Does A Woman’s Age Have an Effect on Her Egg Quality?
Today, Dr. Zhang would like to comment on egg quality and a woman’s age.
It is commonly understood that there is a direct relationship between the age of a woman and the quality of her eggs. In general, after a certain time, the increased age of a woman will increase the chance of a poor quality egg. This is important because poor quality eggs are more likely to contribute to a poor quality embryo than their counterparts, the sperm.
What do we mean when we speak of “Poor Quality Embryo?”
By definition, an embryo is a fertilized egg in the process of development. When we speak about poor quality embryo’s there are a number of factors that we could be speaking about from fragmentation of cells to cell number or even cell regularity.
A Poor Quality Embryo is any embryo that will most likely not yield a healthy, live birth.
There are several phenomena that are linked to poor quality embryos:
- Embryo may not result in a live birth
- Embryo may not making it to the Blastocyst stage
- Embryo may not withstand freezing (Vitrification)
- Embryo may not withstand biopsy
However, it is important to understand that any embryo that will result in a live birth baby will do so regardless of the age of the woman. The quality of an embryo is what it is, regardless of the age. We believe that if an embryo is meant to produce a healthy baby, there should be no foreseeable complications.
If you have any questions or comments on this subject please comment below or email socialmedia@nhfc.com. Thank you!
