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. Phone # 973-736-1200
Dr. Max Gomez: Biological clock countdown