Have you been wondering just how much age does have to do with getting pregnant?
After all, we all see and hear these astonishing reports of women in their 60s giving birth.
With all of the advances in science and medical breakthroughs, does a woman really get too old to get pregnant and have a baby?
Here are some common misconceptions about age and fertility, with accompanying facts:
40 is the new 30:
This is an oft repeated axiom, and while it may indeed be true in many things such as longevity and health, it is absolutely not true for fertility. In fact, once a woman reaches the age of 35, things start going downhill fertility-wise. By the time a woman has hit 40, her body is not going to have many eggs left to release, and her chances of getting pregnant have declined dramatically since her 20s and early 30s.
You’re only as old as you feel:
Again, there is a lot of truth to this old saying and as we are all living longer and healthier lives, anyone who takes reasonably good care of their body can enjoy robust health and vitality far past the age when our ancestors were considered ancient. Unfortunately, if you’re female, regardless of how young you might feel at 40 or 50—your ovaries won’t agree with you. When it comes to getting pregnant and having a baby, time is not on your side if you are a woman.
Being on birth control pills means that you have “saved” your eggs:
Wrong. Birth control pills do not affect your eggs or how many eggs you will have left by a certain age.
Your grandmother and several other women in your family have had babies when they were in their 40s, so you should be able to, also:
No. Getting pregnant at a certain age won’t be any more likely because others in your family have done so. The fact is that a woman’s fertility starts to decline by about 3.5% every year after she hits 30. By the time a woman is in her forties, fertility is seriously compromised. Besides that, not only has the woman aged, but so have her eggs, which means that it is more likely for an older mother to have a child with something like Down’s Syndrome.
There have been many women who conceived and gave birth to healthy babies while up in their 40s. However, the deck is stacked against you by that age, and it is better fertility-wise to try and start your family while you are young if at all possible.
Getting Pregnant After the Pill
Fertility, Conception & Birth: All About Eggs
A New Technique That Might Boost Female Fertility
How to Take Charge of Your Fertility
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