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[mumofthree]

I've written about this in another post but I want to specifically ask about this...

Is this level ok? Research online suggests low level FSH means I'm not producing an egg and problems with hypothalamus? But not sure how low is low?

I'd been interested to know if anyone else has such low results. My FSH was mid 20's 4 years ago, then 12 three years ago now 2.7

[nearly50]

I don't know much about FSH as I've only had it tested once. It was 8 something and I was told it would fluctuate all over the place during perimenopause. I thought 3 was normal, but again someone else will know more. I think it just shows you're not at the end yet, rather than anything to worry about.

[Hurdity]

I looked up the ref ranges in GP notebook:

•   <1-3 prepubertal
•   1-8 males
•   1-11 females; follicular and luteal phase
•   6-26 at ovulation
•   30-118 post-menopausal

Note that reference ranges may vary between laboratories.

Also it says on this website:

The diagnosis of menopause and the menopausal transition should be made from a combination of factors with most emphasis being placed on the pattern of periods and presence of menopausal symptoms. Over the age of 45, the absence of periods or infrequent periods along with symptoms such as flushes and sweats can alone be used to diagnose the perimenopause or menopause. Blood or urine tests are unnecessary and are not recommended. [Ref 90]

Measurements of hormone levels are most useful when early or premature menopause is suspected, following hysterectomy with conservation of ovaries when there is no period pattern to observe, when unusual symptoms are present and when fertility appears to be reduced. [Ref 27]

As both the number and quality of egg cells in the ovaries decrease, the response of the ovaries declines, estrogen levels fall and levels of the hormones from the pituitary gland, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinising Hormone (LH) rise.

Home kits can be used to check for a raised FSH in a urine test, and you can have a blood test to measure the level, however the level depends on the phase of the cycle and can vary by a factor of 10-30 or more during the menstrual cycle. If having a blood level measured, the blood sample should be taken on the 3rd to 5th day of a period. A normal level does not exclude early menopausal transition and a raised level does not exclude continuing ovarian function. One raised level should therefore not be relied upon as a reason to stop using contraception since egg release can still occur late in the menopausal transition.

FSH level can be temporarily raised after stopping the oral contraceptive pill or depot progestogens, during breast feeding and with some medicines such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/diagnose.php

You cannot really tell anything from random FSH tests - except that if it is raised then you are likely to be peri-menopausal. IU think the readings above are misleading as they don't distinguish between peri and post menopause! Post menopause they are consistently high - in peri they are very variable as stated above.

So - on the contrary - it is very low at certain points in the menstrual cycle (especially early follicular phase) so means you are probably still ovulating as I understand.

Hurdity x

[mumofthree]

Thanks for that info Hurdity. I have been tested 2 or 3 times in past 2 years and every time I've been around this same very low level. So according to your info I'm pre-pubescent 

Anyone else had such low FSH results?

[Menomale]

Hi mumofthree,

To be fair with Hurdity, you can also be in your follicular or luteal phase... and that is because you're still producing hormones from ovaries. Your symptoms are probably derived from the fluctuations which are normal (and very annoying) in perimenopause. The fact that your previous tests showed low levels can be only a coincidence because you're not ovulating every month.

My FSH levels were skyrocketing in 2014 and 2015 (consistent with postmeopause) and now they are not even tested, although I had one period in 2015 and another one in 2016, unfortunatedly not 12 months apart, so I'm still on perimenopause hell!