In today’s society, a woman that is 35 years old or above is often considered to be too old to get pregnant, but is this really the case, or is getting pregnant at an older age still possible? With the advances in fertility treatments, age is no longer a limiting factor for women who wish to conceive....CONTINUE READING
There are a variety of factors to consider when determining whether or not a woman in her 30s or older can still become pregnant.
According to healthline, This article will discuss the possible effects of age on fertility, the risks associated with getting pregnant at an older age and the current fertility treatments available to older women.
When discussing the effect of age on fertility, the first aspect to consider is the quality and quantity of the woman’s eggs. As women age, the quality and quantity of their eggs decrease due to a variety of factors.
The most significant of these factors is the gradual depletion of primordial follicles, which are the immature eggs that reside in the woman’s ovary at the time of birth and that eventually become mature eggs that can be fertilized. This depletion of eggs leads to a decrease in the woman’s fertility.
The average woman is born with approximately two million of these primordial follicles, and these will gradually deplete over time. The depletion rate increases significantly after the age of 30 and is further exacerbated by menopause, which generally occurs in women between the ages of 40 and 52.
In addition to the decrease in the quality and quantity of a woman’s eggs, age can also affect the ability of a woman’s body to sustain a pregnancy. Older mothers have an increased risk of preterm birth and miscarriage.
The average age of a woman at her first pregnancy is 28, and with each additional year, the risk of preterm birth increases by 8%. Similarly, the risk of miscarriage increases by 10% with each additional year of age. The risk of complications during delivery is also higher in older mothers, as there is an increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and placental abruption.
Despite the decrease in fertility and risk of complications associated with older mothers, it is still possible to get pregnant at an older age. Advances in fertility treatments have made it possible for women in their 30s and above to still conceive. The most common of these treatments is in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is often used to treat infertility due to age-related issues.
In IVF, a woman’s eggs are harvested from her ovaries and then fertilized with sperm in a laboratory setting. The fertilized egg is then implanted in the woman’s uterus, where it can grow and develop identically to a fertilized egg that has been implanted in a woman without the use of fertility treatments. IVF is a successful treatment for older women, with a success rate of 40-60% for women in their 30s, and 30-40% for women in their 40s.
In conclusion, while age can have an effect on a woman’s fertility, it is still possible to get pregnant at an older age. Despite the decreased fertility and increased risk of complications associated with pregnancy in older women, advances in fertility treatments such as IVF have made getting pregnant a realistic possibility for women over the age of 35. It is important for women to consult their healthcare provider prior to attempting to become pregnant in order to evaluate their individual risk factors and make the best decision that is right for them.
