While life expectancy rates have significantly improved over the past 100 years, fertility rates—the likelihood that a woman will get pregnant in her 20s, 30s, or 40s—have mostly remained constant. The truth is that while the human body and advancements in modern medicine can withstand many hardships, as we get older, the quality of both egg and sperm declines, which can have an impact on your ability to conceive.

Three Reasons It’s Harder to Get Pregnant as You Age

Egg Quantity and Quality Diminish

About 75% of women become pregnant between the ages of 20 and 30. By the age of 35, fertility rates start to noticeably decline. Chances drop to 25% or less by the ages of 40 and 43, respectively, and those percentages apply to women who do not have a diagnosable infertility factor against them.

Because the body strives to protect you and your baby,  any indication that something is wrong with the egg or an embryo results in: 

• The body to prevent the egg from being fertilized altogether
• The body from preventing a fertilized egg from implanting
• Miscarriage if the fertilized embryo isn’t healthy

As you age, less eggs (ovarian reserve) are produced. The entire menopause process can last up to ten years. Thus, peri-menopausal women (a phase that might start in your late 30s or early 40s) may notice that their periods start to become erratic long before they stop altogether. Missed periods result in decreased ovulation, which lowers fertility rates.

Underlying Health Issues Are More Prevalent

Over time, any underlying health condition worsens. Since your body is built to become pregnant when it's healthy, health difficulties almost always have an impact on fertility rates. Insulin resistance has an impact on reproductive rates if you have diabetes or weight control issues. It will be more difficult to become pregnant if endometriosis or fibroids are a problem that is undetected or untreated. Almost every health condition has the potential to adversely affect conception, pregnancy, and/or labor and delivery.

One of the reasons we advise all people and couples to concentrate on getting their bodies healthy for conception is because of this. A healthy body improves reproductive chances when you're ready to start fertility treatments if you already have an infertility diagnosis.

Your Immune System Is Stronger

A woman (33 years and up) who says things like, "I just don't understand, I'm healthy as a horse and barely ever get sick...," there's a probability that her good immune system is the issue when a couple's fertility tests don't show any clear infertility issues or potential causes. Due to this, her body may treat the sperm as a "invader" or the fertilized egg, embryo, or both in the same manner.

Couples would be able to start and expand their families when the woman is in her prime in an ideal world. When that's not the case, leading a healthy lifestyle can significantly increase pregnancy rates if subsequent reproductive treatment is necessary.

If you’re worried that you might have infertility issues, contact the consultation team of Invitro Life and use the help of our team of professionals!