Pregnancy Over 40 and Hormones
I found an interesting study done by the University of Maryland School of Medicine which found that low estrogen levels in pregnancy could affect the fertility of the offspring.See: www.getpregnantover40.com for more on pregnancy hormones
Although this study was done on baboons, it may translate to humans. Read more:
A team of researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk has shown that low estrogen levels during pregnancy can impair fetal ovary development and reduce the number of follicles (eggs) a female is born with.
"Low estrogen levels during pregnancy mean the female baby will be born with fewer eggs," says Dr. Gene Albrecht Ph.D., professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-investigator for the study. Because women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have during their reproductive life, the findings may help to explain adult fertility problems and the early onset of menopause.
from: (www.umm.edu)
