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Mid-Iowa Fertility
More and more women are having their first child after the age of 35. This time
also coincides with the biological decline in fertility potential. One of the
most challenging
clinical scenarios is the impact of the aging egg on pregnancy chances. This
decline in fertility potential, or "ovarian reserve", is the natural consequence
of the aging
process on human eggs.
The human ovary has two major functions. One is the reproductive function or
production of eggs (oocytes). The second is the steroidogenic function or
production of hormones, mostly estrogens. The reproductive function of the ovary
has a much shorter lifespan that the steroidogenic function. Therefore fertility
potential declines in the 30s, even though menopause occurs in the late 40s to
early 50s. Each woman is born with a set number of eggs, predetermined before
birth. This pool of eggs is
never replenished. A female fetus will have the greatest number of eggs around
16-20 weeks of pregnancy (6-7 million); at birth this number decreases to about
2 million, and by puberty to about 300,000. This constant and dynamic process of
decline continues until menopause, and is not interrupted by birth control
pills, pregnancy, or ovulation. From this reservoir of eggs, fewer than 500 eggs
will ovulate during a woman's reproductive years.
Lower pregnancy rates and higher miscarriage rates are both the consequences of
the aging process, and reflective of a decline in egg quality. Women ovulate
their
healthiest eggs during their 20s and early 30s. By the mid 30s the remaining
eggs are of lower quality, and by the early 40s only eggs with very low
fertility potential are
available for ovulation or ovulation induction. This phenomenon is a normal
biological process, which neither fertility medications nor lifestyle changes
can halt. A healthy egg has two functions necessary for a successful pregnancy.
First, it must have normal chromosomes, and second, it must be able to combine
its chromosomes with those of the sperm in a correct and efficient manner to
produce a normally dividing and growing embryo.
www.midiowafertility.com
Mid Iowa Fertility
1371 NW 121st St.
Clive, Iowa 50325
Telephone: (515) 222-3060
Toll-Free: (888) 306-3060
Fax: (515) 222-9563
IVF Clinics Des Moines |
