If you are just getting started with fertility treatments or are researching infertility, you will come to be very familiar with the term FSH. But what exactly does FSH mean, and why is it important? Today we are going to try to answer those questions and more when we explain the relationship between FSH and fertility. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
FSH stands for Follicle Stimulating Hormone and it is one of many very important reproductive hormones. FSH is produced by the body’s pituitary gland and it stimulates the follicles to grow so that an egg can be produced.
It is important that there be a good balance of FSH in the body. FSH levels that are too high or too low can really wreak havoc on the reproductive system and inhibit the ability to get pregnant. FSH levels can be an indicator of other reproductive problems. If your doctor suspects that you might have fertility issues, he or she will do a test of your FSH levels. FSH levels that are too high can be an indicator that the ovaries are not working properly or that a woman is going through menopause. On the other side of the coin, FSH levels that are too low often indicate that there are problems with the pituitary gland, or that eggs are not being produced.
If your FSH levels are too high or too low there are a number of treatment options that your doctor might try to get them back on track. There are herbs and vitamins such as Vitex, Maca, and Ginseng that might help to get your levels back to normal, if you are looking for a natural method of treatment. There are also alternative forms of treatment that have been proven helpful such as acupuncture and massage. If your FSH levels are too low, your doctor can give you FSH injections or other treatments to supplement your FSH levels and help them to improve.
If your FSH levels are too high, it usually indicates that you have a low ovarian reserve, or a small number of eggs remaining in your body. This means that once your eggs are gone, your body can not regrow new ones. For this reason, there is minimal treatment for high levels of FSH. There is simply no way to make your body regrow eggs, and drop your FSH levels. A high level of FSH doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get pregnant, only that it will be more difficult since your body has a low number of viable eggs. Your doctor will be able to help you determine a treatment method that is right for you.
