Fertility is fleeting. It is a known fact that fertility decreases with time and age. In spite of watching your favorite celebrities becoming parents in their late years of life, you cannot deny this relation. In fact, one definitely knows and agrees that age affects one’s ability to conceive and have a healthy baby.
One may also know that this affectation differs for both man and woman. While age is a major factor in a woman fertility, for male, it does happen but very subtly.
WOMEN’S AGE AND INFERTILITY.
A woman is born with all the eggs that she is going to have in her life. So, as she ages, the eggs age with her decreasing in both quantity and quality. When a woman is in her early 20’s the probability of her getting pregnant is 25-30 % every month. While the decline starts in the early 30’s, it gains momentum after 35. As the woman reaches her 40’s the chances of her getting pregnant is reduced to 5%.
Therefore, the chances of conceiving reduce and the risk of infertility increases. Along with it, there comes a high risk of miscarriage and further complications in the pregnancy.
Even IVF treatment cannot guarantee a successful pregnancy. Further, a child born to old parents are more prone to genetic disorders or birth defects.
So, even when a woman is completely healthy, the age factor cannot be overridden.
MALE AGE AND INFERTILITY
The effects of age on woman’s infertility have been known for a long time. But recent studies have found that the age of male is also connected with infertility.
Just like a woman, the quality of a male sperm decreases with age specifically, in the 40’s. The sperm count may remain the same, but their movement and shape may change reducing the quality. A young man in his 20’s has 5% more chance of pregnancy than a man in his 40’s.
Whatever be the age of the mother, there will be a higher risk of miscarriage if the man is in his late 40’s.
In addition, the children fathered in later years are more susceptible to mental disorders including autism, schizophrenia etc.
Infertility here does not necessarily refer to not conceiving at all but the reduction in the probability of conceiving. Hence, it advised by all medical practitioner to have a baby before 35.
