Like many things in life, fertility is fleeting and, for both men and women, declines with age. While no one can stop fertility’s ticking clock, there are steps you can take to conceive or preserve your fertility. 

The Link Between Age and Fertility

A woman’s fertility is linked to her egg supply (ovarian reserve), and while born with millions of eggs, thousands are lost each month. As a result, by the time you reach 40, you’re left with about 10% of those eggs. 

Your diminishing egg supply, combined with other age-related factors, results in declining fertility once you reach your 30s. Fertility declines even more sharply after age 35, which is why we recommend seeing a fertility specialist sooner if you’re having trouble conceiving. 

Once you reach your 40s, getting pregnant is much more difficult. Although the average age for menopause is 51, some women enter menopause in their 40s and are no longer fertile. 

Men don’t usually experience a decline in fertility until their 40s, and it’s technically possible for men to have children at any point after puberty. However, sperm quality and quantity does decline with age, so it may become more difficult to conceive. 

Risks That Increase with Age

While it’s possible to have children in your 30s, 40s, and even later, the risk that you or your baby will experience complications increases as you age. In addition to having fewer eggs and sperm, the decrease in sperm quality means you’re also more likely to experience a miscarriage or your baby being born with a genetic disorder. 

Some complications and disorders you or your baby are at greater risk of experiencing include: 

• Preeclampsia
• Gestational diabetes
• Birth defects
• Stillbirth
• Miscarriage
• Low birth weight
• Premature birth
• Delivery by cesarean section
• Placenta previa

Research has also found that children born to fathers over age 40 are more than five times more likely to have an autism spectrum disorder than those with younger fathers. 

Can You Slow Fertility’s Ticking Clock?

Although you can’t stop the aging process, healthy habits may boost your fertility and prevent some damage to sperm and egg cells. Eating a healthy diet, taking prenatal vitamins, exercising several times a week, and getting plenty of sleep are all linked to better fertility.

Avoiding things that may harm your fertility is important, too. Smoking, using drugs, and drinking too much alcohol may harm your fertility and cause serious health problems for your baby if you become pregnant. Certain chemicals you may be exposed to at home or work, such as pesticides and heavy metals, may also interfere with your ability to conceive.. Additionally, men should avoid prolonged exposure to heat sources like hot tubs, laptops, and motorcycle seats.

Preserve Your Fertility

While you can’t stop fertility’s ticking clock, you can preserve your fertility until you’re ready to have children. Sperm freezing, egg freezing, and embryo freezing all allow you to preserve your fertility. And the best part? Your eggs, sperm, or embryos will be frozen at your current age, so regardless of when you decide you’re ready to grow your family, all three will be as healthy as they would be if you conceived today. 

Men who wish to freeze their sperm simply need to provide a sample, which is then tested for quality, separated into different vials, and frozen for future use. 

Freezing eggs is a bit more complicated. Your doctor gives you medication to stimulate your body to mature multiple eggs, rather than just one, during your menstrual cycle. You’ll come to the office for an outpatient procedure, during which the doctor will insert a needle into each ovary to remove the eggs. The eggs are then checked for quality and frozen for future use. 

Freezing your eggs doesn’t deplete your ovarian reserve. The procedure simply allows eggs to mature that your body would have otherwise discarded that month. 

Finally, freezing embryos requires your eggs to be retrieved and fertilized with your partner’s sperm (or donor sperm, if you choose), and frozen for future use. You may also choose to do genetic testing on your embryos prior to freezing them. 

Fertility Treatments

Couples today are having children later than in previous generations, and there are many benefits to doing so. Waiting to have children allows you to focus on your education and career so that you are more financially stable, and gives you time to travel and maybe find the right partner. 

The downside to waiting is that becoming pregnant may be more difficult. Fortunately, there are many fertility treatments available to help you grow your family. If you’ve been unable to conceive after 12 months of trying, or six months if you’re over age 35, you should seek help from a fertility specialist to discuss any these potential treatments:

• Ovulation induction
• Surgery to correct anatomical problems
• Removing uterine fibroids
• Correcting hormonal imbalances
• Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Egg or sperm donation
• Surrogacy

If you’d  like to learn more about your fertility, pursue fertility preservation, or begin the process of diagnosing and treating infertility, schedule an appointment with our compassionate care team at Halo Fertility in Los Angeles, CA. We look forward to helping you grow your family!