Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
FSH is sent from the brain as a signal to the ovaries to begin maturing an egg. FSH levels increase as the ovarian supply is exhausted. Higher FSH numbers show that the brain is sending a ‘louder’ signal to the ovaries.  The ovaries however can only work with the fixed number of oocytes a woman has at adolescence.  Higher FSH numbers tell us that the supply, or ovarian reserve, is running low. FSH numbers increase with the woman’s age and are a good indicator of how likely she is to conceive with her own eggs. This is a critical factor in a woman’s fertility and a high FSH number can’t be fixed or corrected by medical science. Women with high FSH numbers are good candidates for treatment with donated eggs.

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