After age 31, a woman's ability to become a mother begins to decline
This is a warning for women who marry at an older age. A study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences shows that the ovarian reserve (good quality eggs) starts decreasing in Indian women from the age of 31 to 34 years. Due to this, their ability to become a mother starts decreasing. Therefore, they should plan pregnancy before the age of 31 to 34 years.
As per a study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on women getting pregnant at older age. The study shows that the ovarian reserve (good quality eggs) starts decreasing in Indian women from the age of 31 to 34 years. This is because their ability to become a mother starts decreasing. Therefore, they should plan pregnancy before the age of 31 to 34 years.
This study of the Gynecology Department of AIIMS has recently been published in the International Medical Journal (PLOS One). Dr. Neena Malhotra, Head of the Department of Gynecology, said that working girls are getting married late. Due to this, the problem of infertility has increased.
Women also come for IVF at the age of 38 to 40 years. In view of this, this study has been done to find out the cutoff age for low ovarian reserve in Indian women. Earlier, the cutoff age for low ovarian reserve in Indian women was not determined. Through the study, for the first time, the cutoff age for low ovarian reserve has been determined in women suffering from infertility and healthy fertile women.
This study was done on 3240 women, out of which 1902 women were suffering from infertility. Apart from this, there were 1338 women who did not have the problem of infertility and had at least one pregnancy. All the women included in this study were tested for antral follicle count (AFC) and anti-mullerian hormones (AMH) by taking blood samples.
AFC and AMH are the best markers in testing ovarian reserve. The study ascertained that mean AMH in an infertile woman was 3.4 nanograms per deciliter and AMH for a fertile woman was 4.37 nanograms per deciliter.
AFC in cases of infertile women was 12 while for fertile ones was 15. In fertile healthy women, ovarian reserve starts deteriorating following the age of 31 years. On the other hand, in women experiencing infertility, ovarian reserve starts declining from the age of 34 years.
Dr Neena Malhotra says, "Though the decrease in ovarian reserve does not imply that one cannot become a mother after 31 to 34 years of age, the ability decreases. So, if normal pregnancy is not possible, it is much better to get IVF done before the age of 34 years rather than later.
