(RxWiki News) For Generation X'ers and beyond, many career minded women are delaying starting their families to pursue personal work goals. This usually works out quite nicely, but some women may get so engrossed in work and wait too late to start a family.
Early onset of menopause is an increasing phenomenon. To make family planning and career planning plausible, a blood test measuring Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) has been developed by fertility researchers in the Netherlands.
"A blood test to predict age of menopause is coming soon."
Gynecology Professors Frank Broekmans and Bart Fauser of University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands explain that women postponing children until their career has been well established may be at risk to have difficulty getting pregnant because they have missed their most fertile years.
If a woman knows ahead of time how long she remains fertile, it will help immensely in the planning of both her career and future motherhood. The professors are the first researchers worldwide to develop a blood test which makes a long term prediction for individual women.
Women generally enter menopause between 40 and 60, but according to researchers in The Netherlands, fertility usually ceases 10 years prior to the onset of menopause. This is problematic for career women delaying the start of families.
The technology is also available to freeze eggs, which is a valuable option for women who know they will enter menopause before their career aspirations are met.
The study participants were 257 healthy women monitored over several years. The AMH levels taken when the women were 30 were predictive as to when the women would hit menopause.
For example, an AMH concentration of .15 ng/ml at age 30 predicts menopause beginning at 48.8 years old. An AMH concentration of 4.38ng/ml at age 30 predicts menopause beginning at 55.3 years old.