"Do you think I am too old to have a baby?" or "do you think I stand a
chance of getting pregnant & having a baby?" These are the questions
I am frequently asked by women who are trying to conceive & are in
their late 30's to mid 40's. Unfortunately, this is a question where
there really is no definitive answer as each couples situation is very
individual. Therefore, this question can really only be answered in
retrospect after both prospective parents have done everything possible
to support conception & a healthy pregnancy & baby.
Statistically, in women it appears that optimal fertility is before the
age of 30 - 31 years & that fertility then gradually decreases with
an acceleration towards the age of 40 years old. For instance, at age 40
a women's fertility is approximately a 1/4 of what it was when she was
30 years old.
Our current understanding around female reproduction is that a women is born with all her eggs [approximately 1/2 million] & then with the onset of her menstrual cycle, she will lose between 20-30 follicles with each cycle & eventually run out of eggs. However, recent studies on female rats are questioning, is it that women are running out of eggs or is it that her eggs are becoming less responsive to hormone signals? Certainly, we know that at around 10 years before a women goes through menopause her ovaries go through a process called "oopause" in which her ovaries become less responsive to hormone changes in her body & less responsive to sperm.
Our current understanding around female reproduction is that a women is born with all her eggs [approximately 1/2 million] & then with the onset of her menstrual cycle, she will lose between 20-30 follicles with each cycle & eventually run out of eggs. However, recent studies on female rats are questioning, is it that women are running out of eggs or is it that her eggs are becoming less responsive to hormone signals? Certainly, we know that at around 10 years before a women goes through menopause her ovaries go through a process called "oopause" in which her ovaries become less responsive to hormone changes in her body & less responsive to sperm.
The Good News!
So what does all this mean for the mature women trying to conceive? Can a women who is forty plus conceive naturally? Yes absolutely, women have always had babies in their early 40's long before IVF & other artificial reproductive technologies [ART] were around. What is different today is that women are often trying to conceive their first child in their late 30's & early 40's as opposed to conceiving their 5th or 6th child.
In fact for women over 42 years they have a higher chance of conceiving naturally than they do through IVF [this does not include other ART procedures such as ICSI or egg donation].
The good news is there is a lot you can do to improve your egg quality & responsiveness. In terms of your ability to conceive & have a baby, the quality & responsiveness of your eggs & ovaries is far more important than the number of eggs you have.
So what does all this mean for the mature women trying to conceive? Can a women who is forty plus conceive naturally? Yes absolutely, women have always had babies in their early 40's long before IVF & other artificial reproductive technologies [ART] were around. What is different today is that women are often trying to conceive their first child in their late 30's & early 40's as opposed to conceiving their 5th or 6th child.
In fact for women over 42 years they have a higher chance of conceiving naturally than they do through IVF [this does not include other ART procedures such as ICSI or egg donation].
The good news is there is a lot you can do to improve your egg quality & responsiveness. In terms of your ability to conceive & have a baby, the quality & responsiveness of your eggs & ovaries is far more important than the number of eggs you have.
It's All About The Environment
The opportunity to make the greatest impact on improving egg & sperm quality is 3-4 months prior to an conception attempt, be that naturally or assisted. This is because the egg takes about 120 days to ripen & mature & the sperm take about 90 days to generate & mature. It is during this maturation stage that the health of both the egg & sperms can be directly impacted upon, for better or worse according to the environment it which they develop.
Doctor Norbert Gleicher at the Center For Human Reproduction, New York City, suspects that a women's eggs do not age until they are selected & undergo the ripening & maturation process. Hence, the importance of providing the best possible environment for the egg to ripen in & this is especially so for older women. To watch a short video where Doctor Gleicher talks about this in relation to premature ovarian ageing please visit http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/premature_ovaries.html
The opportunity to make the greatest impact on improving egg & sperm quality is 3-4 months prior to an conception attempt, be that naturally or assisted. This is because the egg takes about 120 days to ripen & mature & the sperm take about 90 days to generate & mature. It is during this maturation stage that the health of both the egg & sperms can be directly impacted upon, for better or worse according to the environment it which they develop.
Doctor Norbert Gleicher at the Center For Human Reproduction, New York City, suspects that a women's eggs do not age until they are selected & undergo the ripening & maturation process. Hence, the importance of providing the best possible environment for the egg to ripen in & this is especially so for older women. To watch a short video where Doctor Gleicher talks about this in relation to premature ovarian ageing please visit http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/premature_ovaries.html
The three key areas where you & your partner can make a difference to your sperm & egg quality are:
1.Clean Up Your Diet and Lifestyle
Cut out the junk food, cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and base your meals on fresh, unprocessed vital foods. This is because poor diet & lifestyle choices that impact negatively on your health will also create a toxic environment for the developing egg or sperm, thereby reduce their quality & health.
Cut out the junk food, cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and base your meals on fresh, unprocessed vital foods. This is because poor diet & lifestyle choices that impact negatively on your health will also create a toxic environment for the developing egg or sperm, thereby reduce their quality & health.
For more detailed information on the dietary & lifestyle changes you can implement to improve your fertility, you may like to sign up for my FREE "Fertility Boosting Information kit" at the top right hand side of this page.
2.Reduce Oxidative Stress
As we age we have increasing levels of oxidation processes occurring within our body. For instance a 40 year old women or man's requirements for antioxidants is often double that of a 20 year old's. Oxidation is what causes rusting, so in a sense as we age our cells are more prone to "rusting." Both egg & sperm are highly susceptible to oxidation damage during their maturation phase. Whilst, antioxidants such as Vitamin C & Vitamin E help to protect our cell from oxidative damage.
3.Nutrients To Improve Ovarian Response
Modern research has now identifying specific nutrients that play a role in both increasing the ovaries response to hormone signals & the eggs responsiveness to sperm. Stay tuned for part two of this blog article when I will be discussing the use of:
As we age we have increasing levels of oxidation processes occurring within our body. For instance a 40 year old women or man's requirements for antioxidants is often double that of a 20 year old's. Oxidation is what causes rusting, so in a sense as we age our cells are more prone to "rusting." Both egg & sperm are highly susceptible to oxidation damage during their maturation phase. Whilst, antioxidants such as Vitamin C & Vitamin E help to protect our cell from oxidative damage.
3.Nutrients To Improve Ovarian Response
Modern research has now identifying specific nutrients that play a role in both increasing the ovaries response to hormone signals & the eggs responsiveness to sperm. Stay tuned for part two of this blog article when I will be discussing the use of:
- medical testing to determine ovarian reserve & responsiveness
- specific nutrients to support ovarian responsiveness & quality
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