Hormones and Infertility
Hormones make me crazy. Chances are, they make you crazy too! And what’s even crazier is that your hormones have a lot to do with whether or not you are getting pregnant. So how do you know what your hormones are up to? Let’s take a look at who they are and what they do:

1. Meet ESTROGEN.

Under the influence of Estrogen, you may feel courageous and loving. The man who bored you silly last week will suddenly seem interesting and even attractive, with a little surge of your friend, Estrogen. This nice little hormone will cause that fertile cervical mucus to appear, and she might even peak your sex drive while she’s at it. Estrogen gets us ready to have a baby, so bottom line… she is our friend.

2. Meet PROGESTERONE.

So after the big O (ovulation, not orgasm… are you having an estrogen surge?), we get a visit from our friend Progesterone. She can make us feel a little deflated, with less energy. When Progesterone is around, we may feel quiet and a bit sensitive, solitary, or inward-focused. When you get your period, both Estrogen and Progesterone are at low levels.

3. Meet FSH.

FSH stands for Follicle Stimulating Hormone. If you try to get pregnant for awhile and nothing happens, your doctor might order blood work to test this important hormone. FSH is your magical friend that tells the follicles in your ovaries to begin preparing to release an egg. If your FSH levels are high, then your egg reserves might be running low or you could just have some whacked out hormonal imbalance. Don’t worry… it happens to lots of women!

4. Meet LH.

LH stands for Luteinizing Hormone. This is another hormone your doctor might check through some blood work. LH controls egg development. During ovulation, your LH levels should surge to trigger the release of an egg. If your levels are high, you could have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

So now that you’ve met your hormonal friends, you are one step closer to getting pregnant. Knowledge is power, right?