By Dr. Max Gomez
The quality of a woman’s eggs helps determine how likely fertilization is. As a woman ages, the quality of her eggs generally deteriorates. A new test helps women understand their own egg quality, and how to choose a course of fertility treatment.
New York, April 30 -- For many couples, the routine goes like this -- you fall in love, get married and have a family. But with many people now getting married later in life, before you know it the biological clock is ticking louder and louder.
A woman's biological clock has to do with a lot more than just her age. It's a combination of ability to ovulate and the quantity and quality of her eggs. Egg quality helps determine whether an egg can be fertilized and whether a pregnancy will continue or fail. A woman's egg quality generally deteriorates as she ages -- the classic biological clock running out of time.
Normally, the quality of a woman's eggs is evaluated indirectly through a variety of hormone tests. Now, a test that measures egg quality more directly is getting some attention. The test looks at an ovarian hormone called inhibin-b. Ranges of inhibin-b can vary widely, from 45 to 200. If a woman's inhibin-b level is lower than 45, it can signal a problem with the quality of her eggs.
This test can help a couple and their doctor decide which type of infertility treatment is best. For more information on inhibin-b testing, the doctor in our story is Dr. Scott Roseff from the West Essex Center for Advanced Reproductive Endocrinology in West Orange, New Jersey.