know it's not as "sexy" as starting a "magic fertility pill" but the real solution is just to keep TTC every month and wait for the golden egg. If you're truly ready just to get pg then switch to SMEP to be in for best shot at conception and add Preseed for even better odds. If you're not ready to do that, then I would stop poring over what happened when and looking for the magic fertility pill, because the obsession is going to hurt your sway way more than switching to SMEP ever could.

[atomic sagebrush]

When you say HT does that mean donor eggs? If so no that's really not for me. I was thinking to ask for that blood test bc I feel it would give a more stable rate as to how my egg supply is doing.

I know you've recommended coenzyme q10 to other posters on here. I'm just wondering would you recommend that for me too? Dirs it help make the eggs better quality?

I'm not doing any other sway tactics aside from the diet. I stopped using astroglide and actually dtd this month with no lube. I have fed noticed in recent mos that I barely have cm, my cycles are getting shorter. Thought it was le diet but read online it could be from fsh level risibg so not sure if that's the case or diet. Would you still recommend trying a little preseed next month if I don't get bfp this month? I noticed today my temp dropped about a hslf degree which is strange! I had a huge spike yesterday (ovulaton shift) and even had my monthly ovulating migraine and today temp dropped. I was shocked. Never saw that happen before. Anyway just really wondering about coenzyme q10 supp and if you think we should use preseed next month.

I take it nobody knows if antibiotics could cause fsh levels to change? I've been suffering with utis every month since sept so hsve taken levaquin 2x and other antibiotics since then. I mean an antibiotic every month! Crazy! I was taking levaquin when I had my fsh checked on cycle day 3.

Here is what happens when you go into a RE. Their job is to get people pregnant and their milieu is using tchnology in order to do that. So when someone comes in like yourself and technology is really not going to be terribly helpful to do that, they aren't always able to be very encouraging (and nor should they be, because odds of successful pregnancy over 40, particularly where high-tech is concerned, are not that fab) so you end up going in there putting yourself thru the whole shebang only to hear "well, your options are round after round of HT for a distant chance of pg with your own eggs or else a better chance with donor eggs". The idea that someone might just go home and TTC naturally, it is almost not really even on their radar screen. But the fact is that people over 40 can and do get pg all the time, it just takes longer, and in many cases, the people who can't, weren't going to have success with HT anyway, if that makes any sense. So to ~me~ it is kind of pointless to go in for some big expensive fertility workup when all they're going to tell you is, "it's because of your age" and their only solution is going to be "donor eggs".

Poring over your cycles lookign for anything different is not going to help you here. Everyone's cycles change all the time and it just doesn't tell us anything. Your FSH did not suddenly drop over the last couple months. It is a natural and gradual decline and the rate may start to pick up the older you get but at no time is there ever a switch that gets flipped where you go from good levels to bad levels.

[atomic sagebrush]

I am 99% sure I did alreayd answer this so sorry for repeating myself but yes it will be pretty obvious on your charts if you have an anovulatory cycle. Your temps will seesaw up and down with no clear pattern.

But I do want to also mention that even if you do ovulate, the unfortunate fact is that more of our eggs over 40 are duds and so we have to be patient and wait for "Goldie" to show.

[Trishy74]

I totally hear what you are saying really I do. It just kills me that my friends are so fertile and I've never been so that's why it's bothering me so much. It's like it's never come easy for me. KWIM? I'm not looking for sympathy or anything. Guess I just assumed after I got preggo right away last time it would happen again for me.

I actually just called fertility dr office to get their opinion on starting coenzyme q10 bc I'd hate to start it and then have them tell me I shouldn't have done that. So I'm waiting for a call back. That was my moms thought that maybe the antibiotics affected the blood test level. I know I'm turning 40 although I don't really feel like I am. I have OCD bad. Been diagnosed and on meds in the past in my younger years. That's why I'm like this. Not in anything now bc I handle it better than I did at one time believe it if not. Lol.

So ill wait for the dr to call to see about coenzyme q10. When I said about le diet and shorter cycles I didn't mean that it caused fsh levels higher I know the change in cycles are usually positive towards getting a girl but I meant maybe its all coincidental that fsh levels rose higher and cycles shorter. Who knows if fsh levels truly caused cyclr change or if le diet did since that a positive sign for a girl. I do have in the back of my mind to start a prenatal maybe even once a week but am holding off on it for now. I know I discontinued my vitamin d but I've been normal with my numbers for over a year. No longer deficient.

So I will ask dr about coenzyme, zinc and iodine. I know you said coq10 possibly sways girl. Just wondering why you feel this way?

Thanks for having patience with me. Appreciate it.


Trishy, I think you are grasping at straws looking for a quick fix, and ignoring the elephant in the room here. the issue is that you're 40. All the rest of the stuff, whether you were on meds or what your diet is; your cycle did NOT go from 28 days to 26 because LE Diet is making your FSH shoot up, it simply doen't work like that. The issue is age. And it's not an insurmountable issue either but I dont' think it's good for your sway in terms of the Mary-Martha stuff, to be obsessing over "was it this, was it that, what happened 3 years ago" - KWIM?? And certainly not good to be misdiagnosing the problem and focusing on things that ahve nothing to do with the core issue here.

Forget what happened 3 years ago. That has nothing to do with what is happening now and was totally down to the prolactin and none of it matters. Past results do not predict future success/failure here.

Re diet, I am working on a more fertility-friendly LE and trying to get that out to you guys as soon as I can. I do not think that LE is by nature bad for fertility but you may need to bump it back on the empty carbs for some people. That having been said, I got my girl at 41 1/2 eating tons of empty carbs so I do know it's possible but may not be best for everyone.

I do not recommend start taking a prenatal because of this. The thing that helps the most in terms of egg quality is hte high dose folic which you are already taking. 150 IU iodine may help you sustain a pregnancy when one occurs and I recommend that as long as it's ok with your doctor (I know you've been on some medication and had some health issues, so I think you ought to have it cleared with a doctor first). If you WANT to add in Coq10, that's ok. and I have some people add in zinc 8-15 mg 3x a week and you may do this if you so desire. But most other nutrients just aren't proven to even help with egg quality much if at all and I hate to see you feel so panicked over something that is totally normal for your age, that you throw away a sway trying to take things that aren't even going to help.

Re DHEA, I do not recommend that for anyone swaying pink. It raises T levels and I personally think that it may cause problems for as many people as it helps.

I know it's not as "sexy" as starting a "magic fertility pill" but the real solution is just to keep TTC every month and wait for the golden egg. If you're truly ready just to get pg then switch to SMEP to be in for best shot at conception and add Preseed for even better odds. If you're not ready to do that, then I would stop poring over what happened when and looking for the magic fertility pill, because the obsession is going to hurt your sway way more than switching to SMEP ever could.

[atomic sagebrush]

coq10 may lower blood sugar and thus ~may~ sway pink possibly to some extent when used with LE Diet

[Trishy74]

Thanks AS. Drs office called back and said not to start anything yet bc dr wants to meet with me and discuss options in regard to taking supps and procedures. I know the office I have appt with for fertility is fsh friendly. Made sure when I booked the appt bc I didn't want to waste my time at a clinic that would turn me away if I wasn't going to use donor eggs. So ill bring him my questions about supps you informed me about; iodine, zinc and coq10.

I know you mentioned femara to me by pm yesterday. Does that sway in any way shape or form?

[nuthinbutpink]

They are likely going to discuss clomid or even injectibles.

[Trishy74]

NBP I was under the impression that clomid is not good for elevated fsh levels. I don't understand why you think they would suggest this if clomid isn't good for that? Read many things online which stated for my age not good. Injectables? Guess id have to overcome it. Never had to give myself injections before. Is femara injectable?


They are likely going to discuss clomid or even injectibles.

[nuthinbutpink]

What are you hoping to get out of the appointment? Are you wanting to try IVF? IUI?

[nuthinbutpink]

This is a great read about IVF and supplements-

Does taking supplements help IVF patients ? (http://www.drmalpani.com/taking-supplements-help-ivf-patients.htm)

[Trishy74]

I was hoping they could tell me some supps to take and whatever tecommrndations they may have and then maybe try on my own and if nothing do iui. I also wanted an opinion from them in husbands sperm count etc. I also would like a full panel of bloods drawn like last time. I just felt like I need a little guidance from experts.

I would do ivf as last resort if i was able to used own eggs. Guess I have confidence in them bc they picked up my issue three years ago and got preggo right away thereafter.


What are you hoping to get out of the appointment? Are you wanting to try IVF? IUI?

[nuthinbutpink]

Well, when I did my testing for IVF I was told that IVF would not work for me. I had 3 kids all conceived within the first month trying. My FSH was high and I had a low AFC. I was 33.

I took every supplement I could read about plus DHEA. DHEA is the only one with a real human study actually. I know co q 10 is being prescribed by RE's now.

The thing is swaying and improving fertility do not mix! If you want a sibling for your son, you have to leave swaying behind and do whatever needs to be done.

Eat a healthy diet. Take some vitamins and ask your doctor about DHEA. I hope you're able to get some help like you did last time!

[Trishy74]

Oh wow you were so young when you were diagnosed. Sorry to hear that. Oh I meant to add to my list above to ask about dhea. Thanks for the reminder! I know lots of ppl say that with high fsh fertility drs basically turn you away but I know this practice doesn't do that for elevated fsh. I actually saw good reviews from women who were prescribed supps and conceived on her own after all other clinics turned her away. So that gives me a level of confidence that they would be giving different options. Once I get a full blood panel done ill feel like a thousand times better bc that's how they caught my prolactin last time. I hated having to call my gyno and asking him to send me for different tests sporadically. I know here they will do everything the day I am there. Also would live to get ultrasoubd to see antrical follicles. I love my obgyn but I just felt so much better when I had specialists helping me last time.

I asked AS about starting to change my way of eating (away from le diet) and she didn't feel it makes a difference really. She said she didnt think le diet effected fsh negatively but not snacking and skipping a meal does help egg quality according to her research. I am eating lots of carbs lately which I can't deny I usually always have but usually work more chicken or red meat or even eggs into my diet before starting le diet which I've pretty much have cut out or have like once every 3 weeks. I still eat cheese here and there though and have egg whites like every couple weeks. ive never been so vegetarian before in my life. Was never a big dairy lover either aside from ice cream but have cut that back too. I'm sure I'm going to be asked if I started a prenatal. While I did before finding le diet I stopped it in September. Also was on vit d for a year bc of deficiency found in 2012 but hsve been normal now for over a year. I do often wonder if maybe taking a prenatal will help with fsh number but just don't want to screw up how good I've been on diet until dr says it will help with my fsh. Believe me if they tell me its in my best interest to start that bc it could help me with fsh I'm willing to start it back up. I do want another baby and want to give my son a sibling but at the same time want to try for the girl unless dr tells me otherwise. I know it sounds naive! It's just that this will be my last if I can even have another pregnancy. Ultimately though a healthy baby is whet really matters.

I will question dr about diet too. I read online high carbs doesn't help or high sugar but I don't know what to believe. Ive slways had an issue curbing sweets or craving for chocolate. So I will def ask. I also want to ask about accupuncture as I read that helps with circulation. I know my hands and feet are extremely cold this winter. I'm usually always cold but never like this. However I've lost 10 lbs so maybe bc I'm thinner and not much insulation left I think that's another reason I'm freezing.


Well, when I did my testing for IVF I was told that IVF would not work for me. I had 3 kids all conceived within the first month trying. My FSH was high and I had a low AFC. I was 33.

I took every supplement I could read about plus DHEA. DHEA is the only one with a real human study actually. I know co q 10 is being prescribed by RE's now.

The thing is swaying and improving fertility do not mix! If you want a sibling for your son, you have to leave swaying behind and do whatever needs to be done.

Eat a healthy diet. Take some vitamins and ask your doctor about DHEA. I hope you're able to get some help like you did last time!

[atomic sagebrush]

femara is a better option for older moms becuase it doesn't affect estrogen levels the way Clomid does.

I just want to mention that docs are not always coming at things from the same place I am and you go in there asking specifics about this supp or that and they are just going to tell you to take a prenatal and eat a balanced diet. Just want you to be prepared for that.

[atomic sagebrush]

I was hoping they could tell me some supps to take and whatever tecommrndations they may have and then maybe try on my own and if nothing do iui. I also wanted an opinion from them in husbands sperm count etc. I also would like a full panel of bloods drawn like last time. I just felt like I need a little guidance from experts.

I would do ivf as last resort if i was able to used own eggs. Guess I have confidence in them bc they picked up my issue three years ago and got preggo right away thereafter.

That is not the approach that they take hun. "give a boy a hammer and everythign he encounters is a nail in need of pounding." It doesn't mean that their approach is bad, it's miraculous and has helped gobs of people who would not otherwise been able to conceive, but it's not going to be what I think you are looking for here. I think it's absolutely fine to go in and hear what they have to say, I just want you to be emotionally prepared for them saying something other than what you are hoping for. Last time you had a clear cut medical issue but this is a diff. situation and the answers are not as easy this time.

[atomic sagebrush]

well, just to clarify that's not really what I said and apologies if I gave that impression, I answer tons of questions every day and do my best to be as clear as possible. I said for people who are TTC naturally instead of going HT that the rules are different and that it's not necessary for people who are TTC naturally to do all the same things that people who are trying to go HT and spending tens of thousands of dollars and NEED absolute best response in ONE month. TTC naturally, you have the luxury of waiting for the golden egg, when going HT you have to do everythign possible to have best chance of success in one or two cycles.

However I DO NOT think LE Diet affects FSH negatively and that's not what Nuthin is saying either, she's saying, you have higher FSH due to age and so if having a baby is the most important thing to you, then why not pull out the stops and do everything to improve yoru fertility that you can?? Not that changing your diet will fix your FSH - FSH has a way of going up and down all on its own. And your FSH is not even particularly high, certainly not a dealbreaker in any way.

Taking a prenatal vitamin is NOT going to fix your FSH. We don't take prenatals for FSH, we take them to help our body make hormones to keep ovulating and be healthy enough to sustain a pregnancy. If you're taking folic acid, that is the best thing, followed by iodine, and behind that, coq10 and zinc. And it's NOT FSH that it will help, it's your body's ability to sustain a pregnancy. The reason FSH goes up is that we have fewer eggs, and our bodies don't "hear" the signal as well. There is NOTHING in prenatals that fixes that, it's down to genetics and the accumulated damage over a lifetime that affects it.

Everyone wants the magic pill that makes it happen, but it just doesn't exist. Doctors will always tell you to take the prenatal. I wouldn't even bother asking because they will say yes it does (because it's easy for them to have you do). If you think it makes sense to you that taking a prenatal will somehow magically fix FSH, keeping in mind that oh, pretty much EVERY gal at age 40 TTC with high FSH and fertility problems was doing that, by all means don't let me stop you.

I am not going to spend any more time going over this because this level of attention to detail is not good for your pink sway regardless, you're looking for a magic remedy that doesn't exist or for me and nuthin to say what you want to hear when we just can't, and I honestly just have too much to do.

[nuthinbutpink]

I actually wasn't diagnosed with anything. I had 3 kids all conceived easily and a 6 months old at the time. I was seeking IVF/PGD for family balancing and found out my FSH was bad as was my AFC and AMH. My point with all of that is that it didn't have anything to do with my natural fertility and anyone that "goes on to conceive naturally after taking supplements" is bound to at some point unless they have hit menopause.

The study I posted before is an ongoing study that CNY fertility is doing on older women. I tried it to see if it would help me as an IVF candidate...I never doubted my natural fertility.

I think if you keep trying, you will conceive again unless there is an issue with your tubes or uterus. Perhaps they can check that at some point for you. The issue once over a certain age is egg quality. If you ovulate every month, have sex within 24 hours of ovulation and are not getting pregnant, it's a bad egg. Even young people sometimes take months to conceive. 1 year is the benchmark. So, just keep trying. At some point, you will make a good egg that can make a baby. Good luck.

And clinics don't turn away people. They will tell them what their odds of IVF are which is less than 10% after 40 of IVF working but they do not turn people away that are trying naturally. I am sure they will have some sort of advice or recommendations for you.