Fertility in the Aging Female
Generally speaking, a woman’s fertility peaks in her early to mid-twenties, with the average woman’s fertility peaking around age 24. Fertility then starts to gradually decline at about age 27 and drops off dramatically after age 35. The age-related loss of female fertility is related to both the decline in quality and quantity of eggs that exist over time. As fertility begins to decline, miscarriage rates increase due to the larger proportion of chromosomally abnormal eggs remaining as women age or aneuploidy. Aneuploidy is the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell, for example a human cell having 45 or 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46.
Fertility In Your 20s
A woman has her best chance of successfully conceiving in her early 20s. Women under age 25 have a 96 percent chance of conceiving within a year if they are attempting conception each month with a fertile partner, or roughly a 25% chance of getting pregnant each month that she tries. That means that for every 100 fertile under-25-year-old women attempting pregnancy in 1 cycle, 25 will be successful and the other 75 will have to try again.
If you’re in your 20s and are having trouble becoming pregnant after 12 months of trying, please click here to schedule a fertility consultation appointment with Dr. Davies. Always know that if you ever feel anxious or concerned about your fertility, Dr. Davies is more than happy to meet with you and answer any questions that you may have.
If you’re in your 20s or early 30s and want to become pregnant someday, but are not ready at this time, consider learning more about egg freezing to see if this option is the right choice for you.
Fertility In Your 30s
Fertility begins to gradually decline around age 27 and into the 30s, then drastically decreases after age 35. A healthy, fertile 30-year-old woman has a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month that she tries to conceive with a fertile partner. Overall, for every 100 fertile 30-year-old women trying to become pregnant in 1 cycle, 20 will be successful and the other 80 will have to try again. Roughly 30 percent of women at age 35 may take a year or more to conceive.
If you’re under 35 and have been trying unsuccessfully to become pregnant for 12 months or more, or age 35 or older and have been unsuccessful conceiving in 6 months or more, please click here to schedule an appointment for a fertility consultation with Dr. Davies. No matter your question or concern, she is always willing to meet with you.
If you’re in your 20s or early 30s and want to become pregnant someday, but are not ready at this time, consider learning more about egg freezing to see if this option is the right choice for you.
Fertility In Your 40s and Beyond
By age 40, a woman’s chance of conception is 5% or less per cycle. This decrease in conception rates is largely correlated to the higher rate of chromosomally abnormal eggs that remain as we age. The average age for menopause is 51, but most women become unable to have a successful pregnancy sometime in their mid-40s. These percentages are true for natural conceptions as well as conceptions achieved using fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), but of course there are always rare outlying exceptions. The use of donor oocytes (eggs) is an option for women whose fertility has declined yet they still desire to carry a pregnancy.
If you are in your 40s and attempting to conceive, you may want a consultation and evaluation with Dr. Davies sooner. Please click here to schedule a consultation appointment to discuss your fertility options with Dr. Davies. We will thoroughly guide you through all treatment options to help you decide what is the best way to help you achieve your dream of having a child.
Some women may choose to explore using donor eggs. To find out more about when and why some women choose to use donor eggs, click here.