Age and fertility is becoming a more controversial topic by the day, as older women constantly defy medical predictions and manage to conceive and give birth to healthy babies.
The common belief is that fertility drops off dramatically after the age of 40. There is truth in the fact that conceiving a healthy baby in your 40s is more difficult than at 25, but the news isn't completely negative. Many women are having babies later in life. Falling pregnant in one's 40s may be more of a challenge, but it IS possible. Older women shouldn't give up hope of becoming mothers, as long as they remain realistic, as it could present some challenges.
Research shows that a woman's fertility peaks between the ages of 20 and 24 and drops to half by the age of 35. This indicates that fertility is affected by a woman's age, although more and more women are having babies in their late 30s and into their mid 40s, as more and more couples are choosing to have babies later in life, due to a number of reasons. Facts are that at 40, most women are half as fertile as they were at 35.
This doesn't mean that you can't fall pregnant, it just means that the older you get, the longer it may take to conceive.
The most common fertility problem in older women is producing sufficient quality eggs.
Time is also a factor, as one doesn't have the luxury of "trying" for a year or two, before taking action.
Women's eggs decline with age and the quality of these eggs is crucial to conception. The combination of egg quantity and egg quality constitutes a woman's ovarian reserve.
Poor egg quality can contribute to the cause of infertility with age, however, egg quality alone does not guarantee infertility, and there are many treatments available to help increase fertility. Fertility treatments take into consideration many factors affecting a woman's fertility.
These include:
- The menstrual cycle, becomes shorter and more irregular as a woman ages.
- The uterus lining, may thin with age.
- The ovarian reserve, or the number of follicles capable of producing viable eggs left in the ovaries.
- Any diseases of the reproductive system that may be present, including endometriosis that may affect fertility.
- General health, which can also contribute to fertility.
Pregnancy After 35
Even though fertility drops by half after 35, the good news is most women will be able to conceive after the age of 35. There are some risks however, as women over the age of 35 are more at risk for certain complications during pregnancy, which include placental abnormalities and an increased risk of giving birth to a baby with Down's syndrome. A woman's risk of having a baby with Down's syndrome, so most doctors recommend that women over 35 years old consider genetic testing to rule out birth defects during pregnancy. Most women who conceive after 35 find that their pregnancies aren't much different to those of younger women. Most women go on to have fulfilling and rewarding pregnancies, and many become pregnant again. My personal experience, being pregnant at 40, was great. I had absolutely NO complications, NO morning sickness, very little weight gain and lots of energy throughout my entire pregnancy. As a mother, I think I am calmer now than I would have been in my 20's or 30's.
If you are older and are trying to fall pregnant and haven't succeeded yet - DON'T give up. There is so much that you can do in order to maximize your chances of having a baby, such as acupuncture, supplements, Chinese herbs, reflexology and maintaining a positive attitude and believing that you WILL have your baby.
Beryl Dingemans is the author of "Simple fertility secrets", a writer, an artist and make-up artist, wife and mother.
Her personal journey into infertility inspired her to research and write articles to inform and empower women who find themselves in a similar situation to where she was a few years ago.
"I enjoy helping other women and my goal is to share information that will give hope."
For more information on fertility visit: http://www.simplefertilitysecrets.com/ and http://www.pregnancywish.com/
