How Do I Know if My Eggs Are Healthy?

While it only takes one egg (or oocyte) to become pregnant, natural conception isn’t always easy. For some women, especially those who wait until later in life to start a family, getting pregnant naturally can become increasingly difficult.

If you’re ready to have children and are having trouble getting pregnant, or you simply want to ensure your body is ready for fertilization, our skilled infertility and IVF specialists at Effortless IVF in Bedford and Fort Worth, Texas, can help. Dr. Kevin Doody and Dr. Kathleen Doody can verify your eggs are healthy through our pre-cycle evaluation. Here's how it works. 

How we check for healthy eggs

The anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) test and a review of lifestyle and personal medical history can help us evaluate a woman’s fertility and egg viability to gain better insight into how well in vitro fertilization (IVF) or other assisted reproductive technologies may work.

The AMH test helps us determine the level of AMH in your blood, allowing us to estimate the number of follicles in your ovaries. The more follicles, the better, as a larger number of follicles means more eggs are released, which increases your chances of pregnancy. 

Although the AMH test isn't 100% accurate in determining the likelihood of pregnancy, it still helps us gain a rough estimate of the health and viability of the eggs you’ve got. 

Causes for unhealthy eggs

Having unhealthy eggs means you’re at risk for infertility, defined as trying to get pregnant without success even after having frequent, unprotected sex for at least a year (or six months if you’re 35 or older).

If you’re suffering from or at risk of infertility, it may be due to the many factors that can affect egg health, such as: 

Advanced age

The quality and quantity of a woman’s eggs begin to decline with age, starting around the age of 35. It’s at about this time in life that a woman’s follicle loss begins to accelerate, resulting in fewer and poorer quality eggs. 

Smoking

This unhealthy habit can damage your cervix and fallopian tubes and increase your risk of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. It may also age your ovaries and deplete your eggs prematurely. 

Weight

Being overweight or underweight can affect ovulation and the likelihood of pregnancy, so it's important to maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) when you’re trying to conceive.

Sexual history

Having unprotected sex with various partners can increase your risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like chlamydia and gonorrhea, either of which can damage your fallopian tubes and make pregnancy less likely. 

Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol can also undermine your fertility.

How healthy are your eggs?

While deciding to start a family is an exciting time for most, the process isn’t straightforward for everyone. If you’re worried about the health and vitality of your eggs, we can help. 

To learn more about your egg health or the effortless IVF process, give us a call today. Or, click online to schedule a visit to your nearest Effortless IVF clinic in Bedford or Fort Worth, Texas, any time.