Discover Your Fertility Potential

Max Lab

Aug 22, 2022

Women are naturally born with all of their eggs, and many women prefer to go for fertility testing to determine their future fertility potential. A woman wants to check her fertility levels for various reasons like she might have had difficulty conceiving in the past and wants to check out any underlying conditions, or she is hoping for children later in life and want to ensure that she has good chances of conception. 

This can be quite helpful, but it is essential to understand that there is always a result, and if the result is not what she expected, it might put her in a state of anxiety about what she should do. Therefore, before a woman goes for a fertility test, it is wise to consider her options in case she gets a low result. For a woman, understanding and discovering her fertility potential is really important especially when she is hoping to get pregnant. This blog is the ultimate guide for women to discover their fertility potential and what they can do if they get a low result.

Finding Out Fertility Potential

As a primary step, every woman looking for an indicator of her fertility potential must find out how old her mother was when she hit her menopausal age. Fertility can stop up to 10 years before a woman's last period. Subtracting ten years from her mother's menopause age will give a woman an estimate of when her fertility can be seriously affected.

An AMH test helps in evaluating a woman’s ovarian reserve, which indicates a woman's reproductive potential. The anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is a hormone that is released by the resting follicles in the ovaries that slows down with age. It is a blood test that can be performed at any time during the menstrual cycle. But, the test is merely one factor and will not indicate whether there are any other underlying reasons. The AMH test determines your ovarian reserves but does not show the quality of your eggs.

Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) can have a very high reading because the cysts create an excess of anti-mullerian hormone, hence this test is not effective for predicting future fertility. Women who use the pill should stop taking the pill and wait for at least one cycle to pass before taking a test.

When planning to have a baby, some women find the AMH test useful in determining how long they can try to conceive a child. Others use it as an indicator to determine whether or not to undergo IVF. If the test results are not positive, you may need assistance in understanding the causes and planning your next steps. 

Possible Causes of Infertility in Women

Infertility in women is not an incurable condition. With the introduction of new technologies and methods, it is possible to treat any minor disorder in a woman’s ovaries. Some of the possible and treatable causes of infertility in women are:

• Problems with the uterus: This comprises polyps, fibroids, and septum within the uterine lining. Polyps and fibroids can appear at any time, whereas other disorders (such as a septum) are present from birth. 
• Fallopian tube problems: Pelvic inflammatory diseases, which are primarily caused by chlamydia and gonorrhoea, are the most common cause of "tubal factor" infertility.
• Ovulation issues: A woman may not ovulate (release an egg) on a regular basis for various reasons. Hormonal imbalances, a history of eating disorders, substance abuse, thyroid issues, severe stress, and pituitary tumours are all factors that can interfere with ovulation.
• Egg quantity and quality issues: As mentioned above, women are born with all of their eggs, and this supply might "run out" before menopause. Moreover, some eggs will have an inaccurate amount of chromosomes and will be unable to fertilise or develop into a healthy foetus. Several of these chromosomal problems (for example, "balanced translocation") may impact all of the eggs. 

What to Do If a Woman Has a Low Ovarian Reserve?

If a woman gets a result of having a low ovarian reserve, it is important to plan ahead and take the necessary measures. Some of them are the following:

• An Ultrasound Scan to Determine the Antral Follicle Count

Antral follicles are very small resting follicles on the ovary that range in size from 2 to 8 mm. An antral follicle count, when combined with an AMH test, is a much more reliable method of determining a woman’s ovarian reserve. It also gives an idea of how well a woman can respond to IVF treatment.

• Hypnotherapy

When a woman gets negative news concerning her ovarian reserve, her mindset changes, and she begins to fall downwards. Panic and devastation take control, and she may feel helpless. It is common to fall into such negative feelings, and hypnotherapy can help her cope and control the issue.

• Acupuncture

Acupuncture may help to promote blood flow to the ovaries, which significantly reduces with age. It also assists women in relaxing and experiencing a stronger sense of well-being.

• Nutrition

Most women are aware of diets but not about nutrition in relation to fertility. A woman is born with all of the eggs she will ever have, but she can focus on improving the environment in which the existing eggs develop by researching and implementing 'anti-ageing' foods and nutrients into her diet.

There is no doubt that getting a negative AMH test result can be highly disappointing for a woman. So, it's all about being proactive, moving ahead, and doing everything a woman can to maximise her chances of conceiving a child before, if necessary, turning to other types of assisted conception.