Beating the biological clock

Knowing the cause of their infertility can help women choose options that best suit their situation, writes Dr Tan Jui Seng

AWOMAN’S fertility is affected as she grows older as fertility decreases with age, starting its decline in the early 20s. After a woman reaches 25 years, the decline accelerates and takes a deep dive after age 35.

Every woman has a different ovarian reserve, a pool of eggs present in the ovaries. As a woman grows older, her ovaries age as well. A low ovarian reserve results in an insufficient number of eggs to ensure a reasonable chance of pregnancy.

Some women are more fertile because they have a better ovarian reserve, which may be hereditary. Others may be infertile due to hereditary endometriosis, uterine fibroids and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

With the advancement in technology and infertility treatments, there are now several options for couples to choose from depending on the infertility cause. These options include Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT), Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer (ZIFT) and In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

IVF is one of the most popular treatments that couples opt for because it has the highest success rate. The IVF process involves ovary stimulation, egg and sperm retrieval, fertilisation and embryo transfer. It is essentially designed for women with ovulation disorders, premature ovarian failure, and uterine fibroids, or men with low sperm count or sperm motility.

However, with the increased availability of IVF services, it is now a treatment option for many other conditions. These include unexplained infertility, ovulatory problems, endometriosis, or when other fertility treatments have failed.

One of the misconceptions is that IVF can address late pregnancy. IVF is not an elixir for infertility because its success rate also depends on the infertility issue and quality of eggs. As women age, the quality and quantity of eggs decreases, which in turn reduces the success rates.

Certain lifestyle factors also negatively impact treatment such as consumption of alcohol, smoking, being overweight or underweight and stress. Stress causes hormonal imbalance and metabolic disorders which affect a woman’s ovulation.

Every fertility journey has an element of uncertainty. Yet, millions of healthy babies have been born with the help of IVF and it still remains a viable treatment option for many childless couples who are struggling to get pregnant on their own.

IVF is one of the most popular treatments that couples opt for because it has the highest success rate. Dr Tan Jui Seng