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.
Male Fertility Facts
Peak male fertility is around 25-29 years old. Sperm quality begins to decline at 30. At 45, men begin to experience a significant decrease in semen volume. Older men can also take longer to conceive a child.
A woman in her early to mid-20s has a 25–30% chance of getting pregnant every month. 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%.
When you know your average menstrual cycle length, you can work out when you ovulate. Ovulation happens about 14 days before your period starts. If your average menstrual cycle is 28 days, you ovulate around day 14, and your most fertile days are days 12, 13 and 14.
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.
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.
If your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and your period arrives like clockwork, it's likely that you'll ovulate on day 14. That's halfway through your cycle. Your fertile window begins on day 10. You're more likely to get pregnant if you have sex at least every other day between days 10 and 14 of a 28-day cycle.
If having sex every day isn't possible — or enjoyable — have sex every 2 to 3 days a week starting soon after the end of your period. This can help ensure that you have sex when you are most fertile. Maintain a normal weight. Overweight and underweight women are at increased risk of ovulation disorders.
One study estimated a woman can have around 15 pregnancies in a lifetime. And depending on how many babies she births for each pregnancy, she'd probably have around 15-30 children. But the "most prolific mother ever," according to Guinness World Records, was Mrs.
Therefore there is no denying that many women have, and will, continue to fall pregnant at 37 like Meghan Markle. Results from a study even found that 82% of 35-39 year-old women are likely to conceive with a year if they are having sex at least twice a week.
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.
Related: How to make a baby: The quick and dirty guide
Dr. Frederick agrees that semen in the early morning (before 7:30 a.m.) has the highest sperm concentration, total sperm count and normal morphology compared to the other times of the day.
What are the chances of getting pregnant the first time trying? Some people get pregnant within the first month, but this is not always the case. Getting pregnant can take up to a year or longer. Conception in the first month occurs for about 30% of people attempting pregnancy.
Most couples will get pregnant within a year if they have regular sex and don't use contraception. But women become less fertile as they get older. The effect of age on men's fertility is less clear.
While some couples may conceive the very first month they try, most will take a bit longer, with roughly 75% conceiving within six months. 1 Those who are not pregnant after a year should seek medical assistance, But with treatment, if needed, the odds are still in your favor to get pregnant.
What Causes Infertility? Problems with ovulation are the most common reasons for infertility in women. A woman's age, hormonal imbalances, weight, exposure to chemicals or radiation and cigarette smoking all have an impact on fertility.
As she nears ovulation — the point in her cycle when she's most fertile – her bottom swells up like a balloon and turns bright pink. Humans are obviously different. We don't make a show of how fertile we are. But does this mean that women have evolved to conceal ovulation?
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.
In a sample of 75 children with trisomy for chromosome 21, or Down syndrome, there were 42 males and 33 females. The sex ratio was 1.30 which is statistically not significant (p greater than 0.05).
(De Graaf et al., 2022). There is no definitive scientific research that indicates that Down syndrome is caused by environmental factors or the parents' activities before or during pregnancy. The additional partial or full copy of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome can originate from either parent.
As men age, their risk of fathering a child with Down syndrome may increase—the older the man, the more likely that the process of spermatogenesis, or sperm production will go awry, leading to sperm that contain errors like an extra chromosome.
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.