We usually recommend having an AMH blood test to measure ovarian reserve hormone called Anti Mullerian Hormone (AMH). This simple blood test provides a very good estimate of the number of eggs that you still have in your ovaries.
The AMH Test
The level of AMH in a woman's blood helps doctors estimate the number of follicles in her ovaries; the more follicles a woman has, the more eggs she can release, and the better her chances of pregnancy.
How many eggs do women have in their 30s? There is no one right answer to this question, as certain factors – such as smoking or other personal factors – may mean a woman has fewer eggs than others. The average number of oocytes at the age of 30 would be around 72,000 (12% of maximum pre-birth levels).
How Many Eggs Does a Woman Have at 40? After the rapid decline in egg count starting around age 37, by the time a woman hits 40, their ovarian reserve is often estimated to be around 5-10,000.
ACOG states that a female's fertility gradually and significantly drops around age 32. They will have around 120,000 eggs, with a 20% chance of conceiving per cycle. ACOG further states that a female will experience a rapid decline by age 37, when egg count drops to around 25,000.
At the age of 37, the average woman has around 25,000 eggs left, and by the time she reaches 51, this will have fallen to 1,000. “Just before menopause, your egg supply reaches below 1,000, and ovulations space out before they stop altogether, eventually,” says Dr. Sekhon.
When you are born, this number has reduced to around two million and by the time you reach puberty and begin menstruation (start your periods) you will have somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 eggs remaining. At menopause, you will have 1,000 to 2,000 eggs remaining.
The mathematical model shows that the average woman has only 12 per cent of her eggs left by the age of 30 and only three per cent by the age of 40. It provides further evidence that women are born with a fixed number of eggs, which declines with increasing age.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
But the most important factor affecting fertility in women over age 35 is a decrease in egg quality. This decrease in quality impairs fertilization and embryo development, and reduces the chances of achieving a healthy pregnancy.
After 41 years the egg quality declines rapidly. When the woman is over 37 years old, reduced egg quality is often a contributing factor, when it is difficult to become pregnant. Therefore, it is likely that for some couples infertility is solely due to the quality of the woman's egg.
How many eggs does a woman release each month? After a woman starts her menstrual cycle, one egg is ovulated and about 1,000 (immature) eggs are lost each month.
If you are looking to improve your egg quality to aid in fertility, many tips revolve around improving your overall health. Exercising, reducing stress, improving your sleep patterns, and getting proper nutrition can all improve egg health. Some women opt to try supplements to improve their fertility.
After age 35, there's a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications that might lead to a C-section delivery. The risk of chromosomal conditions is higher. Babies born to older mothers have a higher risk of certain chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome. The risk of pregnancy loss is higher.
Your age affects the health of your eggs. Women reach the peak of their fertility at around age 24. After this age, egg quality slowly deteriorates until around age 37, and then deteriorates more rapidly until about age 42. After roughly age 42, fertility for most women basically falls off a cliff.
This syndrome was first reported by Coulem et al,1,2 in 1986. However, the belief that the follicles are empty is under debate. The incidence of this syndrome has been estimated at 0.6–7.0%.
Menopause. Natural cessation of ovarian function and menstruation. It can occur between the ages of 42 and 56 but usually occurs around the age of 51, when the ovaries stop producing eggs and estrogen levels decline.
Women are born with all the oocytes they're ever going to have. Every passing year they lose eggs until they “run out”. When all of their eggs are gone they've reached menopause.
So as you get older, you have fewer and fewer eggs, and the eggs you have aren't easily fertilized by a man's sperm. All this makes it harder for you to get pregnant. If you're older than 35 and have been trying for 6 months to get pregnant, tell your health care provider.
Unfortunately, home kits are much less accurate than standard blood tests at the physician's office to reliably measure reproductive hormone levels. Also, it is difficult to test your ovarian reserve and potential fertility with a home test that only provides a normal (reassuring result) or abnormal result.
A vaginal ultrasound is the best way to accurately assess and count the number of antral—or resting—follicles in each ovary. These sacs contain immature eggs that may potentially develop in the future. Counting the number of follicles is called an antral follicle count (AFC), which is performed via an ultrasound.
CoQ10 supplementation has been shown to improve egg quality, sperm quality, and pregnancy rates. Sperm and eggs both take about 90 days to develop. For best results, fertility specialists recommend taking CoQ10 and other fertility supplements for 90+ days if possible.