Age and Trying to Conceive

by Pattie Hughes | More from this Blogger

07 Sep 2007 08:44 PM

Age can be a factor in trying to conceive. As women age, their fertility naturally declines. These days women are delaying motherhood in favor of getting an education or pursuing a career. As a result, more women are waiting until into their thirties or even forties to try to have a baby.

The result of waiting longer can be a more difficult time getting pregnant. When we were trying to conceive our first baby, the doctor mentioned age. It took us six years to be blessed with our first daughter. Fortunately I was only 23 when we started trying. The doctor said that this was in our favor, since we had time on our side.

This isn't true for women who waited ten or more years longer to try to have a baby. After the age of 35 years, fertility begins to decline rapidly. The main reason for this decline is in the ability to produce ripe eggs for fertilization. One issue is the number of eggs in the ovarian reserve.

Female babies are born with all the eggs they will ever produce. The number and quality of those eggs is called the ovarian reserve. As we age, the number of available eggs is reduced and there are fewer eggs left for conception.

Another issue is the way the follicles in your ovaries respond to the natural hormones in your body. FSH and LH are two hormones that are responsible for the ripening of the follicle and the release of the egg. As we age, the follicles are less receptive to these hormones. This results in fewer eggs being ripened and some months ovulation may not occur at all.

The eggs that are ripened may be of poor quality. If the egg isn't high quality, conception may not occur. If it does occur, the pregnancy may be in jeopardy. Early miscarriage is often due to poor quality eggs.

Related Articles:

Infertility Treatments and Multiple Pregnancies

What is a Luteal Phase Defect?

Infertility Testing: Day 3 FSH Testing

Learn more about Pattie Hughes

Pattie Hughes is a freelance writer and mother of four young children. She and her husband have been married since 1992. Pattie holds a degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger