Women's fertility declines with age, but women of the same age can have
different ovarian reserves, so their chances of ivf pregnancy vary. Without any
other problems in the reproductive tract (fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina), a
woman's ovarian reserve predicts her ivf success rate.
Why should ovarian reserve be measured?
Ovarian reserve provides an estimate of the number and quality of the
remaining eggs in a woman and the extent to which the ovarian follicles respond
to hormonal signals. Measuring ovarian reserve can help overseas ivf doctors
develop personalized ovarian stimulation plans. A loss of ovarian reserve does
not necessarily mean that pregnancy is impossible.
A common way to test ovarian reserve is to measure hormone blood
levels:
Follicle stimulating hormone hormone test
Blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol were
measured at the beginning of the menstrual cycle. This is usually done on day 3
of the cycle, but can also be done on day 1 through day 5.
Typically, FSH levels are lowest at the beginning of the menstrual cycle
and then rise, causing the ovaries' ovaries, which contain eggs, to grow and the
eggs to mature. With this growth, the follicles release estradiol. In turn,
these higher levels of estradiol send feedback to the pituitary gland to reduce
FSH. In cases of low ovarian reserve, FSH levels rise prematurely, causing eggs
and follicles to start growing and estradiol to be produced earlier. With the
release of this hormone, the eggs do not mature properly.
In general, women with higher levels of FSH or estradiol on day 3 were
considered to have lower ovarian reserve.
Anti mullerian hormone test
The anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) test is another test for ovarian reserve,
measuring AMH levels in the blood. AMH is a hormone secreted by follicles and is
related to the number of eggs. The advantage of the AMH test is that blood can
be drawn at any time of the menstrual cycle.
ultrasound
Ultrasound evaluations of the ovaries and uterus can also provide
information that helps determine ovarian reserve. This includes sinus follicle
count (AFC), ovarian volume and blood flow, and some uterine size.
Sinus follicles are small (2mm-10mm) follicles in the ovary. Transvaginal
ultrasound can be performed early in the menstrual cycle to count sinus
follicles. This number gives an estimate of how many eggs there are and predicts
a woman's expected response to gonadotropin drugs used in ivf overseas.
Unfortunately, ovarian aging is irreversible. Once the eggs are exhausted,
no new eggs can be produced. Hormone therapy (which consists of estrogen and
progestin) and some non-hormonal therapies can be used to treat symptoms but are
not good for fertility.
For women with low ovarian reserve who are trying to conceive, overseas ivf
USES stimulating hormones to boost the number of eggs by stimulating the
ovaries. Overseas ivf using third-party eggs is another possibility. Anyway,
start having babies early.