Natural Pregnancy Success with Low AMH, High FSH, and One Ovary: Diana’s Story

Can you get pregnant naturally with low AMH and high FSH?

Low AMH and high FSH can feel like a roadblock. Conventional medicine often interprets these numbers as a sign that IVF is the only option. But AMH measures egg quantity, not quality, and FSH reflects how hard your brain is working to stimulate your ovaries.

Research shows women with low AMH still conceive naturally, especially when underlying stressors like inflammation, thyroid imbalance, or nutrient deficiencies are addressed (Fertility & Sterility, 2019).

Diana’s Case: One ovary, endometriosis, low AMH, and high FSH

Diana had:

• One ovary after surgery

• Endometriosis diagnosis

• AMH low, FSH high → labeled “diminished ovarian reserve”

• Digestive issues, adrenal stress, blood sugar swings, and hormone imbalance

• Pressure to move into IVF immediately

Her intuition said, not yet. She decided to prepare her body first.

Does having one ovary reduce your fertility chances?

Having one ovary does not mean pregnancy is impossible. Many women with one ovary conceive naturally because the remaining ovary can still release healthy eggs. The key is supporting the environment where those eggs mature, digestion, inflammation, hormones, and stress response.

How does endometriosis affect AMH, FSH, and IVF outcomes?

Endometriosis can drive inflammation that disrupts ovarian reserve, hormone balance, and implantation. Addressing gut health, food triggers, and nutrient deficiencies helps calm inflammation and improve the fertility picture, even in women with both endometriosis and low AMH.

What role does gut health play in egg quality and ovarian reserve?

The gut is central to fertility. Diana’s GI-MAP test revealed:

• Dysbiosis (imbalanced bacteria)

• Leaky gut and inflammation

• Poor nutrient absorption

Supporting her gut with probiotics, digestive enzymes, and an elimination diet reduced systemic inflammation, calmed immune stress, and improved her nutrient status, all critical for egg quality.

What functional tests can reveal hidden fertility roadblocks?

Beyond AMH and FSH, Diana’s testing showed:

• Food sensitivities → Removing triggers reduced inflammation and stabilized blood sugar.

• Genetics → Methylation and detox pathways flagged the need for targeted B vitamins and antioxidants.

• Bloodwork → Vitamin D deficiency, thyroid imbalance, and elevated inflammatory markers corrected with nutrition and supplementation.

Can lifestyle changes improve fertility even with low AMH?

Yes. Diana prioritized:

• Consistent sleep

• Daily stress reduction (meditation, breathwork)

• Hydration

• Gentle movement

These shifts lowered oxidative stress, supported her adrenals, and improved her body’s environment for conception.

What happened when Diana prepared her body before IVF?

With digestion healed, energy restored, and stress lowered, Diana felt calmer and stronger. She planned to move forward with IVF, but at her appointment, she discovered she was already pregnant naturally.

Next Steps in Your Fertility Journey

Subscribe to Get Pregnant Naturally for evidence-based guidance on functional fertility, and share this episode with anyone on their fertility journey.

Not sure where to start? Download our most popular guide:  Ultimate Guide to Getting Pregnant This Year If You Have Low AMH/High FSH it breaks everything down step by step to help you understand your options and take action

For personalized support to improve pregnancy success, book a call here.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – AMH, FSH, and Fertility Potential Explained

Why these numbers predict drug response but don’t determine egg quality or your ability to get pregnant.

01:00 – Diana’s Case: One Ovary, Endometriosis, Low AMH, High FSH

How she was labeled with diminished ovarian reserve and told IVF was her only option.

02:00 – IVF and Low AMH: Why It’s Not Always the Only Path

The limitations of stimulation protocols for egg quality and why Diana chose to prepare her health first.

03:00 – Hidden Fertility Clues: Digestion, Adrenal Stress, Blood Sugar, Hormones

The overlooked symptoms showing her body wasn’t ready for pregnancy yet.

05:00 – AMH and IVF Success Rates: What the Numbers Really Mean

How clinics interpret AMH, the truth about retrieval outcomes, and why numbers don’t equal destiny.

07:00 – Lifestyle Reset for Egg Quality and Hormone Balance

The daily sleep, stress, movement, and hydration habits that built a foundation for ovarian health.

10:00 – Functional Fertility Testing: GI-MAP, Food Sensitivities, and Genetics

How uncovering gut issues, inflammation, and genetic blocks changed her fertility plan.

13:00 – Nutrients, Methylation, and Egg Quality Support

Correcting deficiencies, reducing oxidative stress, and using targeted nutrition to improve ovarian reserve.

15:00 – The Turning Point: Healing, Stress Reduction, and Natural Conception

How her digestion, hormones, and mindset improved, leading to a spontaneous, natural pregnancy.

18:00 – Key Fertility Takeaways: Beyond AMH and IVF

Why health optimization, not just stimulation protocols, is the true fast track to pregnancy success.

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] I am sharing a success story. If you're focusing in on that AMH and FSH, and you've been told your only option is IVF.

She has one ovary, endometriosis low, AMH, high FSH. And after functional testing and targeted changes, she went on to conceive naturally when she least expected it. This is a powerful reminder that your fertility is far greater than a single lab result. Excited for you to listen.

Let's go.

Welcome back. I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile. For over a decade, my team and I have helped hundreds of couples improve their chances of pregnancy success, whether naturally or through IVF. We specialize in supporting those with low AMH, high FSH, diminished ovarian reserve, premature ovarian insufficiency and recurrent pregnancy loss through functional lab testing and personalized fertility strategies. Today we're digging into a success story with someone who has low AMH high FSH endometriosis and one ovary. She went on to get pregnant naturally.

This episode is for you, is if you've been told that low AMH or high FSH. Diminished ovarian [00:01:00] reserve and you feel like your options are limited. You want to understand how functional testing, like food sensitivity testing, stool testing, genetic testing, advanced blood work, can uncover hidden stressors and affect a quality.

And you're looking for a real success story to show you that even with multiple diagnoses, to show you that pregnancy is still possible. Thanks much for listening. I'm so thankful that you're here. Make sure you hit subscribe or follow, and if you know someone else who's on the fertility journey, please share this podcast with them.

We're talking all about Diana. So her name has been changed for privacy, but we are going to to talk about her case today and how she went on to conceive her child naturally after being told things are looking pretty grim. So she had one ovary after surgery.

She had an endometriosis diagnosis. She had the low AMH and the high FSH so she was labeled with diminished ovarian reserve. And a lot of times we just get those numbers. We don't look beyond them. We're like, okay, AMH is low. FSH is high. It's got to be IVF. [00:02:00] We've been told it's donor eggs and then we don't look at all the other biomarkers.

We're going to to explore some of that today. She had issues that she didn't really know that was linked to her diminished ovarian reserve. Again, we don't look at things in a silo. You have to look at the whole body. So she had digestive issues. I can't tell you how many people I see either have constipation. We see a lot of the times people have constipation.

It can be linked with thyroid issues. You need to go to the bathroom, have a bowel movement. One to three times a day, not one to three times a week. So if we've got that, you've got all those toxins circulating in your body, that can definitely be a clue. Adrenal stress, our whole thesis on DOR, diminished ovarian reserve, premature ovarian sufficiency.

Is it actually early menopause? because that's what we worry about. Or is it your adrenals? Because you're working more than 50 hours a week, you've been doing multiple IVFs, you spend tens of thousands of dollars thinking that's your solution. That hasn't worked. So you're working, you are also doing IVF.

You are dealing with all the other stressors in life. So is it your adrenals? That have impacted your thyroid, which [00:03:00] impacts your AMH and your FSH and your follicle counts. So it's not a silo. We need to look at all these things together. Blood sugar swings. She had these blood sugar swings. So she was hangry, she had poor sleep, those mood swings and sugar cravings and the blood sugars on a roller coaster.

So all those things can be common, but they're not normal. It's a huge clue. And obviously hor hormone imbalance, which is what we see a lot, where you have low estrogen and the progesterone is non-existent. Or maybe we even have low high estrogen in relation to the progesterone, so estrogen dominance.

So we need to be able to look at the hormone piece, but not just focus in on all the hormones. And not look at the rest of the biomarkers. And and she had a lot of overwhelm, emotional overwhelm on this because she had the one ovary and she had some cysts that are growing on the other ovary.

And her doctor said, you have got to rush to IVF, otherwise you're going to to lose the other ovary. So there was a lot of panic, but her intuition was telling her that. Although IVF was still on the table, she wanted to work on her health and it wasn't quite the time to [00:04:00] deploy it. So we really need to be careful.

We're not anti IVF. There's a huge push in the pharmaceutical arena here to push IVF is the only option. They've got these groups of girlfriends that everyone's doing. IVF if the majority of us can get pregnant naturally, what the heck is going to to on here?

Why is this seeming to be the, you get the diagnosis, they use the AMH to scare you. Low, AMH does not predict your ability to get pregnant naturally. It does not test your egg quality and it doesn't look at your uterine receptivity. It's a measurement to see how well you'll do with IVF.

And it is a marker we don't want to be blind to, nor do we want to hang our whole entire reproductive health on the AMH number without looking at the rest of our health and just thinking, I'm going to to press the easy button and go to IVF. I don't think any person that actually chooses IVF is where they want to be, nor do they think it's the easy button.

But sometimes looking at our health and digging deeper into the stressors and all the other piece can [00:05:00] feel a little overwhelming. So we're like, oh wait, I've got this piece over here where I can take some medication and push my body. And sometimes that works. And other times I see it doesn't. So you've gone through all these retrievals and the transfer hasn't worked, and abnormal embryos, you have a pregnancy loss, just heartbreaking things that people are going to to through here.

Widespread because we haven't stepped back, which we think the fast track is IVF. The fast track is always your health. It is not an or, oh, I got to save money for IVF. No, it's an, and we always do our health first and then we can decide if we want to deploy. IUI medicated cycles. IVF, PRP. I got people doing PRP and they're pumping their body full of inflamed cells and wondering why the PRP doesn't work. Well, because we just pumped our body full of inflamed cells.

And you have, inflammation to your body from a whole host of things we're going to to talk about today. There is a lot of overwhelm. So this client, she was very faith-based. Faith to her [00:06:00] was extremely important. We worked with a lot of people that faith is important and for you, it's either God or it's the universe.

But a lot of times we become disconnected from our intuition and we just get stuck in our logical brain and all the peace and the knowing comes and we look for the signs and we listen to our body. We know that we're not broken. We know that we can get pregnant and some way somehow it's going to to to happen and we just need to

release the pressure and the impatience and the frustration. I know you're here trying to figure it out. Like in times of stress, I will default to research in a crazy way. Actually, it's my superpower. I will figure it out. But also I need to see when I need to bring in people to help me on this.

And so if you're trying to figure this out on yourself, DIYing this, we will just lose time and frustrate you. So we need to be able to look at things in a targeted manner. For Diana, she said, you know what, something's being missed. My intuition is telling me I got to dig deeper. We looked at her lifestyle.

So we [00:07:00] prioritized her sleep. Yes, you want to get seven to nine hours of sleep if you have dysregulated sleep or you're waking up. All night long, it could be your blood sugar on a rollercoaster. You get up to go to the bathroom multiple times. Obviously it could be that you're having too much water, but we see a lot of blood sugar imbalance, magnesium deficiency.

We see sluggish liver. We see the adrenaline spikes early in the morning, done a whole episode on sleep. Not about you taking. Bunch more melatonin and magnesium, although magnesium melatonin can be part of it, but we need to dig deeper to see why the sleep is off.

Even if you're having nightmares for years terrors in their sleep, which could be nutrient deficiency. So sleep is key, is the cornerstone of good health. A lot of us know this. If you have dealt with sleep issues, you have probably tried everything under the sun, but we need to look at it from a targeted manner, from blood sugar to liver to.

The stress you're under, your cortisol is spiking and our nervous system is dysregulated, so we work on that in a targeted manner. Making sure you're hydrated. You see so many people that are [00:08:00] dehydrated.

You're just having one glass of water a day and wondering why you're, you're like a camel. You're hardly ever going to to to the bathroom 'cause maybe you don't have time. Years ago, I'm like, I don't have time to pee. I am too busy. I remember trying to peeing going to to, why can't I pee faster?

I got to get back to work. So we need to keep hydrated. Meditation or some sort of stress reduction piece. For her, it was her faith. And so being able to do prayer and her going to to to her place of worship. Sometimes the place of worship can be difficult, right?

This is secondary infertility. We see a lot of people go on easy breezy, have your first child, second child, all of a sudden the low AMH. All these diagnoses seem to come outta nowhere while you just sustained life and, having a child. And that was taxing on your system.

And now we're having your second one. You're wondering why it's not working well, we need to boost everything up, reduce your stress. You're looking after a little one, maybe your sleep is completely dysregulated because the little one's up all night. I've got a whole episode on that too.

What to do to help with your sleep when you're carrying for another little one. Stress reduction, we want to work on that. And then movement. So we don't [00:09:00] want to be training for the marathon, doing all this running, don't do hot yoga, any of that stuff that's like over taxing.

Nor do we want to put our feet up on the couch and say, I don't need to exercise at all. No, we want to brisk walking. We could do barre or Pilates yoga, but more hatha. Restorative. Basically get your butt moving. But not too much that you can't even talk to your partner. You're so outta breath.

You're doing burpees and these boot camps and that's not where we want to be, but nor we want you just sitting sedentary all day long. So we need to, move, but not too much. I've done episode about this, about perfection. So for her, she, there was a lot of perfectionist piece where it's not going to to be perfect. I'm not going to to do it. Then we give it up and we just put a lot of pressure on ourselves. So that emotional side of things, we just need to be able to like, oh wait, there we go again. Okay. I'm trying to control. I'm trying to make it perfect.

And underneath there is it's fear, right? Fear that it's not going to to to work. It's part of our Fab Fertile Method. We do testing, so we ship the testing worldwide. We can get it to most countries .North America and Europe, Australia and New Zealand. So send us a message [00:10:00] at hello@fabfertile.ca.

If you want to get some of our testing, we can get it to you. We can talk about options to help .Put subject line TESTING. We did the stool test. Showed she had leaky gut, so then

your body mounts an immune response to all your favorite foods. You can let in those nasty critters, some parasites, bacterial overgrowths, inflammation. Everything we do is to reduce inflammation in a targeted manner. We supported her gut health, so we do protocols. We did a protocol to be able to eliminate the bad guys and bring in the good.

Yes, we want to do a probiotic. But sometimes we need specific strains based on the bacteria that we find in your stool test. So a lot of times we're taking a bunch of supplements, it could be very expensive, right? We want to make sure we do this in a targeted manner, digestive enzymes to help with stomach acids.

So for her, we did see H. Pylori. Impact your ability to absorb nutrients so you can be well fed, but malnourished. All your nutrients are low. And then the H Pylori, we all have that, but it can grow into a virulence factor and that could be why nutrients are all low.

And then we pass that back and forth via [00:11:00] saliva. We did the stool test. People worry, we're not going to to find anything. There's always something going to to on in the stool test, otherwise you would be pregnant. So the health of the gut microbiome is highly tied to the healthy ovaries. We need to work on that.

And sometimes the first kick on the stool test only a small amount shows up, and then there's biofilms as we work to remove those. And we do a retest because we always want to retest a protocol. We just do a test and then we don't go back and check to see what has been removed.

And then we can make adjustments sometimes more bacteria or fungal or parasites show up on the second round and then we can do something to address that. Food sensitivities. Send me a message at hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line 10 DAY I'll send you our 10 day elimination diet.

Tells you exactly which foods to eliminate and how to reintroduce them. For Diana did that five day food diary. We did the 10 day elimination diet because you can get the food sensitivity test, but if you don't actually implement these changes, say, oh wait, I can't have gluten, dairy, onions, and blueberries.

Who wants to take that out? And we just throw it over our shoulder and don't even begin. That's why we start with the [00:12:00] elimination diet. You need to feel it in your body to see how these foods impact you. And then we do the food sensitivity testing in a targeted manner, take out the top inflammatory foods for you for 60 to 90 days. So you can do anything in a short period of time.

Reducing inflammation. She had many inflammatory foods and this can worsen endometriosis and diminished ovarian reserve. We help to stabilize her blood sugar and more fats and proteins and the diet that's right for her. It's not about you going to to keto, carnivore, vegan, or paleo.

That just wastes time. The gold standard for food sensitivity is the elimination diet to send me a message on that elimination diet. Then we do the food sensitivity test to fine tune this. Because I got people, like we said, intolerant to lettuce or all your favorite foods that you're eating.

As you heal your gut, you can bring most of the foods back in. Doesn't mean you're going to to be taking those out forever. Then we do genetic testing different than the karyotype that you're going to to do at the fertility clinic. This is looking at your gene variants and what are the specific diet and lifestyle and supplement recommendations to support those gene variants.

[00:13:00] And so for her we found methylation issues. And that's a theme that we see needing support. So that MTHFR gene variant. So 60 to 80% of us have that. You need to have support to be able to process your B vitamins. And that could be why your hormones are off because you need to need support with that.

So we can see that on your genetic test. She had the methylation issues. We need to be able to help with her b vitamins. And then we were reducing oxidative stress, which that's going to to be tied to your egg quality and the mitochondria, powerhouse of the cell.

So if you've got all this inflammation and oxidative stress coming in, that could be why, they're saying, oh, you've got poor egg quality. Don't know what we can do about it. Maybe stop drinking coffee and alcohol, but those are generalized recommendations. We need to dig in deeper and look at your specific testing and biomarkers.

So the genetic piece, we see that methylation side of things that MTHFR. And yes, we want to make sure we take a methylfolate prenatal and look at B vitamins, but it's a very complex pathway. I've done some podcast episodes on that. It's multifactorial. We need to [00:14:00] be able to address that in a targeted manner.

And then looking at her biomarkers, she had vitamin D deficiency. Which we see a lot. We like the vitamin D between 60 to 80. If yours is low. Yes, great we want to supplement with it. We want to see why it's low. A lot of times it's low because of gut infections, thyroid imbalance, like we talked about, the adrenals, the thyroid, the AMH, the FSH, the follicle count, so her thyroid was off.

And those inflammatory markers. So the the hsCRP, so high sensitivity, C-reactive protein. We regularly see that over 1. And we want it below 1. So if you've got inflammation, you wonder why you're going to to do the PRP and that doesn't work. Because you're injecting inflamed cells into your ovaries.

So we need to be able to look at all your biomarkers. So for her, there was vitamin D, thyroid and inflammatory markers were high. So then we we looked at her supplements based on her genetics, based on her biomarkers. Did the elimination diet to reduce inflammation. In a targeted manner, you can do anything for a short period of time.

We started to repair her gut and address those infections [00:15:00] and then repair it. Bringing in proper probiotics, not just a general strain. We can look at specific strains. We do the gut and we also do the vaginal microbiome. Then her mindset for her leaning in on her faith.

So shifting from my body is broken to, my body is capable, my body is fertile. And so for her digestion improved, her energy came back, and her stress lessened. All this pressure, she felt calmer, more grounded, and more resilient. And so IVF for her was still on the table, but now her body really felt ready to do it.

And interestingly enough, we see this many times where you're like, you know what? I've done all this work on my health. And this was for her, it was only about seven months. Done all this work on my health and I'm ready to go for that IVF retrieval. I'm going to start the retrieval process.

So she went in to do the retrieval and found out she was already pregnant. And so this has happened to us many times before with clients. Again, she was told low AMH high FSH, endometriosis, only one ovary. So the numbers are not your [00:16:00] destiny. You need to know them.

We're not going to to be blind to them. We need to look beyond them, so for her gut health. So we had hidden inflammation and imbalances. Once they addressed them, then the hormones started to balance. She's able to absorb her nutrients, those food sensitivity pieces. And then the genetics really helped us further fine tune supplements..

And really focus. So we're not guessing. We're not throwing spaghetti at the wall and just hoping for something to stick. No, we're actually looking at our testing and making an informed decision and then deciding when to deploy iVF. Remember, there's a huge push from the pharmaceutical companies to push IVF.

It's nice that we're getting IVF covered by, workplaces. Great. We're happy it's being covered, but very few plans are covering nutrition support.

Some plans are covering mindset support, but maybe in your plan, you'll have a dietician who's following the food pyramid, which is completely outdated and telling you to pound down a bunch of whole grains and dairy. So [00:17:00] old advice on, the nutrition side of things.

And then no one's digging deeper into these testing. These are cutting edge tests. You can't get from your conventional doctor. They'll be like, why do you want these numbers? These don't matter. They are critical. Of course, they matter. We need to be our own advocate. Don't let anybody gaslight you dig deeper.

Take your health in your own hands. Like we said, IVF it's not Ooh, I have to save all my money for IVF and I'm not going to to worry about this health thing. No, we work on our health and we either get pregnant naturally, or if we do go to IVF we have a successful retrieval and a good transfer and it actually works and that, and our pregnancy is good and our postpartum is good and the health of our child, we cannot skip the health piece.

You're being sold a bill of goods. If someone just looks at you and if they think your numbers are okay, they're like, okay, great. I ask people. How'd you get to IVF? I don't know. I went to see my OB GYN. Next thing I know, I was in the fertility clinic and they had me doing three and four IVFs, all this medication.

We don't know how that's impacting our [00:18:00] body, so we need to bring the team in and deploy it when it makes sense. When we understand, when we look at our testing. 'cause right now you are just guessing. And so Diana's story, our client here reminds us that your body's more than just a number on a lab sheet.

She had the one ovary and endometriosis low, AMH, high FSH and with the right support, the targeted support, and she got to work. Our team really help with her nervous system and help to identify all those infections and imbalances. And when we go deeper with testing, uncover those hidden stressors with the gut, the diet, the genetics, understanding, all your biomarkers.

The person with the white coat, not hiding this stuff from you going everything looks normal. If it was normal, you'd already be pregnant. So we need to look at those numbers and we want optimal. So that your body can create an environment where pregnancy is possible.

Hopefully this episode was impactful for you. If this story resonates with you, send me a [00:19:00] message at hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line FERTILE, and we'll talk about options to help and improve your chances of pregnancy success. Take care.

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How to Get Started With Functional Fertility Support

Book your call here to get your personalized plan and options to help improve pregnancy success either naturally or with IVF treatment. 

Check out our Fab Fertile functional fertility program here and learn how to improve AMH levels naturally.  We work with couples that have low AMH, high FSH, diminished ovarian reserve, premature ovarian insufficiency, and recurrent pregnancy loss.

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FAQ: Common Questions About Low AMH and Pregnancy

Can AMH levels improve?

Yes. While AMH itself is a marker of egg supply, studies show lifestyle, diet, and inflammation reduction can improve ovarian function and hormone balance.

Should I try IVF right away with low AMH?

Not always. Preparing your body first improves egg quality and IVF outcomes, and in some cases, natural conception occurs before IVF.

How do I know if I’m still ovulating with low AMH?

Tracking with tools like Mira, PDG test strips, and cycle monitoring can confirm if ovulation is happening. Many women with low AMH still ovulate.

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Key Takeaways for Women with Low AMH and High FSH

• Numbers aren’t destiny: AMH/FSH are markers, not definitions of fertility.

• Gut health is fertility health: Hidden inflammation and poor absorption undermine egg quality.

• Personalized nutrition works: Genetics and sensitivities reveal exactly where to focus.

• Systemic healing matters: Sleep, stress, and inflammation directly affect ovarian function.

• IVF isn’t either/or: Functional strategies improve outcomes whether natural or assisted.

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RESOURCES

📩 Get your free 10-day elimination diet plan! Email hello@fabfertile.ca with the subject line 10 DAY to receive your guide and take the first step toward reconnecting with your fertility.

Stop Ignoring hsCRP and the Role of Inflammation in Diminished Ovarian Reserve: https://fabfertile.com/blogs/podcasts/stop-ignoring-hscrp-and-the-role-of-inflammation-in-diminished-ovarian-reserve?_pos=7&_sid=f6ac7e389&_ss=

Success Story: One Ovary, DOR, Endometriosis, Low AMH and High FSH: https://fabfertile.com/blogs/education/success-story-one-ovary-dor-endometriosis-low-amh-and-high-fsh?_pos=1&_sid=fba4a6a72&_ss=r

Improving Egg Quality and Fertility: The Gut Fertility Connection for Low AMH, High FSH, and Poor Egg Quality: https://fabfertile.com/blogs/podcasts/improving-egg-quality-and-fertility-the-gut-fertility-connection-for-low-amh-high-fsh-and-poor-egg-quality?_pos=8&_sid=e7fb9b2d0&_ss=r

Our favorite fertility tracker Inito (use code FABFERTILE15 to save 15)