Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Many women begin hearing the silent ticking of their biological clocks when they hit 30. By 40, that ticking can become downright deafening, especially for women who want to have a baby but have yet to conceive. After all, there is no telling when a woman will enter menopause, which would greatly reduce her likelihood of becoming pregnant.

If only there was some way of knowing when our reproductive cycles will end.

Last week, Australian news.com.au reported that researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new test that can tell women how many years they are away from menopause, offering, as they put it, “a road map to their reproductive life.”

The research, which followed 600 women over 14 years, looked at changes in the hormones FSH and inhibin B, which stimulate eggs. Researchers found that the two hormones dropped significantly five years prior to menopause.

Researchers also tracked another 50 women for changes in the hormone AMH, a hormone that helps predict fertility. They found that AMH also fell to a very low or non-measurable level five years before final menstruation.

The University of Michigan research team says the findings can help women who choose to have babies later in life make important decisions about their future. However, Australian experts say it offers false hope.

According to the news story, Australian researchers dismiss the findings, arguing that similar studies have been done in Australia but have yet to produce conclusive results. “I do not believe it’s possible at this time to accurately predict (menopause),” says Australian Menopausal Society endocrinologist Henry Burger.

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