Chances of conceiving at 35
Chances, Fertility, and What to Expect
Written by Rachel Reiff Ellis
In this Article
- By the Numbers
- Reasons for Fertility Drop
- Your Options
You’re hoping to make a baby and wondering about your chances at “advanced maternal age” (the medical term for women pregnant at 35 or later). Age is one of the key factors that predict your ability to conceive. Your fertility starts to decline at age 30 and keeps on dropping steadily until you hit menopause.
That said, it’s not only possible to deliver a healthy baby after age 35, it’s quite common. Here’s a look at the odds facing “older” mothers.
By the Numbers
You’re at your peak fertility in your 20s. Healthy women that age who are trying to conceive have about a 1 in 4 chance of getting pregnant during a single menstrual cycle. In other words, 25 out of 100 women will succeed per month.
By age 40, an average healthy woman has only a 5% chance of getting pregnant per cycle.
At the same time, the likelihood of miscarriage climbs with your age. A typical 40-year-old has about a 40% chance of losing the pregnancy. That compares to less than 15% for someone in their 20s.
By the time you’re over 45, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says getting pregnant naturally is “unlikely for most women.”
Reasons for Fertility Drop
As you age, so do your eggs. And you have fewer of them, too. You’re born with all the eggs you’ll ever have in your life, about 1 million. By the time you hit puberty, you may have about 300,000 left. At 37, you’re down to just 25,000 -- or 2.5% of your starting count. That matters because the fewer eggs in your ovaries, the lower your odds for conception.
Even if you do get pregnant, your older eggs are more likely to have abnormal chromosomes, which may raise your chance of miscarrying your baby. Also, women after 35 are more likely to have problems like endometriosis and uterine fibroids that make it harder for you to get pregnant.
The quality of your partner’s sperm also matters. As men age, their sperm tend to swim slower and begin to lose their shape. But sperm quality doesn’t drop steeply until after men enter their 60s.
Your Options
Some older women trying to conceive may need more than just more time and help from Mother Nature. If so, several types of reproductive medicine may make pregnancy possible.
If you’re under 35, your doctor may recommend fertility treatments if you’ve tried without success to get pregnant for more than a year. That window shortens to 6 months if you’re 35 or older. And if you have any medical issues that could hurt your chances of conceiving, your doctor may advise that you get fertility help right away. They may suggest:
- Drugs that stimulate egg production
- In vitro fertilization (IVF)
If you know you’d like to have a baby someday but aren’t ready now, one option is to freeze your fertilized egg for IVF later. The quality of your embryos likely will be highest when taken closest to your most fertile years.
A clinic will test your eggs for viability, or the chance that they’ll produce a healthy pregnancy.
Another option is to use an egg or embryo donor. A clinic will use a healthy egg from a younger woman and fertilize it with your partner’s sperm or donated sperm, and implant it in your uterus, so you can carry and deliver the baby.
Be ready, when you’re readyExactly how hard is it to get pregnant after age 35?
If you’re trying to start a family, or you hope to have children one day but you’re not currently in a position to do so, you’ve probably had people tell you that you need to start before you’re 35, because once you’re over that age you’ll seriously struggle.
It increases your stress and anxiety to hear that, but is there any truth in it? Exactly how hard is it to get pregnant after the age of 35, and should you keep your hopes up?
Like many things, the answer is more complicated than people make it sound.
35 is no magic number
It’s impossible to draw a line in time and say that after this date, your fertility plummets.
Instead, what happens is that your fertility begins to drop gradually from your late 20s. The rate of decline speeds up once you get to 32, and then it speeds up again at about age 37.
By the time you reach the age of 40, your fertility has dropped significantly. It’s still possible to get pregnant, but it might take a lot longer than you expected.
Here are some statistics to explain things more clearly. One large study looked at pregnancy rates for women if they have sexual intercourse on their most fertile day. It found that:
- Women aged 19-26 years had an over 50% chance of conceiving
- Women aged 27-34 have a rate of just below 40%
- Women aged 35-39 have under a 30% chance of getting pregnant, almost half the rate of women aged 19-26.
To put it another away, you have a 25% chance of conceiving each month when you’re in your 20s, but only a 5% chance each month when you’re in your 40s.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, only that it’s less likely.
Another way of calculating fertility is by tracking how long it takes for a woman to conceive and give birth. Using this method, it was estimated that:
- 75% of 30 year-old women conceive within 1 year, and 91% within 4 years.
- 66% of 35-year-old women conceive within 1 year, and 84% within 4 years.
- Only 44% of 40-year-old women conceive within 1 year, and just 64% within 4 years.
Given these statistics, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends that you should begin evaluation for infertility if you haven’t become pregnant within 12 months of unprotected sex if you’re under 35, or six months if you’re older than 35.
It’s not just fertility
When we talk about the difficulty of getting pregnant over the age of 35, it’s important to remember that it’s not just about conception rates.
The older you are, the higher your chances of miscarriage or stillbirth.
The risk of a baby with serious birth defects, which might lead you to consider an abortion, also rises over the age of 35.
According to one study, 10% of pregnancies end in miscarriage for women in their early 20s, but that rises to 18% for women over 35, and 34% for women in their early 40s.
That means that you have a 40% risk of losing your baby when you’re 40, but only a 15% risk when you’re in your 20s. This is mainly because as you age, the quality of your eggs drops as well as the quantity. With a drop in egg quality comes a higher risk that a fertilized egg won’t divide correctly, leading to chromosomal defects.
Woman thinking fertility after 35
Why does it get so much harder to conceive once you’re over 35?
The main reason why your fertility drops by around this age is because you don’t have very many eggs left. Women are born with around 1 million eggs, but by the time you reach puberty there are only about 300,000-400,000 remaining. This number gradually drops, and by the time you’re 35 there are only a few dozen that could be suitable for fertilization.
You could begin to have menstrual cycles where no egg is released.
When you’re older, there’s also a greater chance that you’ve had some kind of surgery or infection that could have affected your fertility by leaving scars around the cervix or fallopian tubes. You’re also more likely to have developed conditions such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids, which make it much harder to become pregnant.
As you age, you also experience a natural decline in cervical mucus, which plays a key role in conception by helping sperm through the cervix and into the uterus and fallopian tubes so that it can fertilize the egg.
Once you’re over 35, every year can affect your chances of success in becoming a parent, so it’s important to seek medical assistance as soon as you see that you’re having difficulty conceiving. Whether you continue your path to building your family through IVF, donor eggs/sperm, or natural conception, we hope that your experience is as smooth as possible.
Male age matters, too
It’s not just the woman’s age that affects your chances of conceiving a baby naturally.
The age of the man also plays a role.
Male fertility doesn’t decline as quickly as female fertility, but the time men are in their late 30s it has dropped noticeably. One study found that women aged 35-39 with a partner in the same age bracket have a conception rate of 29%, but if her partner is five or more years older, their conception rate is only 18%.
Multiple factors contribute to fertility
People will tell you to attempt conception before the “magic” age. As we’ve shown, there is no predetermined number where your fertility (or your partner’s) will drop. That said, the chance to conceive and carry a healthy baby to term drops as you age, as your partner ages, as you have less viable eggs available, as the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth increase. It’s best to attempt conception earlier, but there’s no magic formula – or age – to ensure success.
Pregnancy after 35: risks and opportunities
January 18, 2019 Health
No horror stories - only confirmed facts and advice from doctors.
Today, the term “old-timer” is already forgotten, but there is still an opinion that after 35 years, a woman and her unborn child will face health problems. Lifehacker understands what threatens later childbirth and answers the most common questions.
How the chances of getting pregnant change with age
Age is the main factor that affects fertility, that is, the ability to conceive, bear and give birth to a child. The supply of eggs in the female body is limited, and over time, their quantity and quality gradually decreases.
In addition, various diseases accumulate over the years: both gynecological (eg, fibroids, endometriosis, infections, adhesions), and general (hypertension, diabetes). Which also reduces the chances of conceiving and bearing a child.
On average, fertility begins to decline at age 32, and after 37 years this process accelerates noticeably. So, at the age of 25, 87.5% of women can conceive a child within a year. At the age of 30 - 83.
9%, at 35 - 73.3%, and at 40 - only 49.4%.
It is worth noting that the age of both partners plays a role in the issue of childbearing. Male fertility also declines over time, but this happens after age 40 and much more slowly. Physiology and lifestyle are also to blame: the quantity and quality of sperm, the activity of spermatozoa decrease, more “defective” cells appear.
It is worth estimating the age of a couple, not just one woman.
The likelihood of genetic diseases and neurological disorders in the unborn child, such as epilepsy and autism, also increases with the age of the father.
What are the risks in late pregnancy
Over the years, not only the ovulatory reserve is depleted, but also the resources of the body as a whole. Chronic diseases, excess weight appear, the hormonal background changes, the body recovers more slowly after an illness.
And all this can affect the course of pregnancy, that is, the health of both the mother herself and the unborn baby.
Consider what problems mature mothers may face:
- Gestational diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, it develops more often at an older age. So, if up to 25 years the risk of developing the disease is 2.59%, then at 35–40 years it is already 4.38%, and after 40 years it is 15.9%. If diabetes is ignored, it can cause fetal overgrowth, premature birth, and other complications in the baby.
- High blood pressure. Appears more often in women over 35 years of age. American researchers have found a delayed negative effect of late delivery on the cardiovascular system. Women who gave birth after age 40 had a 60% higher risk of future stroke.
- Caesarean section and complications during childbirth. Such as placental abruption or fetal malposition. Scientists suggest that with age, the muscles of the uterus contract worse due to cellular changes and less sensitivity to oxytocin and progesterone.
- Spontaneous miscarriage and death of the fetus in the womb.
These risks nearly double after age 40, but are still lower in healthy women at any age. - Premature birth. The chance of early delivery is slightly higher after age 35. Doctors often blame it on age, but a recent study refutes this connection and explains preterm birth as a combination of factors and comorbidities.
- Chromosomal abnormalities in a child . The genetic material of both parents “ages”, so the older the couple, the higher the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome and other disorders. If up to 25 years this is 1 case out of 1,587, then in 35 years - 1 out of 390, and after 40 years already 1 out of 122.
- Multiple pregnancy. Due to hormonal changes, the chances of having twins increase with age. This, of course, is nothing to worry about, except for the additional burden on the female body and the risk of premature birth, which has already been mentioned above.
It is worth noting that the level of medicine has grown significantly over the past decades, so today it is easier to prevent and timely detect almost any pathology.
Yes, and mature mothers approach pregnancy more consciously and do everything to save it.
What else affects fertility
Not only the biological clock sets the ideal time for the birth of a child at any age.
External factors and, most importantly, lifestyle also affect the quantity and quality of sperm and eggs.
Here's what they say at the Mayo Clinic: alcohol, tobacco, stress, being overweight, infectious and chronic diseases, and even extra cups of coffee reduce the chance of conception. So, by eliminating these factors, we increase the chances of becoming parents.
Are there any advantages to late pregnancy
The main advantage of the appearance of late children is that they are desired, and are born in families where parents are ready to take on this role. Such children learn better and develop socially.
Thus, researchers say that older fathers produce children with relatively high IQs. They easily focus on their own interests and are less likely to try to fit into society's standards.
"Aging" spermatozoa may contain chromosomes with longer telomeres that protect DNA and are responsible for lifespan. Moreover, this effect persists for two generations to come.
Are there any benefits for the parents themselves? Undoubtedly. Not only are mothers calmer during pregnancy, but they are also less likely to raise their voice at their children or punish them later on. Such women retain verbal memory longer. Scientists even judge the level of happiness from the birth of children, which, according to them, is higher in adulthood.
What to do if you are not yet ready to give birth
Unpreparedness for children in youth is another reason to be more attentive to yourself and stay healthy longer. And you don't have to do anything particularly difficult.
- Take care of yourself. Eat well, get enough rest, spend more time outdoors, move around, avoid smoking and alcohol if possible.
- Take care of your health.
Do not neglect scheduled medical examinations, vaccinations, treat your teeth on time, monitor blood sugar and pressure levels, control chronic diseases if they already exist. Check with your doctor about how these diseases can affect fertility and future pregnancies. - Find a good doctor. You must trust this specialist 100% and not be afraid to discuss all the risks and opportunities, up to the cryopreservation of eggs and spermatozoa and IVF.
Modern medicine makes it possible to postpone childbearing until you are ready for it morally and financially. And she can prevent the complications that a few decades ago frightened "old-term" women. So it makes sense not to rush, but to treat yourself more carefully. Health is more important than age.
Read also 🤰🏼
- 10 life hacks that will make pregnancy much easier
- Pregnancy planning: 12 things the right parents do
- Which signs of pregnancy can be trusted and which can't?
Pregnancy after 35: how to properly prepare?
In today's world, pregnancy after the age of 35 is regarded as a common situation and is becoming more common every year.
This is due to the fact that women first build a career and only then think about the birth of their first child. A second child after 35 years is also common, often in families the oldest child has already reached adolescence when he has a brother or sister. Every woman needs to know about the features, possible risks, planning and proper preparation for pregnancy after 35 years.
What are the difficulties of pregnancy after 35?
Fertility (ability to bear children) is an indicator that gradually decreases with age. Usually, fertility begins to decline after 30-32 years, depending on the characteristics of the woman's body. However, this does not mean that after 30-35 years, a physiological first pregnancy without any complications is impossible.
Average dependence of fertility on the woman's age
| Age | Probability of conception during the year |
| 25 years old | 87. |
| 30 years old | 83.9% |
| 35 years old | 73.3% |
| 40 years old | 49.4% |
5%
After the age of 35, a woman may have difficulty conceiving. It is important to remember that the age of a man also affects the likelihood of conception and intrauterine development of the fetus. Therefore, if any problems arise, both partners need to undergo a comprehensive medical examination.
If healthy men and women over 35 years of age have regular intercourse without the use of contraception, the chances of conception within 12 months remain quite high.
How to properly prepare?
Proper preparation is the key to a happy and healthy pregnancy after 35. Women at this age are already balanced about procreation, and some are planning to give birth to a second or third child.
Preparing for the upcoming pregnancy is necessary for both a woman and a man.
How to prepare for pregnancy after 35:
- Lead a healthy lifestyle, give up bad habits. A balanced diet, regular exercise, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol - all this is necessary for the body to restore its internal resources and be ready for gestation and childbirth.
- Take folic acid 3 months (contraindications, consult your doctor) before you expect to be pregnant. This substance is necessary for the normal formation of the fetal nervous system, and additional intake is especially important for women over 35 years of age.
- Find a qualified gynecologist or reproductologist (this is a doctor who deals specifically with the issues of conception and gestation) with experience in managing pregnant women over 35 years old. It is important that the doctor understands the possible risks of such a pregnancy, but at the same time does not exaggerate and does everything possible for the natural course of pregnancy and childbirth.
He will help in planning pregnancy, conduct an examination, prescribe a competent treatment for existing gynecological diseases. - Undergo a general physical examination. Every woman who plans to give birth after 35 should consult a therapist, take a general and biochemical blood test, a general urinalysis, as well as examine the mammary glands and check thyroid hormones.
- Screen for sexually transmitted infections. Many infections have a chronic course and practically do not manifest themselves in any way, but they can prevent the conception and bearing of a child. Both partners should be screened for such infections. It is also advisable to be examined for viral hepatitis and to know your HIV status.
- Visit genetics. After 30 years, the risk of various chromosomal abnormalities and genetic defects in the fetus increases. Therefore, the couple should always consult with a geneticist, if necessary, take tests.
A positive attitude and a stable psycho-emotional state of future parents are very important, therefore, in some cases (especially if there are problems with conception), a couple is recommended to work with a psychologist.
What are the risks?
With age, each person develops various chronic diseases, as well as the endurance and ability of the body to recover.
The hormonal background also changes after 35 years of age, which carries certain risks:
- Women who become pregnant after 35 years of age increase the risk of a negative effect of pregnancy on the cardiovascular system. This is manifested by an increase in blood pressure, a deterioration in the condition of the walls of blood vessels (in women who gave birth after 40 years, the risk of strokes in the future increased).
- Increased risk of preterm birth, spontaneous abortion and fetal death. It is important to have regular check-ups and if you have any concerns, see a doctor right away.
- Increased risk of developing gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, it is advisable to limit the intake of added sugar and switch to a predominantly plant-protein diet.
- Increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities in a child.
After the age of 35, the chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome and other genetic abnormalities are higher, since the genetic material of the mother and father accumulates mutations with age.
Although these risks exist, with the right approach, pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child after 35 years of age is confirmed by many women and doctors.
Reviews of doctors and patients about pregnancy after 35
The fact that childbirth and pregnancy after 35 is far from always a difficult test is confirmed by numerous reviews:
It's never too late to become a mother." Irina, 37 years old
"Pregnancy with my second son after 35 years was more difficult for me than the first one. But the child was born healthy, and I recovered fairly quickly after childbirth." Anna, 36 years old
"I always treat pregnancy after 35 with great attention, patients undergo all the necessary screenings.
