The biological clock and the ovarian reserve:
At birth, the baby’s ovaries contain a large number of eggs that constitute the ” egg pool ” or ” ovarian reserve “. These eggs will be used by the woman for fertility purposes. The “biological clock” of fertility begins to “tick” from sexual maturation for about 25 years: over the years, the eggs become depleted, and since there is no production of new eggs, the reservoir is depleted: as the age of the woman increases, the number of eggs decreases. From the age of 35 onwards, the egg loss rate accelerates, and menstruation stops when the reservoir is depleted (usually around the age of 51). Years before that, the ability to conceive decreases significantly. The number of eggs available at any given age constitutes the “ovarian reserve”.
At 20 this year Recently, there has been a revolution in the status of women in the world and Israel: the group of women is becoming equal to the level of men, and she has the right to free choice (also thanks to the revolution of birth control pills) as to when and with whom to start a family when many choose to postpone the age of marriage or the age at which they decide to be For mothers, whether at the beginning of a career or because they have not yet found the right partner. Unfortunately, many of them are not aware of the biological fact that the “biological clock” runs rapidly from the age of 35 onwards. Many women, even the most educated, live with the mistaken opinion (very!! !) that they will be able to conceive and give birth even at the age of 45. The majority of women wish to give their children their genetic baggage. Therefore, the knowledge that they will not be able to conceive from their eggs is a tremendous mental trauma for them, compared to which even her career achievements are “dwarfed”, but then the decision is no longer in her hands.
What can be done to “stop the biological clock”?
Egg freezing is at an age when the eggs are still fertile. Fertility preservation is now routinely performed in women whose fertility may be compromised due to medical treatments or due to diseases. In recent years, the issue of fertility preservation has been raised due to social reasons.