Fertility generally starts to reduce when a woman is in her early 30s, and more so after the age of 35. By age 40, the chance of getting pregnant in any monthly cycle is around 5%.
The study found that pregnancy rates decreased progressively with increasing age of the recipient female patient 6. The cumulative pregnancy rate observed up to 12 insemination cycles was 74% for women younger than 31 years and decreased to 62% for women aged 31–35 years and to 54% for women older than 35 years 6.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
Women over age 35 take longer to conceive – The average time it takes a couple over 35 to conceive is 1-2 years, so try to remain positive if you do not become pregnant immediately.
Women lose 90 per cent of the eggs in their ovaries before the age of 30, new research has shown. The mathematical model shows that the average woman has only 12 per cent of her eggs left by the age of 30 and only three per cent by the age of 40.
The study published by the University of St. Andrews and Edinburgh University in Scotland found that women have lost 90 percent of their eggs by the time they are 30 years old, and only have about 3 percent remaining by the time they are 40.
For example, a woman at 30 often has around 100,000-150,000 eggs in reserve. By 35, that number is likely around 80,000. Late into the thirties, that number could be 25,000, 10,000, or fewer.
Even with all the understandable talk of “windows of opportunity” and “biological clocks,” there are ways for women over 35 to make motherhood a reality. Infertility treatments can be difficult and expensive, but fertility specialists can talk with you about options. Age is less of a limitation than it used to be.
While delivering at age 35 and older is officially considered “advanced maternal age,” Dr. Kalish notes that in reality, there's no “magic number” for being at-risk for complications. “A healthy 38-year-old could have an easier pregnancy than a 20-year-old who has multiple medical issues,” Dr. Kalish says.
According to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, about 95% of women aged 35 who have regular unprotected sexual intercourse will get pregnant after three years of trying, but for women aged 38, only 75% will do so2. The graph above shows the effect of age on the declining chances of conception.
While it may take a bit longer to get pregnant if you're 35 or older, the average time it takes to conceive is still high. Women under 25 have a 25 percent chance of conceiving per cycle, compared to 15 percent among women between the ages of 35 to 39 (the rate drops to 5 percent by the age of 40).
At age 35, there is a 15% chance per month of conception. At age 40, the chance of conception is 5% per month. About 44% of women in their 40s will conceive within one year.
So as you get older, you have fewer and fewer eggs, and the eggs you have aren't easily fertilized by a man's sperm. All this makes it harder for you to get pregnant. If you're older than 35 and have been trying for 6 months to get pregnant, tell your health care provider.
Definition of geriatric pregnancy
We define advanced maternal age (formerly geriatric pregnancy) as those who are 35 years or older at their estimated delivery date.
You don't want to keep going too long before you seek help.” If you're under 35 and haven't conceived within 12 months, Yuzpe recommends seeing your physician; if you're over 35, or if you have an underlying gynaecological issue such as endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome—even irregular periods—you should seek ...
So as you can see, there is still a good chance of getting pregnant if you're over 35 – it's just the older you get the longer it can take. It's still a good idea to talk to your doctor if you're over 35 and have been trying for 6 months. If you're over 40 it's advisable to talk to your doctor straight away.
Irregular period cycle and difficulty conceiving
If you are facing issues conceiving and have not been able to conceive for a while now, it could be one of the signs of bad egg quality.
On average, women in their mid 20s to early 30s have around 12 to 30 antral follicles, while women aged 35 to 40 may have between 8 and 15 and women aged 41 to 46 may have somewhere between four and 10.
The AMH blood test has become more common in the past 15 years, but another way to determine a woman's ovarian reserve is to conduct an antral follicle count during a transvaginal ultrasound. This method, which entails counting the follicles seen on the screen, is also useful, along with AMH, explains Amanda N.
A woman is born with all her eggs. Once she starts her periods, 1 egg develops and is released during each menstrual cycle.
You are at your most fertile during your 20s through your mid-30's. Fertility rates drop off after the age of 35 years old until menopause. After menopause, it is not possible to get pregnant naturally.
Fertility starts to decline from the age of thirty and is greatly reduced after forty years of age. Therefore it the optimum age to freeze your eggs in your late twenties. However, freezing eggs at thirty to thirty five is also quite common.