Early ovarian ageing: a hypothesis. Detection and clinical relevance.
An important scientific breakthrough of the 20th century, IVF helped open new horizons in medicine, such as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and embryonic stem-cell therapy. A further contribution of assisted reproduction technology has been the better understanding of reproductive ageing. Data from IVF cycles suggest that there is a fixed time-interval between accelerated decline of fertility and the menopause. This leads to the hypothesis that a significant proportion of asymptomatic women in the early thirties may be at risk of early onset of subfertility. IVF provides a model for the development of ovarian reserve tests, some of which appear promising as potential screening tools for early ovarian ageing in the general population.
Nikolaou
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Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Aberdeen, UK. dnikolaou@talk21.com
Templeton
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D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D006080:Ovarian Follicle; D010053:Ovary / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016649:Primary Ovarian Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013997:Time Factors