{"id":1334,"date":"2020-02-07T16:06:43","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T16:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.theduff.co.uk\/?p=1334"},"modified":"2020-03-30T13:22:28","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T13:22:28","slug":"fsh-levels-ivf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/fsh-levels-ivf\/","title":{"rendered":"FSH levels and IVF:<\/strong> what you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BEFORE I STARTED RESEARCHING IT, THE ONLY THINGS I KNEW ABOUT FSH WERE:<\/strong> a) I had an embarrassingly small amount of the stuff, and b) it looks a bit like the word \u201cFISH\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out there\u2019s a lot more to FSH than how it relates to my personal situation and how many letters it has in common with another word. Something else I discovered in the course of my fact-finding mission? FSH is a bitch of a hormone to learn about: the information out there is confusing as hell. Also, I\u2019m still not quite sure why it\u2019s taken so seriously when there are other, better hormones out there to measure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re undergoing fertility treatment (or thinking about it), you\u2019ll get tested for it \u2013 so it\u2019s worthwhile knowing exactly what the test results imply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does FSH stand for, and what does it do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Menstrual<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

FSH stands for \u201cfollicle-stimulating hormone\u201d, and it\u2019s released by the pituitary gland to stimulate the growth of the egg-containing follicles<\/a> in your ovaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When FSH gets to work, lots of follicles will grow at the same time \u2013 and the cells around the eggs inside those follicles will produce another hormone called oestradiol (a type of oestrogen). This causes the lining of the uterus to thicken and prepare to receive the much-hoped-for fertilised egg in a couple of weeks\u2019 time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the follicles are all growing happily\u2026 but there\u2019s one super-impressive follicle that grows faster than all the others. It\u2019s known as the \u201cdominant follicle\u201d, and it\u2019ll produce a load more oestradiol \u2013 which in turn sends a signal to decrease the amount of FSH being produced. The decrease in FSH has the effect of quieting all the other follicles, leaving only that one dominant follicle to continue growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, the egg inside the dominant follicle will be ready to break free from that follicle in order to be fertilised. To get the process moving, the pituitary gland releases a high amount of another hormone called \u201cluteneising hormone\u201d (LH), which acts as a heads-up to the ovary that \u201cIT\u2019S TIME TO RELEASE THE EGG!!!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The egg breaks free from the follicle and travels down to the fallopian tube, waiting to be fertilised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FSH levels vary during your menstrual cycle: they\u2019ll peak just before ovulation (when the follicles are growing) and will be lowest when you get your period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That, in a nutshell, is what FSH is and what it does. Next question: what do we learn from measuring FSH levels? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do FSH levels get measured?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s to gauge how many egg-containing follicles you have remaining in your ovaries. You ideally want lots of them, because it makes it more likely that fertility treatment will be successful. Find out more about the importance of having lots of egg-containing follicles here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your FSH level will be measured with a blood test on day 3 of your period. You\u2019ll also probably have blood tests for your AMH level<\/a> and oestradial level<\/a> \u2013 as well as a scan to measure your antral follicle count<\/a>. Together they\u2019re known as \u201cbaseline\u201d or \u201cday 3\u201d tests<\/a>, and they all help to give an indication of how many egg-containing follicles you have remaining in your ovaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do FSH levels relate to the number of egg-containing follicles I have? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your ovaries have many follicles, your body won\u2019t need to produce much FSH in order to induce normal ovulation: you can splutter out a token amount of the stuff and BAM: you grow a bunch of follicles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you have relatively few follicles, your body needs to work much harder to induce ovulation \u2013 so it increases the amount of FSH in an attempt to get the follicles to damn well start developing. A high FSH level, therefore, indicates that your body has relatively few egg-containing follicles, while a low level indicates that your body has plenty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason to test your FSH level at the start of a cycle (day 3ish of your period) is because, at this stage, the results will provide information on how hard your body is working to get the whole ovulation rigmarole started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What amount of FSH is considered \u201cgood\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Different clinics and hospitals have different figures, but here are some typical ranges: <\/p>\n\n\n\n