Female fertility and Fertell

What causes female infertility?
It is widely acknowledged that female infertility increases with a woman's age. Women are born with a finite number (about 400,000) of oocytes (eggs).When a woman of 40 ovulates the egg she releases is 40 years old. Due to chromosomal abnormalities that increase with age, these older eggs have a lower likelihood of fertilising successfully.

Natural fecundity (the monthly chance of conception) in women peaks at the age of 25 years, and declines gradually after the age of 30 years. The decline accelerates at around 35 years and reaches almost zero by the age of 45¹. However, there is a great deal of variability in each individual. This process of oocyte deterioration can start very early in some women and later in others.

It has also been shown that follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) levels increase progressively as natural fecundity starts to decline. Therefore, elevated FSH levels in women are likely to indicate potential fertility problems². Studies show FSH level to be a more important idependent detereminant of ovarian responsiveness than age and therefore measurement of basal FSH levels is valuable¹.

Fertility specialists believe that FSH testing is an important measure for women having problems conceiving. A common criteria for normal ovarian reserve ( the number of health eggs remaining) would be an early follicular phase FSH level of less than 10 IU/L and an elevated FSH level is an indicator of diminished ovarian reserve and reduced reproductive potential. While it is important to know whether ovulation is taking place, advances in reproductive health have made the stimulation of ovulation possible. FSH testing allows specialists to ascertain the ovaries ability to respond to FSH in order to produce eggs capable of being fertilised.

Female infertility can also be determined by causes other than age and raised FSH levels e.g.

• Hormonal imbalances that lead to problems with ovulation
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Blocked fallopian tubes
• Endometriosis
• Weight problems - being over or under weight can affect fertility

Why is the availability of the female fertility test important?
Fertell allows women to asses their FSH level rapidly in the comfort and privacy of their own home.

A result showing raised FSH levels provides a potential warning sign so that she can seek medical advice at the earliest opportunity.

How reliable is the Fertell female fertility test?
The female test is greater than 95% accurate when compared to established laboratory tests (commercially available serum FSH test).

References

1. Hull, M.G.R. 1995. Female age and fecundity:Proceedings of the 15th World Congress on Fertility and Sterility. IFFS-95(22):181
2. Ahmad Ebbiary, N.A., et al., 1994. Hypothalamic-pituitary ageing: progressive increase in FSH and LH concentrations throughout the reproductive life in regularly menstruating women. Clinical Endocrinology 41:199-206