As a woman ages, her fertility potential declines. For the most part, this is due to the fact that the woman has less eggs, and the eggs that remain in the ovary are of lesser quality. There are several simple tests, as fertility specialists, that we can do to detect women who are having decreased fertility potential or diminished ovarian reserve. The first test, the most common test is testing something called FSH or follicle stimulating hormone. This is a hormone that can be easily tested in the blood. It has to be tested on day three of a woman's menstrual cycle. FSH is created by the brain, so as the brain detects the number of eggs is less in the ovary; it actually creates more FSH. If a woman has an elevated FSH, it means that it may be more challenging for her to get pregnant. Another test is Anti-Mullerian Hormone, or AMH. This is very similar to FSH in that it's a predictor of fertility potential. It can be done at any time in the menstrual cycle, but in a way, it is opposite of FSH. It's actually created within the ovary itself. So as the number of eggs in the ovary is diminished, the AMH will be diminished, and that's abnormal. If the FSH or AMH is abnormal, it doesn't mean that you can't get pregnant; it just means that it might be a little bit harder. In fact, some advanced reproductive technologies might be helpful in improving your chances to conceive. Another method that we use to detect someone's fertility potential is to do an ultrasound and count antral follicles . The follicles are the fluid filled sacks that contain the eggs. As a woman gets older and the number of eggs goes down in her ovaries, the number of antral follicles go down.