Fertility testing in your 40s

If you are considering a pathway to pregnancy in your 40s, an important first step is to undergo initial fertility testing. Fertility testing provides our Austin fertility doctors with information that you are physically able to carry a pregnancy but also provides valuable insight into hormone levels.

Many women are familiar with hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, but fertility testing in your 40s places special emphasis on a hormone you may have never heard of – Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). AMH levels in your 40s can provide valuable insight about your egg count, known as ovarian reserve, which is the capacity of the ovary to produce eggs that are capable of being fertilized.

What fertility testing can and can’t reveal

The reason AMH is such an important part of fertility testing in your 40s is that it provides the best, although not a perfect, indicator of your available ovarian reserve. At birth, women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, and as they age, that number begins to decline. Most women experience a significant drop of available eggs in their mid-late 30s, and by 45, achieving a natural pregnancy is unlikely.

A low AMH count can signal a diminished ovarian reserve, which is directly linked to your fertility. A higher AMH count can indicate that your ovary has the capacity to produce eggs capable of being fertilized.

Our Austin fertility doctors use a simple blood test to gauge AMH levels, and this data and other information we collect helps guide our advice to you to empower you to make informed decisions. While you may already have had other forms of testing from your preferred OB-GYN, most often, we want to take a fresh look and make sure we have the most up-to-date and thorough results.

When discussing your AMH results, it is important to keep a few facts in mind:

• AMH levels naturally diminish with age, so fertility testing in your 40s should be done sooner rather than later.
• Hormone levels are often in flux, which can include AMH levels, so this number in some women can be variable.
• While AMH levels in your 40s can reveal information about the quantity of available eggs, it cannot reveal information about the quality of those eggs, which typically declines with age.

Taking the first step

Fertility testing in your 40s is an important first step and is best to consider sooner rather than later. Our Austin fertility doctors can glean valuable information and discuss the results considering your medical history, age and family-building goals. Contact us to learn more about taking this first step in understanding your fertility options.