The Sooner Marriage, the Better: 88% of Women's Eggs Gone by 30

Life Site News ^ | Monday February 1, 2010 | James Tillman

[GonzoII]

Monday February 1, 2010

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The Sooner Marriage, the Better: 88% of Women's Eggs Gone by 30

by James Tillman

Monday, February 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- A new study from the Universities of St. Andrews and of Edinburgh is offering a more accurate understanding of fertility and its decline with age, which researchers say is steeper than previously thought.

The study, which involved about 325 women of different ages from the United States and Europe, investigated the number of eggs that remain in the ovaries over time.  This number, said the researchers, peaks at about 20 weeks after conception and subsequently drops until no eggs are left at menopause.

At the age of 30 years, only 12% of the maximum ovarian reserve - the number of eggs with which women are born - is typically present; by 40, only 3% remains.

The average egg quality also decreases with age, which increases the difficulty of conception and the chances of an unhealthy baby.

"Women lose eggs a lot faster than we thought," said Good Morning America medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard. 

She pointed out that women need to hear that the biological clock runs fairly quickly, and that the chances of having children are jeopardized the longer one waits. 

Savard also pointed out other factors that can help fertility from decreasing, such as not smoking, keeping down body weight, and controlling stress.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/feb/10020113.html

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[PapaBear3625]

link to the actual paper

[fightinJAG]

This was the dirty little secret no one told the first generation of women to be urged en masse to “have a career first.” They basically thought they could have a baby any time they wanted and that there was no risk at all in putting pregnancy off.

Another thing not contemplated: some people do mull over what it’s going to be like to be an older mother (in mid- or late 30’s when baby is born), but I can guarantee nothing quite prepares someone for being that parent of a young teen when you are over 50 years old yourself. (Perhaps this is different for people who have already raised a bunch of kids and who still have teenagers when they reach their 50’s.)

[chris_bdba]

Number of eggs=more chances to acheive pregnancy. More eggs released at a time makes it more likely. We have no idea how many eggs every women can release each month when more than one doesn’t fertilize. I don’t think we know why fertility drops as we get older but it probably does have something to do with the quality of eggs, who knows the body might be rejecting it because of some abnormality?

[Cowgirl]

I’ve had one birth child at age 46. I went to the Dr. and he gave me about a four month supply of Clomid. I conceived six months later. I have a fine son who is 16 now. I also have an adopted son and three stepsons. It keeps you young and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I loved being pregnant and only gained l7 pounds.
I didn’t diet but my doctor said to walk three miles a day which I did faithfully. Pay special attention to the last month, be sure to go to the doctor every week at that time as if things are going to happen it will be at that time.

[annelizly]

that is how i view it also.

I think that it is telling women to get married younger and have children right away. Which means as a society we need to quit telling our daughters to get educations, careers and THEN married and children. which also means that we will have to encourage young weddings, encourage children before they have tons of money and this is NOT what our society has been championing.

[iowamark]

A woman will only ovulate a few hundred times in her life. She will certainly never run out of eggs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/13/health/studies-aim-to-preserve-fertility-of-women-in-chemotherapy.html?sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=all
“”A woman’s egg supply peaks before she herself is born, with at least 7 million eggs packed into the fetal ovary. By birth the number dwindles to a million, and then drops to 300,000 by puberty””