Blood testing

[1moregirl]

Hi ladies. I got my GP to give me the slips yesterday for those tests for FSH and AMH and had them done yesterday. I am prepared that my numbers will probably not be very good but at least I will know what they are. My GP is amazingly positive and supportive of me wanting to try again and I almost have DH on board as well. I am going back to her this Friday to get the results so I will come back here and update.

[atomic sagebrush]

good luck and keep us posted!

[1moregirl]

Hi again. Today I didn't get the AMH results as it takes a bit longer. My FSH was 7, LH was 3, E2 (estradiol) was 203 and progesterone was 16. When I had the test done it was CD 27 and my period started the following day. Does this mean I was in the Luteal Phase when I had the blood test done? If that is the case, all my numbers appear normal (that's what GP said) but from looking at it myself, the reference levels given underneath my test results say that for the Luteal interval my E2 should be 205-790 (yet mine was 203). The doctor didn't ask me which day I had the test done on in my cycle and she'd already told me it didn't matter where in my cycle I did the test, so that is confusing. I will have to ask her next week when I get the results to the AMH. Any other input ladies?

[1moregirl]

Any comments? Perhaps someone might know a bit more about these figures than I do? I know it's still no indicator of my egg quality but...

[atomic sagebrush]

it's normal for your estrogen to be low the day before you get your period. Good chart here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cycle

FSH of 7 is great. It looks normal to me.

AMH is the "money shot" though LOL - it's the one that really tells us anything.

[1moregirl]

Thanks Atomic. Gosh - now I'm gonna be nervous about the AMH test results. Eeeeek!!! I won't find that out til this Thursday. But, at the end of the day, I guess we can only give it one more try and see what happens. I just need to mentally prepare myself for the worst case scenario, in case it happens, and if it does happen to tell myself it's not the end of the world because I've been lucky enough to have three babies. Sooo many women out there struggle to achieve their dream of motherhood even just once so I really do know how lucky I am already.

[1moregirl]

AMH is 6.5 Atomic. I got the results this morning and I did post them in a different thread just in case you don't see this.

[atomic sagebrush]

is this pmol/L or ng/mL?

If ng/ML that is great. If pmol/L it's lower fertility (and this is better than I would have expected, so please don't see that "low fertility" and be upset, it's still totally in the wheelhouse of being able to conceive on your own.

Either way, good news. You go girl!

[1moregirl]

Hi again. It is 6.5 pmol/L. it says anything above 14 is normal. And for less than 14 - 'decreased AMH level. Suggest possible abnormal ovarian reserve.' Does this tell us anything about egg quality Atomic? Or just that I obviously don't have a big number of eggs left? Are there others with numbers like these that have ended up pregnant and having a healthy baby at the end? It does make me worry. I just found out a friend of mine who is 42 is 9 weeks pregnant.

[atomic sagebrush]

1more, it is ok that is what your number was. I expected it to be way worse so please don't look at that as bad news. You WILL have a decreased AMH at 43, that is just the fact of the matter. Probably ALL of us who got pregnant over 40 have numers like that. I'm sure mine were atrocious.

ok, let me try to explain how egg quality and AMH work together. What happens is that you're born with gobs of eggs, like a truly unimaginable amount, that are actually already dying off in droves even before you're born. This is called 'apoptopsis'. They keep on dying for your whole life till all gone(even if on birth control, pregnant, or not ovulating for some other reason these eggs are dying all the time). Plus, you also (once puberty begins of course) develop 15-30 eggs per ovary every month and ovulate only 1-2. So they are getting used up all the time and even tho we only ovulate about 400 eggs, they are the best of the best ones, those are the ones who "win the race" because they are responding properly to the hormones while the others may not be, and the cruddier ones just kinda hang out and are dying off or awaiting their turn so over time (and if they were the better ones they'd already have had their turn by now) so you are left with both fewer eggs and fewer good eggs.

Additionally, over time, because you have fewer eggs left (which signal the body to stop making FSH once they are properly developed) but also because your body starts to get "deaf" to FSH, the hormone that makes those eggs start to develop because the hormone receptors get worn out over time, your body has to make more and more and more FSH to signal enough eggs to develop and get ovulated every month. High FSH levels make worse eggs. So you then not only have fewer eggs and fewer good eggs, but making lots of FSH means that those eggs when they are ovulated, may not be as good as they could be.

Seriously, your numbers are not bad. AT 43, FSH of 7 and AMH 6.5 pmol/L - that is GOOD NEWS. I'd be doing a happy dance if I were you!