My Stats - FSH, AMH and other tests

Hello and Happy Monday!


AF finally reared her ugly head but this time I was excited to see her. This cycle was long for me (38 days), so it made things hard, just waiting for her to arrive. However, since she was late, I was able to schedule my hysteroscopy, polypectomy, and Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) for Wednesday, June 18th. You cannot be ovulating for these tests.


My AMH test was just a blood test and that was done on my first visit. I didn't get the results until recently because I wanted to call the RE and say my period arrived, let's schedule things, and by the way, what's my AMH. Maybe it's my way of being less neurotic.


Anywho, my AMH is 3.6 ng/ml. What is AMH you ask? I've been spending a lot of time on this site ( Click Here ) but I've pasted some of that information below for your convenience.
 
"The table below has AMH interpretation guidelines from the fertility literature and from our experience. Do not get carried away with the cutoff values shown here. For example, the difference between a 0.9 and a 1.1 ng/ml test result puts a woman in a "different box" in this table - but there is very little real difference in fertility potential. In reality, it is a continuum - and not something that categorizes well.

Interpretation (women under age 35)	AMH Blood Level
High (often PCOS)	Over 4.0 ng/ml
Normal	1.5 - 4.0 ng/ml
Low Normal Range	1.0 - 1.5 ng/ml
Low	0.5 - 1.0 ng/ml
Very Low	Less than 0.5 ng/ml

Women with higher AMH values will tend to have better response to ovarian stimulation for IVF and have more eggs retrieved. In general, having more eggs with IVF gives a higher success rate."




However, checking your AMH is just one part to finding out how well you will respond to an IVF cycle. The other test is the FSH 3 day test. Again, please Click Here for more information on the FSH levels.

"Why does your RE measure the FSH level on day 3?

By measuring a woman's baseline FSH on day 3 of the cycle (we do it on day 2, 3, or 4), we get an indication as to whether she has normal "ovarian reserve". We are looking at how hard her body needs to "step on the gas" early in the menstrual cycle to get a follicle growing. Therefore, if the baseline FSH is elevated the ovarian reserve (how many eggs are left) is reduced (sometimes the egg quality is also reduced)."

Day 3 FSH level	FSH interpretation for DPC Immulite assay
Less than 9	Normal FSH level. Expect a good response to ovarian stimulation.
9 - 11	Fair.  Response is between normal and somewhat reduced (response varies widely). Overall, a slightly reduced live birth rate.
11- 15	Reduced ovarian reserve. Expect a reduced response to stimulation and some reduction in embryo quality with IVF. Reduced live birth rates on the average.
15 - 20	Expect a more marked reduction in response to stimulation and usually a further reduction in embryo quality. Low live birth rates. Antral follicle count is an important variable.
Over 20	This is pretty much a "no go" level in our center. Very poor (or no) response to stimulation. "No go" levels should be individualized for the particular lab assay and IVF center.

My FSH level came in at 4.9. I felt like a scored an A+ on a test!


The doctor also performed an ultrasound to see how many follicles I had in each ovary. My right side is not that great of a performer, coming in at 6 follicles. The left side fared much better with 12 follicles. The doctor didn't make any comments about the follicle amounts. She wasn't my normal doctor and I was going to get the complete results from my visit in a few hours so I didn't ask her.


It's kind of awkward having the ultrasound done on Day 3 of your cycle, but the doctor was a complete professional and the nurse was great too. My husband was in the room with us and he was quite the gentleman.


They only took one vial of blood this time. I've captured the rest of my results below. Not sure why they run a beta test (for pregnancy?) but they did.


Estrogen: 43.1
Progesterone: 0.4
Beta: Negative (duh!)
FSH: 4.9
LH 2.49
AMH: 3.6
Right Ovary: 6 Follicles
Left Ovary: 12 follicles


These results will tell my doctor what kinds of medications I will need and the amounts or if you prefer fancy words, my IVF medication protocol.


I go back to the RE on Thursday June 12th for my pre-operative blood work. Then, I'll have my surgery the following Wednesday, June 18th.


I've heard stories from women who have said that the HSG or the Hysteroscopy is uncomfortable. Because I'm having a uterine polyp removed, I'll be under general anesthesia so all of those other tests will be performed while I'm under, which is fine by me! The Doctor will also perform the mock transfer at that time as well. It's going to be a big day for me (well reproductively) on June 18th.


One big question is looming in my brain right now...will the RE want to start my IVF cycle at my next cycle start or wait a cycle?
I wonder if I need that extra time to heal. He's not doing a D&C to remove the polyp, so my lining should be unaffected but I just don't know.
I'm going to ask him on the 12th when I have my pre-op blood work done. I'll keep you posted and let you know.


Please message me if you have any questions or leave me a comment. Have a great week everyone! :)