Are you wondering, am I too old to have a baby? Or considering how long to keep trying before resorting to IUI or IVF? Is it time to consider freezing your eggs or going down the egg donor route?
The short answer is YES, it is harder to conceive the older you get.
Statistics indicate that women are at their peak fertility between their late teens and their late twenties, with fertility declining after age 30 and that decline accelerating after age 35. In their 20s and early 30s approximately 1 in 4 women will get pregnant in any single menstrual cycle. By age 40 the number drops to 1 in 10. By age 45 getting pregnant naturally is unlikely, though not unheard of.
HOWEVER, although fertility declines, the statistics do not take into account steps that you can take to maximise fertility whatever your age.
Many women conceive in their late thirties and forties and the oldest woman known to conceive naturally was 59. I was in my late thirties when I was told that I was one of the youngest women typically treated in the IVF clinic that I attended. There are also women who carry successful pregnancies following treatment with donor eggs well into their fifties. The oldest woman known to give birth following IVF treatment was 67.
So what is the reason for the decline?
Women are thought to begin life with a fixed number of eggs, although there has been some scientific debate about this. That number declines with age. In addition, the remaining eggs are less likely to be healthy. As you age you are also more likely to suffer with health conditions that can affect the health of your eggs and/or your ability to ovulate.
For a story of hope, Julia Indichova’s Inconceivable is an informative and uplifting read.
So what is my advice as someone who battled with infertility for 15 years? Act now. You are not committing to anything by seeing a qualified and reputable consultant. They can advise on the most appropriate treatment for your current circumstances. If you decide to go ahead with treatment, there’s nothing to stop you continuing to try naturally afterwards. You have lost nothing, but you could gain everything!
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