Diminished Ovarian Reserve Could Hamper Your Chances Of Conceiving; How To Improve Your Odds
Infertility is becoming increasingly common in this time and age. More couples are opting for fertility treatments due to their inability to conceive. There are many factors that lead to infertility in women and men. Diminished ovarian reserve is one of these causes that lead to infertility in women. In laymen's terms, diminished ovarian reserve is the loss of normal reproductive capacity due to a low egg count in a woman's ovaries.
We talked to Dr Jyoti Bali, Director, BabySoon Fertility and IVF Center to help you understand everything about diminished ovarian reserve and how it can affect your chances of having a child.
Diminished Ovarian Reserve Could Hamper Your Chances Of Conceiving; Know The Associated Risk
What is an ovarian reserve?
A woman is born with around 6 million eggs in her ovaries, which reduce to a few hundred thousand by the time she reaches puberty. An ovarian reserve refers to the quality and quantity of these eggs present in a woman's ovaries. This essentially determines her potential to reproduce. A lower count or quality of eggs in both ovaries can cause diminished ability to conceive a child.
Who is at risk?
A low ovarian reserve is primarily caused by increasing age as women move towards menopause. In fact, the reserve begins diminishing at a faster rate after the age of 35. This depletion continues to occur at an even faster rate over the next decade.
Apart from age, endometriosis, genetic abnormalities, smoking, and aggressive medical treatments like radiation can also cause a diminished ovarian reserve. However, some women are naturally born with low egg count or are susceptible to egg depletion for no known cause.
What are the symptoms of low ovarian reserve?
In most women, a decreased ovarian reserve causes no symptoms. Some women may experience a menstrual cycle that is reduced from 28 to 25 days. But for the most part, women find out they have DOR after diagnostic testing.
How does it affect the chances of fertility?
A diminished ovarian reserve directly impacts fertility as women with fewer or lower quality eggs have difficulty conceiving naturally. It also makes it tougher for women to remain pregnant since the rate of miscarriage increases as egg quality decreases. However, with treatment, women can still go on to sustain healthy pregnancies.
Is there a chance of conceiving after treatment?
Treatments like In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or supplementing with hormones like DHEAS (dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate) have shown incredibly positive results for women with diminishing ovarian reserves. In some cases, women with this condition can also use donor eggs or freeze healthy eggs to get pregnant at a later stage.
What can be done to improve your odds?
Some easy yet effective ways include:
- Check your ovarian reserve by doing a simple blood test called AMH
- In case of delay in Marriage and childbearing opt for oocyte(egg) freezing/Embryo freezing
- Include a healthy lifestyle
- Maintain ideal body weight
- Balanced Nutrition diet