Fertility Statistics by Age
If you've heard it one before, you've heard it a million times. Age is the most important factor in fertility. But what does that really mean?
Let's talk statistics....
Natural Pregnancy
As a woman ages, her chances of natural pregnancy drops from around 25% at age 25 to less that 5% at age 40.
What are my chances of achieving a natural pregnancy each month?
When trying to conceive naturally, if you are under the age of 30 there is about a 25% chance of achieving a pregnancy each cycle, above 30 about 20% chance each cycle and according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) by 40, the chances of getting pregnant naturally is about 5%.
In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Pregnancy
Myth buster - IVF is a guarantee. No, IVF is not a guarantee or quick-fix.
IVF works with what the body gives us and success rates of IVF depend on the quality of the eggs that are present. In reality, success rates for IVF using a woman's own eggs, of the same age, drop drastically in the 30's and hover in the low single digits for women over 44.
In contrast, the success rates for women using younger eggs (those previously frozen or donated eggs from a younger donor), frozen before the age of 35 - stay stable at about 50%.
Why Does Quality Matter?
If you listened to our Ovarian Ageing & Fertility Preservation Podcast with IVF Expert Dr. Bohaira, you will have heard us explain that egg quality is crucial when it comes to conception. In case you didn't catch it, it can be found here.
As mentioned on the podcast, egg quality is diminished over time (aka with age). Every day exposures (i.e the inevitable forces of every day life) - like illness, toxins, free radicals, fever as well as those nasty habits like smoking and excessive drinking can all damage the DNA inside a woman's egg. It's the DNA that is required to fertilize with a sperm to produce a new human. If the DNA is damaged, the chances of conception are reduced and chances of miscarriage higher.
That's why, as a woman gets older, it's more likely that she'll have genetically abnormal eggs, resulting in no pregnancy, miscarriage, or genetic disorders for the baby.
Risks of a Genetically Abnormal Pregnancy by Age
The chances of a genetic abnormality significantly increases as a woman ages. The chances of a genetic abnormality resulting in disorders like Down Syndrome increases from .2% in her 20's to 5% in her 40's.
Age and the % chance of having a genetically abnormal embyro
Age 25-30: 25% chance
Age 31-35: 35% chance
Age 35-37: 45% chance
Age 38-40: 60% chance
Age 41-43: 80% chance
Age >44: >80 - 90% chance
(Fertility and Sterility, 2014)
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