British women are becoming mums for the first time later and later, and the birth of the royal baby earlier this month highlighted this trend. While Kate Middleton, at 31, was in no way old, she was still over a decade older than Princess Diana was when she gave birth to Prince William. Things have changed a lot in a generation and the number of first-time UK mothers in their 40s has risen by 15% in the last five years.
But when does the female biological clock actually start to tick? www.marieclaire.co.uk wrote a great article recently about this subject. They spoke to top fertility experts to give you the lowdown. This is what they found
35 could be key
‘There is no “magic number” at which female fertility declines but we know that eggs deteriorate with age,’ says Infertility Network UK’s deputy chief executive Susan Seenan.
‘The speed of that deterioration will vary but rises more steeply after the age of about 35. The more “fertility aware” you are the better, so you can make an informed decision and be aware that it might take you longer to conceive,’ she adds.
‘Women in the 19-26 age group have double the chance of conceiving each menstrual cycle compared with 35-39-year olds,’ explains Fertility UK fertility nurse specialist Jane Knight.
Women over 35 are also less likely to become pregnant from fertility treatments like IVF, and are more likely to suffer from miscarriages.
So does this mean that we all need to get pregnant by 35or risk never being able to have kids? Not necessarily. You may want to start worrying when you reach 37, though. ‘Egg quality diminishes significantly from about 37,’ explains Jane.
Ask your mum
Your personal danger age could also be down to genetics. Fertility expert Zita West suggests looking at your mum. ‘One important question to ask is at what age your mother had the menopause as this may be the same for you,’ she says. ‘The decline occurs when the quality of the eggs is diminished with age, and this is usually in the late thirties to early forties.’
But just because you’re still having periods, it doesn’t mean that you’ll get pregnant easily. ‘Nature plays a cruel trick in that women tend to go on having periods long after they have ceased to ovulate,’ says Jane. ‘The ovulation mechanism becomes faulty and the egg quality is very poor long before a woman reaches her menopause, and a woman may no longer be fertile for up to ten years before she has her last period. The average age for menopause is about 51, but many women will have a much earlier menopause.’
So does that mean that, for the average woman, 41 could be the pivotal age?
Get tested
It’s probably best to find out for sure by getting tested. ‘Each woman is different when it comes to fertility and we can now use blood tests and ultrasound scans to see the fertility potential by looking at egg reserves,’ explains Zita. ‘The more egg reserves you have the better your fertility, however this won’t tell us about the quality of the eggs,’ she warns.
According to the NHS, around one third of couples in which the woman is over 35 will experience fertility problems, and this rises to two-thirds when the woman is over 40. But that still means that lots of women in the 35+ age bracket are getting pregnant easily.
The best things you can do to try to protect your fertility and prolong your chances of conceiving later on are getting checked regularly for STIs (chlamydia and gonorrhoea can damage your fallopian tubes), maintaining a healthy weight, drinking sensibly and avoiding smoking.
Article taken in part from www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/
Disclaimer
All content on this website is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Always consult your own GP if you’re in any way concerned about your health.