I had blood drawn yesterday (7/27) to check my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone ... this is the main hormone involved in producing mature eggs in the ovaries). In women with fertility issues (we are called "subfertile", as I recently learned), FSH on cycle day 3 (which was 7/27 for me) is an indicator of ovarian reserve ... how well my ovaries are working and how hard they will have to work to produce mature eggs, or follicles. The higher the number, the more infertile a woman is. To put this in perspective, postmenopausal women have the highest FSH levels ... their bodies no longer produce mature eggs so the pituitary gland constantly produces FSH in a futile effort to produce mature eggs. Thus, it makes sense that the older a woman gets (and the closer she gets to reaching menopause), the higher her FSH levels will get. Anyway, each lab varies a bit regarding cutoff values. In general, an FSH of 9 or less is normal or ideal. Over 20 essentially indicates ovarian failure, which means the ovaries are no longer producing good or any mature eggs. I should be getting a phone call from Dr. Schmidt's nurse by the end of the week to let me know my FSH level.
I started my first round of Clomid yesterday. Clomid is in a class of medications called ovulation stimulants, and it is used to induce ovulation in women who do not ovulate on their own. Clomid is the most well-known and commonly used fertility drug. I am taking the lowest dose (50 mg) once a day for 5 days.
On Friday (7/30), I will be having a procedure called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). This procedure involves inserting a catheter into the cervix, injecting dye, and viewing the dye dispersement on an x-ray screen. This will tell my doctor if I have any anatomical issues with my cervix, uterus, or fallopian tubes. I will post on Friday after the HSG.
This is all so educational!!!! Thanks for going into details of what everything means. I know what some of these tests are but it's nice to have the bigger picture! You are a good teacher, Jess!!
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