Why age matters when it comes to your fertility

MOSTLY women are aware of reproductive facts and their biological clock ticking. This comes into prominence especially when couples plan their pregnancy. Fertility is age-related for both men and women and this understanding is pivotal because it helps in conceiving, the baby's health depends on it and one can make informed choices during pregnancy.

A woman is born with a certain number of eggs that only get depleted over a period of time, and after some time she can't produce any more eggs. But in the case of a man, he can produce sperms his entire life. Therefore, it signifies the women's pregnancy health window is short compared to a man's, who can even father a child in their 60s and 70s.

So, let's have a look at the fertility across different age groups:

Fertility in their 20s:

According to the experts, this is the perfect age group for a woman to have a healthy pregnancy. This is the age when women are most fertile. Advantages of pregnancy during this age are:

l As your eggs have lesser odds of carrying genetic abnormalities, the chances of your child having any genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome or Thalassemia is minimal

l The risk of miscarriage is 10%.

l Premature baby or baby with low birth weight less likely

l EThe mother has lower risk of health complications like gestational diabetes or hypertension.

Disadvantages:

l In first pregnancy, the risk of pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication, becomes higher

l If you have PCOD or uterine fibroids or any underlying medical condition, achieving a pregnancy is complicated.

* When it comes to men, if infertility has been diagnosed it's because of his lifestyle choices that lead to obesity, hypertension, contraction of any sexually transmitted infection and diabetes .

Fertility in their 30s:

If a woman wants to conceive in this phase of her life, then the chances of expecting are between 15% and 20% each month provided they don't have any underlying health conditions. A study has confirmed that women in 30s have 30% chances of conceiving in their first try. But, fertility tends to decline when a woman reaches 35 because of the decreased quality and quantity of the eggs. Chances of conceiving naturally after 35 are minimal.

Risks in the 30s are:

l Higher C-section rates.

l Higher chances of genetic issues in the newborn.

l Increased rates of miscarriages and stillbirths

l Elevated risks of ectopic pregnancy.