BENGALURU: A growing number of women in Bengaluru are being diagnosed with low ovarian reserve in their late 20s and early 30s, prompting fertility specialists to call for greater awareness and earlier reproductive health assessments.
Experts say the trend, once more commonly observed among women in their mid-to-late 30s, is now emerging at younger ages, particularly as marriage and childbearing are increasingly delayed.
Low ovarian reserve refers to a lower-than-expected number of eggs in a woman’s ovaries for her age. As women are born with a finite number of eggs, the reserve naturally declines over time. Fertility experts, however, caution that while the condition does not necessarily lead to infertility, it can significantly shorten the window for conception.
According to Dr Anupama Ashok, Senior Consultant and Fertility Expert at Motherhood Fertility & IVF, observations from women aged 28 to 35 undergoing fertility evaluations showed that around 30–50 per cent had Anti-Müllerian Hormone levels below 2 ng/mL, while 14–26 per cent recorded levels below 1 ng/mL, both of which indicate reduced ovarian reserve. She added that fertility clinics are increasingly detecting declining ovarian reserve among younger women compared with a decade ago.
Experts attribute the trend primarily to genetic factors, although lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, chronic stress and lack of exercise may accelerate the decline. Medical conditions, including endometriosis, autoimmune disorders chemotherapy and radiation therapy, can also adversely affect ovarian reserve.
Dr Apurva Satish Amarnath, Fertility Specialist at Nova IVF Fertility, said one of the biggest challenges is that low ovarian reserve often develops without noticeable symptoms. “Regular cycles do not indicate normal fertility,” she said, adding that many women discover the condition only during fertility evaluations.
Dr Kavya D. Sharma, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at Milann Fertility and Birthing Hospital, said both egg quantity and quality decline after the age of 30, with decline accelerating after 35. She added that advanced maternal age is associated with a higher risk of miscarriage, chromosomal abnormalities, pregnancy-induced hypertension and gestational diabetes.