Ovarian alert! When ovaries get impatient

Indeed, the ovaries get impatient. While you live your life they think things over, again and again… By Doctor Alphonse Mécas Kimpamboudi hospital surgeon; Specialist in gynecology obstetrics

What are ovaries?
The ovaries are two noble organs that warrant the youth of women and promote their beauty. More importantly, the ovaries are key to a woman’s ability to give birth and become a mother. Despite a women’s will, the ovaries may have their say too. For the woman who wants to achieve a natural birth and wishes to avoid the artificial in vitro fertilization (IVF), she should be aware that ovarian aging exists. It can happen faster than they’d think. Ovarian aging is also known as early ovarian failure.

Early Ovarian Failure
Symptoms that may promote early ovarian failure: a woman being less than 40 years of age, a woman who has not had her period for 4 months, high dosages of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH: a hormone that stimulates the growth of follicles contained in the ovaries to promote the release of eggs).

Reminder
The ovaries contain follicles to store maturing eggs in preparation for possible pregnancy. Each female is born with the follicles that she needs in her ovaries. The follicles grow and develop during the menstrual cycle until they release an oocyte (an immature egg) during ovulation. When the oocyte reaches the fallopian tube, it matures and becomes an ovum.

If a sperm cell meets the ovum in the fallopian tube, fertilization has begun. Generally, a woman releases one oocyte per month (starting in puberty). Exceptions exist and if she doesn’t release anything, there is no ovulation. Sometimes two ovums have made it to the fallopian tube and if they meet two different sperm cells, two fetuses can be created.

Carrying two fetuses can be monozygotic (identical twins) or dizygotic (fraternal twins). The two babies can have the same father or two different ones if the woman has had sexual relations with two partners around the same time.

Evolution of follicles with time

Before Birth
Ovarian reserves are estimated to be 6-7 million follicles. They already start destroying themselves at birth, this phenomenon is called apoptosis.

At Birth
The ovarian reserve now contains only one to two million follicles.

At Puberty
The ovarian reserve is about 300,000-400,000 follicles.

During the sexual activity prime
Only 400 to 500 follicles are present during ovulation.

During menopause
The number of follicles falls to about 1000, along with changes in the quality of the tissue. This is partly why it is nearly impossible to naturally conceive once a woman undergoes menopause On top of that, if you smoke, whether actively or passively, the phenomenon gets faster. In the case of early ovarian failure, the chances of pregnancy are estimated to be only 5% (25% in the productive period). In 80% of cases, the cause of ovarian failure is unknown.