Researchers say that a women’s blood type may affect her ability to get pregnant, reports the Telegraph. In an American study, researchers found women with blood type O had a lower egg count and poorer egg quality.
Conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, the study focused on 560 women, all under 35, seeking treatment for fertility issues. The study found that women who were blood type O were twice as likely to have an FSH level above 10 – commonly regarded as the threshold between normal and raised levels – as those in any other blood group.
Fertility experts regard a high FSH level as a key indicator of having a low egg count, which is known as ‘diminished ovarian reserve.’ FSH is naturally produced by the body to stimulate the follicles in the ovaries which produce eggs. It did not quantify exactly how much more difficulty women with blood type O could find it to conceive.
Lead author, Dr Edward Nejat of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, said this was the first time a potential link between blood type and fertility had been identified.
A larger study still needs to be carried out among the general population – not just those who had gone for help with fertility problems, said another doctor. The link between blood group and other hormones could be better predictors of fertility, and needs to be examined.
Age is the single most important determinant of ovarian reserve, which tends to start dropping in the early 30s, accelerating in the late 30s and 40s. Physicians say it’s too soon to star advising blood group O women to try for a baby earlier, as more research still needs to be done.