Fertility after 40

Fertility after 40 is lower than at an earlier age. This consequently affects the ability to conceive and bear a child. Fertility rate directly depends on the health of the future mother, as well as her lifestyle – lack of bad habits, physical fitness, genetic heredity. Fertility level can be determined in several ways.

Fertility is a measure of whether a woman is able to conceive and bear a child. Fertility after 40 is much lower than at the conditional 25. This is due to the fact that this indicator is very susceptible to various factors: diet, physical activity, stressful situations. To determine the fertile level, the best option will be to consult a doctor for appropriate tests.

Features of fertility after 40

In today’s realities, many women prefer to give birth at a late age. Such a decision has a complex nature. Among other things, it is associated with economic, psychological and many other reasons. Taking into account the fact that pregnancy and childbirth have a huge load on all organs and systems of the maternal body, fertility after 40 is also affected.

One should be prepared for the high risks of pregnancy and childbirth at this age. Women between the ages of 20 and 35 have better quality eggs, and the likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus is much lower. Closer to 35, there is an increase in all kinds of risks, and after 40, fertility becomes much lower.

This age also increases the risk of the fetus having a chromosomal abnormality. It can be like Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, or rare diseases. Yes, the risk increases, but it does not act as a 100% guarantee that the fetus will have genetic abnormalities. With today’s highly accurate and safe fetal testing methods, this can easily be prevented.

After the age of 35, it is more difficult for women to get pregnant without help and active stimulation. You just need to remember that fertility after 40 depends on very many factors. Here plays a significant role not so much age, as the general condition of the body of the expectant mother and the absence of any pathologies.

What affects the level of fertility

Fertility at different periods of life is not the same. Indicators decline already after age 32: at that age, the chance of a natural pregnancy is only 30%. By comparison, at the age of 25, the probability of an independent pregnancy is about 85%.

Fertility rates after 40 in women depend on very many factors:

general health;
active sporting activities;
genetic and hereditary factors;
exposure to stress;
bad habits, including smoking and alcohol;
state of the immune system;
Exposure to autoimmune diseases;
environmental factors, ecology;
surgical interventions.

To have a clear picture of your body’s condition, you should see a gynecologist to determine your fertility. He will also determine a woman’s fertility level after age 40. Examination of such a plan involves an ultrasound, tests for FSH, LH, AMH and other hormones, and an examination by a reproductologist.

Ultrasound examination is aimed at studying oocyte maturation. Hormonal and connective tissue levels in follicles are necessarily compared. The attending physician additionally evaluates the condition of the endometrium, the permeability of the fallopian tubes and analyzes other indicators of the female reproductive system. In order to complete the picture, additional questions about the menstrual cycle are asked.

Home tests do not have the level of accuracy required for pregnancy planning. Ovulation tests are usually required to determine the fertile window. This is the period in which there is the highest chance of getting pregnant. Most often, it is 5 days before and 1-2 days after ovulation. Many women also use a woman’s calendar for this purpose.

How to Increase Fertility

First of all, to increase fertility after 40, you need to eliminate factors that have a negative impact on this indicator. It is necessary to get rid of bad habits, adhere to a healthy lifestyle, follow a proper diet. Particular attention should be paid to controlling the level of stress. Do not forget about the mandatory preventive examinations at the doctor – they should be carried out at least once a year.

If during 1 year of active attempts to conceive a child, this does not happen, it is an indicator of low fertility after 40 years. Therefore, to begin with it is worth seeing a doctor, a reproductologist, to conduct the necessary tests and make appropriate recommendations.

In the absence of severe factors of reduced fertility after 40, thanks to timely treatment, quite often a natural pregnancy occurs within a year from the moment the therapy was started.

Quite often problems with the cycle and conception are caused by psychological factors. If fertility is medically reduced, then the best option is to use assisted reproductive technology.

How to get pregnant during the fertile period

Very often couples who plan to conceive a child, ask the question of what days it is possible to get pregnant. Many are convinced that the best day to conceive is the day of ovulation. Here it is worth considering that the probability of pregnancy is both before and after ovulation – it all depends on the level of fertility after 40.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the fertility window – this is the period of the menstrual cycle, in which the maximum probability of getting pregnant. It begins 5 days after ovulation and ends a few days after it.

The fertile period is calculated on the basis of the fact that the activity of sperm is maintained for 5 days. Therefore, fertilization can occur as a result of sexual intercourse that occurred during this period. It is not a bad option to keep a separate women’s calendar to mark the days of ovulation.

To determine the best days to conceive, you can use the following methods:

Measuring the basal temperature. It is measured every morning in the rectum. If the temperature rises to 37 degrees, it already indicates ovulation;
Tracking cervical discharge. During the fertile period after 40, they become more voluminous, their consistency changes – they become viscous, have an appearance similar to egg white;
Tracking according to a woman’s calendar. The calculation takes place in accordance with the menstrual cycle. This method is one of the least accurate, because every body is different;
Ovulation tests. They can be purchased at the drugstore. Their principle of operation is identical to pregnancy tests. The procedure should be performed on a daily basis. The tests should be started 5 days before the expected ovulation.

Without considering the above methods, you can determine the days favorable for conception with the help of an ultrasound scan. After determining fertile days, a woman greatly increases the chances of pregnancy in the current menstrual cycle. Regardless of fertility levels after age 40, it is the fertile days that are the most favorable period for pregnancy.

In fact, a woman of reproductive age, in the absence of gynecological diseases, is able to get pregnant on any day, including during menstruation. This is possible under the following conditions:

duration of critical days less than 21: ovulation can occur after 3-7 days from the last day of menstruation (you can trace the days with a woman’s calendar);
The duration of menstruation for more than 7 days;
The absence of a regular cycle, which makes it almost impossible to predict the days of ovulation;
The presence of intermediate bleeding that looks like menstruation;
Simultaneous maturation of several oocytes;

Spontaneous ovulation may occur quite rarely. As a rule, it is associated with the release of hormones due to an irregular sexual life. Thus, regardless of the level of fertility after the age of 40, there is always the possibility of conceiving a child. In this matter, you should not dwell on age, but pay more attention to the overall condition of the body.

A big plus is that fertility after 40 can be influenced. If you adhere to a correct lifestyle, give up unhealthy habits, monitor your body condition and have regular check-ups with your doctor. Then fertility levels can be brought back to normal, which means there is a high probability of successfully conceiving and carrying a child, regardless of age.