Fertility After 35: The Underrepresented Positive Side

Would you like to have a baby — naturally? Women over 35 are often bombarded with a huge amount of grim statistics and comments that make them want to run to their nearest IVF clinic right away. How likely is natural conception after 35 really? And what can you do to boost those odds?

What Are Your Odds Of Getting Pregnant At 35 And Beyond?

Are you a woman of reproductive age? It's impossible that you haven't heard that fertility sharply declines after a certain age. Some people say that "magic age" is 35, while others say it's 30 or even 25. One statistic that's often mentioned is that one in three women over 35 will not be pregnant after a full year of trying, and you've probably also read or otherwise internalized the idea that getting pregnant naturally at 40 and beyond is next to impossible. 

The guidelines published by the UK's healthcare watchdog NICE — the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence — are considered to be home to some of the most reliable fertility statistics out there. What do they say? Let's take a look:

• 84 percent of the "general population" will conceive within 12 months of having regular unprotected intercourse — note that the term general population refers to people of all ages and those with fertility problems as well as those without. 
• 92 percent of that same general population will conceive within two years, while 93 percent will get pregnant within three years.
• After two years of trying, 35 year old women had a 87 percent chance of pregnancy.
• Those who started trying at age 38 had a 67 percent chance of conceiving within two years.

Where's the data for women over 40, you may ask? Well, that's where things get tricky. NICE's data on cumulative fertility only goes up to age 39, but they do report that 25 out of 100 40-year old women will get pregnant in a year. By age 45, that figure will have dropped to 10. While there's no denying that age is the Number One cause of infertility and one that eventually catches up with all women, this data does not suggest that trying to conceive naturally at 40 and beyond is pointless. Indeed, individual couples can take many steps to increase their odds of success.

Intercourse Matters

NICE's fertility guidelines note that a whopping 94 percent of 35-year old women will conceive within three years of trying — if they have intercourse two or three times a week. Meanwhile, 77 percent of 38-year old women will get pregnant within three years with the same amount of intercourse.

See Also: Complications Of Pregnancy You May Not Know About

That's quite the difference, isn't it? The moral of the story is obvious — intercourse matters. You've definitely encountered the idea that stress reduces fertility. These statistics show that there is some truth to that: stress reduces sex, and that has a very direct impact on your odds of conceiving. Many couples who are worried they might not be able to conceive become quite stressed about that, to the point it becomes a real libido killer. Notice the irony and don't fall into this trap. 

How To Maximize Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant After 35 

Tracking Your Fertility

Having intercourse more frequently might have a dramatic impact on your chances of getting pregnant, but isn't having sex at the right time important too? That infamous fertile window is only open for a maximum of seven days a month, after all. This fertile window includes the period leading up to ovulation, because sperm can survive within the female reproductive system for quite a while.

However, if you don't naturally feel like having sex two or three times a week and think you may not make this goal otherwise, tracking your fertility can be a great idea. The same goes for couples who don't think this will cause them any stress. The methods at your disposal range from monitoring your cervical mucus to charting your temperature and taking ovulation tests. 

Ovulation tests, which are very reliable, do have one major disadvantage: they work by detecting a surge in Luteinizing Hormone, a hormone that is only released just prior to ovulation. In other words, the tests tell you when you are just about to ovulate but don't let you know about those other fertile days. If you keep track of your menstrual cycles they can give you information about the cycle day on which you generally ovulate, though. Women with regular menstrual cycles can use this information to figure out the dates on which their fertile window might be open during subsequent cycles. Just in case you're wrong, though, keep having regular intercourse!

How Your Health And Lifestyle Impacts Your Odds Of Conceiving

It goes without saying that couples who would like to get pregnant should live as healthily and responsibly as they can. This includes eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and taking folic acid supplements to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. (Yes, that's for women, but folic acid also increases male fertility.) What else do you need to know about health and lifestyle?

How important is it for people who want to conceive to lay off the booze? Occasional alcohol consumption does not have a negative impact on either male or female fertility, the NICE guidelines — which are based on scientific studies — suggest. In fact, one study found that women who occasionally drank wine got pregnant slightly faster than those who didn't. Both men and women should avoid getting drunk, however, and should not exceed the recommended safe drinking limits.

Smoking is another story entirely: female smokers can expect to reduce their chances of getting pregnant dramatically. Though the same isn't true for men, passive smoking still affects female fertility.

Women with a body mass index (BMI) of 29 or more are likely to take longer to conceive, and the same is true for those with a BMI of 19 or less who also have irregular menstrual cycles. Losing or gaining weight can increase your chances of getting pregnant if you fall into the overweight or underweight range. 

See Also: Could You Or Your Partner Be Infertile?

Finally, having a reproductive health checkup if a wonderful idea for anyone who wants a baby. Undetected conditions like sexually transmitted diseases and endometriosis can have a very serious impact on your fertility, not to mention your general health. On the flip side, finding out about health conditions that can interfere with your fertility and getting treatment can greatly increase your chances.