Reproductive System & Sexual Disorders: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-038X
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2161-038X
+44 1300 500008
Radhouane Achour
Tunis-El Manar University, Tunisia
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Reprod Syst Sex Disord
Introduction: The age of women at their first pregnancy is increasing in the industrialized countries. In France, the average age at first pregnancy increased from 24 years in 1970 to 29.7 in 2005. Good progress is being made in the field of ARTs, and this has given rise to the mistaken belief that it does not matter if the woman is old when she plans to become pregnant. A progressive increase in the age of patients who have undergone either in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is being noted. For example, in France, the percentage of treated women that are over 37 years exceeded 30% for the first time in 2002. In natural cycle, there is a physiological decrease in female fertility potential with advanced age. In addition, it is associated with increased rate of spontaneous miscarriage, and increased risk of obstetric complications. A retrospective study was conducted in Tunisia, including women whose age at the time of study was 38 years or older. The duration of the study spanned seven years, from January 2001 to January 2008. The couples were treated by the gynecologyobstetric and ARTs departments, as well as by the laboratory of reproductive biology. Any procedure of ARTs that was done before the age of 38 was excluded but taken into consideration. Discussion: In this study, 11% of patients and 18% of spouses worked as a senior managers or professionals. The longer duration of higher education and the delay in obtaining a stable work situation partly explained a desire for late pregnancy among these couples.For example, nearly 12% of the patients consulted for secondary infertility within the current marriage and previous pregnancies had occurred outside the ARTs in 60% of the cases. Surprisingly, nearly 30% of couples consulted only after four years of infertility. Patients in whom pregnancy had never occurred did not consult promptly than the others. Conclusion: The extended length of studies, the value of the professional career of women, and the desire to obtain professional stability before deciding to conceive may partly explain the delay in having a desire for pregnancy. The later the first pregnancy, the second child's desire will be postponed, sometimes leading couples to seek for ARTs when their first pregnancy was conceived spontaneously.
Achour Radhouane is associate professor at faculty of medicine of Tunis-Tunisia; He has published many basic and clinical articles in relation to gynecology and obstetrics. , his research interests include Rare Diseases in gynecology and prenatal diagnosis. He serves as associate professor, Emergency Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in maternity and neonatology center Tunis Tunisia.He also serves as member of the editorial team Asian Pacific Journal of Reproduction, as member of the editorial team of the Global Journal of Rare Diseases ; member of the editorial team of the Journal of Neonatal Biology and member of The Science Advisory Board.
Email:radhouane.a@live.com