MY BODY CLOCK

Many women go through life assuming that they are fertile and many couples put off trying to pregnant until the "right time". The problem is that every woman's biological body clock does not tick away at the same rate nor at a constant rate and it can rapidly accelerate in her her mid thirtys before stopping abruptly, often without warning. Sometimes this means that even for those who are not particularly old, the "right time" may be too late! Many women only realise they have reached their menopause after it has happened. Conventional hormone tests like FSH can diagnose that it has happended but not give a warning before hand.

Although the woman's age is an important guide to her potential future fertility, some women are still fertile well after 40 years old whilst some may be completely out of eggs in their 20s and 30s. What is really needed is a marker of "ovarian reserve" so that she can see how much time her biological bodyclock has left in order to make plans about whether to start trying for a pregnancy sooner rather than later.

Recently a combination of a special blood test to measure an important hormone (Anti Mullerian Factor or AMF) and a transvaginal ultrasound scan to assess the follicles in the ovary provides women with a guide to their potential future fertility.

The scan is very important as there are hormone kits available over the internet and in some chemist shops which measure AMF but the results are often misleading without information about the size and structure of the ovaries and their follicles.

This new service is the first of its kind in Wales - a chance for women to find out how much time they have left on their biological bodyclock.!

Those with low ovarian reserve who are concerned about their future fertility can then either start trying for a baby or explore the option of freezing their eggs until the time is right.

Adapted from Menken J, Trussell J, Larsen U. Age and infertility. Science. 1986;23:1389.

Age Group	Infertility Problems	Chance of Remaining Childless
20 - 24	7%	6%
25 - 29	9%	9%
30 - 34	15%	15%
35 - 39	22%	30%
40 - 44	29%	64%