The twenty-first century is a time of development and progress. Everyone is in a hurry somewhere, and you don’t want to waste time stopping. It is for this reason that having children at a young age has become unfashionable today. Young couples think about family planning not earlier than 25-30 years. However, after the age of 30, it becomes much more difficult to conceive a child.
Why does nature itself rush us? What is the reason?
The older a girl gets, the harder it is for her to get 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 time of maturation of follicles, only about four hundred thousand remain. And not every one of them can 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 thiscause 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.
Monthly, a certain number of follicles in the girl's body begins to increase in size, and eggs actively mature inside them. They are looking for fertilization opportunities, but only one of them will be able to achieve their goal. In this case, pregnancy occurs.
Physiological processes of the body
A woman's ability to get pregnant depends on her fertility (ability to conceive). Unfortunately, not every month there is an opportunity for the birth of a new life. The highest chances of getting pregnant are in he althy and active girls under 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 the age of forty the percentage drops to five.
Conception and the possibilities of eggs
Ovarian reserve is steadily declining from year to year. Therefore, sometimes even attempts to get pregnant with the help of IVF (in vitro fertilization) and stimulation of the body remain unsuccessful.
Decrease in ovarian reserve
- The reasons for the decrease in the level of follicles and eggs in them may be:
- Age is the main and main reason. If a woman is over 25 years old, then the chances of getting pregnant decrease year by year.
- Genetic problems characterized by prematurea decrease in the number and deterioration of the quality of eggs. The ovarian reserve is depleted before the biologically determined time, that is, before the age of thirty-five.
- Past diseases and operations. Low ovarian reserve is often associated with previous ovarian surgery (eg, removal of a cyst), treatment of endometriosis, uterine fibroids.
- Intoxication of the body (excessive smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs).
- Thyroid disorders.
- Development of pathogenic microflora in the intestines (dysbacteriosis).
- Prolonged abstinence.
Methods for determining ovarian reserve
Ovarian reserve is assessed in several ways:
- Ultrasound. With this simple procedure, all parameters of the ovaries are measured, including their volume and the number of follicles that they contain. For a he althy 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 blood (analysis). Ovarian reserve is measured in the first days of the menstrual cycle (days 1-4). Several tests are done in order to establish the dynamics. If the amount of a certain hormone is reduced, then this indicates that the ovarian reserve is reduced.
- Establishing the level of inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone. This method gives the most accurate results, but in Russia itis only in the development stage and has not yet been applied in practice.
Preparation for the study
Before passing the necessary tests, a woman should take into account some conditions:
- The study is not performed if the woman has an acute illness.
- At least three days before the procedure, you will have to exclude strength and intense physical activity.
- Before the procedure, you must refrain from smoking for at least one hour.
Is it possible to get pregnant with a low ovarian reserve?
First of all, the level of the ovarian reserve of the female body is affected by age, so the sooner you start planning a pregnancy, the better. If a 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 a woman's natural gifts are depleted, science has developed ways to help families who want to have a baby. To date, methods such as:
- IVF (in vitro fertilization).
- Egg donation.
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,therefore, 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, the risk of complications and miscarriages greatly increases.
The second method involves the use of eggs from a donor woman. Under the influence of stimulants, her body produces the required 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 pregnancies are generally well tolerated, despite the fact that the biological material is foreign.
Is it possible to increase follicle reserve and ovarian rates?
The stock of follicles in each female body is individual. It is laid genetically by nature itself, when the child is still being formed in the womb. It is impossible to increase its size. From the moment of birth and throughout her life, a woman loses her eggs every day 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, it ages, 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 more eggs. This method is used only if the woman is diagnosed with infertility, since additional stimulation of the ovaries will lead to their exhaustion.
Various methods of stimulation are used. Among the most popular are: acupuncture, homeopathy, peptide therapy and some others.
Thus, despite the fact that fashion and society dictate their own rules, you should not put off until later what nature itself has prepared for today. When planning a pregnancy, do not postpone this process for a long time.
