So I Have High FSH – What Should I Do Now?
Since I have had this website, many women have written to me about their specific situations and asked me for advice. While at first it may seem that you have no options when given a diagnosis of high FSH, you actually have many potential avenues open to you. You need to consider them all in light of your physical situation (e.g., what you have learned from tests that have been run), your financial situation, your emotional situation and your personal and spiritual beliefs.
The first thing you need to do is to learn as much as you can so that you can be your own advocate and understand the options available to you. You also need to carefully consider what has worked for other women in your situation (see the links to success stories at the bottom of this page). Then, you can consider whether any of these options are worth pursuing in your situation:
- Pursue fertility treatments – IUI/IVF (aka “ART”). Work with your RE and follow his recommendations for your situation. Or go to a different RE for another opinion. You’ll want to review the next section for more information before pursuing ART.
- Monitor your own cycles and attempt natural conception. Use a fertility monitor and chart your temperatures. See Fertility Friend for information on charting temperatures and improving your chances for conception.
- Pursue alternative approaches. See Randine Lewis’ book “The Infertility Cure” (see Welcome Page) for information on supplements, herbs and acupuncture. Also, here are two links to an alternative practitioner’s view on high FSH: Randine Lewis and the Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness Also, you’ll want to review the section below on alternative treatments.
- Consider an alternative such as receiving donor eggs or adoption. Both of these paths are wonderful avenues to parenthood. There are so many wonderful websites on this topic that I have decided not to include any links or overviews here (except for Parents Via Egg Donation – a support organization).
- Get plenty of support. This is of critical importance no matter which of these options you choose. Go to the appropriate board based on your situation and you will find a group of wonderful, supportive women: New High FSH Forum and Women Over 40 With High FSH. Note that any posts on these boards need to have titles alerting readers to emotionally sensitive content including “pg” (pregnant), “mc” (miscarriage), “dc/ds/dd” (dear child, dear son or dear daughter), and ”de” (donor eggs).
“So,” you might be wondering, “given all these options, how do I know what my chances of success are? I want to make sure I choose the right path.” Well, it’s impossible to say for sure what the right path is, but research is part of the key to success, as I’ve mentioned. Another part of the research is to look for stories of women who have been in your situation and had a successful pregnancy. There are several places where you can find such stories including Fertility Stories and Pregnancy Stories by Age. When you become a success story, be sure to visit these sites and share your story. Additionally, this Beth’s High FSH Success Stats is an informal collection of success stories gathered from users of the message boards at network54 (mentioned above). And finally, this message board New Pregnant Despite IF Forum is a message board for women who have gotten pregnant in spite of high FSH. They frequently do roll calls on the board so it is a great place to get inspiration.
