Women whose mothers experienced early menopause are themselves likely to have an accelerated decline in fertility, Danish researchers found as reported on Medpage Today.
Median serum levels of an important marker of ovarian reserve, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), declined by 8.6% (95% CI 6.4 to 10.8, P<0.001) yearly in women whose mothers entered menopause at or before age 45, according to a study from the University of Copenhagen.
In contrast, women with maternal menopause at ages 46 to 54 had a decline in median AMH of 6.8% (95% CI 5 to 8.6, P<0.001) each year, while those with later maternal menopause had an annual decrease of only 4.2% (95% CI 2 to 6.4, P<0.001), the researchers reported in Human Reproduction.
During recent decades many women have delayed childbearing, with the possible result that they may then have difficulties in conceiving if their ovarian reserve has begun to be depleted and oocyte quality lost. To explore this, they enrolled 527 female healthcare workers, ages 20 to 40, whose maternal menopause status was known. They measured serum AMH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol for each participant, and performed transvaginal ultrasonography for antral follicle counts (AFC).
The study confirmed that ovarian reserve in daughters may be influenced by maternal age at menopause, which may be a factor in the duration of their own reproductive lives, according to the researchers. Being exposed to prenatal smoke also may contribute to earlier loss of fertility, they observed.
This is a study that may help women be more aware of their declining fertility as they age. Fortunately we now have the ability to preserve fertility through egg freezing which is now no longer an experimental procedure.