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Ttc after 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.

Trying for pregnancy after 35

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Many people try for a baby after 35. Around 1 in 5 pregnant Australians (20%) are between 35 and 39 years of age. There are risks and challenges you should know about when trying for pregnancy after 35 years.

It can be harder to get pregnant now than when you were younger. Females are most fertile in their 20s.

If you've been trying to get pregnant for over 6 months, you should see your doctor to discuss your fertility.

In general:

  • Female fertility begins to decline faster after the age of 30. It declines more significantly after the age of 35.
  • Male fertility begins to decline faster after the age of 40. It declines more significantly after the age of 45.

The older you and your partner are, the more likely it is to take longer to conceive. This can also increase the risk of pregnancy complications.

Why does your fertility decline?

Female fertility

At birth, a female’s ovaries have all the eggs they will ever have — between 1 million and 2 million eggs. By puberty, half of the eggs will be gone.

As you get older, the number of eggs continues to reduce. Eggs age as the person does, and older eggs don’t fertilise as easily, but still, only one is needed.

Male fertility

Males produce sperm constantly. However, the number of sperm made reduces with age. The quality of the sperm also begins to decline. These factors reduce fertility.

How do I improve my chances of becoming pregnant?

If you are female, you will have a better chance of getting pregnant if you understand your menstrual cycle. The average cycle is 28 days, but it can vary for different people.

If your cycle is regular, you will probably ovulate 2 weeks before the start of your next period. So, you can work out the best time for sexual intercourse to result in pregnancy.

If you are male, talk with your partner about their menstrual cycle.

Both you and your partner should be as healthy as you can be. Apart from anything else, this really will help your chances of getting pregnant. You can both:

  • eat a healthy diet
  • be a healthy weight
  • check for and treat any sexually transmitted infections
  • avoid alcohol
  • if you smoke, stop smoking and avoid passive smoking when possible

When should you ask for help?

You should see a doctor if you’re a female, over 35 years, and have been trying to get pregnant for over 6 months.

People under 35 years, should have regular unprotected sexual intercourse for 12 months. If you don’t get pregnant in that time you should see your doctor.

However, if you have endometriosis or another condition that affects your fertility, you can visit your doctor sooner.

Treatments

There are many options available for people who are having trouble getting pregnant. The treatment depends on the cause of the fertility problem.

First, you and your partner will have a number of fertility tests. These might include:

  • blood tests
  • sperm tests
  • checks for sexually transmitted infections
  • an ultrasound

Depending on the results, your doctor might suggest treatments such as:

  • hormone therapy
  • IVF and variations such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
  • artificial insemination

These treatments can all work. However, none of them are guaranteed.

For example, most people who have IVF have a:

  • 33% chance of taking home a baby after one cycle
  • a 54% chance of taking home a baby after 8 cycles

However, for people aged 40 to 44 years, this decreases to:

  • 11% chance of taking home a baby after one cycle
  • about a 38% chance of taking home a baby after 8 cycles

What happens if I get pregnant?

If you are over 35 years and become pregnant, it’s important to receive good antenatal care. This is because there are some things to watch out for.

As the age of parents increases, the chance of pregnancy complications also does. These include:

  • high blood pressure
  • pre-eclampsia
  • caesarean sections
  • gestational diabetes
  • chance of twins
  • miscarriage

Your new baby may also have a higher risk of:

  • birth defects, including cardiovascular and musculoskeletal defects
  • disorders including autism, ADHD
  • mental health concerns
  • childhood cancer

You might also want to talk to your doctor or midwife about:

  • genetic counselling
  • tests like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Sources:
AIHW (Australia’s mothers and babies), Journal of Assisted Reproduction Genetics (Effects of aging on the male reproductive system), Journal of Assisted Reproduction Genetics (Complications of advanced maternal age), The Medical Journal of Australia (Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand: cumulative live birth rates as measures of success), RACGP/AFP (Male infertility – The other side of the equation), RACGP AFP (Assessment of female fertility in the general practice setting), Family Planning NSW (Maximising natural fertility)

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: July 2022


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Related pages

  • Understanding fertility
  • Being pregnant after 40
  • Fertility treatments
  • Fertility tests and treatments
  • Good fertility health

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How Age Matters For Your Fertility | Your Fertility

It's a biological fact that as women and men age, their potential to have children decreases, although the exact time when this starts to happen can vary among individuals