Nowadays, when it comes to the decision to start a family, more and more women are choosing to wait. However, age is the leading factor that adversely affects a woman’s fertility and the likelihood of conceiving.
What’s the right time to get pregnant?
The older a woman gets, the less likely she’ll be to conceive each month.Women in 20s are in their prime to getting pregnant.
The average woman's natural fertility starts declining at 30 years of age and almost halves compared to fertility in her 20s. Fertility begins to drop more steeply from the age of 35 and by early 40s, the chances of naturally conceiving reduce much further. What’s more, not only does it take longer for older women to get pregnant, they also face a greater risk of miscarriage.
1) Age 20 -25 years: 30% –35% chance of pregnancy per cycle
2) Age 26-35 years: 15% –20% chance of pregnancy per cycle
3) Age 36 – 45years: has a 3% –5% chance of pregnancy per cycle
There are 0% chances of naturally conceiving post menopause, the average age of which is 51.
How does aging affect fertility?
The decrease in the number and quality of eggs in a woman’s ovaries results in a gradual decrease in fertility. Ovulation and menstrual cycle also tend to become irregular as women age, making it difficult to conceive quickly.
The average woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have – approximately half a million. These eggs diminish in quantity with time. By the time she hits 30, only 12% of her eggs are left and by age 40, her ovarian reserve falls to a measly 3%, making conception slower than ever.
The quality of eggs available also suffers, as a woman gets older. The eggs most sensitive to ripening are released first, leaving behind the poorer specimen of eggs. Also, as a woman ages, so do her eggs. And older eggs are prone to chromosomal abnormalities, which increase chances of early miscarriage.
Moreover, many of the fertility-reducing medical problems (such as Endometriosis, fibroids and tubal disease) are associated with growing older.
How should the planning be done?
A pregnancy test calculator can help find out the best time of the month to get pregnant. If there’s difficulty conceiving, a visit to a fertility expert will help to know the right infertility treatment.
Some of the ways to improve the conception chances are as follows.
Pregnancy test calculator: Maps a woman’s cycle and determines the right time to conceive.
Ovarian hyper-stimulation medication: Causes a woman’s body to release more eggs.
In vitro fertilization (IVF): Eggs are fertilized outside the body.
Egg freezing: Preserves unfertilized eggs.
Wondering if you’re pregnant? Take a pregnancy test!
Get a home pregnancy kit (over-the-counter pregnancy test kit) to take a pregnancy test at home.