Mother's Menopause May Influence Her Daughter's Fertility
The number of eggs remaining in a woman's ovaries affects her ability to conceive naturally, and both the number and quality of eggs decline as women age.
"Our findings support the idea that the ovarian reserve is influenced by hereditary factors. However, long-term follow-up studies are required," study leader Dr. Janne Bentzen, from the Copenhagen University Hospital, said in a journal news release.
The researchers also found that anti-Mullerian hormone levels and antral follicle count were significantly lower in women who used birth control pills, compared to non-users. In addition, antral follicle count in women whose mothers smoked while they were pregnant was an average of 11 percent lower, but anti-Mullerian hormone levels were not significantly different.
The effects of birth control pills are likely to be temporary and unlikely to influence the long-term decline in ovarian follicles, Bentzen said. But, she added, doctors and women should be aware of this effect when considering women's reproductive life spans or any fertility treatment.
SOURCE: Human Reproduction, news release, Nov. 7, 2012
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Published: November 2012
