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What may influence oocyte quality?

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6 fertility expert(s) answered this question

Answer from: Saghar Kasiri, Clinical Embryologist

Embryologist, Director of European Operations
Cryos International
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Many factors can influence the egg quality. Perhaps if we stay with the lifestyle choices that is the number one impact probably. As we get older our eggs get older with us and this process of the eggs getting older with us can be speeded up if we don’t have a good lifestyle. We know for a fact there is a lot of research out there that shows nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol can impact the quality of our eggs. What we must remember is, we are born with the eggs we have and therefore the egg reservoir we have continuously goes down every month we get our period and those eggs that are remaining just like anything else in our lifestyle: like eating habits, exercise habits or stress levels the same way that it impacts our skin our hair it can also impact egg which is yet another cell in our body and the largest cell in our body. Therefore it is very important that we recognise this and know how this can be possibly affecting and causing a poor egg quality in our ovaries. Lack of oxygen in our ovaries can reduce the quality of our eggs and also it is important to note that there are certain diseases that can impact the egg quality for example for ladies that have polycystic ovary syndrome they tend to have poorer quality eggs in comparison to other women of their age.

Answer from: Lucy Lines

Embryologist, Business Owner at Two Lines Fertility
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The main things that influence egg equality are the age of the woman who’s produced the egg and the lifestyle of the woman who’s produced the egg. They’re the two main things that influence egg quality and genetics. Obviously her genetic predisposition there can be a genetic contribution to egg quality as well.

Answer from: Daniel Alexander, MUDr

Gynaecologist, Physician
Gennet
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Age is nowadays the biggest factor. The growing age of couples coming for fertility treatment influences the success rate of the treatment and also the quality of the eggs. The second factor is endometriosis because if the woman has serious endometriosis issues, that of course influences the quality of the retrieved eggs and her reaction to stimulation. Basically, these are the most important factors.

Answer from: Inna Moroz, MD

Gynaecologist, Fertility Specialist
Isida
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Oocyte quality can be influenced by multiple factors. These are not only the external features that your embryologist can see under a microscope but also an egg’s ability to form a healthy embryo. Some conditions like endometriosis or PCOS can also affect the ability of oocytes to create a healthy embryo. However, the main factor is the age of a woman. The older a woman, the worst the situation she’s in. The quantity and quality of eggs will decrease with years – the crucial time is up to 35 years old. So if you’re not planing your pregnancy not right now but later in life, consider freezing your eggs. It will be much simpler for you in the future.

Other factors that can influence the quality of oocytes are genetic predisposition to early menopause or premature depletion of your ovarian reserve, as well as unhealthy lifestyles (e.g., overweight). All those things create hormonal imbalance in your body, and this may result in specific changes in the quality and quantity of your eggs. Stress, medications, or surgeries can also have some influence. So be sure to ask your doctor about all these important things and how to improve them.

Answer from: Alejandro Aldape Arellano, MD

Gynaecologist, (Former clinic) Medical Director
Institut Marquès
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Although great achievement has been made in oocyte quality, we doctors still don’t know everything about that. We can only separate the factors that may influence oocyte quality as internal ones and external ones. The internal factors would be all of those we do not have control of. For example, it can be age, genetics, or chronic illnesses such as endometriosis or PCOS.

Age probably is one of the most important factors. The younger we are, the better quality we are going to have. This goes, of course, for women: the younger they are, the better quality the eggs are. The miscarriage rate will demonstrate clearly, what I’m talking about. For a patient under 30 years old, the chances of miscarriage are from 10 to 15%. On the other hand, when we have a patient over 40 years old, the chances of having a miscarriage will be about 25-33%.

I also spoke about genetics. As you know, we have no control over genetics, and it is strongly influencing both the fertility and menopausal period for a patient. Although we cannot do anything about this at least, we have a back-up plan, and we can advise our patients on this subject.

And then we have endometriosis and PCOS. Endometriosis is increasing oxidative stress, so of course, it is affecting the microenvironment of the ovary and therefore is affecting the egg quality. Endometriosis also has a negative impact in terms of ovarian reserve. When it comes to PCOS, we know that it is causing an imbalance between the hormones. For that reason, it is changing the microenvironment of the ovary and harming the quality of the eggs.

The external factors influencing the oocyte quality are lifestyle factors, environmental factors, and occupational factors. Here the most important would be lifestyle factors. I’m talking, especially, about smoking, alcohol, overweight. These are the ones we can change and modify. However, this doesn’t mean that when we change the lifestyle factors. We are always going to improve the quality of the egg. When we’re modifying our lifestyle, we’re doing this mostly not to harm the egg, not improve its quality. Here we should also mention caffeine and the surrounding controversy. Some people think it is not affecting anything, while others think it’s affecting lots of things. In my opinion, if your regular intake is not more than 4 cups a day, it is still fine. However, over 4 cups a day may negatively impact the quality of the egg. Overall, I think that age is a factor that can most influence the quality of the egg.

Answer from: Oksana Onischuk Dmitrievna, MD

Gynaecologist, Fertility Specialist
The Institute for Reproductive Medicine – Prof. F. Dakhno Clinic (IRM)
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I think that the first and most important factor is age. These days, career and education are more important for women than marriage and childbearing. The older a woman is the fewer chances for live births she has.

Other factors that may reduce the ovarian reserve quantity and quality of eggs are surgery treatment in the ovaries, chemotherapy at a young or reproductive age, hormonal disorders (high or low TSH levels), PCOS, and endometriosis in women of reproductive age. These factors alone or in a combination may cause primary ovarian insufficiency.

About this question:

What external and internal factors may influence oocyte quality?

Is everything known to the doctors or are there any undiscovered facts about oocytes? What factors have a significant impact on oocytes and may decide about IVF outcome overall?

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