Sunday, April 13, 2008

Would it be worth....

asking if the GP/local gynae/miscarriage clinic (as they are a general gynae clinic too) would do another day 3 FSH for me? Or getting one of those pee sticks**? As this is now about my 10th cycle. It's 2 years since my last FSH, which was 6 I seem to remember (just looking it up*). They might also suggest an HSG as none of the other factors are likely to have changed but they did a lap and dye after about 9 months without conception before, and I don't think I'm even slightly at risk of endo now (since I had none before, and no different symptoms). It just struck me that they might also want to redo the SA.

It doesn't seem worth them doing the LH (though they probably would - but all my Persona sticks are negative until at least day 14) or progesterone (as otherwise why would my boobs be hellish from about day 18 to about day 28?), but FSH might have changed.

Or would it just be really frustrating if the FSH was impossibly high, as we don't even know when we are going abroad (or in fact where, which is what determines when) and therefore when we'd come back and be able to move on to adoption - and the earliest it would be is a year from now? and therefore the plan has so far been just keep at it for the next year?

I have had a couple of random "will be nice when I can stop taking folate and vitamins pointlessly every bloomin' morning" thoughts and even one "should we just stop trying now, perhaps I'd feel better". I think the day may come when I actually feel OK about giving up (even if it's for a year or so) on trying to get pregnant. I'm not sure I actually felt it would be OK before - just that it would be necessary.

*It was 7.
**Edited for complete clarity - it would not be because of cost if I got a pee stick as all of this would be done on the NHS, and they have been very good about not making me wait too long for things, too. And I'm not sure if those FSH pee sticks are supposed to be that great, anyway - aren't they supposed to only tell you "sorry, luv, menopause all over"? The question is would the information actually help anything?

4 comments:

Dr. Grumbles said...

You can order your own FSH pee stick through Fertell.com (of course, I have no fertility coverage with my HMO, so paying for it was just like a regular doc visit ... if you have actual coverage for testing, it would probably seem expensive)

Aurelia said...

The FSH peesticks only tell you when you have a really really high FSH, like menopausal level, and they won't tell you how high.

Much better to get the blood test number, IMO. And the estrogen level at the same time, only because they proportion matters.

DrSpouse said...

I thought that was the case with the pee sticks, so thanks for confirming.

I don't think they do oestrogen here but I can always ask.

Thing is, I am just not sure I WANT the tests. So I guess I don't really want advice about what tests to have (unless people have advice that test A will drive me mental whatever the result or test B will keep me sane whatever the result). I more am wondering aloud whether there is any point at all given our circumstances...

Anonymous said...

You can get an estrogen level. I automatically do an FSH/LH/estradiol level on anyone who's wondering wheher they're heading towards the menopause. But because the reults go up and down I wouldn't necessarily be confident about interpreting them...