New Test Could Determine Just How Fast Your Biological Clock Is Ticking

When a close friend was single, she used to say that if only she had a crystal ball that could tell her she’d eventually meet “the one,” she’d enjoy being single a whole lot more (as in, she’d have a lot more meaningless sex and stop caring if the guy would one day make a good husband or father). Ditto shacked-up, 30-something friends who weren’t quite ready to have a baby but figured if they waited any longer, the odds of conceiving would be stacked against them.

Now researchers are working on developing a test that can predict how fast a woman’s biological clock is ticking. Scientists from St. Andrews University have been able to chart the levels of a vital fertility hormone in women of different ages, reports The Telegraph. This is a big deal because it can predict when a woman is likely to start menopause and how long she can put off having children.

According to the report, researchers compared hormone levels in 3,200 healthy women to show accurately how the range changed with age. They examined levels of anti-Mullerian hormones (AHH), which can provide an estimate of remaining egg supply. As Richard Anderson, professor of reproductive medicine at Edinburgh University, tells The Telegraph: ”Predicting how long you might remain fertile can be very important, and it seems that AMH can help in this.”

A simply hormone test like this would revolutionize the idea of ‘family planning’ at the very least, it would take a lot of the guesswork out of deciding the best time to start trying. But, like most things in life and certainly in science, it would never be fool-proof. So the question is: would this empower women, given them freedom and the ability to map out their careers and family lives? Or would it instill even further panic in so many women or, worse yet, a false sense of security? What do you think?

(Photo: Dynamic Graphics)

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