Postponement of maternity after 30. year of a woman’s life is an increasing trend. Women want to pursue a career before starting a family and plan to achieve the maximum in their careers before becoming full-time mothers. However, they often do not realise that as the years go by, the likelihood of getting pregnant can be significantly reduced.
At first glance, there may be no problem. Your periods come regularly every month, you do not experience any discomfort and your only visit to the gynaecologist is for a preventive check-up, where the doctor tells you that you are fine. So where could the problem be?
Each woman has a different egg reserve
The ovarian reserve, that is, the number of eggs that are found in a woman’s body, develops already during embryonic life. This means that you don’t decide how many eggs you have, but the decision has been made for you. The problem is that every woman has a different ovarian reserve after she is born, and new eggs are no longer produced during her lifetime. They are just fading away.
Thus, the actual age in many women may not correspond with the ovarian age. There are women who are born with such a small ovarian reserve that they suddenly find themselves in early menopause and, if they desire a baby, they have to enter a donor programme. Unfortunately, it’s not just women who have crossed 35. year of his life. In practice, we also commonly meet younger, hopeful mothers who are perfectly fine, both medically and psychologically, but the two lines on the pregnancy test are still just a future.
AMH is the most accurate method of detecting ovarian age
In a woman’s ovaries, eggs are stored in structures we call follicles. Follicles are in the ovaries at different stages of development. The smallest ones are called primary, the larger ones secondary, and the ones that can be seen even on ultrasound examination are the antral follicles.
The dominant follicle, from which the egg is released at ovulation, is the most important follicle for getting pregnant and is called the Graaff’s follicle. There are several methods to determine the number of eggs, but the most accurate is the AMH test.
AMH stands for Anti-müllerian hormone. This is a molecule produced by follicle cells. Importantly, it is already produced by follicles that are not yet visible on ultrasound (pre-antral stages of follicular development) and is therefore one of the most accurate indicators of egg supply in the ovary.
When is it time for an AMH test?
Women who are predisposed to premature menopause, have had ovarian surgery, or have undergone chemotherapy even in childhood are particularly at risk. However, it is important to note again that there are many women who do not fall into any of the risk groups and yet have a reduced ovarian reserve. Therefore, you should not only have an AMH test if you are unable to conceive, but also as a precautionary measure if you are between 27 and 38 years of age and are planning to postpone motherhood. You can also have your egg supply tested by us. You can make an appointment by calling freephone 0800 300 000.
