Role of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Levels in Determining Your Fertility

by Manika Khanna Gynecologist, Infertility & IVF Specialist

The most important role in your fertility is played by your hormones. A slight disturbance in your hormones can create a havoc on your fertility levels making you seek help at best IVF Centre in Mumbai, India. Follicle Stimulating Hormone, commonly known as FSH, is one such hormone which tell you how fertile you are. It is a naturally occurring hormone released in both, men and women by the pituitary gland in the brain.

FSH in Women:

FSH can directly influence your ovulation, menstruation and your chances of conceiving. While it is extremely normal for a woman's FSH level to fluctuate through her monthly cycle, with a rise in the same preceding ovulation, a constant rise or dip in the FSH levels can be an alarming sign related to fertility problems which can hamper a woman's chances of conceiving or sustaining a pregnancy.

For a normal menstruating woman, the FSH level should be below 10mIU/ml. However, in several cases, the FSH level goes too low or too high, which can complicate one's chances of getting pregnant. While high FSH level in women can be a sign of poor ovarian function, menopause or polycystic ovary syndrome, low Follicle stimulating hormone levels may mean that one's pituitary gland is not functioning correctly.

Women having high Follicle stimulating hormone level are often insensitive to fertility medication, and may have a very little chance of pregnancy even in case of in vitro fertilization.

FSH in Men:

In case of men, Follicle stimulating hormone fuels testicular growth and produces a protein which is significant for creation of normal sperm cells. In simple words, in men, is associated with the production of sperm, which is vital to male fertility. Abnormal levels of FSH in men can also lead to infertility, which is why, it is important to get Follicle stimulating hormone levels of both the partners checked for their infertility treatments in Mumbai.

FSH level, in case of men, should be between 1.5 to 12.4 mlU/ml. Unlike the FSH levels in women which keep fluctuating throughout the month, it usually remains constant in men. A fluctuating FSH level in men can be a cause of concern. While a low level of FSH may be an indication of problems in the pituitary glands in men, a high FSH level could often denote the ill-functioning of testicles.

Testing FSH Levels:

A combination of blood test and several other tests to diagnose hormonal levels can be done to determine your Follicle stimulating hormone levels. A woman can easily test her Follicle stimulating hormone levels by performing a blood test on the third day of her menstrual cycle. In case of positive result, it is advisable to consult one's doctor at the earliest as high levels of FSH indicates low ovarian reserve and infertility.

Treatment for FSH Imbalance:

Consulting the best IVF doctors in Mumbai India and taking supplements prescribed by them prove to be fruitful in maintaining the Follicle stimulating hormone balance. While meditation, acupuncture, fertility cleansing, fertility massage and yoga can be helpful in treatment of abnormal FSH levels, there are several other treatments which are dependent on the underlying cause of the FSH imbalance. In these treatments, the underlying problem causing abnormal FSH levels is treated in order to maintain the Follicle stimulating hormone balance.

In case of men, several thera-pies like testosterone therapy, which increases the testosterone lowered by high FSH, can be of vital importance to increase fertility. In case of failure of the above therapies and treatments, people al-so resort to fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization.

Author:

Gaudium IVF, the name to trust for providing the best IVF treatment in the most complicated infertility issues. Gaudium IVF being one of the best IVF Centre in Mumbai, is a trusted name for providing topnotch facilities and high success rates. Visit today for an expert consultation from Dr. Manika Khanna, a leading IVF specialist in Mumbai.