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Your Chances of Getting Pregnant By Age
Modern women’s lives are increasingly becoming education and career-driven. In developed countries, getting pregnant is commonly deferred until late 30s or early 40s. Unluckily, fertility function cannot adapt to the dictate of the ever-growing pace of life. Despite better access to healthcare and growing life expectancy, good general health doesn’t offset natural decline in fertility. In fact, the emerging environmental factors and stresses may accelerate its decline rate.
The Biology of Female Fertility
Ovarian Reserve and Egg Quality
Each woman is born with a fixed pool of immature eggs called ovarian reserve. During each cycle, one or two eggs will reach maturity, while a number of other eggs will degenerate and get absorbed by the woman’s body.
The ovarian reserve is destined to deplete over time, so postponing pregnancy indefinitely is never recommended.
Additionally, egg quality is tightly linked to the woman’s age. It is widely known that pregnancy doesn’t happen easily in the late 30s, and there are reasons for that. With advancing years, the number of eggs at a woman’s disposal drops. The remaining eggs become less potent due to poorer quality, and their genetic integrity also worsens. Pregnancy with own eggs after 38 has the most extreme genetic risks.
As you can see, the woman’s age is one of the primary indicators of fertility. Its rule is almost absolute.
The Menstrual Cycle
Regular menstrual cycle signifies normal ovulation and is crucial to the ability to conceive. First, an egg matures inside a small sac called a follicle. Then it leaves the follicle and proceeds to the fallopian tubes. If an egg doesn’t meet sperm inside fallopian tubes, a pregnancy will not occur. The endometrium will be shed during menstrual bleeding.
A common misconception is to think that a woman remains fertile up until her last menstruation. However, having a predictable cycle is not equal to being fertile. There is typically a 5-10 year gap between the onset of age-related infertility and the onset of natural menopause.
Sperm Quality and Male Fertility
Age and male fertility have a lot less linear correlation. Instead of having a specific number of reproductive cells at birth, men continue to produce new sperms throughout their life. Staying fertile in the 60s and even beyond is not a rare case for men, unlike in women after age 40. Still, as men age, the motility and morphology of their sperms decline. The risk of gene defects (deletions and duplications in chromosomes) also increases.
Fertility Statistics by Age
Pregnancy Rates by Age
The chances of getting pregnant naturally steadily reduce with each passing year.
In this chart, we have gathered widely acknowledged statistics related to pregnancy rate by age. Please visit this article if you are interested in learning more about the correlation between AMH, follicle count and fertility.
Moreover, the older the couple is, the higher the risks of Down, Turner and other severe syndromes are. Pregnancy after 40 also has an elevated risk of miscarriage and requires the most attention from your doctor.
Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)
Assisted reproductive technologies are aimed at bypassing the imperfections of one’s fertility system. Here are some cases where they can be significantly helpful:
- Ovarian tube obstruction: The egg is completely unable to leave the ovary and relocate to the ovarian tube, hence there is a zero chance of pregnancy. Instead of surgically removing adhesions, the doctor stimulates the ovaries and retrieves the eggs for subsequent In vitro fertilization.
- Low sperm motility. The sperms aren’t agile enough to make their way through the woman’s reproductive system and fertilize the egg. The fertilization needs assistance in the form of IVF or ICSI that are performed by an embryologist.
- Recurrent miscarriage: One of the most frequent reasons for miscarriage are chromosomal abnormalities. PGT-A of embryos helps determine whether the embryo’s chromosomes don’t have deviations, hence increasing the likelihood of live birth.
- Onset of menopause or premature ovarian failure. The use of fresh donor eggs collected from a young and healthy woman will help create viable and genetically healthy embryos. The woman will be able to enjoy parenthood despite being unable to produce own eggs.
Factors Influencing Fertility Beyond Age
Lifestyle Factors
Smoking and drinking alcohol, hormonal imbalances, weight issues and high stress levels are common risks that lower the chance of getting pregnant and carrying the baby to full term. Hence, keep track of your health and physical activity, develop a diet rich in nutrients and avoid stress when you can to help yourself preserve your fertility potential and get pregnant more easily.
Medical Conditions
Urgent surgeries affecting women's reproductive system (ovaries and uterus) may increase infertility rate. High blood pressure may cause issues with egg quality and increase the chances of early miscarriage. System disorders like diabetes and lupus also have a negative impact on the ability to conceive.
Understanding Fertility Challenges and Seeking Help
Identifying Fertility Concerns
Note that only 10-15% of women aged below 30 manage to conceive naturally within a month. There are no reasons for desperation if your attempts haven’t yielded results yet. Modern fertility treatments allow overcoming the difficulties efficiently and in a relatively short amount of time. Start with a visit to your ObGyn doctor, and schedule a spermogram for your partner. Contact us if you have been advised to undergo fertility treatment so we could review your case and propose a strategy. Remote consultation on treatment using assisted reproductive technologies is free of charge.
The Importance of Medical Evaluation
If you are facing infertility, it is important to be evaluated and advised. Don’t rush to a laboratory to undergo tests that have not been prescribed by a certified specialist. Instead, consult with an experienced fertility doctor and make the steps they recommend.
At NGC, we have gathered an amazing team of doctors who will study your case in detail and propose the best way forward in order to get pregnant.
Making Informed Decisions About Fertility
Options for Preserving Fertility
If you are still in the early 30s and don’t have a family yet, cryopreservation of eggs will help you create a safety cushion to delay family planning. While you are building your career and looking for a partner, you also retain the access to your frozen eggs collected in prime years of fertility. You will be able to get pregnant by thawing these eggs and making an in vitro fertilization program later on. Frozen eggs can be safely stored for as long as it takes to begin treatment.
Resources and Support Networks
No one is prepared to tolerate the burden of fertility struggles. Stewing everything alone can easily cause depression. Look for people that can relate to your cause, be it parents, close friends or online support systems. Try to accept your vulnerability and look for help actively. If you don’t want to open up about your fertility situation, consider discussing it with a licensed therapist.