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Hi Karen, we were talking to you on the other thread you posted on. Also, there's at home FSH test kits you can get on www.early-pregnancy-tests.com, really cheap. They ship same day. It might relieve your conscience a little bit until you can get another opinion.

hi karen, i'm ttc on my own - my last successful pg was at age 42 - i stayed away from well meaning scientists unti i needed them. according to the stats it wasn't good then nor is now. i haven't been diagnosed as perimenopausal but then i haven't asked either. if i've learned anything over the years, don't give up your source to another unless you;ve decided that they're better source than you! is that helpful or encouraging?

Hi Karen. I am in perimenopause as well. My worst fsh so far is 12.9. Mine is bouncing all over the place. I just had it tested again a couple weeks ago and it was 5.4. Unfortunately, you go by your worst fsh reading to determine your status, so my 5.4 means nothing. I am starting ivf as soon as possible. I really want to have a child. I have no children and have been ttc for over 2 years. The fsh news is very devastating. I am moving on to ivf, because that gives you the best chances. You should also discuss genetic testing with your dr if that is a concern. I know, when the eggs fertilize and they watch them grow, they get an indication of quality by the way the cells multiply. However, if you need additional testing, some RE offices can do that as well. Your dr is much more encouraging than mine. My dr says I have a less than 20% chance to conceive even with ivf. It is very upsetting, but I am just taking it day by day at this point. Good luck!

Ann, please don't give up hope. If you feel your doctor is not optimisitic then get a 2nd opinion. I had my Hysterosalpinogram yesterday. It was very painful but it showed everything to be o.k. So I was relieved. We are ttc again now. If we continue to keep miscarrying then we will try IVF. My FSH levels are very high. Yours are not bad at all. I don't understand why your doctor is so discouraging. If I don't get preg. this month then I have to repeat the FSH along with some more blood work. MY doctor told me he would like to see my levels at 12. We have both had genetic testing. I carry the gene for Cystic Fibrosis thankfully my husband does not. Please don't give up. GET A SECOND OPINION if you don't like your doctors attitude. Have faith.

He is actually the second dr to tell me those odds. I don't feel like he is being discouraging--just honest. I agree with you on the hsg. That is the worst, most painful procedure I have done so far (and that includes the lap that I had as well). That is good that you don't need genetic testing. What are your plans for ttc?

Hi ladies, I was also told that my FSH is "borderline". I think I didn't like the number, so I've now blocked it out. It may have been 10 or more likely it was 12. Regardless, I was also very upset to hear that. Talk about something we have NO control over! But, all we can do is keep ttc-ing..hopefully the odds will work in our favor. Can I ask how old you ladies are? I'm 35, so that might explain it since higher FSH supposedly means that your body has to work harder to release an egg since your supply is starting to dwindle a bit. Is that your understanding as well? Best of luck ladies, and don't worry too much about what you cannot change. One thing I know for sure is the worst thing you can have when ttc-ing...stress. Try to relax and as my singing teacher used to tell me, ..."let go, and let God". Baby dust to you all...

Our plans for ttc is just that. We conceived twice without intervention just having intercourse every other day. That's why I was shocked to hear my FSH level b/c I can conceive but unfortunately not keep it. We have had genetic testing and we are both fine. I apologize Ann if I came on so harsh I got the wrong impression. Natasha, I am 35 as well. My mother had me at 39. NO one in my family had this problem. It's crazy! I feel more hopeful though I believe everything will work out it will just take us longer and alot of tears will be shed until we have our baby

Hey Karen - sorry we both have to be here on this thread, but we are. I got my FSH results and it's 11.2 I have also had two m/c since Feb and we got pregnant easily both times we tried. So, I am ovulating and we are conceiving, but I can't hang on to them either due to chromosomal issues or other circumstances. We are also not sure whether to try this month again or go ahead and see an RE on June 23 (or do both...ttc and keep that appointment)...and it's hard to decide. Every month you don't try is another month gone. I feel like things spun out of control pretty fast here, so I am kinda down today. I am 36, will be 37 in Aug. DH is 29...

Hi MOrrison I think I have spoken with you before on the preg. loss board. FSH of 11 is not too bad. I can't believe how high mine is. I just don't get it. We are ttc as of today. I want to give it one more chance. If I miscarry again then we will try IVF since it's now an option for us. I am worried that if I wait I may lose some of my quality eggs that are left. I put a call in to RE's office to talk to my doctor. After My HSG yesterday I was a litte overwhelmed and did not think to ask. I think you should go to the RE why not? What harm could come from it. He might be able to find out why you are miscarrying. I am really happy I went. Atl least now I know why I miscarried. I also feel like in case I miscarry again I fell mentally prepared. I don't know I just felt good about knowing why it all happened even though it's not good that my FSH levels are so elevated. I think you should hold off on ttc right now, absolutely go the RE and find out why this is happening before it happens again. Maybe your RE could prevent another mc. It's just my opinion. I am here for you.

Thanks Karen. I have talked to three RE offices and my acupuncturist this morning. I am going to keep going the way we've been going this month and I have an appt. with an RE on 6/26. I don't want to not try because I'd hate to waste a good egg if one happened to pop out this month. I know you and I have similar stories - two m/c in a row...elevated FSH. I am sure that is part of the cause of the m/c to date, but there could be other factors, too. There were other REs that had appts a little earlier, but I felt pretty good about this one in particular. By then, I should also know if we conceived again. In the meantime, I am going to spend some time researching IVF and IUI and other stuff to get a good handle on what to expect once they really start digging in to reproductive testing and possibly artificial repro. treatments. I appreciate your support. I know you are struggling to get your arms around what's going on with you too. It's very difficult. We are pretty much handling it the same way, I think. So, I am here for you too. I wish you luck with ttc this week and send you lots of baby dust!

Hi everyone. Dh and I are both 37. I had the saline sono today and the RE wants me to have a hysteroscopy before he does ivf. That means I can't start w/ivf until September...I am really bummed and my dh is pretty frustrated, too. The sono showed that I have a fibroid that may be interfering w/ttc. I also have either another fibroid or a polyp. Either way, I am going to have surgery in a few weeks. After that you have to wait 3 months before starting w/ttc procedures. Now I have to worry if this wait with further reduce my chances, since my fsh levels will just keep getting worse...good luck to all of you.

I am not doing too well today. First of all our ins. does not cover the IVF. I also did research and found out with my FSH of 17.6 which is highly elevated I would not be a candidate b/c I would not respond to the ovulatory stimulating drugs. I called my doctor but he is off. I will call back on mon. My husband and I don't have thousands of dollars. So we decided that if after ttc we are not successful we will look into adoption b/c it is at least a gurantee as opposed to other treatments. Our fear is that we would use the little money we have and I would miscarry again via other procedures and then we would have no money left for adoption. We also need a house. We thought the money we had would go toward a down payment. We just got married 9/17/05 and nevery expected to have such a hard time. So we will live in our apt. al long as we have to. I know I would love a adopted child just as much as if it was my own it's just that I wanted to create life with my husband whom I love so much. We are not there yet. WE are going to continue to ttc again. It's just so hard. Morrison, I am really happy to hear you feel confident in your doctors. I completely understand you not wanting to wait. I feel like I am running out of good eggs as well. I just can't believe my levels are so high. I am so scared that if I don't get preg. this month and I repeat the FSH my levels will be through the roof. I have to try not to worry. Good luck!

Karen, I am sorry that you feel so bad. My old RE told me that he had a patient with a fsh of 18 that got pg, so it can happen. You have never taken injectibles have you? If I were you, I would at least try injectibles with iui if you don't want to move to ivf. Just because there is a correlation between high fsh and poor response to the meds doesn't mean you won't respond. Also another option for you is donor eggs. That can be much less hassle than adoption. I hope you feel better.

Hi Ann, thank you for your advice. My doctor said worse case scenario we could go the donor egg route. The only thing is that it is not a gurantee. I can get preg. I just can't sustain it. I really appreciate your positiveness. BTW sorry for my ignorance but what is IUI? I am sure i have heard of it but i don't know what the abbreviation means. I hope you are doing well today. Thank you so much for your help it really helps me.

IUI=intra-uterine insemination--where they wash the sperm to get rid of the bad ones then inject it directly into your uterus. From what I have read, if you have a high fsh, you still have a very good chance of sustaining a pregnancy with donor eggs. Also at 17.6, you still have a chance to get some good eggs.

Good morning. Karen, I am sorry you are having a bad day. I definitely can understand. On days like this (and I don't mean this bad), stay off the internet. I have found that when I am down, it helps. I have also noticed that not a lot of people on this site (regardless of the forum you are on) seem to have much opinion/response to the FSH thing. Bottom line is, we are older. So having slightly higher FSH is probably not unheard of. I have a friend at work who was at 14 and has been pregnant twice now. Unfortunately the first one ended at 14 wks due to a cord accident, but she is a month and a half away from her due date. She also did acupuncture. Anyway, what I am saying is, we have to get in a weigh the options of what to do, but ALL of our eggs are not bad. There is still hope and it will happen. We must believe that. I mean, we all knew that going into this in our late 30's would pose some potential problems, but that it CAN happen, so we need to remember that. Keep your stress level low, as low as possible, and keep trying. Don't stop trying, as my acupuncture person says. Eventually, it's gonna happen, and probably when you least expect or hope that it will. I also agree with Ann that IUI would be worth trying and is much less expensive, so you might look into that as well. Keep your head up and maybe see a movie tonight with DH. Get out of your head for a few hours. I'm doing the same thing.