FSH, a small acronym with a big impact

FSH? I’m going to assume that most of you who are reading this have NO CLUE what FSH means. That’s okay. You are not alone. The majority of women of all age groups have no idea what FSH means.

Side note: if you have gone through fertility treatments, you most likely know what this lovely three-letter acronym stands for and the importance of it. I’m sending a HUGE hug to all of you who have gone through or are actively going through fertility treatments.

Okay, Bridget. Get on with it already. What does FSH stand for, and why do I need to know about it? Now that I have you on the edge of your seats…

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is a naturally occurring hormone that is made by the pituitary gland in the body. For women, it is the main hormone involved in producing mature eggs in the ovaries.

Why is FSH important? Well, for starters, if FSH levels are too high or too low, it can lead to fertility issues that can prevent conception (aka pregnancy).

High levels of FSH in women is a sign of poor ovarian function, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or menopause. All of these conditions will impact your fertility negatively. Lucky me, I have PCOS. And yes, my husband and I took a ride on the infertility train at Main Line Fertility.

Low levels of FSH can indicate the eggs are not being produced adequately or the pituitary gland is not functioning correctly.

We check a woman's FSH level on day 3 of her cycle to get an indication of how hard her body is working at the beginning of her cycle to produce a mature follicle. Each month, a woman needs to produce a mature follicle, ovulate the mature follicle, and have that mature follicle join with her partner's sperm at the correct time to achieve pregnancy.

If you would like to get your FSH level evaluated you would need to get blood drawn on day 3 of your cycle. But make sure you are not on any form of birth control or it will give you false results.

An FSH level of <10 is considered normal.

Much love,

Bridget