Anyone want to interpret CD3 testing results?

[claudiakishi]

I had CD3 testing done and just got the results. I’m 40, history of endo. Will have an SHG next week.

FSH 11.1
Estradiol 38
AMH .88
TSH 3.06

My doctor is usually not super responsive so I figured I’d see if anyone here had any thoughts while I wait to hear from her. I think the FSH is a little high and AMH is a little low?

[seeyalater52]

You’re exactly right - AMH is a little low, FSH is a little high. Are you planning to do treatment of any kind? I’m not as good at estrogen numbers but that seems a little high for CD3 and elevated estrogen can sometimes artificially deflate FSH so that’s something to watch out for.



Your TSH is also outside of the ideal range for TTC - most REs want to see it below 2 or 2.5.

[King26]

Jul 2, 2020 8:19:27 GMT -5 claudiakishi said:

I had CD3 testing done and just got the results. I’m 40, history of endo. Will have an SHG next week.

FSH 11.1
Estradiol 38
AMH .88
TSH 3.06

My doctor is usually not super responsive so I figured I’d see if anyone here had any thoughts while I wait to hear from her. I think the FSH is a little high and AMH is a little low?

Your FSH is high and you AMH is low. I had similar numbers when I was tested. I had low ovarian reserve.

[claudiakishi]

Jul 7, 2020 20:29:17 GMT -5 King26 said:

Jul 2, 2020 8:19:27 GMT -5 claudiakishi said:

I had CD3 testing done and just got the results. I’m 40, history of endo. Will have an SHG next week.

FSH 11.1
Estradiol 38
AMH .88
TSH 3.06

My doctor is usually not super responsive so I figured I’d see if anyone here had any thoughts while I wait to hear from her. I think the FSH is a little high and AMH is a little low?

Your FSH is high and you AMH is low. I had similar numbers when I was tested. I had low ovarian reserve.

So did you end up doing IVF? I’m new to all of this. I have an SHG tomorrow. Then I’ll meet with my doctor.

[King26]

Jul 8, 2020 19:32:40 GMT -5 claudiakishi said:

Jul 7, 2020 20:29:17 GMT -5 King26 said:

Your FSH is high and you AMH is low. I had similar numbers when I was tested. I had low ovarian reserve.

So did you end up doing IVF? I’m new to all of this. I have an SHG tomorrow. Then I’ll meet with my doctor.

Yes I did, several times.   I was 36 when I conceived my son via IVF.   I'm happy to answer any questions.  In all honesty, I did 3 IUI's first only because my insurance required it but I would have only done 1 IUI before IVF if I could have.  I think it was good to see how I reacted to medication but I feel like the other 2 were a waste of my time.

[starryfish]

Jul 8, 2020 19:32:40 GMT -5 claudiakishi said:

Jul 7, 2020 20:29:17 GMT -5 King26 said:

Your FSH is high and you AMH is low. I had similar numbers when I was tested. I had low ovarian reserve.

So did you end up doing IVF? I’m new to all of this. I have an SHG tomorrow. Then I’ll meet with my doctor.

My AMH was around 1.05 I think at age 33? We had to do ivf (trued iui 4 times before we went to ivf tho). Iui worked for me at age 30 but my amh was normal (4.5?)then. I would definitely skip to ivf if cost is a factor for you or if insurance covers it

[pandora89]

Agree with others, your AMH is a little low and your FSH is a little high. I had very similar numbers my first time testing (amh .43 and FSH 10), I was 26 at the time. We had to do 5 rounds of IVF, 4 retrievals (1 cycle was cancelled before getting to retrieval and converted to IUI) but those resulted in 2 live births.

[claudiakishi]

Thanks everyone. My insurance doesn’t cover anything so weI can go in whatever direction we feel is right. My RE did mention trying an IUI first before IVF though.

[starryfish]

Jul 16, 2020 22:46:58 GMT -5 claudiakishi said:

Thanks everyone. My insurance doesn’t cover anything so weI can go in whatever direction we feel is right. My RE did mention trying an IUI first before IVF though.

We did IUI for our first and second bc insurance covered it. With my low AMH the second time around, I would have skipped straight to IVF if insurance didnt pay anything. Just my two cents. IUIs are cheaper but they still add up (cash price at my clinic is $1600-$2100 plus meds. I needed a lot of meds, I would have spent over $1k each cycle for IUIs). 

We ultimately needed IVF the second time around bc of my low AMH. Luckily we got a free IVF study. Definitely check with your clinic to see if they have any studies going on that you might qualify for. 

[awkwardpenguin]

Are you going straight to the RE because of your age and endo history? I saw in your post history you just got your IUD out in late May. Have you tried to conceive in the past without success?

I would try at least 3 natural cycles, assuming you are ovulating on your own. If you are not officially infertile (meaning you haven't been trying for at least 6 cycles over the age of 35) you have almost as good a chance of conceiving as if you didn't have elevated FSH and low AMH (and your AMH isn't that low for your age).

Where elevated FSH really makes things tricky is when you are trying to stimulate the ovaries to produce follicles for IVF. People with high FSH are more difficult to stimulate and have worse IVF outcomes.

This was my experience and in retrospect things would have been easier if I'd tried natural cycles and/or IUI first. I had an AMH of .5 at 35, and was conceiving with donor sperm, so my RE suggested straight to IVF since I had diminished ovarian reserve and would need ART to conceive either way. I had two complete failure IVF cycles (one with one immature follicle retrieved, one with three follicles that arrested before they reached blastocyst). I ended up getting pregnant on a natural cycle insemination.

The problem is you don't have a lot of time to decide at 40 if you end up needing ART. Success drops a ton with age - you are half as likely to conceive via IVF at 41-42 as you are at 38-40. This makes IVF both a not great option for older women and one that needs to be initiated as soon as possible to have a chance at working.

So all that said, I'd consider doing any given thing for three cycles before moving on. So 3 natural cycles and then possibly 3 medicated cycles if indicated, and then moving on to IUI or IVF.

Thinking of you - these are such tough decisions, especially if you feel like your doctor isn't a good communicator.

[claudiakishi]

Jul 21, 2020 13:00:31 GMT -5 awkwardpenguin said:

Are you going straight to the RE because of your age and endo history? I saw in your post history you just got your IUD out in late May. Have you tried to conceive in the past without success?

I would try at least 3 natural cycles, assuming you are ovulating on your own. If you are not officially infertile (meaning you haven't been trying for at least 6 cycles over the age of 35) you have almost as good a chance of conceiving as if you didn't have elevated FSH and low AMH (and your AMH isn't that low for your age).

Where elevated FSH really makes things tricky is when you are trying to stimulate the ovaries to produce follicles for IVF. People with high FSH are more difficult to stimulate and have worse IVF outcomes.

This was my experience and in retrospect things would have been easier if I'd tried natural cycles and/or IUI first. I had an AMH of .5 at 35, and was conceiving with donor sperm, so my RE suggested straight to IVF since I had diminished ovarian reserve and would need ART to conceive either way. I had two complete failure IVF cycles (one with one immature follicle retrieved, one with three follicles that arrested before they reached blastocyst). I ended up getting pregnant on a natural cycle insemination.

The problem is you don't have a lot of time to decide at 40 if you end up needing ART. Success drops a ton with age - you are half as likely to conceive via IVF at 41-42 as you are at 38-40. This makes IVF both a not great option for older women and one that needs to be initiated as soon as possible to have a chance at working.

So all that said, I'd consider doing any given thing for three cycles before moving on. So 3 natural cycles and then possibly 3 medicated cycles if indicated, and then moving on to IUI or IVF.

Thinking of you - these are such tough decisions, especially if you feel like your doctor isn't a good communicator.

Sorry, I just saw this! Yes, I went straight to the RE because of my age and endo - I wanted to know what I was up against as far as trying to get pregnant. Based on my bloodwork and normal SHG she did say try for 2-3 cycles on our own and plan for an IUI possibly in October. So we’re on cycle 2 for August. I realize it’s an uphill battle but it’s something we want to pursue.

Thanks for your thoughts and advice!

[Mushe]

claudiakishi, I just saw this, sorry!

@@@ Loss mentioned @@@ I had FSH of like 16 and AMH of .24, and ended up conceiving on an IUI cycle with just Femara, although I’d also tried Menopur, which increased the cost a lot. I unfortunately miscarried after 10w, but we believe that was unrelated to egg quality based on how it happened and genetic testing. I certainly wouldn’t assume IUI (or on your own, see my later story 😂) can’t work for you!

Wishing you the best!

[claudiakishi]

Aug 12, 2020 16:10:42 GMT -5 Mushe said:

claudiakishi, I just saw this, sorry!

@@@ Loss mentioned @@@ I had FSH of like 16 and AMH of .24, and ended up conceiving on an IUI cycle with just Femara, although I’d also tried Menopur, which increased the cost a lot. I unfortunately miscarried after 10w, but we believe that was unrelated to egg quality based on how it happened and genetic testing. I certainly wouldn’t assume IUI (or on your own, see my later story 😂) can’t work for you!

Wishing you the best!

Thanks for your reply! I’m worried we are wasting our time trying on our own but I know I’m about to get my period and that’s cycle two, so I guess one more month to go. My RE did suggest the IUI with Femara.

[Mushe]

Good luck, claudiakishi! I know it’s slow here, but don’t be shy about posting, and is grads will come out of the woodwork.