I agree that an FSH level of 7 shows that you are not post-menopausal Fruitie-baby but it also depends on which day of your cycle the FSH reading was taken. I've found this info from an American fertility centre which describes the role of FSH which might be helpful.
"Day 3 FSH Fertility Testing of Ovarian Reserve - Follicle Stimulating Hormone Test
Page author Richard Sherbahn MD
Background on Ovarian Reserve Testing
We would like to have a reliable test to determine how many eggs a woman has remaining and how good they are at any point in time. There are screening tests for "ovarian reserve" as fertility doctors call it. Is there still a good reserve of eggs remaining in the ovaries? This page is about day 3 FSH and estradiol testing
Female age is a very important variable. However, a woman can be 42 and still have some good quality eggs (and still be fertile), or she can be 25 with poor quality eggs and be infertile, although this is rare.
In general, egg quantity and quality tends to decline slowly starting in the early 30's, and then much faster in the late 30s and early 40s.
What does FSH hormone do?
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is one of the most important hormones involved in the natural menstrual cycle as well as in pharmacological (drug-induced) stimulation of the ovaries. It is the main hormone involved in producing mature eggs in the ovaries..
FSH is the same hormone that is contained in the injectable gonadotropins which are used to produce multiple eggs for infertility treatment.
What produces FSH hormone?
Both FSH and LH hormone are produced by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. When a women goes into menopause she is running out of eggs in her ovaries. The brain senses that there is a low estrogen environment - and signals the pituitary to make more FSH hormone. More FSH is released from the pituitary in an attempt to stimulate the ovaries to produce a good follicle and estrogen hormone.
Think of it like stepping on the gas pedal in the car to get going. The FSH is the gas, and the pituitary gland releases FSH to get a follicle "going" at the beginning of every menstrual cycle. If there are less follicles left (and perhaps lower quality follicles) the amount of "gas" has to be increased to get a follicle developing.
In a menopausal woman, the gas pedal is on the floor for the rest of her life - even though there are no follicles (or eggs) left. The woman's body never gives up trying - FSH levels are permanently elevated.
Women in menopause have high FSH hormone levels - above 40 mIU/ml. As women approach menopause their baseline FSH levels (day 3 of their cycle) will tend to gradually increase over the years. When they run out of follicles capable of responding, their FSH will be high and they stop having periods.
If this happens in a woman under age 40, we call it premature ovarian failure or primary ovarian insufficiency
Why do we 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).
Some practical problems with the day 3 FSH test:
The cut off values used to say that egg quantity is good, OK, or poor is laboratory dependent. For example, and FSH of 11 in one laboratory may reflect good ovarian reserve - whereas a level of 11 in another lab using a different assay may indicate diminished ovarian reserve. See below for more.
While an abnormal result (high baseline FSH) tends to be very predictive of low egg quantity, a normal result does not necessarily mean that the egg quantity is good. There are a significant number of women with normal FSH values that have a reduced egg supply. The lower egg supply is not being reflected in their FSH value. This is why doing antral follicle counts and AMH levels can be useful. By doing multiple ovarian reserve tests, we are more likely to find an ovarian reserve problem if there is one.
This is particularly true for women in their 40s. An infertile 44 year old woman with a normal FSH (for example 6) still has a very low probability of conceiving and delivering a baby with in vitro fertilization - or with any other fertility treatment. The fact that she is 44 greatly diminishes her chances - even if her FSH is normal. This is why IVF programs have age cutoffs.
The oldest women accepted by IVF programs varies somewhat - most programs have a cutoff somewhere between age 42-45. Infertile women older than 44 will very rarely be successful using their own eggs. However, these women are excellent candidates for in vitro fertilization with donor eggs.
Interpreting day 3 FSH blood test results - what are normal FSH levels?
In our fertility center we currently use an assay made by Roche. We consider normal FSH level to be anything less than 9. As levels go above 9 we often see a reduction in response to ovarian stimulating drugs - as described in the table below.
If your FSH levels were run using a different assay, you can not compare your results to those shown below with confidence. For example, with some assays an FSH of 12 is normal.
Day 3 FSH level FSH interpretation for Roche or Immulite assays
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"
Taz x
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