Sunday, July 15, 2012

I'm a high FSHer!?!

This morning I woke up remembering part of my dream.  I was at the top of a steep slide and there was a bear at the bottom in the water below.  I spoke to the bear and said hello to it softly.  Then someone else in my dream provoked the bear and it turned angry and tried to climb up to chase us.  My heart was pounding.

I used to remember my dreams when I was younger.  It was interesting to remember one from this morning.  It might mean nothing, but bears symbolize introspection being chased by one means there's an obstacle I need to deal with.  The critical side of me supposes that this sort of generic meaning can applied to anything in anyone's life at any point in time.  But regardless, it does mean something to me.

I took a cd3 blood test and my FSH number was high (15.3 IU/L).  The FSH measure the amount of follicle stimulating hormone in my blood.  Having a high number COULD mean that I have a low/poor quality ovarian reserve.  From everything I've been able to dig up on this so far, it means I'm likely a bad candidate for fertility medication (though this isn't the route I'm currently considering so I doesn't bother me so much).  However, there are also other possible reasons for having a high FSH that I'll need the dr to investigate.  I will be repeating this test next month to see what the numbers are.

At the end of the day, it's a big numbers game and the odds are a bit stacked against me.  I'm still ovulating regularly according to my BBT charts (and 7dpo progesterone level), but my body might be stimulating fewer antral follicles per cycle so the dominant follicle(s) are chosen from a smaller set and generally it's not as good as if I had more to choose from.   I still believe that I can get pregnant, but it'll take longer to find that "good egg".  And of course, there's still the 20% chance that everything goes right and the egg gets fertilized.  There are a number of women other there with high FSH who are able to get pregnant naturally through timed intercourse and deliver a healthy baby, so there is hope.

I will be requesting an Antral follicle count, AMH, FSH and E2 whenever I next see my gynaecologist.  It's frustrating to know that I might have problems and yet not be able to get an appointment to talk to her about it.  It's tempting to try to get a referral to someone else, but there will be lag time getting an appointment with any specialist either way.  I've borrowed some books about infertility and hope that something there helps me understand more what all these numbers mean and what I can do about it.


Update: I was able to conceive naturally on that cycle with my FSH at 15.3.  I'm currently 13 weeks along.   I've had 3 scans so far and things are looking good.  So if you're reading this and you have a high FSH, don't give up hope.  It can still happen for you.