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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
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Z-Scores for Assessing Ovarian Reserve in Young Patients Undergoing Fertility Preservation
Published on: October 25, 2024
Testing ovarian reserve to predict age at menopause.
C B Lambalk1, J van Disseldorp, C H de Koning
1Division of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. cb.lambalk@vumc.nl
Maturitas
|July 28, 2009
Summary
Predicting menopause and infertility is crucial for family planning. While many markers exist, none are perfectly accurate yet, but ongoing studies and genetic profiles show promise.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Endocrinology
- Gerontology
- Gynecology
Background:
- Women are delaying childbirth, making accurate prediction of menopause and preceding infertility essential.
- Early prediction of premature menopause is vital for managing long-term health risks associated with estrogen deficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the physiology of ovarian aging and evaluate predictive markers for menopause and infertility.
- To assess the clinical utility of various endocrine and non-endocrine markers for predicting menopausal age.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on ovarian aging and menopause prediction.
- Evaluation of endocrine markers (estradiol, progesterone, LH, activin), follicle dynamics, and non-endocrine markers (age, family history, AMH, IVF response, FSH, AFC).
Main Results:
- Subtle endocrine changes are currently not clinically useful for prediction.
- Promising markers for long-term prediction include chronological age, family history, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), poor in vitro fertilization (IVF) response, basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and antral follicle count (AFC).
- Short-term prediction may utilize cycle shortening and vasomotor symptoms.
Conclusions:
- No single marker currently offers sufficient predictive accuracy for individual menopause timing.
- Longitudinal studies and genetic profiling are expected to improve predictive models for menopause and infertility.
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