The twenty-first century is a time of development and progress. Everyone is in a hurry somewhere, and I don’t want to lose time to stop. It is for this reason that having children at a young age has become unfashionable today. Young couples think about family planning no earlier than 25-30 years. However, after 30 years, it is much more difficult to conceive a child.
Why is nature rushing us? What is the reason?
The older a girl becomes, the more difficult it is for her to become pregnant. The thing is that with age, the number of eggs in the ovaries decreases.
When a girl is born, the number of follicles in her ovaries reaches two million. It would seem a huge figure, but with age, their number is steadily decreasing. By the period of follicular maturation, only about four hundred thousand remain. And not every one of them will be able to cause the development of an egg, which will lead to the fertilization of a woman. After thirty years, the number of active follicles begins to decrease markedly. It is for this reason that it becomes more difficult to get pregnant.
The concept of ovarian reserve
Ovarian reserve - the number of eggs in the follicles of the female reproductive system.
Every month in the girl’s body, a certain number of follicles begins to increase in size, and inside them, the eggs mature actively. They are looking for fertilization opportunities, but only one of them will be able to achieve their goal. In this case, pregnancy occurs.
The physiological processes of the body
A woman's ability to become pregnant depends on her fertility (the possibility of conception). Unfortunately, not every month there is the possibility of the birth of a new life. The highest chances of getting pregnant are healthy and active girls under the age of twenty-five. This is the best period for planning offspring. Although even at this age, only every third menstrual cycle makes it possible to become pregnant. After twenty-five years, the chances become much less; by forty years, the percentage drops to five.
Egg Conception and Opportunity
The ovarian reserve is steadily decreasing from year to year. Therefore, sometimes even attempts to conceive using IVF (in vitro fertilization) and stimulation of the body remain unsuccessful.
Ovarian reserve reduction
- The causes of a decrease in the level of follicles and eggs in them can be:
- Age is the main and main reason. If a woman is over 25 years old, then the chances of getting pregnant are reduced year by year.
- Genetic problems characterized by premature decrease in the number and deterioration of the quality of the eggs. Ovarian ovarian reserve is depleted earlier than biologically determined time, that is, before thirty-five years.
- Past diseases and operations. Low ovarian reserve is often associated with previous operations on the ovaries (for example, removal of a cyst), treatment of endometriosis, uterine fibroids.
- Intoxication of the body (excessive smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs).
- Disorders of the thyroid gland.
- The development of pathogenic microflora in the intestine (dysbiosis).
- Continuous abstinence.
Methods for determining ovarian reserve
The ovarian reserve is assessed using several methods:
- Ultrasonography. With this simple procedure, all parameters of the ovaries are measured, including their volume and the number of follicles they contain. For a healthy woman of childbearing age, their number should vary from 10 to 30 pieces. The study is carried out at the very beginning of the menstrual cycle (on the 1-5th day).
- Determination of hormonal characteristics of the blood (analysis). Ovarian reserve is measured in the first days of the menstrual cycle (1-4th day). Several tests are done in order to establish the dynamics. If the amount of a certain hormone decreases, then it says that the ovarian reserve is reduced.
- Establishment of the level of inhibin B and antimuller hormone. This method gives the most accurate results, but in Russia it is only at the development stage and has not yet been put into practice.
Study Preparation
Before passing the necessary tests, a woman should consider some conditions:
- The study is not conducted if a woman suffers from an acute illness.
- At least three days before the procedure, you will have to exclude power and intense physical exertion.
- Before the procedure, you must refrain from smoking for at least one hour.
Is it possible to get pregnant with a low level of ovarian reserve?
First of all, age affects the level of the ovarian reserve of the female body, so the sooner you begin to plan a pregnancy, the better. If the doctor establishes a low supply of follicles, then the chances of getting pregnant are small. In such situations, a woman is often diagnosed with infertility.
However, even if the natural data of women are depleted, science has developed ways to help families who want to have a child. Today, methods such as:
- IVF (in vitro fertilization).
- Egg donation.
The application of the first method is possible if the woman's ovarian reserve has not yet reached the minimum limit. In this case, large doses of stimulants are used, but the effectiveness of the method is not very high. The reason is that even an artificial increase in the number of eggs is often insufficient, so the embryo does not take root well and the possibility of its development is small. In cases where IVF is used for a woman older than forty years, the risk of complications and miscarriages increases greatly.
The second method involves the use of the eggs of a female donor. Under the influence of stimulants, her body produces the necessary number of eggs, which are extracted from her body. After that, they are fertilized with the seminal fluid of the patient’s husband and placed in the mother’s body. Such a pregnancy, as a rule, is well tolerated, despite the fact that the biological material is foreign.
Is it possible to increase the level of stock of follicles and ovarian indicators?
The stock of follicles in each female body is individual. It is laid genetically by nature itself, when the child is still formed in the womb. It is impossible to increase its size. From the moment of birth and throughout life, a woman every day loses her eggs and with them the opportunity to conceive a child. When the body’s reserves are depleted, the natural process of menopause begins.
Every year the body changes, its aging occurs, but there are ways to stop time and delay the onset of menopause. For this, methods of stimulating the work of the ovaries are used. They begin to function in super mode, due to which they produce a greater number of eggs. This method is used only if the woman is diagnosed with infertility, since additional stimulation of the ovaries will lead to their depletion.
Various methods of stimulation are used. Among the most popular can be distinguished: acupuncture, homeopathy, peptide therapy and some others.
Thus, in spite of the fact that fashion and society dictate their own rules, one should not postpone for later what nature itself is prepared for today. When planning a pregnancy, do not postpone this process for a long time.