High FSH what can I do naturally?????

[HopefulMonster]

I'm 26 with FSH 16. The best explanation I had was that the problem isn't that I have high FSH, high FSH is just a symptom caused by my actual problem, which is diminished ovarian reserve/barely any freaking eggs left lol. The worst part is that it is sadly one of the only things left fertility wise that you simply cannot do anything about. You can artificially lower your FSH levels with wheatgrass etc but it makes no difference to anything except the number on the blood test, your fertility hasn't changed/improved.

It sounds cliché but you really do just need one good egg. I felt so lost and hopeless when I found out. I have one child and had been in no rush to have more, as I wanted a decent age gap of 3+ years in between each child to feel I fully enjoyed each, and I thought I had plenty of time! Out of the blue it seemed that I might never conceive again naturally, high tech was unlikely to work, I wouldn't respond to the meds, the drs were pushing donor eggs and it was just a nightmare. Yet I'm here, pregnant, naturally. We just kept trying and got lucky.

I wouldn't want to take anything just because there's definitely nothing that can fix the problem, but there's a lot that could potentially make the problem worse, if that makes sense, so I was happiest leaving everything well alone.
If you try every cycle, and don't lose hope, you will get your lucky month too. Xxxxxxx

[nuthinbutpink]

I'm sorry guys but I completely disagree that you can't do anything. There are current, ongoing studies about DHEA and its positive effects on BOTH reserve and quality. AMH is a better indicator of fertility than FSH because FSH can bounce around but AMH can change too! For the better.

If the options are do nothing and just accept it or try something like DHEA, I would try it.

After 8 or so months on DHEA, my FSH dropped from 10 to 6. My AMH increased from .75 to 1.25 and my AFC went from 7 to 12. It can and does work. I'm proof of that.

[atomic sagebrush]

I think DHEA is well worth a try if you are going HT and are having some help to keep your cycle going, but for natural cycles it worries me because it is known to mess up cycles and stop ovulation for some people. Plus how and when do you come off it? If someone is doing FET then it's ok because they have time to come off it gradually before transfer. but if they're going to be pregnant naturally that same month it just worries me, both staying on it and coming off it seem risky when there is a baby on board. I don't feel like I have a good level of confidence as to safety and when I don't, I hesistate (and I very well may be 100% wrong to do that.)

[atomic sagebrush]

I think that the strategy of getting your body optimally healthy and then awaiting the golden egg is the best way there is.

Using the bee propolis is of course at your discretion, that having been said just so you know, honeybees are not aggressive and generally when you get stung by "bees" it's yellow jackets, wasps, hornets and not real live bees. You can be allergic to all stinging insects or only one kind or anything inbetween. I had been stung by various things many times and never had a reaction till two years ago.

Dong quai - strong blood thinner and not safe during pregnancy, I would personally have you avoid this one because you have to stop it suddenly if you get pg, and stopping blood thinners all of a sudden, I do not believe to be safe for iether you or a potential pregnancy. The goal of dong quai is to bring blood flow to the uterus, so I would use a hot pack on your abdomen from end of AF-O instead. It's also an antiinflammatory which may inhibit ovulation for some people - you need to be a little bit inflamed for the egg to emerge from the ovary.

Ginger fine in moderation but will strenghten blood thinning effects of dong quai.

Bai-zhu - could not find any info on this one

Chinese peony - another strong blood thinner and is used to cause abortions.
Also may sway pink

Bupleurum - has the saponins in it that are also in TT, may help raise T and E levels and possibly good for blue sway. NOt sure if safe during pregnancy

All licorice is dangerous when pregnant and proved to cause developmental delays when women take it during pregnancy. I don't know how long these effects may last and so I do not recommend anyone using either Western or Chinese licorice. Also may sway pink

Chinese mint - May sway pink and since botanically related plants have been used to induce abortions, I do not recommend during pregnancy, but ok before as long as you stop at O.

If you're taking the above, only the last week of the cycle into the first few days of the new cycle, they are ~probably~ going to be ok as long as you are certain beyond certain you cannot be preggo, but I am worried that it's going to cause you megaheavy periods!! If it does and you want to continue them, I would add in an additional iron supplement of 18-30 mg or so, taken 3 days a week through your whole cycle.

One thing that I really do think can help and is pretty safe is the Red Rasp. Leaf Tea. I would do 3 cups of that a day during the part of your cycle you are for sure not pg, and then if you may be pg, drop it to 1 cup a day till you get BFP and then start spacing days that you take it, so every other day, then two, then three, till you're down to one a week then discontinue until 36 weeks pg when you can start easing back into it again.

[atomic sagebrush]

RE RJBP and messing up cycles - it's the B vitamins (LOL) B6 can really mess up cycles and the RJBP has a lot of B6 in it. Also has a lot of inositol which can also affect cycles.

[n710]

Just want to say a big thank you to everyone! The whole FSH thing can be so isolating so it is so nice to hear everyone's experiences.

Anchor-I hear ya- it is so hard to go from amazing fertility to nothing so quickly. We also have been trying since last fall. The longer it is, it really makes you want to try different thing, the herbs, Chinese approach (TCM), etc. It is hard to just be patient and not know if it will ever happen or not.

HM-Congrats! I am sure your age has really worked in your favor even with the high FSH. How long did it take the second time?

NBP-Thank you for sharing your experience. I definitely read about a lot of people getting pregnant after using DHEA. I wish they had tested my AMH, but as far as I know they never did, unless it is a typical part of the Day 3 blood test. I did 4-5 months at the clinic and had an FSH of 5, 18, 14, 7. It is funny because in that time I can't say I really did anything different so it feels the high months are sometimes random. The place I am at now is that I would rather not know the numbers. I am trying to really make sure I am relaxed, not stressed and focused on the present too and not missing out on my current kids' experiences. We'll see what happens.

AS-Thanks, I am going to think about the RJBP then. On one hand it feels hard to feel like I am not doing anything differently from the past year other than adding wheatgrass, but at the same time I really feel like there can't be a miracle herb out there, otherwise all women would be getting pregnant. So, everyone's hormone levels, cycles, etc. are so different even though they share high FSH. Therefore, no way to tell what the best herb/treatment would be for an individual. I guess I don't feel like I have a lot of time either. I can assume the longer you have high FSH the lower the ovarian reserve is. Thank you so much for helping me navigate all the info out there esp. with older age/FSH that has its own "set of rules" I'd be on all the Boosting Egg Health stuff right now and probably messing myself up.

[n710]

Thanks AS,
I think I will be dropping the Chinese herbs then. I had thought about the heating pad too. I the acupuncturist was giving them to me because I told her I had been having more PMS symptoms than I used to and after looking at my tongue/pulse. She never did tell me what I might be deficient in or have excess in (i.e. yang, Qi, etc)

Is it okay to drink the RRL tea cold? I have never liked tea, but I know I could handle it better cold than warm.

Anything to help with cycles then?
In the past year my cycles have gone from 28-30 to 25-27 days, most time it is the FP phase than it shorter not the LP.
The one nurse at the clinic said that most likely my body knows it is a bad egg so it is trying to get rid of it sooner

[The Anchor]

I did investigate the DHEA, I know NBP is a big advocate. But my hormone panel showed my DHEA levels were fine, and doc would not prescribe (you need a prescription for DHEA in Canada). Like Atomic said, I'm wary to add one more hormone-type supplement to add to the grief of my already-messed-up cycles. That is not to say that DHEA wouldn't work for you, but I strongly advise to get tested for it first.

[atomic sagebrush]

Cold RRLT is fine with me (altho the Chinese may want it hot, not sure how that works with the yin-yang stuff) but you need to let it steep hot and then cool versus making sun tea. The goodness will come out better if you use hot water.

FP being shorter is fine!!! That is actually quite normal as we enter perimenopause, our bodies want to ovulate faster and faster so we have more chances at pregnancy before it's too late. The average FP falls to 10 days by the time the average gal is 40. Normal variation in the length of the f... [Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1984] - PubMed - NCBI As long as the FP is longer than 10 days it's fine, the egg has time to mature and the lining to form. (the RRLT will help with lining anyway) Some people have gotten pg with FP of as little as 7 days.

That nurse does not know what she's talking about. Bad info.

[atomic sagebrush]

Cold RRLT is fine with me (altho the Chinese may want it hot, not sure how that works with the yin-yang stuff) but you need to let it steep hot and then cool versus making sun tea. The goodness will come out better if you use hot water.

FP being shorter is fine!!! That is actually quite normal as we enter perimenopause, our bodies want to ovulate faster and faster so we have more chances at pregnancy before it's too late. The average FP falls to 10 days by the time the average gal is 40. Normal variation in the length of the f... [Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1984] - PubMed - NCBI As long as the FP is longer than 10 days it's fine, the egg has time to mature and the lining to form. (the RRLT will help with lining anyway) Some people have gotten pg with FP of as little as 7 days.

That nurse does not know what she's talking about. Bad info.