So you got the dreaded phone call from your OB, that your FSH is higher than normal for your age group. *Que* frantic searching of Dr. Google to find out if you are menopausal. “Normal” levels of FSH are dependent on your age and elevated levels can indicate poor ovarian function or response to IVF. It is often used by fertility clinics, in combination with your AMH, to determine how well you might respond to assisted reproductive treatments. If you are diagnosed with elevated FSH and low AMH, they might even urge you to consider egg donation as a treatment possibility.
In Western medicine, the root cause to pre-mature ovarian decline is still UNKNOWN and treatment varies widely from aggressive IVF treatments to egg donation. FSH can be a very discouraging number, especially if you are in your early to mid 30’s.
BUT IT DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR FERTILITY JOURNEY
FSH is not necessarily a static number, it can change. It is normal for your FSH to increase with your age, however, if you are in your child-rearing years and your FSH is abnormally high, there are things you can do to dramatically shift those numbers. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal therapies combined with dietary, lifestyle and mindfulness can help lower these numbers.
In Chinese Medicine, we are looking at the ROOT cause of why your FSH levels might be higher than they should for your age group. Often times, there is not just one pattern of disharmony (how we diagnose) at the root cause of elevated FSH. Finding a doctor of Chinese medicine who specializes in fertility can help you decipher your root cause of imbalance and make proper herb, dietary and lifestyle recommendations based on YOU. Let me say that one more time, louder for those in the back….
TREATMENT IS TAILORED TO YOU
You are not a number. You are uniquely and divinely you. Treatment is therefore tailored to your individual needs and root imbalances and this is where Chinese Medicine is so beautiful. See my post for “what does treatment with Chinese medicine look like” for more clarity around what to expect when seeing a Chinese Medical doctor.
Dr. Lindsay Fox