Whether you’re attempting to develop throughout your 20s, 30s or 40s, getting pregnant at any age has its pluses and minuses.
What Age Is It Hard to Get Pregnant?
If you’re over 35 and you’ve been trying to get pregnant for more than six months, you may be dealing with fertility concerns. Your physician or a fertility professional can assist figure out why you aren’t pregnant yet and advise next steps for attempting to develop.
Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) can help you develop, but they can’t completely make up for age-related declines in your fertility.
Doctors deal with fertility issues in women with drugs that promote egg production, and methods like in vitro fertilization (IVF).
However, the odds of attaining a successful pregnancy with these approaches do get lower as you age.
If you’ve been trying to get pregnant but aren’t having any luck, it’s time to see a fertility expert.
Here’s when to see a doctor:
- within a year of trying if you’re under age 35
- within six months if you’re over age 35
Couples with known genetic diseases or those who’ve had multiple miscarriages should likewise check in with their doctor or a fertility expert.
What Age Is It Easiest to Get Pregnant
Experts state the average woman’s fertility peaks in her early 20s. So from a strictly biological point of view, this is the very best decade for conceiving and bring a baby.
Like every woman, you’re born with all the eggs you will ever have about 1 to 2 million. By the age of puberty, your eggs number about 300,000 to 500,000, however, your ovaries launch just about 300 throughout your reproductive years.
As you get older, your ovaries age together with the rest of your body and the quality of your eggs gradually degrades. That’s why a more youthful woman’s eggs are less most likely than an older woman’s to have genetic abnormalities that cause Down syndrome and other congenital disabilities.
The risk of miscarriage is likewise far lower: It’s about 10 percent for women in their 20s, 12 percent for women in their early 30s, and 18 percent for women in their mid to late 30s. Miscarriage risk jumps to about 34 percent for women in their early 40s, and 53 percent by age 45.
Pregnancy is typically physically much more comfortable for women in their 20s because there’s a lower danger of health issues like hypertension and diabetes. You’re likewise less likely to have gynecological problems, like uterine fibroids, which often end up being more problematic with time.
Finally, more youthful women are less most likely to have premature or low-birth-weight babies than women older than 35.
Regarding fertility, it does not matter if you start attempting to get pregnant in your early 20s or your late 20s. The difference in a woman’s fertility in her early and late 20s is negligible.
When the baby comes, as a 20-something mommy you’re most likely to have the durability to awaken with the baby some times during the night and still have the ability to work the next day. You’ll likewise have much company as you chase your kid around the play area: The typical American woman has her first kid around age 26. Also, when your child has kids of her own, chances are you’ll still have the energy to be an actively included grandparent.
In Your 20s: Primed for Pregnancy
From a merely physical viewpoint, this is the prime-time for getting pregnant – and the earlier you remain in your 20s, the quicker you might conceive. The irregular cycles common in your teenage years have, so ovulation is more foreseeable. Plus, your eggs (you’re born with all you’ll have) are fresh and healthy, making them good candidates for fertilization.
Not just is it most convenient to get pregnant in your 20s; it’s also easier to be pregnant. Usually, a more youthful body can best deal with the additional load on the bones, back, and muscles during pregnancy. Your joints have been subjected to minimal wear and tear, and you’re most likely in the peak condition of your adult life, possibly years away from medical issues that may emerge with increasing age.
Moreover, if you’re young, opportunities are your moms and dads are, too – indicating more hands-on assistance for you and more enjoyable times for your kids. Not just can more youthful grandparents aid with childcare; however, it’s fantastic when, in years ahead, they’re still able to participate in school functions and even go along on an excursion.
The danger of pregnancy-related problems is typically low in your 20s, with a noteworthy exception: preeclampsia, or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure. Preeclampsia is less related to age, however than the truth that this condition occurs typically with a first pregnancy – and most expectant women in their 20s are newbie mommies. You may likewise run a higher risk of a low birth weight baby if you’ve continued bad health habits from your teen years, such as smoking cigarettes, poor nutrition, and dangerous sex that results in sexually transmitted diseases.
While the physical factors of pregnancy typically favor a 20-something, that does not necessarily indicate this is the decade to have a baby – especially if you’re feeling your way into a profession or a marital relationship. You might not have had enough time to fulfill your requirements, such as expert success or spending time alone with your partner.
What you lack in life experience, however, you might offset in enthusiasm about impending motherhood. A woman in her 20s might not spend so much time overthinking the pregnancy. She might be more upbeat and less anxious about having a baby, taking the classes, and becoming a mommy. Also, simply a few years may make a big difference in your psychological readiness.
In Your 30s: Gaining Maturity vs. Waning Fertility
Many women who’ve rounded the bend of 30 might feel they’ve made terrific strides professionally and personally, making them more emotionally gotten ready for pregnancy.
The catch: While you were getting life experience, your eggs continued to grow too – and now they’re showing their age. The typical woman is born with half a million readily available eggs; however, those most sensitive to ripening are released first, leaving you with the slower specimens as you age. So even if you developed at the beginning last decade, don’t expect the very same quick outcomes now. You’ll probably be trying for another 3 to six months, even if you’re in excellent shape and have no medical issues that impact fertility (such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids).
Waning fertility is most visible after the mid-30s.
As soon as you get pregnant, however, you’ll likely find that if you’re healthy and fit, you may take pleasure in the energy typically associated with a younger woman. Your physical well-being throughout pregnancy depends more on who you are than how old you are. Be aware, though, that this is the years when chronic conditions such as diabetes or hypertension, which make complicated pregnancy, first ended up being obvious. This is particularly real if you’ve loaded on pounds with the passing years because obesity increases the threat of many medical issues.
Likewise, even if you’re in decent shape, beginning at age 35, you have an increased risk for pregnancy-specific conditions including gestational diabetes. Age 35 marks the official start for “high threat” pregnancy. Why the scary-sounding cutoff? Since at 35, the odds of your having a baby with a chromosomal problem such as Down syndrome (in which a baby is born with an additional chromosome) have to do with an equivalent to the danger of miscarriage from amniocentesis, a diagnostic test for chromosomal flaws that takes a look at amniotic fluid. (The fluid is eliminated through a needle placed in the mom’s abdomen.) However, that danger [about 1 in 295] is still quite small – it’s just that it’s higher compared with the risk of a 25-year-old.
Besides, the risk of certain conditions, such as placenta previa, in which the placenta grows near the cervix and causes bleeding, increases with the number of previous pregnancies or cesarean sections, which is why it’s most typical amongst older women.
In Your 40s: Older, Yes, however Also Much Wiser
There’s no navigating it: From a medical perspective, this is the hardest decade for pregnancy. By now, you’ve gone through your first-rate eggs, making conception slower than ever. You’re entrusted to those eggs that have not only taken the longest to respond to the body’s cues for release, however they likewise don’t operate well throughout fertilization. This additional raises the danger of chromosomal problems and miscarriage. Meanwhile, your menstrual cycle might grow progressively irregular well before menopause, which also compromises fertility.
Interestingly, while it’s now hardest to get pregnant, this is likewise when you’re more than likely to bring multiples– itself a high-risk pregnancy – even without medical intervention. It may be that shifting hormone levels throughout menopause stimulate the release of more than one egg at ovulation – like a natural fertility drug.
Necessary blood work (the alpha-fetoprotein or AFP, likewise referred to as triple or quad screening) that approximates the threat of chromosomal problems such as Down syndrome is usually considered a wild-goose chase and money. The testing will invariably expose risk, which now accelerates more rapidly, from about 1 in 86 at age 40 to 1 in 21 at age 45. Women at 40-plus who go with screening generally go straight to the conclusive tests – amnio or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), which involves removing a little tissue from the placenta and brings about a 1 percent danger of miscarriage.
Pregnancy might worsen chronic conditions along with early signs of aging, such as stiff, sore joints; varicose veins might likewise get worse. It’s all magnified with pregnancy. A slower metabolism might have huge impacts, too.
Medical professionals might fast to check off the physical drawbacks of later pregnancy; however, a list of other pluses balances the scales. You have higher monetary stability, for starters, which may allow you to focus more on motherhood. Life experience may have made you more patient and flexible. First-time motherhood can seriously rattle long-established regimens, but a woman in her 40s understands more about life’s ups and downs and can much better take shake-ups in stride.
So you’ve most likely proved yourself professionally – you might now be more content to stay at home, or more confident about blending motherhood and a profession. You’re more smart, and not as scared to step up to the plate and negotiate your terms for work. Older mothers will request family-friendly office plans like telecommuting, flextime, and job sharing.
That confidence may also bring itself into the physician’s office, where you’re more likely to speak out about your preferences regarding labor and delivery. Women who are a bit older tend to be more active in their pregnancy and general healthcare. They may ask their ob-gyn more questions about things we consider to be basic practice, such as prenatal labs, diabetes screening, and ultrasounds.
Coping strategies for many years that have served her well in her 2nd round as a mommy of a newborn – including an afternoon teatime and taking one day a week when she leaves the baby with another relative.
Conclusion
The passing years can make it more challenging to get pregnant. It’s still possible to have a healthy baby when you’re in your 30s or 40s.
Eventually, the ideal time to get pregnant is when it feels right to you. It’s not unreasonable to wait until you feel more positive in your profession and finances to start constructing your family.
If you do select to wait, you may want to check in with your physician or a fertility specialist to ensure no health concerns will stand in your way once you’re all set.
