Females are born with all their eggs, different to the male who produces sperm on an ongoing basis throughout his life. Every month, once a female has reached puberty, she starts developing many eggs, after the initial four days into the cycle most of her developing eggs are lost within the ovary, only the dominant egg within a cyst like structure called a follicle continues to maturity. The majority of eggs produced are not always genetically viable hence a pregnancy is not guaranteed in each cycle. Due to an ongoing deterioration of the eggs the pregnancy rate drops rapidly after a woman has reached her mid thirties.

Women enter the peri-menopausal stage (the stage before menopause) at varying ages - from early thirties to late forties. This peri-menopausal stage indicates that a woman is starting to run out of eggs. Generally the eggs she is producing at this stage are poor in quality. Maternal age is a factor that refers to the deterioration of the ovarian function and not her physical age.

Symptoms

There is a change in the hormonal cycle, it shorten, lengthens or becomes irregular.

The FSH (Follicular Stimulating Hormone) level starts rising slowly there is also a rapid estrogen rise at the commencement of the cycle.

Irritability and tiredness are also symptoms.

Diagnosis

FSH and estrogen blood levels should be tested on day two or day three of the menstrual cycle. The FSH level does fluctuate during the peri-menopausal stage, therefore it should be repeated.

Treatment

There is no treatment to prevent the onset of the menopausal phase. Utilising donor eggs or adoption are the only options available.