Why is age an important issue for a womans fertility?
A woman’s ovaries will typically start producing mature eggs in the teen years. When an egg matures each month, it is nourished and protected by a follicle, a round cyst-like “incubator” that grows to about 1 inch in diameter. After 20 to 30 years of this monthly cyclical process, either the follicles and/or the eggs start to show the stresses of aging. When no further follicles are produced by the ovaries, menopause results. Ten to 15 years prior to menopause, it is possible to identify a certain hormone profile that predicts reduced chances of conceiving. This can be due to a suboptimal environment within the follicle, and/or a genetic or maturation problem with the egg. Many patients inquire about this “biological timeclock” issue, and it is a valid and important issue to address with your physician. Recently, many fertility centers have utilized the Clomid challenge test as a method for giving some assessment about prognosis.
