We have different factors that can have an impact on the ovarian reserve. Mainly is about lifestyle changes, is about family history, is about underlying factors like endometriosis, so women that are smoking, with high BMI, women that are not eating well, antioxidants for example, they don’t take any supplements as well or women that have family history with low ovarian reserve – all of this factors can affect the ovarian reserve. So, mainly, it is about the lifestyle, how we live, how we work, what we eat and if we take care of ourselves.
I think it is hereditary. If your mother’s had an early menopause which means her eggs are diminished and her period stop. It’s important that you ask that question, so that you can think ahead. If you knew your mother had a menopause at 42 and you’re 32, you need to sort of really try and get on but there’s so many more options now for women such as egg freezing etc. which I think is a a good thing – it gives a woman options and choices.
There are a lot of causes. We can conduct surgery on the ovaries and we have patients that don’t have ovaries and this will lower ovarian reserve. Sometimes it is an autoimmune disease that can cross antibodies with the ovary and this diminishes ovarian reserve. The most common cause of low ovarian reserve is congenital, something in the genes that when you are in developing in the embryo, the genes that make the ovary work correctly, don’t do this very well and some girls can be born with lower ovarian reserves and while aging, the reserve can get lower in earlier stages of life.
