When you’re born, your ovaries already contain all the eggs you will ever have. With age, both egg quantity (A.K.A. ovarian reserve) and egg quality decrease. While everyone’s eggs may deplete at different rates, every female will, eventually, run out and this culminates in menopause.One of the signs of decreasing ovarian reserve is higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) at the start of the cycle (because as we age, less hormones are produced in the ovaries). This leads to increased FSH production from our pituitary gland, hence the higher FSH.).It’s important not to confuse egg quantity with egg quality, which unfortunately also declines with age. Egg quality is critical for a successful pregnancy. And biologically, it only takes one good quality egg—along with good quality sperm and a receptive endometrium—to make a baby.So if you’re trying to conceive at home/without medication, and you know that you’re ovulating, low egg quantity won’t impact your fertility (since you usually ovulate one egg at a time anyways in natural cycles).But knowing you might have diminished ovarian reserve can be useful for planning if, say, you’re trying to have a baby. Doctors recommend seeking a fertility consult if you’re under 35 years old and have been unsuccessful after 1 year of trying, or if you’re over 35 and have gone 6 months without success. If you possibly have diminished ovarian reserve, it would be recommended to expedite these timelines, and get diagnostic testing for a full ovarian reserve workup.If you’re not currently trying, but considering having a baby in the future, it’s best to speak to your doctor about your fertility options. If you might have a diminished ovarian reserve, it would be recommended to not delay these important conversations.