The Medical Director from the Fertility Associates Wellington in New Zealand claims that more and more women are delaying motherhood in favor of career success, travel, and finding Mr. Right. However, conceiving later in life increases the risk of infertility as well as the need for fertility treatments in order to actually conceive successfully the second or third time around.
In a world where more and more women are waiting until after the age of 35 (the cases of women giving birth after age 44 has doubled over the past decade) to have their first child, women in middle age hoping to conceive a second or third child have the odds already stacked against them.
- Typically, women under the age of 34 have a 26 percent chance of conception
- Whereas egg quality and quantity are reduced by 17 percent in women over the age of 39
- That leaves just an 8 percent of success of conception in women over the age of 42
Dr. Murray claims older women who wait to conceive have a greater risk of experiencing genetic issues with their eggs, as well as a greater risk of miscarriage and infertility.
That being said; fertility isn’t solely a female issue, the age of the father is also relevant as the amount of daily sperm production and quality declines with age as well.
On top of age, obesity also plays a role in successful conception due to the fact that heavier women ovulate less often, and heavier men produce fewer quality sperm.
Source: National News
