I know that with most people this would usually happen when your a bit "older", but I have heard from other women too who were younger when ttc and have been diagnosed with high FSH levels. Have you ever thought of looking into herbal Chinese medicine to help naturally with this problem, rather than having the DR tell you that your "too old"?
Here is what I found!
High FSH is defined as a day 3 FSH value of over 10 mg/dl. High FSH is often the reason women are told they have no other option other than to use donor eggs to conceive. They may be told they have "old eggs".
The underlying causes of High FSH may include extreme stress, a lack of ovarian response to pituitary production of FSH or in Chinese medical theory it is considered a block in the energy of the meridians involved in reproduction.
The symptoms of High FSH may include those seen in women with low estrogen levels such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, but sometimes it is can be associated with too much estrogen. Restoring communication between the pituitary gland and the ovaries is essential for good quality egg production and the lowering of High FSH. We do this with acupuncture and Chinese Herbal formulas that nourish the systems involved.
You are born with all the eggs you will need in your life time plus many, many, more (300,000-400,000). They come out of a resting state within the ovary and start a cycle of communication with your own blood flow, oxygenation, nutrition and hormones (including stress hormones). They remain in the same state as they were in when you were born until a protein synthesis occurs during the follicle's growth phase, which begins about 90 days before the egg is ovulated. This is where the potential breakdown (and poor egg quality/High FSH issues) occurs.
There are a couple of things to note about “high FSH”. One thing we have noticed is that FSH will go back down to within the “normal” range when women are given Chinese herbal formulas which are said to “nourish the Liver and Kidney” and I have witnessed these women getting pregnant naturally. Another notable fact is that I have seen women conceive and give birth with “high” FSH levels.
To practitioners of Oriental Medicine an FSH level is just a number. We have notice that once we identify and appropriately balance the underlying deficiency using acupuncture and Chinese herbs that the FSH level also seem to go down. Please note though, that our intention is not to lower the FSH but to correct imbalances that seem to occur as we age.
It is like we are able to turn back the clock by correcting the imbalances. We nourish the reproductive organs and these eggs that are waiting, dormant in the ovaries start to develop. It has been noted that it take 3 months or about 100 days for an egg that is dormant to develop to the point where they can be ovulated.
Patricia Karnowski M.S.O.M. doesn't believe in underlying poor egg quality/High FSH, except as a result of poor reproductive health. This is why women who have previously been told they are too old, poor responders, advanced maternal age, etc., can become pregnant after their bodies achieve a state of balance, in spite of their being told that they have no options due to High FSH. As we age, our bodies pay less attention to the reproductive system. With acupuncture and the correct Chinese herbal formulas we can encourage you body to normalize the hormones, and increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus, while we reduce the effects of stress on your system therefore increasing egg quality in spite of a diagnosis of infertility because of High FSH.
http://www.fertilityformulas.com/LowerFSHNaturallywithHerbs.php
So dont just take "too old" as fact, look into other options, try acupuncture and see if you can locate a Chinese medicine practitioner in your area that perhaps can help you with something that is natural, good for your body and will help lower the FSH levels!
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4 comments:
It worked for me. I had a fsh level of 13 at age 34--much to everyone's surprise. I went to an acupuncturist and took loads of yucky herbs and got pregnant with twins (via ivf)!
On a side note, the acupuncturist kept telling me that I had some problem with my blood. She never got more specific than that, but I kept reassuring her that my blood looked fine on the blood tests. Then I had a special blood test done which identified that I have a clotting issue. I had to be on blood thinners for the first trimester with my twins. Of course, once the acupuncturist heard that, she was quite smug! Now I suppose I have to listen to her and not go just by modern science!
FSH levels fluctuate from cycle to cycle, so you can have a high level one cycle and a normal level the next.
Those that are considered good responders to the Clomid Challege Test have lower FSH levels on cd 10than on cd 3 after taking five days of Clomid.
Wheat grass supplements and DHEA have both been found to help women with high FSH cycles conceive.
Bottom line, if you are are of AMA (Advanced Maternal Age) and your doctor is writing you off based on FSH levels, seek a second or a third opinion. Many women with elevated FSH levels conceive every month.
There are other tests that are far more accurate and reliable for measuring a womans fertility than FSH.
I am mature and had many misscarriges I went to a fertility specialist and despite my age my FSH was 9 the following three months it was 16. I have very regular periods but the month they did that test my period came a good 7 days before it should of. It is the first time I was trying an IUI and I told them my period came very early. I also had terrible pain the night before it came. I am so scared as I am trying the IUI and I feel it was the wrong time to do it. Could the levels be different because of this abnormality. i find it strange that it jump from 9 to 16 in three months. I also have a genetic disoreder re: clotting. i have one child and the only thing i did differently was go on asprin and bed rest and he survived
We place so much stock in a number. A number that can flucuate from cycle to cycle. We as women are more than just a FSH number, conception is far more complex than that and medicine does not know all the details. We fool ourselves into thinking that our doctor has all the answers and we begin to doubt ourselves and believe whatever they tell us, even though in our heart of hearts we know that it is not true. We can make our own maricles if we turn inward and listen to what our bodies are telling us. Take time to be still and listen.
We are quick to turn to modern medicine to solve our problem. We want an immediate solution. Give us a pill and we are content to swallow it down without considering the impact. Clomid actually can elevate FSH and it decreases cervical mucus. So, while it is turning up the reproductive furance and forcing more follicle stimulation it is stressing your reproductive system and in actuality making it harder to conceive naturally, but we don't care. We want what we want when we want it and we try to play God and manipulate nature, thinking we know better than God. The Divine has a plan, a lesson that we are to learn from this experience. Everything happens for a reason, although at the time we may not be able to discern that reason. We get caught up in the act of trying to conceive and we see nothing else.
Step away from your situation take a deep breath and be still. Let go of all the pain, the anger, the sorrow, and the longing, these things take your joy and your essences away. This is not who you are or who God wants you to be. You to are a Divine being for you were made by He who is divine. Rejoice in your perfection and beauty and do not let this experience take that away from you. Do not hold your head down despairing or walk around in shame because you have had labels heaped upon you; poor responder, infertile, ivf failure, etc...Remember the light that is within you and take time to nuture it.
Fran
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