Menopause Mischief: Mythbusting with the Fertility Doc!

This Fertility Doc On The Block is at it again! This time I quizzed NYers on what they know about menopause & reproductive aging- and I was kind of impressed, tbh!
Heres what you need to know
What is menopause and when do most women become menopausal?
We are born with 2-3 million eggs and by the time we hit menopause, it means we have reached below a critical threshold of less than 1000 eggs and thats when we stop ovulating, getting periods, and officially enter menopause. The few years to a decade preceding this is known as perimenopause, and it can be marked by the gradual onset of menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, vaginal dryness) and menstrual irregularity.
the average age of menopause in the US is 51 years
When does ovarian aging start to speed up?
We lose eggs and their quality deteriorates over time - this decline is gradual in our early 20-30s and then begins to speed up at 35 and older- especially as we approach and enter our 40s
this means it can take longer to get pregnant (more ovulationsmonths to get there) and theres a higher risk of miscarriage and health issues stemming from having too many or too few chromosomes (down syndrome, turner syndrome etc)
Do men have a biological clock?
Yes, they do! It is different from women, in that they make new sperm all the time, so they can always conceive children but there is an association between advanced male age and higher incidence of neurodevelopmental issues, childhood cancers, and other health issues in children of older man (45, and especially 5060).
Sperm quality can also decline as men age.
Also a fact that most people overlook- male factor contributes equally to infertility as female factors- infertility is not just a womens problem!!
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