Crucial Signs of Poor Egg Quality | Don't Risk Your Fertility

It is essential for a couple to determine their health before conceiving a child. A healthy sperm and ovum ensures a healthy embryo. For that, one needs to look out for signs of poor egg quality and get checked by a fertility specialist. Following fertility treatment plans or fertility management reduces the chances of miscarriage and thereby ensures a healthy pregnancy. Let us learn about the crucial signs of poor egg quality.

What is Meant by Egg Quality in Fertility?

A female child is born with one or two million eggs throughout her lifetime. When she reaches puberty, one of the eggs is prepared for ovulation. If the egg is fertilized by the sperm, it forms an embryo, which is then implanted in the uterus, leading to pregnancy. But having a good-quality egg is important for a successful pregnancy.

Egg quality means the ability of the egg to get fertilized, leading to embryo formation. Now, this is determined by the higher-quality eggs. Higher-quality eggs increase the chances of having a successful conception and a healthy baby. Therefore, being concerned about egg health and understanding the signs of poor egg quality is important.

Determinants of Good Egg Quality in Fertility

A good-quality egg has the correct chromosome count, which is important for successful fertilization. This is known as euploid. A good quantity egg determines a good quality egg, which is essential as a healthy embryo requires 46 chromosomes, where 23 chromosomes each from the egg and the sperm get cumulated.

Other major factors which determine good egg quality are:

Balanced hormone levels.
Regular menstruation cycle with normal flow.
Variations in the experience of women with basal body temperature and cervical mucus.

With the advancement of age, female fertility decreases. But apart from this, there are many reasons behind poor quality eggs, which lead to repeated miscarriages. Let us know the reasons behind them.

Determinants of The Signs of Poor Egg Quality in Fertility

Determining egg quality is essential to have a healthy pregnancy. So, one needs to be cautious about the symptomatic changes in one's body, as these are the signs of poor egg quality. Some of the crucial factors in this regard are:

Irregular Periods: Irregular time frame of menstruation and inconsistent period flow are signs of bad egg quality.
Recurrent Miscarriages: Repeated miscarriages are signs of poor egg quality and vice versa. A bad egg quality reduces the chance of a successful pregnancy.
Chromosomal Abnormalities: Chromosomal disorders result from bad egg quality because they mean that the chromosomal count is abnormal.
Hormonal problems: Hormonal imbalances play a primary factor in determining female infertility.

Low Follicle-stimulating Hormone (FSH) Levels: This hormone, located in the pituitary gland of the brain, sends signals to the ovaries for ovulation. Low FSH levels are one sign of poor egg quality.
Low Anti-mullerian Hormone (AMH) Levels: This hormone indicates the development and maturation of the eggs. Therefore, low AMH levels signify lower-quality eggs.
High Estradiol (E2) Levels: This hormone stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles in the ovaries. However, if the E2 levels are too high, it indicates that the ovaries are releasing the eggs prematurely, again, one of the signs of poor egg quality.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): It is a common hormonal disorder which can lead to irregular menstruation and hence affects the quality of eggs.
Thyroid Disorders: Thyroid imbalances affect reproductive health.
Low Oestrogen levels: Oestrogen is one of the main female sex hormones, and if it is low in levels, it is indicative of poor-quality eggs.

What are the Reasons behind Poor Egg Quality?

After knowing the signs of poor egg quality, let us know the major reasons behind it.

Age: With age, the capacity of the woman to produce healthy eggs decreases. The increasing number of poorer quality eggs or aneuploid eggs, which have either less number or extra chromosomes, leads to the resultant baby being born with Down syndrome. With advancing maternity age, the risk of miscarriage also increases.
Lifestyle: Lifestyle factors play a crucial role in determining severe egg quality issues. Issues such as chronic stress, skipping regular exercises, obesity, and poor diet cause a decline in egg quality. Smoking and drinking have become lifestyle choices which are not only injurious to health but also reduce the chances of conception.
Environment: Environmental factors such as pollution, toxins, pesticides, and plasticizers (which are found in certain plastics) severely affect women's reproductive health. Although it has become unavoidable to be affected by environmental factors, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are part of the environment, affect the endocrine system and disrupt hormone balance.
Genetic Disorder: Genetic abnormalities start with advancing maternity age, which in turn reduces the chances of conception.
Hormonal Balance: Proper hormonal levels such as E2, FSH and AMH levels, as well as oestrogen and thyroid levels, help maintain reproductive health.
Egg Maturity: Irregular ovulation and hormonal imbalances cause problems with egg maturation.
Medical Conditions: A few medical conditions directly impact a woman's fertility journey.

Radiation therapy and Chemotherapy.
Pelvic infections.
Prior Ovarian Surgery.
Tubal diseases.
Auto-immune disorders.
Increasing blood-sugar levels.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases like gonorrhoea and chlamydia.
Endometriosis (a tissue outgrowth similar to the uterine lining) causes chocolate cysts.
Cervical causes caused by benign polyps or tumours (fibroids or myomas).

Medical Interventions to Understand the Signs of Poor Egg Quality

Timely medical interventions always give a positive solution to the underlying problem, whether it be any guidance for fertility concerns or any medical issues. The diagnostic tests and medical solutions available for fertility treatment are-

Hormone testing: AMH and FSH tests help determine the factors influencing egg health and age. Even, Estradiol testing helps to understand the ovarian reserve.
Ultrasound Scan: The ultrasound scan helps understand follicle counts in the ovary, which can indicate whether it is a case of diminished ovarian reserve.
Advanced Reproductive Technologies (ART): Medical treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and Preimplantation Genetic Testing help determine a healthy egg. This egg is then fertilized inside a modern laboratory to develop into a healthy embryo for implantation into the uterus.
Donor Egg Programs: For infertile couples, egg donation is viable when there is no way out. Some popular egg donor banks in America are- Advanced Fertility Centre of Chicago, All Love, Arizona Center for Fertility Studies, Advanced Fertility Care, etc.
Ovarian Reserve Management: This helps to determine cases of diminished ovarian reserve at an early stage, which in turn improves egg quality.

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Conclusion

It can be summed up that early detection of the signs of poor egg quality can help trace possible solutions. Though there are available medical solutions for ovarian reserve, it is recommended to have a balanced diet that includes proteins and anti-oxidants and a healthy lifestyle to have a healthy pregnancy. Regular exercise and stress-reducing activities help a woman achieve regular menstruation levels, which in turn reduces the chance of poor-quality eggs.

FAQs

How to Identify Good-Quality Eggs?

A good-quality egg can be identified by balanced hormone levels, a regular menstruation cycle with normal flow and variations in basal body temperature and cervical mucus.

Is There a Test to Check the Quality of Eggs?

To check the quality of eggs, some diagnostic tests, such as AMH, FSH, and Estradiol testing, ultra scans, and advanced reproductive technologies, are used.

How Do I Boost My Egg Quality?

To boost or improve egg quality, one needs to lead a healthy life that includes a balanced diet, regular exercise, and stress-reducing activities like yoga and meditation.