High FSH

[porter]

Hi! I'm 35 and my highest FSH level was 17. I'm currently 19 weeks pregnant. With this BFP my FSH was 14.5. I got 9 eggs but only 5 fertilized with ICSI. We put back 3 embryos. This was my third cycle and my doctor did not give me much hope. I was on 300 follistim and 2 amps menopur. I also did not do lupron. In fact I was encoraged to cancel this cycle due to a lack of follicles. Anyone with high FSH do not give up hope. I kept telling myself it only takes 1. My doctor gave me a less than 5% chance of getting pregnant. I was fortunate he was willing to keep working with me.

[kellgirl]

I am 35 and have a higher fsh than when I was 30. But my doctor said that's normal, that a woman will naturally get a higher number as she gets older. Can anyone offer any thoughts?
sincerely,
Kelly

[babgone]

35...possible antiphosfolipid syndrome but unlikey cause of latest of 6 miscarriages over period of 4 years. Possibly Premature ovarian ageing. Latest FSH tests quite high Feb08 14.68; April08 12.4 Latest scan ovaries presenting small and unlikely to produce many eggs. Anyone with similar eperience?

[IVF Doctor]

Originally Posted by porter

Hi! I'm 35 and my highest FSH level was 17. I'm currently 19 weeks pregnant. With this BFP my FSH was 14.5. I got 9 eggs but only 5 fertilized with ICSI. We put back 3 embryos. This was my third cycle and my doctor did not give me much hope. I was on 300 follistim and 2 amps menopur. I also did not do lupron. In fact I was encoraged to cancel this cycle due to a lack of follicles. Anyone with high FSH do not give up hope. I kept telling myself it only takes 1. My doctor gave me a less than 5% chance of getting pregnant. I was fortunate he was willing to keep working with me.

We are delighted about your success, but your physician underestimated your chances. At age 35, with your level of FSH, you quite obviously suffer from premature ovarian aging (POA). With appropriate stimulation, we reported already in 2006 (Gleicher and Barad, Fertil Steril 2006; 86:1621-5) in 62 women in your clinical situation with POA (up to age 35) a 32% ongoing pregnancy rate after IVF.
It is really quite surprising that this message has not gone out to all fertility specialists, yet. Unfortunately, only too many women like you are still unnecessarily canceled in their IVF attempts and/or referred into egg donation when they still have good chances with their own eggs.
I hope your example will encourage others!
Congratulations,
N. Gleicher, MD
The CHR - NYC

[IVF Doctor]

Originally Posted by kellgirl

I am 35 and have a higher fsh than when I was 30. But my doctor said that's normal, that a woman will naturally get a higher number as she gets older. Can anyone offer any thoughts?
sincerely,
Kelly

It really depends how high your FSH has gone. At age 35 everything above 7.9mIU/ml probably suggests that your ovaries are aging ahead of time
(Barad et al Obstet Gynecol 2007;109:1404-10)

N. Gleicher, MD
The CHR - NYC

[IVF Doctor]

Originally Posted by babgone

35...possible antiphosfolipid syndrome but unlikey cause of latest of 6 miscarriages over period of 4 years. Possibly Premature ovarian ageing. Latest FSH tests quite high Feb08 14.68; April08 12.4 Latest scan ovaries presenting small and unlikely to produce many eggs. Anyone with similar eperience?

An FSH of 12.4 at age 35 with great likelihood shows that you suffer from premature ovarian aging (POA). The most frequent causes are autoimmune and genetic. Since you have APAs, you very likely have the autoimmune version of POA. This is not necessarily bad because we have some preliminary reserach evidence that the autoimmune form may be easier to treat than the genetic form. At the same time, abnormal autoimmune function also increases your miscarriage risk and you should get another treatment layer to prevent miscarriages once you conceive.
Whatever the cause, at age 35 you should still have an excellent chanc eof pregnancy and delivery, as long as you get the right treatments. As we noted in another response on this website, we reported in 2006 in fertility & Sterility on over 60 women like you and achieved a 32% ongoing clinical pregnancy rate in them.
Best regards,
Norbert Gleicher, MD
The CHR - NYC