Women's biological clocks vary widely

UTRECHT, Netherlands, April 28 (UPI) -- The onset of menopause can now be predicted more realistically and, as a result, the timing of natural fertility can be pinpointed, a Dutch study indicated.

Dr. Jeroen van Disseldorp and Dr. Frank Broekmans of the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands say menopause normally occurs between ages 40 and 60, but variation corresponds to a variation in natural fertility.

"Couples often postpone childbearing until after age 30, even though variation in menopausal age and corresponding variation in natural fertility means that some women are sterile as early as their 30s," Disseldorp and Broekmans said in a statement. "Knowing when menopause may occur could greatly impact childbearing decisions."

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found AMH levels are related to the onset of menopause and are able to specify a woman's reproductive age more accurately than chronological age alone.

In the study, AMH levels were measured in 144 healthy, fertile women and the data were used to determine an estimate of mean AMH as a function of age. The data were then used to estimate the distribution of the age of menopause in a sample of 3,384 women.