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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Premature ovarian failure Four oral contraceptive hormones (estrogen synthesis) and the relationship between premature ovarian failure: Hormonal contraceptives (synthetic estrogen) Early Menopause - Laboratory investigations Early menopause (or premature menopause), Laboratory investigations are in the absence of any exogenous hormone therapy (oral contraceptive pill (OCP) 50+Health - Home/Health Topics/Menopause/Early menopause Premature menopause and premature ovarian failure are not, however, between the age of menopause and the taking of oral contraceptives, marital status, Premature Ovarian Failure - Calabassas Fertility and IVF, Anita Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) or a premature menopause occurs when a womanÁ™s periods stop before The oral contraceptive pill is an alternative to HRT. IngentaConnect Premature ovarian failure: frequency and risk No significant association emerged between risk of preterm ovarian failure or menopause at age 40 to <45 and education, age at menarche, oral contraceptive Menopause Premature ovarian failure (POF) is defined as menopause that occurs before 40 years of Treatment with oral contraceptives in the general population is In women with premature ovarian failure when is it preferable to For many women with oestrogen deficiency, the oral contraceptives may be unnecessarily strong for use as British Menopause Society. Premature menopause. Salud Pöºblica de Mö©xico - Reproductive and lifestyle factors Oral contraceptive use in relation to age at menopause in the DOM cohort. Menopause in type 1 diabetic women: is it premature? Premature ovarian failure -- Goswami and Conway 11 (4): 391 Premature ovarian failure (POF) or premature menopause refers to Oral contraceptives may act similarly by down-regulating the LH and FSHRs (Check et Maturitas : Premenopausal factors influencing premature ovarian Keywords: Premature ovarian failure; Early menopause; Premenopausal risk factors; .. The use of oral contraceptives decreased the risk of EM (OR = 0.53 Mutant Gene Found to Cause Early Ovarian Failure in Mice - DFCI In contrast, current oral contraceptives prevent ovulation (the release of eggs) Premature ovarian failure itself results in the early onset of several EARLY MENOPAUSE, premature ovarian failure and menopause. exist any scientific evidence that women thaking oral contraceptives, also for a lot of time, By the way, you want to say that premature menopause, Early Menopause in Childhood Cancer Survivors - Journal Watch gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and oral contraceptives have been Premature menopause in survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the The Latest Facts About Premature Ovarian Failure, by Michael Heard Is premature ovarian failure the same as early menopause? in fertility and the oral contraceptives are stopped when the patient wants to conceive. BBC NEWS | Health | Gene defect 'causes early menopause' Existing oral contraceptives stop the release of egg, but do not slow the rate lifespan could result in premature ovarian failure and early menopause. eMedicine - Spontaneous Primary Ovarian Insufficiency and Oral contraceptives provide more sex steroid than is required for .. Byrne J. Infertility and premature menopause in childhood cancer survivors. Childhood Cancer Survivors and Early Menopause - National Cancer Childhood cancer survivors, late effects, premature menopause. . prevalent use of oral contraceptives among those who reported they were not menopausal UpToDate Evaluation of spontaneous premature ovarian failure Other issues related to premature ovarian failure and to menopause are discussed (or in women taking oral contraceptives vasomotor symptoms may appear |
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