Even if your menstrual cycle is regular, it may be difficult to conceive...Age and function of ovaries are important
Apr 16, 2025
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However, due to the diverse and complex nature of infertility treatment, the number of procedures and the success rate of pregnancy are not proportional, so more and more patients are complaining of psychological and economic burdens during the prolonged treatment period. As a result, the importance of accurate cause diagnosis and timely response is becoming more prominent.
In general, infertility due to ovulation problems or sperm factors can be treated in stages such as artificial insemination or in vitro procedures.
However, if ovarian function is the cause, the key is to apply customized treatment at the right time.
Women's ovarian function gradually decreases with age, and the rate of decline tends to increase rapidly, especially after the age of 35. According to the National Health Insurance Service's 'Status of All Mothers by Age in the Last Five Years', the proportion of first-time mothers in their 40s or older has increased by 24.5% over the past five years as of 2023, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare analyzed the causes of infertility by age, and 34% of infertile patients aged 40 or older cited ovarian function as the main reason.
Ovarian function can be confirmed by an AMH (anti-muller hormone) test or ultrasound test, which is commonly referred to as 'ovarian age test'.
Deterioration of ovarian function can be suspected if the number of spare egg cells remaining in the ovary is small, and generally, if the AMH level is less than 1.1 ng/ml or the number of frozen ovaries in both ovaries is less than 7 on ultrasound examination, it is highly likely that ovarian function is reduced. In recent years, accessibility has also improved as it has become possible to test ovarian function through a simple kit for self-diagnosis.
The problem is that these ovarian function tests are often still not included in general medical examinations.
Most basic health checkups and gynecological prenatal tests include checking the uterus and ovarian function, but AMH tests that can confirm ovarian function are often excluded. Moreover, even if the menstrual cycle is regular or there are no specific abnormal symptoms, there are many cases in which actual tests diagnose ovarian age as 'old ovary', which is much higher than biological age. Since ovarian function has irreversible properties that are difficult to recover once deteriorated, it is desirable to check the functional condition regularly even if there is no immediate marriage or childbirth plan.
For this reason, the demand for 'pre-fertility screening' has been steadily increasing not only among unmarried or prospective women but also among women planning to become pregnant. This is interpreted as a preventive approach to checking and managing the possibility of pregnancy in the future beyond simply the purpose of treatment.
Joo Chang-woo, vice president of Maria Hospital, emphasized that "Given the delay in marriage and first birth age groups after their 30s, the key to infertility treatment is early diagnosis of the cause and early treatment initiation. "Especially, if you are over 35 years old or suspected of ovarian dysfunction, early counseling including AMH tests and thorough monitoring of medical staff are essential without delay.". "Even women who do not yet have marriage or childbirth plans need to strategically consider whether they include items that can check their ovarian age when choosing a health checkup package." he advised.
Vice President Joo also said, `The proportion of patients in their 40s who actually visit hospitals is steadily increasing due to the recent increase in the number of primiparous births in their 40s", he added that "Only accurate diagnosis at the right time can significantly change the prognosis of treatment".
In fact, decreased ovarian function is a major factor that directly affects pregnancy success rates, such as decreased ovulation function, failed egg collection, or failed in vitro procedures, and it is most important to accurately identify the condition and start treatment early.
If the ovarian function test results show that the egg or embryo survival rate tends to be lower, requiring a more precise and efficient treatment approach.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
