Diminished ovarian reserve happens when your ovaries contain fewer eggs than others depending on your age. Your eggs and sperm are the building blocks of pregnancy. Your egg count will decline as you age, but this may occur sooner than expected for certain people. A diminished ovarian reserve makes it more difficult to become pregnant.
Low ovarian reserve is diagnosed by a doctor through ovarian reserve testing. Even if you have a low ovarian reserve does not mean you cannot become pregnant. It suggests you may have a more difficult time getting pregnant or that you should consider fertility treatment.
Most people have no symptoms other than not becoming pregnant after months or years of regular sexual intercourse. Others may observe their menstrual period become regularly shorter.
Aging is one of the most common reasons for inadequate ovarian reserve; nevertheless, there may be no cause. In other instances, genetics or medical treatments cause a decrease in ovarian reserve. Genetic abnormalities, cancer therapy, ovarian surgery, or the loss of one or both ovaries can all cause.
Ovarian reserve testing is used by doctors to detect reduced ovarian reserve. Ovarian reserve testing allows doctors to determine how many eggs you have remaining. It cannot tell you how many years of fertility you have remaining or whether you will become pregnant. These tests determine if you are less likely to respond well to ovarian stimulation medicines used in IVF or if you have a decreased chance of becoming pregnant without treatment.
Vaginal ultrasonography to determine the ovarian volume and follicle count. This is known as antral follicle count.
Blood tests to detect hormones, also known as follicle stimulating hormone, and estradiol. These tests determine how well you can respond to ovarian stimulation or fertility medications.
People who have less ovarian reserve have greater FSH levels, lower AMH levels, and lower AFC than people of the same age. These tests do not assess your ability to become pregnant without medication. They only predict how well you will respond to ovarian stimulation medicine.
There is currently no known mechanism to decrease the aging or loss of normal function in your ovaries. However, your doctor might use standard low ovarian reserve medicines to aid in the conception process.
This treatment plan will be based on how quickly you want to become pregnant, how many children you want to have etc. Treatment options may include preserving your eggs for later use, trying to get pregnant naturally, or performing IVF with your own or donor eggs.
Freezing your eggs is an option for preserving your fertility. If the doctor believes you are at high risk for poor ovarian reserve, they may advise you to freeze your eggs before your egg number drops further. Egg freezing entails using hormones to stimulate your ovaries to produce as many eggs as feasible.
The mature eggs are then retrieved and saved for use in future IVF treatments. In some situations, the doctor will recommend generating embryos, which means fertilizing mature eggs with your partner’s or donor’s sperm before storing them for later use or transferring them to your uterus to become pregnant.
If the egg quality or quantity is inadequate, the doctor may recommend donor eggs. In this situation, your husband’s or partner’s sperm fertilizes a donor egg. The resultant embryo is then put into your uterus. Your baby will not inherit your DNA, but he or she may have those of your spouse.
This entails fertilizing your eggs with sperm, developing an embryo, and freezing it for later use.
Success rates using IVF vary based on the cause of poor ovarian reserve, the number of eggs you have, and how your body reacts to fertility medications. Experts know that, like spontaneous pregnancies, IVF success rates diminish with age. This includes persons with a reduced ovarian reserve. You should consult with a fertility expert.
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