Over 35? Here’s What You Should Expect from Your Fertility

A common misconception surrounding women over 35 is that getting pregnant or having a healthy pregnancy is nearly impossible. We disagree. Find out what to expect from your fertility in your late 30s and early 40s here.

If you’re well into your 30s and you’ve decided to start trying to get pregnant, you’re not alone. More and more people are waiting to start families until they reach their 30s or even 40s.

There’s been plenty of debate on whether or not 35 is the “cutoff” age for optimal fertility in women. While it may be a little more difficult, it’s certainly not impossible to get pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy in your mid-to-late-30s.

Because it can be a little more challenging to get pregnant after 35, Karen Mass, MD, FACOG, and the rest of our team at Women’s Specialty Care want to share exactly what you can expect from your fertility and what you can do to improve your chances of conceiving.

How age impacts your fertility

There’s nothing magical that happens to your fertility the day you turn 35; however, as you age, your risk of conception complications does increase. Let’s take a look at how.

It may take longer to get pregnant

You’re born with a set number of eggs. So, by the time you reach your 30s, your eggs decrease in both quantity and quality, and it becomes harder for your eggs to be fertilized. In addition, growing older increases your chances of having conditions such as uterine fibroids or endometriosis, both of which affect fertility.

Because of this, you may notice that it takes quite a bit longer for you to get pregnant. If you aren’t able to conceive after 6-12 months of purposeful intercourse, it may be wise to schedule an infertility evaluation with us.

The risk of gestational diabetes increases

Gestational diabetes is a subtype of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, and it becomes more likely to happen as you get older. When you have gestational diabetes, you have to keep tight control of your blood sugar levels through medication, diet, and exercise to avoid complications during the birth of your baby.

The risk of high blood pressure increases

Similar to gestational diabetes, having high blood pressure during pregnancy is also more common in women over 35. When this happens, you’ll need to be closely monitored during your pregnancy to make sure you and your baby stay safe. You may also need to deliver before your baby’s due date to mitigate the risk of complications such as eclampsia.

The risk of pregnancy loss increases

Because your egg quality decreases as you age, the chance of conceiving an egg with a chromosomal abnormality increases dramatically. The risk of chromosomal abnormalities plus the increased chance of diabetes or high blood pressure in pregnancy all elevate your risk of miscarriage or a stillbirth.

How making healthy choices impacts fertility

While age plays a huge role in your fertility, your lifestyle choices can also affect your chances of getting pregnant.

We recommend you cut out sugar from your diet, add a variety of healthy foods to your daily meals, limit alcohol and caffeine, exercise regularly, manage your stress levels, quit smoking, and maintain a healthy weight. Doing all these things might help you conceive on your own.

If making lifestyle changes isn’t enough to help you conceive after 35, it’s best to see our team for an infertility evaluation to help narrow down what might be keeping you from getting pregnant.

To schedule an appointment with us, simply call our office, or book online today. We proudly serve the Lake Forest and Grayslake, Illinois, areas.