Ovarian reserve may be compromised after adnexal surgery: Are we sufficiently fertility- focused in our surgical training?

There is a general trend towards delay in childbearing age amongst women. The ovarian reserve clearly falls with increasing age and the impact is greater with advancing age, particularly from late 30s. Presence of other risk factors can increase the risk of subfertility. A large number of women are exposed to pelvic surgery for various reasons, both elective and emergency. There is evidence that some of the pelvic surgery performed around ovaries and tubes has a negative impact on the ovarian reserve and in turn may cause a decline in woman’s ability to conceive. A fertility-sparing focus on all pelvic surgery is likely to prevent further decline in ovarian reserve for women who are already at higher risk. Such focus seems to be currently lacking. It is proposed that integrating fertility-sparing focus to structured gynaecological surgical training will benefit women.