Fertility and age

Age affects fertility, including the number and quality of eggs. It matters for sperm too. CDC guidance says couples find it harder to conceive when the male partner is 40 or older. So it’s worth talking about age for everyone providing eggs or sperm.

You may be deciding when to try, or already wondering why you haven’t got pregnant. Start with the question you need answered now. You can talk through your options before you decide what you want.

What changes as eggs age

Egg quality falling is one of the main reasons fertility drops with age. There are also fewer eggs left, and health conditions that affect fertility become more likely. Older age is linked with a higher chance of miscarriage and of a baby having a genetic condition.

These findings describe patterns across groups of women. They can’t tell you what will happen in any one pregnancy. Ask a clinician to look at your age alongside your medical history and how you hope to conceive. CDC advice bases checks and treatment on each person’s situation.

Read the number with its label

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says that by age 40, a woman’s chance of getting pregnant is less than 10 percent in each menstrual cycle. That figure is an average across a group. It can’t predict your own chances, and it isn’t the chance of having a baby.

When a clinic shows you a percentage, ask what it is counting. Is it a pregnancy or a baby born? Is it per treatment cycle or per person? Is it for people using their own eggs or donor eggs? Keep those questions in mind rather than comparing figures that measure different things.

A test can’t remove all of that uncertainty. The CDC lists anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as one marker of how the ovaries are working. It also says no single test can perfectly predict fertility. Ask what a test can tell you in your situation and how the result would change your care.

Age affects sperm too

Age doesn’t only matter for the person providing eggs. The CDC’s finding about male partners aged 40 or older is another reason to look at both partners’ histories. As part of the check, clinicians ask both partners about their medical and sexual history in detail.

Bring up questions about sperm health at the same appointment rather than leaving them for later. You can ask who will arrange any tests and how the results will be talked through together.

Egg freezing preserves an option

Egg freezing means collecting eggs, freezing them and thawing them later for fertility treatment. The UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) explains that freezing them at a younger age aims to save eggs while their quality is higher. Freezing eggs doesn’t guarantee a baby.

Ask a clinic for its recent results for people your age. The HFEA warns that egg-freezing methods have changed, so older results can’t simply be compared with current ones. As the HFEA advises, ask for a treatment plan with all the costs. Storing and later using the eggs cost money, as well as collecting them.

Arrange a conversation about timing

Book a GP appointment in the UK, or see your doctor in the US or elsewhere, to talk about age and your plans. The NHS general infertility page says to get help sooner if you are 36 or over. Its low-sperm-count page says 6 months when the partner trying to get pregnant is 36 or over.

US CDC guidance recommends getting checked after 6 months if the woman is 35 years or older. Over 40, it suggests thinking about getting checked sooner. If you already know of a fertility problem, ask earlier. Ask your clinician which timing applies to you and what the next step would be.