I was particularly interested to come across some new research from the Netherlands after my last post about ovarian reserve tests. A team from the University Medical Centre in Utrecht have concluded that anti-Mullerian hormone, or AMH, is the best way to test a woman's reproductive age.
AMH is a hormone produced by the follicles in the ovary when they are still at their tiniest stage, and the levels of the hormone seem to be the surest way to predict the ovarian reserve (the number of eggs left in the ovaries) and to see how close an individual may be to the menopause. The research team studied 144 healthy, fertile volunteers, and used their AMH levels to predict their reproductive age. They concluded that AMH levels are able to predict this better than your chronological age, as women will not all reach the menopause at the same point in their lives.
The research is due to be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, and you can read more about it at http://jcem.endojournals.org
Showing posts with label ovarian reserve test. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ovarian reserve test. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Thursday, 24 April 2008
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
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
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