What men and women 35 and older must know about fertility, infertility, and getting pregnant
It’s a known fact that fertility declines in both men and women over the age of 35. Fertility, or the ability to conceive and produce children, varies as people become older.
According to the RMA network experts, one out of every eight couples has difficulty conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy. Here’s what you need to know about What men and women 35 and older must know about fertility, infertility, and getting pregnant.
Fertility basics and the role of age in pregnancy
Women over the age of 35 see the most noticeable age-related reductions in infertility. Fertilization is required before pregnancy may occur. Fertilization occurs when a man’s sperm and a woman’s egg combine. For fertilization to occur, several events must occur before male ejaculates into a woman’s vagina during sex.
The substance that comes out of the penis during ejaculation is known as sperm. It is made up of millions of microscopic sperm cells as well as other fluids. The majority of sperm will not make it from the vaginal canal to the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes, where fertilization occurs. In truth, an egg can only be fertilized by a single sperm.
Getting pregnant after 35
One biological reason why getting pregnant after a particular age can be more difficult is that the amount and quality of viable eggs decrease as a person’s ovaries age.
Males, on the other hand, can produce up to 100 million sperm every day throughout their lives. One in five women in their 20s and 30s can get pregnant in each menstrual cycle. For women over the age of 40, only one in nine will get pregnant.
It’s important to consider your partner’s age
Male fertility falls with age as well, but not as reliably as female fertility. The rate of miscarriage, as well as the rate of birth abnormalities, rises with age (for both male and female partners). According to a study published in 2020, the rate of miscarriage rose dramatically after the age of 30, reaching more than 50% for women over the age of 45.
Fertility treatment and age-related infertility
As you get older, fertility treatments become less effective (unless you plan to use donor eggs). The rate of reproductive treatment success drops dramatically after the age of 40.
The rate of live births (per egg retrieval) is 42% for women aged 35 to 37, and 26.6% for women aged 38 to 40. According to CDC statistics, the frequency of live births per IVF cycle for women over 40 is only 5.8%. When donor eggs are used, however, the success rate jumps to over 40%.
It’s not as easy to get pregnant after 35
It’s not as easy to get pregnant after 35 as it is when you’re 25. Many people can have children later in life, even though it can be difficult.
The best thing you can do is you can develop healthy lifestyle habits like eating healthily, exercising regularly, and stopping unhealthy habits like smoking and alcohol. Talk to your healthcare practitioner if you’ve been trying to get pregnant for six months and haven’t been successful.
Photo by Anastasiia Chepinska
