Women with blood group O may be less fertile--study

FSH or follicle stimulating hormone is a female reproductive hormone which stimulates the growth of immature ovarian follicles in ovary.

A high level of this hormone is a sign of a diminishing ovarian reserve, which is linked to both decreased egg quality and the number of eggs available for fertilization.

Study details and findings
For the purpose of study, researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and Yale University tested 560 women, with an average age of 35, seeking fertility treatment.

Blood samples of these women were taken to measure the level of FSH, a marker of fertility.

The study found that women with O blood group were twice as likely to have an FSH level greater than 10 while those with blood group A had lesser FSH levels.

Dr Edward Nejat, from department of obstetrics and gynecology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and lead author of the study, said, "A woman's age remains the most important factor in determining her success of conceiving.

"Patients with blood type O seeking infertility evaluation at these centres have a higher likelihood to be diagnosed with elevated FSH and hence manifest diminished ovarian reserve."

"The baseline FSH gives us an idea of the quality and quantity of a woman's eggs," he opined.

It was found that around 44 percent of the British women had blood group O and 42 percent had type A.

Further research needed
Study researchers are not clear whether study findings would make any difference to women’s health and added that more research is needed to substantiate study results.

Tony Rutherford, chairman of the British Fertility Society, stated the research findings to be "interesting."

He said that further larger-scale research is needed to confirm the results, and observe if similar effects could be noted in women with no fertility problems.

"This is the first time that I'm aware of that the researchers have shown a link between blood group and potential for fertility.

"We really need to look at it with other, more up to date tests of ovarian reserve - and to look at a prospective group of women to see if blood group affects your chance of getting pregnant," he said.

Nejat will be presenting his findings at the ‘American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) conference’ in Denver.