Diminished Ovarian Reserve: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment Options

Overview on Diminished Ovarian Reserve || Dr. Asha Baxi
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
The term ovarian reserve basically refers to the number and quality of your eggs which are also called
oocytes. The condition of diminished ovarian reserve means that the count or number and the quality of
your eggs are lower than expected for your age and can cause hindrance in pregnancy.
People of all ages can be affected by the condition of Diminished ovarian reserve. As much as
approximately 10 percent of women of reproductive age may have this. There are treatments that do exist
for diminished ovarian reserve, additionally, the condition is treatable up to some extent and it’s possible
to get pregnant despite having this problem.
Diminished ovarian reserve can be developed due to multiple reasons, of which aging being one of the
most important and natural reasons, which reduces the egg reserves. However, some of the other factors
which can cause diminished ovarian reserve can be listed as smoking cigarettes, long-term and
aggressive treatments (radiation therapy for cancer), endometriosis, chemotherapy, Ovarian surgery,
such as for endometriosis. Idiopathic (this
means that there is no apparent cause), tubal disease, prior ovarian surgery, Genetic abnormalities
(Fragile X and other X chromosome abnormalities), pelvic infection, mumps, genetic abnormalities such
as autoimmune disorders. At times, there’s no apparent cause of the condition.
Role of fertility assessment clinic in the prevention of diminishing ovarian reserve.
This condition cannot always come with many noticeable symptoms. However, a few of the visible
symptoms can be listed as difficulty in getting pregnant, late or absent menstrual periods, heavy
menstrual flow, miscarriage, shorter menstrual cycles than average, with the average being 28 days,
severe pain, or menstrual cramps.
The symptoms mentioned here aren’t always present. Hence it becomes extremely important to talk to
the gynecologist while facing any difficulty while conceiving. Whenever a woman is diagnosed with
diminished ovarian reserve, they can try fertility preservation as an immediate step to treat the condition.
Fertility preservation basically involves retrieving a woman’s eggs from her ovaries and freezing them for
later use. As per doctors, the best time for any woman to freeze her eggs is when they are young and the

ovarian reserve is better. A diet full of antioxidants and proteins should be taken. To improve the
reserves, doctors may advise some medicines.
Women can also opt for ovarian superovulation, which is an exaggerated form of ovulation induction. The
treatment involves the usage of injectable hormones to induce the woman to ovulate multiple eggs. These
eggs are then safely collected for cryopreservation or for use in a fresh IVF cycle to develop an embryo
which is again implanted in the woman’s womb.
Having said that, it can be discouraging to have a diminishing ovarian reserve, but one should not lose
hope and know that it’s completely possible to get pregnant with your own eggs or even with the donor
eggs if required. However, once suspecting if you have a diminished ovarian reserve, or experiencing
difficulty with conceiving, one should check with their Gynaecologist and go for timely treatment. One of
the latest modalities of treatment is ovarian rejuvenation using platelets rich plasma and stem cells. If
nothing works, one can opt for IVF using donor eggs.
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