30 years old with FSH level 12. Feeling lost.

[pookie80]

I'm 30 years old and was in the beginning stages of egg donation (donating my own eggs to a couple) and instead had a bombshell dropped into my lap. I had an FSH level of 12 with 7 follicles total. I was told I can never become a donor. I've been doing some reading on what level 12 means and it's got me really worried because I've always wanted to have kids but it seems with this FSH level, it's possible it may not happen.

I tried asking the egg agency for a retest because I was worried that my birth control may have screwed up the results (it caused me to spot heavily for 3 weeks & shortened my period to 2 days this cycle, which has never happened before) but they told me they consulted with a few Drs and they all agreed that because of my age, it would be a moot point to retest and that the results would have been accurate regardless. I've been completely devastated to say the least.

[Amber209]

I would talk to your regular OB/GYN and see if they will re-test you. I just want to say while I agree you probably should not be an egg donor, it doesn't mean you won't be able to have kids (either with or without going through IVF). Usually (but not always) if your FSH is not that high (and yours isn't) and you are still relatively young (you would fall into that group), the outcome on this board has been quite favorable. I am going to make the assumption however that you are single right now and probably not ready to start a family and that is probably the scariest thing. I do want to point out that another woman on this board (cassandra) had a scare much like yours (I forget her exact stats but I don't think they were far from yours) and was single, because of that she decided to start trying right away with donor sperm and got preg on her very first IUI. If she had been trying the old fashioned way she probably would have got preg without ever having known her FSH was high. I just am pointing out that I think there are people out there that have kids no problem that might have elevated FSH, but since they don't have problems never know it. If you are in a committed relationship and think he may be the one maybe this is a conversation (about having kids) that you need to have sooner rather then later. If you are not I think you are in a tough place. I don't know if things will still be ok 5 years from now (they very well might), or if it takes you that long to find Mr Right will it be too late (at least as far as having your own biological kids). In my almost 5 years of trying my FSH has not really changed that much (actually it is lower now), of course I haven't had a kid yet either. Is freezing your eggs an option (I know it is quite pricey)? Would you be ok with starting a family on your own right now? I am sorry you are going through this.

[KrisAz]

You have age on your side.. your FSH is slightly elevated but not terrible and you are still relatively young. But the bad news is, for 30 years old, your FSH is a little out of the normal range for your age and it will likely get worse as you get older. You may respond well to medications too. But I assume youre single and this is a sign your clock is ticking. Right now I bet you can conceive with no trouble but a couple years from now, maybe not. I have read lots of success stories with younger women whose FSH was slightly elevated, and some conceived with no trouble at all. It seems the younger you are, the better. If I were you, I would truly think of having a child now or atleast look into egg freezing. I am not sure how successful egg freezing is. I hear embryo freezing has a higher success rate, atleast thats what my RE thinks also. Good luck.

[greenm76]

I would consult with a RE and look into egg freezing ASAP. I assume you're sinlge and not ready to start a family but with an FSH of 12 in a couple of years it could be very difficult to conceive. I think your FSH is still low enough that you might still get a good yield for freezing. If you have a serious partner with whom you are looking to build a future then embryo freezing maybe the way to go.

[pookie80]

Thanks for the kind words. Indeed I am single right now, which is why I'm taking this so terribly. At the moment, I'm trying to deal with the fact that I probably will never have kids because egg freezing, etc. isn't an option for me financially.

Is there anything I can do to possibly lower my FSH level, even just a little? I'm not sure if there are any supplements, etc that may help. I'm staying off of birth control so I'm going to keep my fingers that helps lower it a little as well.

[greenm76]

Unfortunately the supplements that may help to lower your FSH will not prevent your fertility from declining. So for example you can take something and it may or may not get lower but your egg reserve will continue to be depleted. I would only suggest supplements if you were moving forward to concieve right now.

Any chance of pursuing motherhood on your own?

[pookie80]

There is a chance on my own, yes, which is why I am wondering. I'm reading about wheat grass right now and that it can help lower FSH. Though it may not help my eggs, maybe it would at least maybe increase my chances of becoming pregnant with what I've got?

[BC-tnahope]

I agree with everything the ladies have said.

Nothing can increase your eggs, but some supplements will help the quality of your eggs. Are you thinking of tx now?

[greenm76]

Ok in that case this is what I take. I had very low AMH, borderline FSH and abysmal AFC when I first started this. My numbers have improved across the board and on my last ER I got 13 eggs. I used to take wheat grass but I don't anymore.

1 tsp of royal jelly
1 prenatal vitamin
omega 3 fish oil capsule
50mg DHEA
4g inositol (I buy the powder form and mix in juice)
600 mg CoQ10
3mg melatonin

This is my daily regimen...I know several women on this board have been on a similar regimen and some went on to natural BFPs.

[pookie80]

I've heard maca is good too, just in general. All it takes is one quality egg, so if I can do what I can to improve the situation.. then so be it. I do still wonder though if it's possible my birth control could have affected my numbers because it seriously messed up this cycle (they had me take them 4 months straight, no breaks). It just still comes as a shock to me. I've never had any irregularities in my period, I ovulate every cycle (I charted it for quite some time), etc. I suppose there aren't any warning signs to tell you that your FSH level is high. :-\