Test to help women beat biological clock

A hormone test may help women beat the biological clock by predicting how long they have left to conceive, say scientists.

Researchers from St Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh universities have discovered how levels of a key chemical change throughout a woman's reproductive life.

This can reveal how many eggs she has remaining.

The discovery will allow women to compare their hormone levels with the average for their age to see whether they should be concerned about their future fertility.

The research includes previous data and new findings on the Anti-Millerian Hormone (AMH), which is produced by growing, egg-producing ovarian follicles.

The study charted levels of AMH at different points in the lives of healthy women by studying data from 3200 women.
 
Tom Kelsey, a lecturer at St Andrews’ School of Computer Science, said: 'We knew that high AMH levels were good for conception but we could not back that up statistically.

'This study now provides us with the level you would expect to find in a normal healthy woman.'

The tests will indicate whether women are likely to have an early or later menopause, so they can make a decision on when to try for a baby.

The process will also help women who have had treatment for diseases such as cancer, which may have affected their fertility, to find out whether their hormone levels have been affected.

The study found that AMH levels peaked at the age of 24 but had almost halved by the time women were in their mid-30s and were almost nonexistent by their late 40s.