Tests to tell infertility age

A test which can predict the age at which a woman will no longer be able to give birth has been developed.

The technique uses ultrasound to measure the size of a woman's ovaries and mathematical modelling to calculate when menopause will occur.

It has major implications for family planning and society.

Career women, or those wishing to stay free and single, will be able to plan precisely how long they can put motherhood on hold.

Treatment of women needing help to conceive, or who have had cancer therapy, could also be revolutionised.

Researcher Dr Hamish Wallace said: 'In essence, it means we have the potential to tell a woman how fast her biological clock is ticking and how long she has before it will run down.'

By measuring the volume of a woman's ovaries, scientists can estimate how many more eggs will be produced. From this, they can calculate when egg numbers will drop to menopausal levels.

The ovaries of a five-month-old foetus have several millions eggs but then the number starts to decline.

By the age of 37, there are about 25,000 left. Just before menopause, the number is down to about 1,000 - too few to achieve fertilisation.

Dr Wallace, from Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children, developed the test with computer expert Thomas Kelsey from St Andrews University.

The technique could be applied from a very young age. Girls could be screened to identify those at risk from an early menopause, which can trigger osteoporosis and heart disease.

It will work for most women but not if they are taking the Pill, the journal Human Reproduction reported.

Dr Kelsey said: 'The technology exists and can be made available at GP surgeries or fertility clinics, and would be a first step in family planning.'

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