Do You Think Menopause Can Be Predicted?

Written by Liana Badea Friday, 29 April 2011 04:40

Menopause is the cessation of menstruation. In other words, it is the end of fertility for women. It sets in when the number of eggs reaches the lowest count.

Menopause is the cessation of menstruation. In other words, it is the end of fertility for women. It sets in when the number of eggs reaches the lowest count.

Eggs form in a female's ovary while she is still in the womb. At birth there are several hundred thousand eggs; when menstruation begins, about 300,000; at about age 37, a woman has about 25,000 eggs left, and at menopause only about 1,000.

Every woman will have a different menopause experience, as every woman is different. Some women will start the menopause at 45, some will get it at 55 and some women anywhere in between. Some will have tough times dealing with hot flashes and joint pain, some will barely feel the change.

If you knew natural menopause was likely to happen to you in four to five years, would you make a life decision based on this?

Researchers now say they may be able to determine when the menopause starts, by measuring ovarian volume with trans vaginal ultrasound.

The theory behind this research is that as a woman ages, ovaries shrink. Therefore, there is a direct correlation between ovarian volume and number of eggs. Researchers applied mathematical and computer models to predict menopause and potentially help women to plan their lives.

This test is revolutionary for women attending fertility clinics, or women treated for cancer.

From a different point of view, if you look at the assisted reproductive technology, the overall success of a woman over 40 to get pregnant is very low.

The conclusion is obvious: women shouldn't wait too long for planning babies. No matter how advanced the assisted reproductive technology is, no matter how sophisticated the so called prediction tests are.

So should a 30 years old woman go for a test to figure out how many years of fertility she has left? Should she make career decisions based on this test? Is this test good enough to predict menopause?

The answer is NO to all these questions. You can definitely not go and tell someone to change their life based on a predictive test!