Study Finds Menopause Symptoms Can Be PredictedThe number of eggs left in a woman's ovaries are like the grains of sand in an hourglass, ticking away the hours on her biological clock.Researchers now say they may be able to predict when that clock will wind down. And while doctors can't actually count the number of eggs in an ovary, they can measure ovarian volume. British researchers say there's a direct correlation between the two, and by measuring ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, doctors should be able to predict when menopause will set in and how many fertile years a woman has left. According to the study authors, this information will revolutionize the care of women looking for assisted reproductive technologies, including those who were treated for childhood cancers as well as women who want to put off starting a family for whatever reason. Although information still needs to be validated in clinical studies, its benefit is most likely to start with women who are being treated for cancer and women attending fertility clinics, said Tom Kelsey, co-author of the study appearing June 17 in the journal Human Reproduction. "If women looking for some sort of assisted conception and their physicians know that they've got a long time till menopause, then you could plan for a range of treatments," said Kelsey, who is a senior research fellow at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. "If you knew menopause was likely in four to five years, you'd plan a different set of IVF [in vitro fertilization] treatments." Others reiterate, however, that the findings should be treated with caution. "Should a young woman who is 30 years old go for a test to figure out whether she's got three, five or 10 years left on her fertility? Should she make career decisions and life decisions? Are these data good enough to make those determinations?" asked Dr. Alan Copperman, director of reproductive medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "The answer is obviously no to all of those questions. The predictive value of this test is not good enough to go and tell someone to change their life." According to the article, eggs form in a female's ovary while she is still in the womb, peaking at several million about halfway through gestation and then starting a continuous decline. At birth, there are several hundred thousand and, when menstruation begins, about 300,000. At about age 37, a woman has about 25,000 eggs left, and at menopause only about 1,000. The time at which menopause sets in is widely believed to be based on the number of eggs reaching a critically low threshold. The authors of this study measured ovarian volume with transvaginal ultrasound, then looked at the relationship between ovarian volume -- ovaries shrink as a woman ages -- and number of eggs. They then applied mathematical and computer models to predict menopause. The study authors are negotiating with a medical school to set up clinical trials. The idea would be to follow women to see if their predictions were indeed correct. While these authors have come up with a tool to potentially help women plan their lives, a second study in the same issue of Human Reproduction warned that women might not want to leave it too late. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) could not be relied upon to fully compensate for lack of natural fertility after the age of 35, the article stated. The authors used a computer simulation model to determine that the overall success rate of assisted reproductive technology would be 30 percent for those attempting to get pregnant from age 30, 24 percent for those trying from age 35, and 17 percent from age 40. SOURCES: Tom Kelsey, Ph.D., senior research fellow, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland; Alan Copperman, M.D., director, reproductive medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York; June 17, 2004, Human Reproduction |
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MENOPAUSE What causes menopause to start? Menopause starts when your ovaries (OH-var-ees) slowly stop Menopause usually starts between the ages of 40 to 55. Menopause symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment on MedicineNet.com Menopause is defined as absence of menstrual periods for 12 months. The menopausal transition starts with varying menstrual cycle length and ends with the Menopause - symptoms, effects and information on HRT The perimenopausal stage lasts around four years and starts on average at 47. You are considered to be through the menopause when it's been a year since Menopause Unlike a womanâ™s first menstruation, which starts on a single day, the changes leading up to menopause happen over several years. Perimenopausal and menopausal bleeding When does menopause start? The average age of the onset of menopause is 51 years, and it is most commonly occurs from age 47 to 53. Any drug that can start menopause? - Yahoo! Answers Me and my GF have a doubt that my she is pregnent Menopause Symptoms: Menopause Symptoms Start in Brain? Worst Menopause Symptoms May Start in Brain. Study challenges old notion that menopause starts in the ovaries. Some of the most unpleasant symptoms of Menopause If the menopause starts earlier than 40 it is called premature menopause. There is some evidence that the age at which the menopause starts might be Menopause Symptoms May Start in Brain Study challenges old notion that menopause starts in the ovaries. Bioidentical Hormones & Custom HRT : When do Symptoms of Menopause The average age of menopause is 51 years old. But there is no way to predict when an individual woman will enter menopause or start experiencing symptoms of BBC - Health - Ask the doctor - Menopause - premature I was taught that a normal menopause may start as early as 35, although I think most people would think it unusual before 40 or even 45. |
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