Menopause can be predicted, says scientists!
Article by: Rumer Certeza

Women won't have to wake up all of a sudden to find out that their biological clock has ticked its last.


Scientists have discovered that doctors will be able to predict decades in advance when women will go into menopause by means of a blood test.


Based on a research study to be presented at a European fertility conference in Rome on Monday, Iranian experts reveal that their findings could be a first step toward developing a tool to help women decide when they should start having children.

This does not mean however, that the test will be able to predict when women will lose their fertility, which takes place a decade before menopause. Yet if doctors have an idea when women will reach that stage of menopause, rough calculations can be made as to when they will run out of eggs.


Sceintists state that the test would be extremely helpful in identifying women who would approach menopause early, like in their late 40's or even earlier, rather than their mid-50's.


Iranian scientists had gathered blood samples from 266 women aged 20 to 40 and measured the amount of anti-Mullerian Hormone, or AMH from the subjects' bodies. Knowing the amount of AMH in women determines how many eggs are left in the ovaries. In the following six years, physical exams were conducted as well as two more blood samples.


And based on the amount of AMH women had, experts would apply a mathematical model in estimating the probable time women would go into menopause.


William Ledger, who is a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield implies that it's still too early for the process to be carried out, but if proven successful, would be beneficial to young women who are making choices about whether to work or start a family.


However, other experts were skeptical about a single blood test producing instant results. Nick Panay, a consultant gynecologist at Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospitals in London, believes that it is important to test women more often as they age, to monitor if hormone levels dropped off, an indication that menopause is about to occur.


Doctors reveal that more data should be available concerning the reliability of the tests in around five to six years.


Extra: More and more 40s American Women Not Having Children. Read it {here}