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.
Rest assured, most healthy women who get pregnant after age 35 and even into their 40s have healthy babies. That doesn't mean you shouldn't think about smart ways to make sure you and your baby stay as healthy as possible during your pregnancy.
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.
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.
Women who become pregnant in their 30s and early 40s can have safe, healthy pregnancies, says Ellie Ragsdale, MD, director of fetal intervention at UH Cleveland Medical Center. But they do face a higher risk of some problems.
As you get closer to 40, it's biologically more difficult to get pregnant and you may have a higher risk of miscarriage, chromosomal issues, and other pregnancy complications. But most women in their 30s will get pregnant with little trouble.
Many women wait until later in life to have children. In the U.S., birth rates for women in their 30s are at the highest levels in 4 decades. But an older mother may be at increased risk for things such as: Miscarriage.
In the United States, birth rates for women in their 30s are at the highest levels in three decades. However, an older mother may be at increased risk for miscarriage, birth defects, and pregnancy complications such as twins, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and difficult labors.
Best biological times to have a baby
Fertility begins in adolescence when a teenager enters puberty, and then steadily increases for several years. Typically, the 20s mark a time of high fertility for both males and females.
Am I too old? While certain risks may rise with age, men continue to produce sperm throughout their lives and can father healthy children into old age.
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.
But as people get older, they face an increased risk of medical issues that can potentially complicate their pregnancy. 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.
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.
A healthy, fertile woman who is 30 years old has about a 20% chance of achieving a pregnancy each month that she and her partner try. By the time that same woman hits age 40, her chance of conceiving naturally is just 5% or less per month.
With any pregnancy, you are as young as you feel. If you are younger than 40, don't let your age dissuade you from having a baby. If you are already pregnant, find an Ob/Gyn you are comfortable with so you can understand the risks and tests that are available. Being over 35 is just a state of being.
Studies show that in general a woman's ability to become pregnant starts to slowly decline near the age of 27, and then significantly after a woman turns 37. Even though much more attention is placed on women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s getting pregnant, age affects men and their sperm as well.
The longer your eggs have been around, the more likely they are to produce a pregnancy with a chromosome problem that can lead to a condition like Down syndrome. This risk goes up significantly after 35. Meanwhile, the number of eggs you have decreases as you get older, causing your ability to get pregnant to decline.
Although most men are able to have children well into their 50s and beyond, it becomes gradually more difficult after the age of 40 . There are many reasons for this, including: Sperm quality tends to decrease with age.
Chances of Getting Pregnant in Your Early 30s (30 to 34)
The odds of getting pregnant in your early thirties are still high for couples that try for a full year. The only major change is that your chances of miscarriage begin to rise by age 30, but they don't drastically change until you are closer to 35.
Most mums in their 30s have healthy pregnancies but the older you are, the more likely you are to have ongoing health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure . These conditions can affect how well your pregnancy and birth goes . Sadly, miscarriage is more common in older women (Fretts 2018, RCOG 2011).
If you're 25 to 29 years old ...
Your chance of conceiving within a year is 78%.