No, 37 is not "too old" to have a baby, as many healthy pregnancies occur at this age and older, but fertility naturally declines, and risks for both mother and baby increase gradually after 35, requiring increased awareness and sometimes extra monitoring. While pregnancy becomes less likely and carries higher risks (like chromosomal issues, miscarriage, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, C-sections) as you age, individual health matters most, and most women over 35 have healthy babies with good care.
At 37, many women successfully conceive, but fertility can decline with age, and IVF may be necessary again. It's important to discuss your specific situation with a fertility specialist who can provide personalized guidance based on your health and history.
Graphic 3 shows that on average there is a decline in female fertility starting in the mid-thirties, with lower fertility especially after the age of 35. Women's fertility will continue to decrease every year, whether or not she is healthy and fit because the number and quality of the eggs decreases with age.
Millions of women around the world who are 38 and over give birth to healthy babies every year with no complications and after healthy pregnancies.
Most pregnancies after the age of 35 are healthy and successful. But it's good to know about the potential complications with advanced maternal age pregnancies. Talk to your pregnancy care provider about what genetic screening tests they recommend or what you can do to stay healthy.
In Australia, the average age of women giving birth has steadily risen over the past few decades. As of 2023, the average age for a woman to have her first baby is around 31 years.
Your age affects the health of your eggs. Women reach the peak of their fertility at around age 24. After this age, egg quality slowly deteriorates until around age 37, and then deteriorates more rapidly until about age 42. After roughly age 42, fertility for most women basically falls off a cliff.
The risks of miscarriage and stillbirth are higher in people who are older than 35. Also, multiple pregnancy is more common when you are older. As the ovaries age, they are more likely to release more than one egg each month. Some fertility treatments also increase the chance of a multiple pregnancy.
At 20 weeks of pregnancy, a female fetus has 6–7 million of eggs. By the time the woman is 30 years, she will have lost nearly 90% of her eggs and at the age of 40 years, only around 3% of eggs are left. Most women are no longer able to become naturally pregnant in their mid-40s.
Starting Over in Life
Natural changes happen in the body as we age, such as skin damage from sun exposure, loss of muscle and physical strength, loss of some sight and hearing, as well as changes to our sleep patterns, energy levels and appetite.
For women this occurs, on average, by 18-20 years and for men the typical ages are 20-23 years. The Prime adult years continue until about age 30-35 years in both sexes. These years are notable for their stability and predictability in physical and cognitive performance, also called homeostasis by biologists.
After age 30, a woman's fertility decreases every year. The number and quality of her eggs goes down until she reaches menopause. Menopause usually happens around age 45 to 55. During that time, women stop having their periods and are no longer fertile.
The overall picture is that the older the parents (both the mother and the father), the more likely they are to have a daughter.
Babies born to older mothers have a higher risk of certain chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome. The risk of pregnancy loss is higher. The risk of miscarriage and stillbirth increases with age. This may be because of preexisting medical conditions or because of chromosomal conditions in the baby.
The "3-2-1 Rule" in pregnancy is a guideline for first-time mothers to know when to call their midwife or doctor for active labor: consistent contractions every 3 minutes, lasting 2 minutes each (or 1 minute long for some variations), for over 1 hour. It helps differentiate true labor from false labor (Braxton Hicks), signaling it's time to head to the birthing center, while subsequent pregnancies often follow the faster 5-1-1 rule.
This is because, between the ages of 30 and 40 years, a woman's chance of conceiving per cycle fall from approximately 20% to just 5%. A decline in fertility is therefore not a reason to panic.
Jennifer Aniston underwent IVF treatments throughout her late 30s and 40s, a challenging period where she tried everything to conceive, eventually continuing into her early 50s, ultimately deciding to share her private fertility struggle years later in an interview with Allure.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas froze her eggs: Why some women freeze their eggs, and how it helps in IVF. To freeze or not to freeze? Freezing her eggs in her early 30s gave actor Priyanka Chopra complete freedom to pursue her career doggedly, and choose when to have a child.
The study found that maternal age played a key role in children's sex at birth. Women who began having children over age 28 were slightly more likely to have either all boys or all girls. Chavarro said these differences could be due to biological changes in women as they age.
Key Points. More Australians are born between January and June than in the second half of the year. The most common birthdate in Australia is 21 September.
The main symptom of infertility is not getting pregnant. There may be no other clear symptoms. Some women with infertility may have irregular menstrual periods or no periods. And some men may have some symptoms of hormonal problems, such as changes in hair growth or sexual function.