Conceiving in your 40s and beyond is often possible with help from our team
It’s important to have all the facts about fertility when conceiving in your 40s and beyond. Midwest Fertility Specialists (MFS) works with women and men of all ages who may need help welcoming a healthy baby. Although fertility issues can happen at any age, fertility does decline over time. As such, we recommend reaching out to our Indiana fertility clinic team for assistance if you’re struggling to conceive.
Understanding female and male fertility
Women’s ovaries contain a lifetime supply of eggs at birth. Although each woman is different, most of them have hundreds of thousands of eggs remaining in their 20s. This gives a fertile and healthy woman about a 30% chance of conceiving each month during most of this decade.
But most women begin to face an age-related decline in fertility in their late-20s and early-30s. By age 30, the same healthy woman mentioned above has a 20% chance of conceiving with each cycle.
Female fertility tends to decrease more sharply around age 35, until a woman has a 5% chance of conceiving each month in her 40s. This is true even if she’s still having regular periods. It’s important to note that men also begin to see a decline in fertility as they age, although it tends to happen later than it does in women.
However, there are options for conceiving in your 40s. Advances in reproductive medicine allow our Indiana fertility clinic to offer leading-edge treatments to make parenthood possible.
The most common fertility and pregnancy issues in your 40s
Due to age-related changes in fertility, women may notice that it’s more difficult to conceive in their 40s. This is often due to diminished ovarian reserve (egg supply). However, other issues that range from ovulatory disorders to male infertility can also be responsible.
In addition to higher rates of infertility, you can face other risks when conceiving in your 40s:
- Higher miscarriage rates due to chromosomal abnormalities
- Greater likelihood of experiencing gestational diabetes and hypertension
- Higher risk of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality like Down syndrome
While these risks exist, many women and men have welcomed healthy babies with help from experienced fertility experts. In fact, the team at MFS has helped many patients in the area overcome these statistics and achieve parenthood.
When to seek help with conceiving in your 40s and beyond
Once you reach age 35, time is of the essence. As a result, you should schedule an appointment at our Indiana fertility clinic after having regular, unprotected intercourse for six months without becoming pregnant. If you are in your 40s, we encourage you to make an appointment when you are ready to start trying to conceive.
Your doctor will begin by reviewing the medical and family histories of you and your partner. This visit will also involve male and female infertility testing. Using these results, your doctor will work with you to create your individualized treatment plan, which may include ovulation medications and/or intrauterine insemination (IUI). However, this plan will likely include one or more of the following services:
- In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an advanced treatment that can help patients welcome a healthy baby. The steps of the process include ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization and embryo transfer.
- Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) can be an added treatment that can increase IVF success rates. PGT can test embryos for chromosomal abnormalities and identify embryos that have specific genetic conditions in some cases.
In some cases, you may need donor services to help you achieve pregnancy. If you or your partner don’t have enough high-quality eggs or sperm, you can turn to donor eggs, sperm or embryos. This treatment provides a highly successful path to parenthood that serves as an alternative to adoption.
Reach out now for help achieving pregnancy
Conceiving in your 40s and beyond is possible, especially when you partner with experienced fertility doctors. Contact us to schedule a consultation at our Indiana fertility clinic and learn how you can overcome fertility issues and welcome a healthy baby.