AMH Test

The naturopath that I was seeing commented that I might be pre-menopausing. Hmm? I am only 30! Needless to say, I freaked out after she told me and fired her on the spot. LOL. Even though I am convinced that was not the case, the thought that maybe, just maybe I might be menopausing scared the hell out of me.

A friend of mine suggested to go for an AMH test.

What is Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH)

"The AMH is a hormone produced by the granulosa cells of the early developing antral follicles." These are the immature eggs from their 'dormant' state and develop into mature eggs. As a woman runs out of eggs, the number of these small antral follicles decline in number and as a result the serum Anti-Mullerium hormone falls. This is why serum Anti-Mullerian hormone testing is a good estimate of residual egg number.

The test gives us some insight into the remaining quantity of eggs and number of fertile years you may have, but it doesnt provide the number of eggs you have left.

What is Ovarian Reserve

Ovarian reserve is the term used to describe the number of good quality eggs left within a woman's ovaries. "A woman is born with approximately 1 million eggs and over her reproductive life the egg numbers will decline as they are lost through natural attrition and ovulation. Only approximately 400 eggs are lost through the process of ovulation."

During a woman's reproductive years the number of eggs we have left continues to fall, and after the age of 35 it falls at an accelerated rate. By the time a woman hit menopause which occurs on average at the age of 51 for the average Australian women, there are less than 1000 eggs left. Actually they are less like eggs and more like ovarian dust. Obviously the more eggs there are left, the more likely a woman is, all things possible being equal, to conceive.

The AMH  test alone can be used as an initial screening test for ovarian reserve. Women with diminished ovarian reserve have diminished fertility and an increased risk of miscariage. It is important to identify these women early on so that they can make decision on when to start having a family and when to access assisted reproductive technology if required.

Who should have the test?

Women like me who are absolutely paranoid? :P

Women who have been trying to conceive for over 6 months and want to check.

 

But generally women under the age of 38 years who are considering delaying pregnancy for social/personal reasons are the best candidates for ovarian reserve testing. Women who are identified as having diminished ovarian reserve can then bring forward their plans for having children and boost their chances of success. 

Women older than 40 years are not ideal candidates for ovarian reserve testing as they will all have diminished ovarian reserve. Furthermore, irrespective of the results of the AMH test, it would be unwise to ever advocate a women of 40 years and older to delay pregnancy. 

Women who considering IVF or other fertility treatments, a low levels of AMH could indicate a potentially poor response to IVF. Conversely, a high level may indicate an exaggerated response to th IVF medication. 

The other group that is well suited to AMH testing is those who are at increased risk of diminished ovarian reserve. These would include women with a family history or ovarian failure, autoimmune disease, chemotherapy or previous surgery to the ovaries.

I am glad I did the test regardless. My results came back normal which is 20.6. Those of you who are concerned about menopause or are thinking in delaying motherhood, I would strongly recommend to have an AMH test. 

AMH levels fluctuate very little during the menstrual cycle and therefore can be taken at anytime during your menstrual cycle. Note that the AMH test is not covered by Medicare. Therefore, the cost of a single test is $65 in IVFAustralia. 

I had to get my GP to write me a referral to IVFAustralia for an AMH test. I did mine in their Sydney branch and the results were sent to my GP.

It is also important to remember that while this test can indicate how many eggs you have left, it can't tell the quality of those eggs. So as useful as the AMH test is for those like me who are seeking information about starting a family, its important to bear in mind that this test is but one component of what should be a complete and thorough fertility assessment.

CD13

Sorry I haven't been signing in much. AF came after CD31 last cycle and I was too busy being paranoid that I might be suffering from a few things such as Endometriosis, ovary cysts, problem with disk alignment, nerve problem and more recently pre-menopause. 

Yeah...all very complicated. I guess I have been listening to too many ears and getting more worried and paranoid by the second. I will go through some of them in my later blogs.

Anyway its CD13 now. Chart is looking promising. Temp dropped a little yesterday so maybe a good change of O tomorrow? Though OPK still negative and was a ted lighter than yesterday's.

We started BD a couple of days ago as we really don't want to miss the egg.

My supplements at the moment are Maca, Elevit, Calcium, Fish Oil and Evening Primrose Oil. Hubby on the other hand is taking Menevit, Maca, Calcium, Fish Oil, L-AC and Vit C. We also have been eating very healthily and try to eat only organic food and vege.

I am not hoping for much this cycle and decided that we should be taking things easy. I hope hubby is feeling the same.

CD31 15DPO and still no AF

I know its not over till AF shows but its still a huge letdown everytime I see get a BFN. It feels so strange to be in no man's land...seeing pregnancy that probably is not even there. Cruel how the body and mind can play tricks on us sometimes!

I have been testing so many HPTs and they are all negative. I have extreme sore/swollen breasts and cramping which is sometimes hurts quite a bit. The cramps are a bit different from my period cramps, it also goes all the way around to my back.

With 28 days cycle in mind, tomorrow I will be 4 days late, I have never been this late. If I am not pregnant then something is hormonally wrong with me. I have also heard that some women do not get a BFP until 7-10 days after AF should have arrived.

Little research I found interesting. Sometimes a women can think she is late, because she may ovulate at a different time. But one thing that does not vary is the luteal phase (the from ovulation to menes). So since I O'd on CD 16 which is 3 days later from my previous cycle I am then only 2 days late.

We are trying for our first, so I really don't know how its supposed to feel anyway. But I wish I could get a BFP if I am in fact pregnant! I read somewhere that the hcg level doubles every 48 hours so how come I'm still getting neg results and if not pregnant, where's my damn period!

I am getting depressed. I want one or the other, either a BFP or AF so I can get started in next month TTC.

Here's my temp..

CD26 10DPO and no AF yet

So yay its 10DPO today and AF still hasn't show her ugly head yet. BUT my actual cycle is 28 days so really AF is really due in 2 days. I'm not off the hook yet obviously.

My temp today is quite interesting. Went up really high and looks promising.

So another BFN today. No surprises ay? CM this morning was watery and even eff white consistency then by evening it became sticky, creamyy and clumpy. 

Was a little nauseous and felt tired pretty much the whole day. But that could be because I couldn't really sleep last night. Let's hope it was morning sickness! I slept restlessly last night again and have been having a series of weird dreams.

I also had a couple of moodiness and feel a bit off balance. Its like I'm on an emotional roller coaster. I can be a huge bitch and then be my smiley, easy go lucky self later.

Still tender, full breasts and sore nipples. Yay. Kept on squeezing and pressing them to make sure they were still sore. How pathetic I know!

Been feeling bloaty, full, with some cramping which started yesterday. Cramping is much intense today. I really feel like AF is coming.

Trying not to get my hopes up, but if my temp jumps higher up tomorrow, someone will have to lock in me in a close for a couple of hours to calm down. I heard that if you stress / over think about being pregnant, your body will act like you are and give you the symptoms. So I'm trying hard to keep it off my mind. Which is not easy!

Here's my temp for today. Isnt it just the perfect picture?

9 DPO today

Well its 9DPO for me today. Don't feel any different from any other days except that my CM has gone from a creamy/sticky consistency which was slightly watery to a lot and I mean A LOT of watery CM. Doesn't have an odor - but soaks through my panties. It was slippery and wet when I lightly rub my fingers together but its not stretchy. Its almost like the watery CM I had before I ovulate.

 

I know many women notice more cervical fluid (vaginal discharge) than normal during early pregnancy because of the hormones. The CM I understand can be white and creamy (like lotion) or wet and slippery. And it can occur steadily throughout the day or appear in globs especially when wiping or just once during the day.

My boobs are still tender and full. I have also started to feel pain at my back for the couple of days.

I have been tired, but no surprises yet as I am usually tired most times. 

And also I have lots of gas. REALLY BAD wind!

Not sure if this is our month but I really hope so. Because of all the BFNs and the disappointments, I feel that I may be getting carried away again this month. I guess time will tell.

Tested HPT yesterday and today and of course they were both a BFN! I know its too early to test, but I can't help myself and I am getting a bit discouraged. 

Also I have been feeling the urge to gag for the last couple of days. I dont know if this is just a mild morning sickness, or me over thinking it. After eating breakfast this morning, I gagged a little in mouth and had to run to the toilet to spit it out.

My temps have stayed up. Though my temp today might be a little off. Had a series of vivid dreams last night and first time I woke up is at 2.00am then fell asleep again and woke up at 4.30am and then basically had sleepless sleep until 7am when I got up. So maybe that is why my temp stayed up high today.

I just hope that my mind isn't thinking of things which makes my body react accordingly..it might happen especially since I want to be pregnant for so long. It's so hard to not pay attention to every little thing during the two week wait.

AF might be here tomorrow. Oh Pleasee be a BFP instead of AF.