Age and reproductive function

Unfortunately, older reproductive age nowdays represents the biggest challenge and the biggest problem which couple with infertility problem is facing with, and where the medicine will probably never be able to find a solution. Most women are not aware or not informed about these facts. We believe that every woman, from the very beginning of her reproductive years, in early twenties, should be familiar with these issues in order to plan well their lives and achieve their reproductive plans. According to studies, significant number of women are under the illusion that in the forties they are equally fertile as in their twenties, and the main offenders are primarily people who deal with health education rather than patients themselves. In this situation, nature is more generous for male population, because the production of sperm is continuous process, throughout their lives. Older age for man does not represent a big problem - with age there is a decrease in reproductive potential, but it often remains preserved until well into the old age. Yet, we still emphasize that reproductive plans should be timely scheduled. There are records of pregnancy for fathers at the age of 80 or even more. On the other hand, women are born with 1-2 million egg cells that cannot be renewed, but during their lifetime could accumulate genetic abnormalities or disappear. Until puberty, women is left with only around 300.000 of egg cells. During the reproductive age, this process continues, and after 400-500 of ovulations, women up to 40 remains with only 25.000 egg cells that are mostly genetically defective, and the potential for pregnancy is much lower. Menopause usually occurs when the number of eggs falls below 1.000. A woman can get more accurate insight into the status of her ovarian reserve after the ovarian reserve tests are conducted by doctors. In practical terms, it is important to emphasize that the chance of pregnancy and the number of inadequate egg cells decrease significantly after the age of 35, and the chance for success of an In vitro fertilization for women of 40 is only 15-20% per cycle, for women of 42 is around 10%, and at the age of 45 this percentage falls below 1%. Every woman has to keep in mind this fact. In these situations, often the only solution is a cycle with donated egg cells, when the chance of success is still around 50%. It is important to be aware of the fact that the majority of media announcements of successful pregnancies for women over 45, are actually cases of In vitro fertilization with donated egg cells.