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Why Ovarian Reserve is an Important Fertility Issue
• What is Ovarian Reserve
• Importance of Ovarian Reserve
• How Fertell Measures Ovarian Reserve
What is Ovarian Reserve
Ovarian reserve refers to the number of eggs in a woman’s ovaries, and how efficiently the ovarian follicles respond to hormonal signals initiated by the brain. If the ovaries do not receive the correct signals, the ovaries will not produce a mature egg.
Importance of Ovarian Reserve
A woman is born with the greatest amount of eggs she will have during her lifetime. As a woman ages, she loses eggs each month.
With a high number of eggs, a woman has an excellent chance of becoming pregnant. The fewer the number of eggs there are, the less of a chance that a woman will become pregnant. In addition, an older woman possesses fewer high-quality eggs than a younger woman. A low quality egg may not implant in the uterus.
While ovarian age usually correlates with a woman’s age, this does not always happen. Different women will show varying levels of ovarian reserve at the same age. Ovarian reserve is a crucial test that indicates the number of eggs a woman has and thus, her probability of pregnancy success.
While ovarian reserve is vital for a natural pregnancy to occur, a healthy ovarian reserve also aids assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization. With a lower ovarian reserve, there is lower response to in vitro drugs, and thus less of a chance of a healthy pregnancy occurring.
How Fertell Measures Ovarian Reserve
The Fertell female test measures the level of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) present in first morning urine on Day 3 of her period (Day 3 FSH test). The level of FSH is an indicator of Ovarian Reserve. The test checks for a normal FSH level, as described in the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guideline. Fertell is the only at-home FSH test appropriate for fertility screening.
