Predicting How Long A Female Will Remain Fertile Becoming More Accurate

Posted by taznetwork at 12:09 AM . Wednesday, August 24, 2011

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Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
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A test may soon be able to accurately foretell how long a woman will be fertile before her menopause arrives, researchers from Scotland reported. A survey, performed by scientists from the Universities of St. Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow has determined what the normal range of AMH (anti-Mullerian Hormone) levels are - this hormone reflects how active the ovaries are across a woman's lifespan.

The investigators say their finds should help younger females find out whether their menopause will arrive early or late, and thus how long they are likely to be able to get pregnant.

There are no reliable or accepted tests today that can predict how many immature eggs a woman still has. AMH measurement is commonly used by doctors today as a surrogate measure of what reserves of eggs there are in the ovaries.

Scientists already know that when AMH falls below a specific level, the chances of successful IVF treatment are much lower. They assessed 3,200 samples from healthy women and girls to determine what the average levels of AMH might be. This will help fertility specialists determine how a patient's AMH level compares to other women of her age.

Researcher, Tom Kelsey said:

"We knew that high AMH levels were good for conception but we could not back that up statistically. This study now provides us the level you would expect to find in a normal healthy woman. Before, we knew that once the levels of this hormone dropped below a certain level, it was hard to conceive."

Investigator, Professor Richard Anderson, said:

"Predicting how long you might remain fertile can be very important, and it seems that AMH can help in this. Our data show how AMH changes with age in normal women."

Professor Hamish Wallace, who was also part of the team, said:

"Currently there is no accepted test that will reliably predict how many immature eggs remain for an individual girl or young woman. For a young patient with cancer who may be at high risk of infertility as a result of their proposed treatment, our study will assist the counselling of these vulnerable patients at diagnosis and may influence decisions regarding fertility preservation before they start their cancer treatment".

The researchers said they hope their finding will help develop tests which will eventually be able to predict how long a woman is going to be fertile for.

Professor Scott Nelson said:

"We can now interpret a woman's or child's AMH with confidence and that is a huge step in ensuring we can accurately counsel patients regarding their potential reproductive lifespan."

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Article Reference:
Source: University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

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