may, 2019 | The Health
Fertility journey
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older women to conceive becomes lesser. And if they
do succeed in conceiving, the risk of them to have a
miscarriage is unfortunately high.
“A majority of miscarriages or birth defects such as
Down’s syndrome occur due to an abnormal number of
chromosomes within the egg fertilised. The abnormal-
ity comes from the reduced quality of the eggs,” she
laments.
Dr Natasha also said that these abnormal eggs that
may cause birth defects and miscarriages are more
commonly found in women over 35 years old.
IVF and egg freezing can’t defeat
the biological clock
The notion that women could lean on IVF as a solution,
and so they can purposely delay in having a baby is a
myth. “Even though more and more studies are being
done to improve fertility treatments – such as IVF,
modern science still can’t beat a woman’s biological
clock just yet,” she warns.
The process of an IVF treatment still requires a
substantial amount of quality eggs to be extracted,
therefore would become much less effective for older
women.
Other than IVF, some women also think that egg
freezing can be the definite answer to having a family
later in life. Unfortunately, there are a few facts
women need to know regarding egg freezing.
Egg freezing should be done at a much earlier stage
in life, in the late 20’s to early 30’s in order to have
better number and quality eggs.
You may need several rounds of IVF procedures in
order to accumulate enough eggs to ensure a success-
ful pregnancy.
Egg freezing is very costly.
It won’t be a success 100 percent of the time, and
therefore should not be an ‘insurance policy’ for your
future family.
“In addition, egg freezing is still not practiced
widely among Malaysian women, perhaps due to
financial barriers or lack of awareness. Furthermore,
the process is prohibited for an unmarried Muslim
women,” Dr Natasha tells.
At puberty,
the number
of eggs in the
ovaries usually
decreases to
around 400,000,
and only around
400 eggs out
of the total
will undergo
the process of
maturity.”
important in the early stages of development of the
follicles, which contain and support the eggs prior to
fertilisation. The tests to identify AMH level and Antral
Follicle Count is standard procedure for women wanting
to know about their fertility.
Yes, the fertility of men also reduces substantially as
they age. “The biological clock applies also to men.
Men will experience a drop in sperm quality when
they hit 40, and will worsen thereafter,” she explains.
The public should however be made aware that
there is global decline in overall men’s sperm quality,
where younger men are now facing ‘sperm fertility
issues’ which contributes to an increase in infertility
among modern couples.
Finding balance between career and
motherhood
The main takeaway is this; if you want children, you
shouldn’t wait too long to conceive, be it for women or
men. Education and career may become barriers, but
you should try and work out a solution to building a
family while also advancing in your careers. In addi-
tion, government support is important and should
implement effective strategies for working women to
enable them to still raise their children such as flexible
working hours, affordable good childcare system and
better maternity/paternity leaves. — The Health
The tests make
for precise
indicator of
a women’s
chances to
conceive, and
we use this
as a base to
further consult
on the type
of treatment
or procedure
one must go
through to
maximise the
chances.”
Indication for women’s fertility
“The tests make for precise indicator of a women’s
chances to conceive, and we use this as a base to further
consult on the type of treatment or procedure one must
go through to maximise the chances,” explains Dr Paul.
The tests are important because according to Dr Paul,
the number of eggs in women may differ from one to
the other. “Generally, older women have lower ovarian
reserve. However, on rarer cases, younger women (late
20s to early 30s) are also found to have lower than
normal ovarian reserve.”
The cause for abnormally low ovarian reserve may
contribute to genetic predisposition, previous ovarian
surgery, chemotherapy, as well as certain diseases such
as endometriosis.
“It is also found that smoking may also affect the
number of eggs,” he warns.
Don’t waste time
The natural process of our ovarian reserve diminishing
as we age is unfortunately irreversible. There is no way
to increase the number of eggs we have in us, therefore
there is no absolute ‘solution’ to having low ovarian
reserve.
“If you are married, found to have low ovarian reserve
yet have the desire to conceive, you should undergo
fertility treatment as soon as possible. And if you are
still single, found to have diminishing ovarian reserve
yet planning to have a baby, then you should consider
freezing your eggs,” Dr Paul advises. — The Health
Hold on, men are at risk as well!
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