Ovarian reserve testing

I've just been reading about the launch of a new "biological clock" test for women, but on closer investigation it turned out to be the American launch of a product we've had here in the UK for a few years now.

PlanAhead is a test of your ovarian reserve, a term used to describe the quality and quantity of eggs left in your ovaries, which can give an indication of your fertility. PlanAhead involves a blood test for three separate hormones, FSH (or follicle-stimulating hormone), AMH(or Anti-Mullerian Hormone) and Inhibin B. Anyone can buy the test, but you then book yourself in for a blood test either privately or with your family doctor, and send off the resulting blood sample to the lab for a result which comes back within a few weeks.

PlanAhead is a good test because it looks at the levels of all three hormones. Traditionally, doctors have used FSH testing to get an indication of a woman's ovarian reserve, but experts in the field now believe AMH may be a better test. However, it is an expensive test, and if you have any reason to believe you may be approaching an early menopause, you'd be better off asking your doctor to do the test without shelling out for it yourself. It's also really important to understand that this isn't a test of your fertility, just of the store of eggs left in your ovaries, and you shouldn't assume that a good result means you'll be able to get pregnant when you want to, as there could be all kinds of other fertility problems that this test wouldn't highlight.

If you are interested you can buy the test online at www.planaheadtest.com