Science Tuesday

Ooooooh! I just read about this. Finally!!! There might be some better predictors for women. Yay! Though I'm "done," I am excited for women/girls in the future.



I'm pasting the text from the link above in case it goes away.



Research Summary: Ticking Clock
May 14 - KGO - Today, sees the launch of 'Plan Ahead'. This ground-breaking ovarian reserve test helps women plan for the future by giving a predictive assessment of the number of eggs in their ovaries, compared to levels expected for women of the same age. Launched by Lifestyle Choices Ltd, the kit is initially available by mail order (0114 275 5723). It is anticipated that Plan Ahead will be rolled out to chemists, pharmacies and private clinics later in the year.

Developed by Professor Bill Ledger, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Sheffield, Plan Ahead measures three hormone levels in the blood. The first two are the ovarian hormones, Inhibin B and AMH; and the third is FSH, a pituitary hormone. By combining these three, Lifestyle Choices has created the most accurate ovarian reserve hormone test available in the world today.

The test requires 3mls of blood, to be taken from the arm, on the second or third day of the woman's period. From analysis of the blood sample, the number of eggs present in the ovaries is calculated using the Ovarian Reserve Index and this is plotted onto a graph to show the woman's 'actual' position compared to the average population at that age.

The 'predictive' nature of this test means that ovarian reserve for the following two years can be forecast. Women can, therefore, make an informed decision as to whether, or how long, they can potentially delay before trying to conceive. In 2004, the average age for women in the UK having their first child was 27 years, a rise of 3.4 years since 1971. As many women defer trying for pregnancy, they run the risk of declining fertility and the inability to conceive. Surprisingly, one in 100 women will enter menopause by the age of 40. The Plan Ahead test helps identify women at risk of an early menopause several years before this occurs, giving them the chance to plan their lives accordingly. The test therefore helps women who wish to plan to have first and subsequent children at a time in their life when they are not 'biologically disadvantaged'.

Plan Ahead includes a comprehensive guide; 3ml blood sample vacutainer; reference sheet for the professional taking the blood sample; sealable plastic grip bag; Royal Mail-approved plastic screw top blood sample mailing container; and pre-addressed, postage-paid padded envelope for the sample to be mailed to Lifestyle Choices' laboratories for analysis.

Women can take their kit to get their blood test done either by their local GP or practice nurse; private clinic or doctor; via drop in centre (NHS or Private); or nation-wide at-home mobile blood testing service (full details at www.life-style-choices.com).

Once taken the blood sample is mailed to the Lifestyle Choices labs for analysis. Within 14-21 days the woman will receive a letter explaining her results, together with a Guide to Fertility booklet. A telephone helpline is also available to give advice to any woman who may have concerns following receipt of her results.

Commenting on the launch Professor Ledger states: "My hope is that Plan Ahead will help many women avoid the anguish caused by the early or unexpected arrival of declining fertility and menopause. Inhibin B and AMH hormone levels start to fall relatively early in reproductive life, with a later fall in FSH. By combining the test on all three hormones, we are able to offer women the most accurate ovarian reserve hormone test available in the world today, which will help them plan for the future by giving a predictive assessment of the number of eggs in their ovaries."

In conclusion Clare Brown, Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK said: "There is no doubt that couples are leaving having a family until later in life and the negative effect of that decision and the ability to conceive is well documented. Plan Ahead is a good method for women to check out whether their ovarian reserve is diminishing or otherwise allowing them to make a more informed decision on when to have a family. It is important to recognise though that whilst "Plan Ahead" is a valuable test, there are other factors that may cause difficulties in conceiving so it is vital that men and women make sure they are fully informed when making decisions on when to have a family."

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FAST FACTS

Most women are born with approximately 2 million eggs in their ovaries. 90% of these eggs are lost by puberty. About 50,000 will remain at age 20. By 40 this has dropped to under 10,000.

Less than 0.01% of a woman's eggs will ever ovulate. The rest are programmed to be reabsorbed within the ovaries.

1 in 100 women will enter menopause by the age of 40, and fertility declines several years before onset of menopause.

There is a 13% chance of miscarriage for expectant women under 30. This increases to 35% at age 40.

The optimal time for a woman to conceive is between the ages of 18 and 35.

Women who smoke 20 cigarettes a day have menopause, on average, two years earlier than those who don't smoke.

Fertility begins to fall a decade before the arrival of menopause.

In 2000, 25% of first time mothers in the UK were under 25, 60% were 25-35, and 15% were over 35. This compares with 1980, when 40% of first time mothers were under 25, 55% were 25-35, and 5% were over 35.

FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) - FSH is a pituitary hormone that can be measured to show whether a woman is ovulating and/or close to menopause. However, FSH concentrations can fluctuate from month to month and concentrations tend to rise only when menopause is close. Therefore measurement of FSH alone can fail to identify early signs of decline in ovarian reserve and cannot give an accurate estimate of the number of eggs in the ovaries.

Inhibin B - Inhibin B is an ovarian hormone whose concentrations fall relatively early as a woman's ovarian reserve declines. It is released from the monthly group of eggs that start to mature (from which one egg will grow and ovulate). The size of the monthly group of maturing eggs reflects the number of eggs in the ovaries (the ovarian reserve). The relatively early fall in Inhibin B levels, as ovarian reserve falls, allows early detection of an abnormal fall in ovarian reserve in younger women (age 28 to 40).

AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) - AMH is an ovarian hormone which can also be used to measure ovarian reserve. Its concentrations are relatively stable through a woman's fertile years, but decline as menopause approaches. Again, levels of AMH in the blood fall before FSH rises, allowing earlier prediction of loss of ovarian reserve. Combining the results of the AMH, Inhibin B and FSH tests into an 'ovarian reserve index' (ORI) allows tracking of ovarian reserve using blood samples taken every two years from age 28 onwards.

Around one in five women currently reaching the end of their fertile life are childless. This compares to one in ten women born in the mid-1940s.

According to Office of National Statistics data issued in 2004, the following facts applied to women having their first birth:


The most popular age range was 30 - 35
The mean age was 27.1 a rise of 3.4 years from 1971
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LIFESTYLE CHOICES - CORPORATE PROFILE

Lifestyle Choices Ltd was launched in October 2005 specifically to market a range of products in the female fertility and menopause markets. It is the first new spin-out company to be created as a result of an exclusive 'pipeline agreement' between Biofusion plc and the University of Sheffield.

An AIM-listed company, Biofusion was established in 2002 to commercialise university-generated Intellectual Property (IP). The company has agreed a ten-year exclusive arrangement with the University of Sheffield for the commercialisation of IP owned by the University in the area of medical life sciences. The agreement also gives Biofusion shareholdings in an existing portfolio of eight spin-out companies including Axordia, Celltran and Simcyp. Further information is available from www.biofusion.co.uk .

The University of Sheffield is a world-class life sciences research centre, spending £30m in 2002/3 on research in medical life sciences. This spending level is expected to grow year-on-year, giving an estimated £0.5bn of research funding over the next ten years. The University, which celebrates its centenary this year, can count five Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and researchers, and data from the latest UK Government's Research Assessment Exercise 2001 (RAE 2001) showed it ranked fifth in the UK for the quality of its life sciences research.