How Age Affects Fertility

There can be many reasons why life gets in the way of starting a family for individuals and couples. Not having a partner, career, finances, housing, travel, not feeling ready, whatever the reason, many find that it’s just not the right time to have a baby. It can be a lot more challenging to get pregnant later in life.

Fertility in women decreases with age, particularly after 35, because both the number and quality of eggs get lower. An egg is sent from your ovaries to your womb every month from when you hit puberty to menopause. When the egg binds with sperm in the womb, you get pregnant. Although it may seem like your body is making a new egg every month, this is not the case. Women are born with all the eggs they ever have stored in the ovaries. As you get older, your eggs get older.

More than 8 out of 10 couples where the woman is under 40 will get pregnant naturally within a year of having regular unprotected sex.

There are several causes for fertility problems, but sometimes an exact cause can’t be found. This is called ‘unexplained infertility. Unexplained infertility is rare when the woman is in her 20s but becomes the most common cause of infertility in women over 35.

If you know you have any other health concerns related to fertility, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or thyroid problems you should consult a fertility expert.

If you have any other health concerns related to fertility, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or thyroid problems, you should consult a fertility expert.