Age Regularities in the Fertility of Women and their Relation to the Development of Otosclerosis

Abstract

1500 women admitted to the obstetric clinic of Prof. Lukáš (Prague) and taken in order as they were admitted to the clinic, were divided into three groups, each containing 500 women. By subtracting the average time of their pregnancies, i.e. nine months, the age at conception was found for the three groups. A curve was drawn for each group in such a way that the age of the women at conception was noted on the abscissa and the number of cases at the given age on the ordinate.

All three curves (the first as basic one, the other two as controls) show a remarkable similarity in a number of particulars; it may therefore be assumed that they are the expression of certain biologic regulations in ontogenesis. We may call them curves of relative age fertility of woman.

These curves were compared with the curves derived from the age of incidence of the probable beginning of 100 cases of otosclerosis arranged as they were admitted in the clinic. This group contained 73% of woman and 27% of man. From these subgroups of both sexes two curves were set up separately.

The curves between themselves and in comparison with the fertility curve show from the point of view of age characteristic agreement on the one side and also differences on the other side.

These findings may contribute to the determination of the various critical phases of age for the development of different disturbances of the metabolism in the blood and in the labyrinthine capsule in otosclerosis and thus to the solution of the etiopathogenetic prevention and treatment of otosclerosis.