If you're older than 35 and hoping to get pregnant, you're in good company. Many families are delaying pregnancy well into their 30s and beyond — and delivering healthy babies. Taking special care can help give your baby the best start.
Yes, there can be challenges with having a baby later in your reproductive life. But there are some things you can control. First and foremost, getting early and regular prenatal care can increase the chance of having a healthy baby after 35. If you are under 35 and would like to have children, start planning now.
Each woman is born with a set number of eggs. You release an egg each time you ovulate, about 14 days before you have your period. 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.
This study found that, compared to women ages 30-31, the probability of women getting pregnant within a given menstrual cycle was 86% for women ages 34-35 was: 83% for women ages 36-37, 70% for women ages 38-39, 47% for women ages 40-41, and 41% for women ages 42-44.
If you're under 35 and in good health, it's perfectly natural for it to take up to a year. It can take longer if you are older, however; for women aged 38, 67% who have regular unprotected sexual intercourse will only get pregnant after two years of trying2.
To improve your chances of conceiving, your medical provider might suggest you try making some lifestyle changes, such as avoiding sugar and overall choosing a healthier diet, cutting back on alcoholic drinks, ensuring you are at a healthy weight (neither underweight nor overweight), reducing your caffeine consumption, ...
The good news is that as a woman in your 30s or 40s, it's likely that you already have a healthier lifestyle than you did in your 20s. Keep in mind that despite the increased risks, plenty of women conceive and go on to have healthy babies well into their late 30s and early 40s.
Age and sperm
Men younger than 40 have a better chance of fathering a child than those older than 40. The quality of the sperm men produce seems to decline as they get older. Most men make millions of new sperm every day, but men older than 40 have fewer healthy sperm than younger men.
Your most fertile day, and the day you are most likely to ovulate on, is the last day of egg-white cervical mucus. You can also track your ovulation hormone using at-home ovulation tests (sometimes called an ovulation predictor kit, or OPK).
Of course, as women age, the odds of conceiving also gradually lower. The ideal childbearing age is often considered to be in the late 20s and early 30s. Pregnancies later in life could come with some health risks. However, age is just one factor when it comes to giving birth to a child.
Fertility in the 40s – A healthy person's ovarian reserve reaches a “critical low” of 25,000 eggs between their 37th and 38th year [5].
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.
One of the biggest fears around "advanced maternal age" pregnancies is safety. And while it's true that conceiving after 35 comes with an increased risk of complications—like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and even miscarriage or stillbirth—many people go on to deliver healthy babies.
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.
You have a consistent menstrual cycle
Having a regular cycle is a good indicator that you're fertile. Women with regular 28-day cycles are likely to conceive. Regular cycles are strong evidence of regular ovulation, which is a necessary condition for being fertile.
Water signs like Scorpios are considered the most naturally fertile of the zodiac, and it proves true for the passionate scorpion in 2023.
Men over the age of 35–40 typically experience a decrease in sperm health, which affects: Pregnancy rates. Pregnancy rates decrease with paternal age. Men will generally see a 52% decrease in fertility rate between their early 30s and their mid-to-late 30s.
You might be more financially stable than you were when you were younger, and have more life experiences to bring to parenting. But while most older mums have healthy pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies, there is a higher chance of developing certain problems if you are 35 years or older.
A gap of 3 years or more greatly reduces the chances of sibling rivalry. By this time the older child is secure in him or herself and quite independent. In addition, the mother's body is fully recovered from the challenges of pregnancy and birth of the first child.
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.
An adequate intake of folic acid during pregnancy, believed to protect against neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies, may also help prevent Down's syndrome, researchers report in The Lancet this week.
Older women are more likely to have a baby with a chromosome disorder such as Down syndrome. If you are age 25, the chance of Down syndrome is about 1 in 1,250. If you are age 35, the risk increases to 1 in 400. By age 45, it is 1 in 30.