help me interpret the FSH numbers?

24 years ago

i just received my FSH results back (and though i realize it is an imperfect test, it's the one my doctor uses). the number is 127.5 which seems excessively high to me. i had a hysterectomy 15 years ago for carcinoma in situ but still have my ovaries. therefore, i don't have the frame of reference that my periods would have provided. almost three years ago i had some quasi-menopause symptoms but they were very very mild and very short-lived so i thought they were a fluke. i went to the gyno complaining of vulvitis, urinary tract problems, and vaginitis and she felt that, though she sees no vaginal atrophying (gag), i'm not really menopausal yet (age 49). prescribed a steroid cream for relief in the area and ordered the FSH test. when it came back, she then recommended hormones. i balked a little and we "compromised on Vagifem". i plan to fill the prescription but not sure i will actually use it, in that the episodes are so few and far between and i'm so wary of estrogen under my circumstances.

my question is this: what does the FSH tell me? i can't seem to find that info anywhere. am i pre- mid- or post-menopause. MY interpretation is that i'm POST menopause and MISSED it? (i should be so lucky, huh?????) i'd love your input.

Featured Answer

anifani4

24 years ago

My doctor (well versed in menopause) told me an FSH over 100 is an indication of (post) menopause. Other doctors and some books I've read say an FSH in the 40's is indicative of menopause. There are so many different definitions of pre, peri, post, and regular menopause that we can't know if they are all talking about the same thing. Who's right? I don't know, but so far this gyne has spoken more knowledgably about menopause than any other doctor I've spoken with, so I tend to believe him. I asked him if the level ever dropped back to normal, and he said no, but it does drop back somewhat, perhaps as far as the 60's.

I think when most mid life women go into their doctor's office with menopausal related complaints, an FSH is done, if it's 40 or over, the doctor figures the complaints are most likely hormonal related and will treat them accordingly. Another FSH is rarely drawn so the patient never knows how high it actually goes.

This would be a good topic for someone to investigate. Is there any valid research like a very large group of women have their FSH tested annually from say age 45 to 65 in order to get an accurate idea of how the levels fluctuate as the woman goes through the menopausal process.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (18)

catherinet
24 years ago
Hi llmoyer123, I'm no expert, but I think you're there! I think about the highest it gets in a younger woman is about 33-35. I don't know how long our FSH stays high until maybe it finally gets the idea that it's not going to ever stimulate the ovaries again, and quits, or if our levels are high the rest of our lives. But........I think you're either there or pretty darned close. Lucky you!
Related Discussions
How would you interpret this...
Q
Comments (28)
With the email my service provider gives me, they filter off the first layer of spam and I can view it for a short time if I sign on to my email on their internet site. In general, I pull up Outlook Express and receive my mail, along with some more spam that got past the service provider's filters. But I have dial up and if you have DSL that changes. Does that make sense? I don't know any other reason that you wouldn't be getting them. Have you been able to get Yahoo mail from other people before?
...See More
What are your FSH and estradiol levels?
Q
Comments (9)
Hi shotzy, I'm sorry you're having such a rough time too. I definitely think it helps to have an OB/GYN who has been through this! Mine went through it about the same time I was and I can't imagine how she was able to keep functioning in her job. Yes, she went on HRT, and it helped her alot. When I started through perimenopause, I got horrendous headaches all the time. It was a nightmare. I couldn't even function. My doc sent me to a "reproductive endocrinologist". She was young. And I think her love was of reproduction.......not menopause. When I told her I was having horrible headaches that I was sure were hormone related, she looked at me with this blank stare, like she had no idea what I was talking about! Needless to say, I didn't go back. How can anyone in OB/GYN not know you can get headaches from fluctuationg hormones??? But I do remember getting an estrogen level one day of 44, and then a couple days later it was 440! Do you think you could find an OB/GYN who's been through this? Thanks Shotzy
...See More
help interpreting Logan Labs test results
Q
Comments (5)
Got it! Um, what's the condition of this lawn? The numbers are a little conflicted, but if you made me guess about the grass, I'd say pretty poor. EC 6.1: You don't have red clay, you have red sand with some red silt. :-) No, really, this EC is completely inconsistent with significant clay, although you could have some of the lightest, lowest-EC clays. Even so, you don't have a lot of them. Try the free at-home jar test (which I or somebody else will read) to verify this if you like. The reason it acts like clay is detailed below--all soils are tight, impenetrable, and puddly under some circumstances, and boy, do you have those circumstances. pH 5.9: Always a symptom, never a disease, and this isn't much of a symptom anyway. It's just a bit below optimal and we're going to fix that. More below under calcium, magnesium, and potassium. OM 4.0%: Right at the extreme top of the Fair range. Given your lower EC, I'd always mulch mow the lawn, mow in all your fall leaves, and seriously consider importing leaves off the curbside from surrounding properties. This isn't an extreme emergency or anything like that, but the raised OM will increase water retention, improve your soil biology, loosen the soil for you (and keep it that way), and generally nurture the roots of your lawn (and anything else you have). Sulfur 27: A good answer, with a bit less margin than I generally see, but that's not a problem here. I don't need any significant margin since I'm not using sulfate-based chemistry. Phosphorus 25: Extremely low, and a severe hit to lawn quality. Target here will be 200--eight times more than you currently have. We use starter fertilizer, the cheapest stuff off the shelf you can get. Recommendations below. Calcium 43.1%: Extremely low. Target here would be around 60-65% (modified by the magnesium). For this, we have to use calcitic lime--Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. Cheaper limes contain too much magnesium, work too slowly, and require far more per unit area. Recommendations below, and we aren't going to finish this in one year. Magnesium 24.5%: Extremely high, but not as bad as it looks. Some of this saturation level is the low level of calcium in the soil, and it'll naturally drop a little as calcium flows in. High levels of magnesium make for impenetrable soils that cling together. Target for your soil would be around 12%. Potassium 6.14%: A bit high, but certainly not a problem--I like a little extra potassium in a soil for resistance to cold, heat, insects, and disease. This will naturally drop a little as the calcium flows in. Sodium 2.7%: A bit high, but the calcium will dispel this and drive a little out of the soil. If it stays high once calcium levels start to come up, we'll probably want to dispel the sodium directly. This isn't going to be a problem for the Bermuda, but it'll shift your pH upward without adding any advantage to your lawn. Sodium is toxic in larger amounts and only used in tiny amounts by plants. Minor Elements: Most are perfect. I do mention boron (deficient) and iron (low) below. Boron <0.2: Deficient, which isn't great for the lawn (quite bad, in fact; boron is used for photosynthesis and also for meristem development into functional adult cells). We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. You can purchase 20 Mules at the grocery store in the laundry section. In a wheelbarrow or the like, dump the Milo. Spraying very, very lightly with water (I use a spray bottle like the kind people use to damp their clothes when they iron) will help the boron stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So if going for 1 bag usage over your lawn (1 bag per 2,000 square feet), you'd add 8 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Iron 84: Not deficient, but not going to produce fantastic color, particularly as the pH rises and calcium levels come up to normal. Whenever you like, you can feed the lawn with Milorganite (it won't interact with or cause any overfeeding problems with the starter) to slowly raise this. Recommendations: Note: The starter will adequately feed your Bermuda through the season, but you may wish to tap in a little extra nitrogen. 0.2 lbs per thousand square feet per month wouldn't be a problem if you wish to do it (synthetically). The sky's the limit organically. September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 15: Apply 6 pounds per thousand square feet Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. October 15: Apply 4 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in 1/2 bag of Milorganite over 1,000 square feet--or, in other words, 8 tablespoons 20 Mules in 1 bag of Milo over your entire lawn. April 1, 2016: Apply 6 pounds per thousand square feet Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. May 1, 2016: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 1, 2016: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. July 1, 2016: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. July 15, 2016: Apply 6 pounds per thousand square feet Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. August 1, 2016: Time for a re-test!
...See More
help with soil test interpretation
Q
Comments (17)
My apologies. It was me, a very busy week, and 10 cubic yards of mulch on top of it. For folks who see this and have tests, I'll be catching up over the next day or two--if I miss you, send me mail. ME 15-ish: A nice soil, probably very silty, which is great. It holds lots of resources, but isn't hard to add to when we need to. pH 7.7: High, but there's not much you can do about it--and you don't need to. Grass won't object to this. OM 2.6%: Kind of low, but your ME is already quite high. I'd always mulch mow, but otherwise not do anything special to raise this. Sulfur 14: Normal. Phosphorus 99: A little low (lower than it looks due to the depth of sampling, actually). We use standard starter fertilizer (like 20-27-5 or 18-24-6) to fix this. Details below. Calcium 73.5%: Very high, but not a problem (which is good as you can't easily change this). None required or desired. Magnesium 21.1%: Very high, which might make your soil tight and hard to dig. We can't change it, so we live with it--but avoid all magnesium sources, which is generally pretty easy (no cheap lime or Epsom salt, in other words). Potassium: 1.0%: Not quite as bad as it looks, but I'd adjust this. We use potassium sulfate, which you can purchase at many garden or landscape stores, or they can order it for you. Minor Elements: Most are fine, but I did mention iron and boron below. Boron 0.29: Very low. We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. You can purchase 20 Mules at the grocery store in the laundry section. In a wheelbarrow or the like, dump the Milo. Spraying very, very lightly with water (I use a spray bottle like the kind people use to damp their clothes when they iron) will help the boron stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So if going for bag rate Milorganite (1 bag per 2,500 square feet), you'd add 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Iron 170: Fine, but it won't produce great color at your pH. Whenever you want, apply Milorganite to slowly raise this. Recommendations: April 15: Apply 4 tablespoons (not a misprint!) of 20 Mule Team Borax per thousand square feet. May 1: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate. Memorial Day: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 15: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate. Labor Day: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. October 15: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate.
...See More
drrazzle
24 years ago
Don't take the drugs unless you really want to. Carcinoma in situ meaning endometrial or uterine cancer? I'm steering clear of hormones with my endometrial cancer history. What's the point if you have no symptons to treat? But think about having your bones checked.
llmoyer123
Original Author
24 years ago
thanks drrazzle for your input. the carcinoma in situ was cervical which my doctor SWEARS is unrelated to the endometrial or uterine risks (but i too am a little wary). my tact right now, since i DO have post-menopausal symptoms in the vaginal/urinary tract/vulva area is to fill the prescription for vagifem but not use it until things get "critical" there. she also gave me a steroid cream for that area to relieve the uncomfortable/painful sensations when a "situation" arises. i'm wondering if i am "allowed" to use the vagifem like that: selectively when needed and not continually..... anyone know that answer?
junelynn
24 years ago
The FSH or follicle stimulating hormone indicates whether you are or not ovulating. FSH goes up and send the message to mature an egg in the ovary. If no egg is there to be matured, from my understanding FSH stays up. If it goes up and STAYS up, you are menopausal. Mine was 50 and at that time I had symptoms too.
I read that young baby girls have thousands of eggs. Many are gone by the time we are 6. More leave or are absorbed by our teens, and so on. So when this hormone sends a signal to our ovaries to release an egg, there are no more viable eggs. I'm not sure if we run out of eggs, or our follicles are just too tired to mature and release an egg.
But the FSH level stays up...for how long I don't know.
YOu said the 60's. Would love to know the answer to that one! It just seems odd that FSH gets not feedback from something else to say, "hey, you don't have to work anymore"....There's still a lot doctors don't know...Mother Nature always has a balancing act, so it just seems odd that a hormone would go up and stay up. FSH is stimulated from the brain (if I recall correctly) so I don't know how or what turns it off, if ever. Life sure is a mystery sometimes!
June Lynn
llmoyer123
Original Author
24 years ago
i'm STILL the only one i know with an FSH in the hundreds 126.5)and for some reason that freaks me out a little. but since i'm not having symptoms and since the doc doesn't seem concerned, i'll try to calm myself!

thanks for the replies.

linda
drrazzle
24 years ago
The following is excerpted form their web site. Appears that you have to use it regularly but possibly can stop it when you feel you are better? And although contraindicated for hx of uterine (endometrial) ca, it doesn't mention cervical.

"Treatment usually begins by inserting 1 VAGIFEM tablet into your vagina daily for the first 2 weeks. Thereafter, insert 1 tablet into your vagina 2 times a week, as directed by your healthcare professional. VAGIFEM can be inserted at any time of the day, but should be inserted at the same time every day.

Your AV symptoms may begin to improve within 2 weeks of starting VAGIFEM. However, it is important that you stick with your prescribed treatment plan, since it may take up to 12 weeks to feel the full benefits of the treatment. When used as directed, treatment with VAGIFEM is clinically proven to relieve the symptoms and discomfort of AV. Make sure you talk with your healthcare professional about the need to continue vaginal estrogen therapy.

Important Information: Estrogens have been reported to increase the risk of endometrial carcinoma (cancer of the uterus). Vaginal estrogen therapy should not be used by women who are pregnant or who think they may be pregnant. It should not be used immediately after childbirth or while breast-feeding, and it should not be used by women who have unusual vaginal bleeding, a history of breast or uterine cancer, or a history of blood clots. Please see product information for VAGIFEM for more information."
llmoyer123
Original Author
24 years ago
well, that pretty much answers my question about using it episodically (pout). thanks for checking for me! anyone know what time oprah comes on in the midwest? i'm not usually home during the day but might try to catch the menopause show today.
cheerful1_gw
18 years ago
Just got my bloodwork back. My FSH is 103, my LH is 29.5, my estradiol is 22, my prolactin is 22.3.

I have no clue how to interpret this. Will call my GYN today, but hope someone out there can help me too.
cheerful1_gw
18 years ago
When I saw my GYN yesterday, I showed her my test results, and explained all my symptoms. She said it's all textbook menopause. She prescribed a HRT called Activella. It's a plant-derived estrogen, and a plant-based progestin. I hope it works, because I want my quality of life back.
hunter_tx
18 years ago
cheerful1, what plant is the estrogen derived from? I'm also wondering if the plant-based progestin is from wild yams. I think that's what the progesterone creams are made from, if I remember correctly.

Mrs H
cheerful1_gw
18 years ago
I don't know what plants they come from, but I'll try and find out.
lobsterbird
18 years ago
I just did a quick google on plant-based estrogen and progesterone and found these links. I really need to look into this further. Cheerful, I'm hoping you'll find relief with what you've been prescribed. It's something I'm interested in, too, but can't say whether it's an option yet. I'll keep you posted.

http://www.findings.net/suhrt.html

http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/botany/botany_map/articles/article_27.html
Jen19
11 years ago
The following is a link to an article about a long term study of patterns of change in FSH that I found very informative. You will note that the upper range of the measurements of the sample pool were 128, so you are not alone!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579655/

Here is a link that might be useful: Follicle Stumulating Hormone and Its Rate of Change in Defining Menopause Transition Stages
Shannon Turneau
10 years ago
Well I too am at 125 so I've joined the 100 club very quickly! Not sure how to interrupt all my numbers but by looks of it I went from just being a normal flowing girl one day to nothing ever the next and a good hot flash!! Well as I was getting blood work my dr prescribed me Estroven and it appears to have subsided the hot flashes and im full blown postmenopausal overnight. I wish someone knocked on my door first to let me know I was having a drastic change overnight! I'm only 49 and it was definitely a big shock!
Jana M
10 years ago
My FSH is 90 and I was told that I do not need to continue birth control pills and I would not get pregnant. I have still had periods occasionally.
dovelove8
9 years ago
My FSH is 189 and has climbed from 150 over the past three years. I am 47 and had early onset menopause at 41 after my mother killed herself. I stopped have period at 44. Undetectable estrogen and progesterone since 42. I went through some rough years but now feel great. Don't take any hormones but my gynecologist is worried about my brain and heart health. Cholesterol is a little high and pre diabetic. I am in the health and wellness industry and am an organic vegan and I take really good care of myself so all that concerns me greatly as there aren't any lifestyle changes I can make to improve the numbers. Doctor says the blood work is telling me it is due to low estrogen that glucose climbs and cholesterol too.
dovelove8
9 years ago
The 189 freaks me out a bit but she says I should be fine because I'm in such good health.

help me interpret the FSH numbers?

anifani4

Comments (18)

catherinet

Related Discussions

drrazzle

llmoyer123
Original Author

junelynn

llmoyer123
Original Author

drrazzle

llmoyer123
Original Author

cheerful1_gw

cheerful1_gw

hunter_tx

cheerful1_gw

lobsterbird

Jen19

Shannon Turneau

Jana M

dovelove8

dovelove8

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

help me interpret the FSH numbers?

Comments (18)

Related Discussions

llmoyer123Original Author

llmoyer123Original Author

llmoyer123Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

llmoyer123
Original Author

llmoyer123
Original Author

llmoyer123
Original Author