Not everyone who wants children is in a position to have them before the age of 35. Busy lives, not finding the right partner, focusing on other things – it’s not always possible to work to the tick of the biological clock.
There are lots of reasons why having a family younger isn’t always possible or wanted:
Unfortunately, biology doesn’t care about our feelings or what else is going on in our lives!
We know that fertility begins to decline in women in their 30s (for men it happens a bit later), but what does that actually mean?
It can take longer to get pregnant when you’re older, and the chances of successfully conceiving, either naturally or with assisted reproduction, gradually get lower and lower.
As the menstrual cycle changes towards menopause, it can be hard to know exactly when ovulation happens – if it happens at all.
Read more about the effect of age on fertility in our blog Exactly How Hard Is It To Get Pregnant After Age 35?
One study found that women over 40 were more likely than younger women to get gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, experience breech births (baby is born feet first rather than head first) and miscarriages, need birth interventions (e.g. forceps delivery or Caesarean), have premature births and have babies with low birth weights and/or who need intensive care after birth.
You can find out more about this in our blog How Risky Is It (For You and Your Baby) to Get Pregnant After 40?
When an egg is fertilized, it combines the chromosomes from each parent. In older eggs, this process is more likely to go wrong; when this happens the embryo develops genetic abnormalities. Some of these abnormalities cause conditions like Down's syndrome.
Learn more in our article What Happens to Your Eggs as You Get Older?
A common misunderstanding is that if you are older than around 35 and are having trouble getting pregnant you can have IVF or another kind of assisted reproduction instead. However, when it comes to fertility the age of the mother’s eggs is one of the most crucial factors, and many of the issues you might face with natural conception also affect assisted reproduction. The risks of the fertilizations process higher in older women?
You might be relieved to know:
Fertility preservation might be an option
This involves freezing your eggs when you’re younger so you can use them later, dramatically reducing your risks of many of the complications and difficulties of trying to start a family with older eggs. Why not learn more about egg freezing and who is suitable for it?
Having a baby later in life is pretty common.
Lots of women are having healthy babies in their late 30s and into their 40s. Just because the risks are higher, it doesn’t mean it’s a guarantee. Learn more about this in our articles How Risky is it (for You and Your Baby) to Get Pregnant after 40? and Becoming a mother after 40 - it CAN be safe
Every woman is different.
And sometimes, each cycle is slightly different too. It’s impossible to say whether any particular woman will or will not have a successful pregnancy at any particular time. But the more you understand about your body, your cycle and your fertility, the more informed you will be.