How does age affect a woman’s ability to have children?

A women is born with certain number of eggs. With growing age the quality and quantity of eggs starts decreasing. Female infertility generally starts to decline when a women is in her early 30’s,and the decline speeds up after the age of 35. It is a common misconception that IVF treatment can overcome age related infertility.

More and more women are delaying parenthood until their 30s and 40s. Actually, about 20% of women in the United States now have their first child after age 35. So age is an increasingly common cause of fertility problems. About one-third of couples in which the woman is over 35 have fertility problems. Aging decreases a woman’s chances of having a baby in the following ways:

The ability of a woman’s ovaries to release eggs ready for fertilization declines with age.

The health of a woman’s eggs declines with age.

As a woman ages she is more likely to have health problems that can interfere with fertility.

As a women ages, her risk of having a miscarriage increases.