Reproduction is a special component of the human physiology and population, highly associated with age. Many people consider fertility a reproduction issue, but it is much more than that. Fertility is the capacity of women to bear children. As age has a significant effect in this formula, knowing the effect that it has on fertility makes the careers make the right decisions concerning their family planning, reproductive health, and even their life goals. This blog takes a closer look at the role of age and fertility, examining the physical, social, and individual realities.
Biological Factors on Fertility and Age
- Female Fertility and Age
Women’s fertility is crucially linked to the concept of biological clock. A female is biologically endowed at birth with a pool of about 1-2 million oocytes. In puberty, this number drops to about 300,000-400,000. In contrast to the sperm that men make over their lifetime, women are born with a certain number of eggs, which reduce in number as they age. Women’s fertility is normally at its best between the ages of 20 and 35. It is also the optimal period for fertilisation, and hence, conception occurs at this time most often.
After 35 years for a woman, fertility starts decreasing and reaches its lowest level when a woman is 40 or 41 years old. A woman’s natural fertility starts to decrease after the age of 35, and when a woman is 40 years old, the probability of conceiving a child naturally in one month is 5%. These reasons include a reduction in the size and quality of the eggs produced by a woman’s body.
- Male Fertility and Age
Even though men do not fuse through the same rate of fertility decrease as women do, age remains to be essential in their fertility. Oligomorphia, or the shape or size of the sperm, is also known to be affected by age in that the sperm becomes less active. There is information that men older than 40 years old may possess a worse chance of procreation even with young partners.
While female fertility has a more well-defined decline, male fertility decline is far more random and might be affected by such aspects as diet, exercise regime, and exposure to toxicity.
- Societal Trends and Fertility
During the past few decades, there has been a distinct tendency towards postponed child rearing. A lot of people and couples decide to have children only when they are older because they want first to have a good job, save money, or become more mature. As a result, couples are now more turned to other techniques, such as infertility treatment or IVF, in facing fertility issues by age.
For those women who are considering or have postponed pregnancy till the age of 35-40, ART is a certain prospect; however, it has its drawbacks and price tag. Recurrent treatments such as IVF have decreased success rates after 40, are time-consuming, and involve some form of physical stress as well as emotional stress.
Lifestyle Impact: The Facts
Fertility can also be affected by a number of lifestyle choices, though it is mainly affected by age. Pregnancy weight and a gluten-free diet, smoking and alcohol consumption, and stress reduction preserve fertility for as long as possible.
There are some diseases that accompany being overweight and obese; for example, obese patients have a reduced chance of conceiving a child. On its part, underweight of the extremes hampers normal menstruation, hence conception becomes very hard.
The Future of Fertility and Age: Advances in Reproductive Medicine
Through the development of a new technology in reproductive medicine, the window of fertility is actually increasing. Such procedures as oocyte cryopreservation are gaining popularity among those women who would like to freeze their childbearing until a more appropriate time. Egg freezing involves taking a woman’s eggs when she is young and healthy and storing them for use at a later date when the woman is ready to conceive.
Conclusion
Age may influence fertility, so it is important for individuals and couples who are planning to have a child to understand the relationship between age and fertility so that they can plan well. Biological factors are important, but knowledge and awareness can change a person’s fertility to fit their preference and standard. Dr. Ram Prakash is a well-known embryologist who can guide you well and make you understand the relationship between age and fertility.