CELEBRITY STYLE SPY: See all the latest celeb photos

Why the biological clock ticks loudly for women aged 30

By Kasie Davies on Monday 25 January 2010

Print
Share
Comment

Clock - News - Marie Claire

With more women than ever choosing to fulfill their career dreams before starting a family, this news is bound to hit hard: the average woman has just 12% of her eggs left - barely an eighth - by the time she turns 30.

The discovery been highlighted by the first ever study to track a woman's supply of eggs from conception to the menopause, and the speed at which these eggs decline.

According to this research, by the time a woman turns 40 she is left with just 3% of the two million eggs she was born with. The more eggs a woman has, the greater the odds of one maturing enough to allow her to fall pregnant.

Dr Tom Kelsey, who took part in the research at St Andrew University, said: ‘Women often do not realise how seriously ovarian reserve declines after the age of 35. Every year that goes by you are losing a big proportion of your ovarian reserve.

‘A lot of people get to their menopause in their mid or late 40s. It is only the average that goes to 50 or 51.'

The results contradict other controversial theories that ovaries contain stem cells that replenish a woman's supply of eggs as she gets older. Instead, the number is fixed at birth.

But don't panic just yet. Just because a woman is over 40 doesn't mean she needs to give up all hope of having a baby.

There is a simple blood test that a gynecologist or fertility specialist can order to help determine whether there's an adequate reserve of eggs to allow for a reasonable chance of becoming pregnant.

The test checks the level of FSH and Estradiol, and should be carried out on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th day of the menstrual cycle. Speak to your GP for more details.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR TOP TEN FERTILITY TIPS

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH NEWS

Monday 25 January 2010

Have your say ...

Add your own comment

I do wonder how much of all this stuff is just put out there to scare women into having babies sooner. It really worries me the pressure that is being applied through the media etc. What are women supposed to do? Bring children into bad or unsatisfactory relationships only to have them break down as the child grows up giving children that emotional damage? Are we supposed to have them when we are financially insecure and therefore not be able to pay for the opporunties they need in order to be sucessful in life?

I know scientists are finding these things out but what exactly are we supposed to do with this information? Women are not puttting off having children because they don't feel like it but because they are being responsible about the circumstances they bring a new life into. We know that our fertility starts to fall at 30, why add more pressure?
Comment by Fi on January 27 11:49

It seems that every time I open a paper or magasine recently I am confronted by scare stories telling me I should start having children asap, and making me feel guilty for chosing to wait until I am in a financially secure position. Is the implication that we should all be at home rearing children on a shoestring or without the support of a partner for the sake of a silencing a ticking biological clock? Why should we be made feel guilty for acting as responsible members of society?
Comment by Jenny on January 27 12:23

Not only do we face criticism for waiting until we are financially or emotionally secure to have children, once we do, we continue to be criticised if we chose to work to provide for our children. I realise there are biological facts that cannot be ignored, but it seems as if there is a campaign in the media to scare women into having children early regardless of their situation, or make them feel guilty and worried if they do decide to wait.
Comment by Jenny Ronan on January 27 12:41

I agree Fi, and as someone who DOESN'T want kids, 3% of 2 million still sounds rather a lot to me!
Comment by Pod on January 27 15:22

I'm a young female (I'm 22), but I won't even be finished my university education untill I am 25 (by that time I am told, my most fertile years will already be over). What am I supposed to do? have a baby while im still studying... I don't think so! I will have loads of student debt and still be living at home at 25, at 30 I will have just started up my career and still be paying off debt. It looks bleak for having a baby.
Comment by Amy on February 16 03:58