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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Menopause - Q & A - Better Health Channel. When menopause occurs, the body ceases to produce the female hormone oestrogen, which is the hormone that stimulates the growth of endometriosis. Chronic Female Pelvic Pain - Medications - Yahoo! Health Treatment with medication does not cure female pelvic pain. Chronic pelvic pain symptoms sometimes stop naturally when menopause occurs. Print How Male Menopause Is Different From Female Menopause Male menopause occurs mainly due to decrease in hormone level. But the therapy is not that much safe as female hormone replacement therapy and it has Male Menopause: Fact or Fiction? "Male menopause is a lot more fun than female menopause. with estrogen as a populace once menopause occurs, and men have altogether not been, Estroven: How Menopause and Perimenopause Occurs | Estroven Menopause occurs because of the winding-down of the female cycle, as the hormonal system moves from its reproductive function to "maintenance" for the rest Menopause - Perimenopause - Surgical Menopause Understand exactly how the female reproductive system works in causing menopause to occur. What Is Menopause? Just like puberty, menopause is a normal part FEMALE MENOPAUSE Articles Hair loss usually occurs because of hormonal factors. As a consequence, biological events like puberty, pregnancy and menopause that effect female hormone When does menopause occur? - Women Health When does menopause occur? Posted on April 28th, 2007 by john Menopause brings about physiological as well as anatomical changes in a femaleâ™s body. Menopause - Female Health Made Simple Menopause occurs when both ovaries used up their egg cells. Egg cells are necessary for the ovary to function and to produce the hormones estrogen and When Does Menopause Occur? How does it occur? Menopause is a condition that is very natural to women. On an average a female child is born with about on an average 1 to 3 million eggs |
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