how quickly does fertility decline?

[BunnyN]

Obviously in general in general fertility declines as you get older. Other than vague sweeping statements its hard to find information about how suddenly fertility tends to decline though.

I have two children, born when I was 33 and 35 which in theory is already past peak fertility but I got pregnant very easily. I'll soon be 36 and we'd love another. I wonder at what point fertility might become a problem for me. I know its one of those things no one can tell you but I'm curios if getting pregnant easily already in my mid 30s is a good indicator I'm blessed with good fertility until older than average or when it goes it tends to go suddenly.

I'd be interested in any wisdom you have to share from research you've seen or just personal experience.

 

[lisap2008]

Fertility does not just quickly drop off at any age but slowly reduces with time as each month we have less eggs.

 

[2plus1more]

Yes, it's a slow decline. I believe that most women with proven fertility will be able to conceive into their late '30s with no problem. Just to give you an idea, I also conceived with no issues at 30 and 33. My husband and I decided to have 1 more when I was 40. When we hadn't conceived within 6 months, I didn't waste any time seeing a RE. It took 2 months of clomid to conceive and at that time I was 41 (total time to conceive was 10 months).

I think you should have decent fertility throughout your 30s!

 

[Eleonora]

Wikipedia is a good place to start. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_and_female_fertility

From the general TWW forum it looks like the average B&B conception rate for July was 34% which sounds great to me. I'm not sure what this forum's rate would be since the sample size seems a little smaller and more irregular but July looks like it was a good month here too.

 

[TLK]

For me it seems like my fertility declined significantly from 36-38 years old.

 

[BunnyN]

Thanks for all the input. I'm assuming you already have children TLC? Yours is the kind of experience I'm wondering if it is common. I hope it happens for you soon. Those stastistics from wikipedia are actually better than I thought for getting pregnant in early 40s... maybe time for two more .

 

[TLK]

Yes i got pregnant pretty easily when I was 36 with my son. We tried for #2 about a year later and I got pregnant pretty quickly but that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 7 weeks. Then I got pregnant again but had another miscarriage at 11 weeks. That was in February. Since then I can't seem to get pregnant again - I will be 39 in December. I am likely starting IVF in a few months. But it's such a gamble!

 

[fatandlumpy]

Hi guys... I'm 38 (39 in Sept) and had my son in July 2013, just at the second attempt. We've started to try in June, but then all of a sudden my periods have stopped. I have missed 2 in a row and am totally freaking out.

I've taken 8 pregnancy tests (various brands) and all are negative - so definitely not pregnant. I saw the docs yesterday and they've taken bloods for a LH and FSH screen as my Mum started her menopause at 38! I've been told to call for my results. but I'm petrified.

Can fertility just 'go' like that?

I'm constantly cramping and have a clear jelly discharge all the time

 

[TLK]

I have no idea hun - hopefully not -

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[penelopejones]

It sounds like it really varies from person to person, and I'm sure that's what the research would show.

When I went to see a reproductive specialist he said that women typically start to come in with concerns around 36-38, and that egg quality can become an issue along with ovulation troubles, etc. But it really depends on the person.

I've heard that when your mother went through menopause is a good indicator and you should assume 10 years before that is when your fertility will start to decline.

Then there's also your partner. In my case, I'm 38 and conceived within 6 months with my daughter (born in 2013 when I was 36). But then it took over a year to get pregnant again, and that ended in miscarriage. The tests we've done suggest that all of my "gear" is in good order. My mom went through menopause pretty late, like at 58 or 59, so I think on my side things are good.

Am pregnant again but cautious. In our case, though, it is DH's numbers that don't look so good. So anything can happen...

 

[BunnyN]

Intresting to see the variety of answers. If your mums fertility is a good indicator that is positive for me. My mum got pregnant at 36 by mistake because of forgetting birth control once. She also started menopause late, well she actually didn't have menopause she had a hysterectomy for other reasons but she was in her late 50s and still had regular periods.

I think its true that it varies a lot. The only way to know is to try .

 

[fatandlumpy]

Just to update - (as I know how frustrating it can be when people don't), I got my FSH and LH levels back just now.

They're within 'normal' and so I'm not menopausal or perimenopausal.

Just lacking my AF?

Argh - good luck to all you ladies and thanks for the support x

 

[BunnyN]

Hope it all sorts out for your soon. Saw in another thread that it could have been from sudden weight loss? Hope that was all and it goes back to normal when you manage to find the right balance

 

[poppy]

I'm 37, going to be 38 in a few weeks and had my third child in July.

In response to your post, I do think that while fertility obviously declines as we get older, if you have had no problems getting pregnant in your mid 30s, you should be fine up to your late 30s, although if you are wanting a third child I would go for it as soon as you are able.

My experience is:

September 2008 (aged 30): BFN
October 2008: BFN
November 2008: BFP (miscarriage at 5 weeks)
January 2008: BFP
October 2008: DS 1 born
May 2010 (aged 32): BFP
January 2011: DS 2 born
November 2013: BFN
December 2013: BFN
January 2014(aged 36): BFP (miscarriage at 7 weeks in March)
May 2014: BFP (miscarriage at 9 weeks in July)
October 2014 (aged 37): BFP
July 2015: DD 1 born

So out of a total of 10 cycles ttc, I have conceived 6 times, had three children and had 3 miscarriages. I think in general I have quite good fertility and have often conceived on the first try, my Mum also didn't go through menopause until mid 50s. However, I did have two miscarriages last year before conceiving my daughter. I do wonder, if I was to try conceiving again in a few years (which I'm definitely not going to do - we're done at three!), if I would end up having lots more miscarriages due to declining egg quality. So, that's a consideration you have to have when thinking about ttc in late 30s/early 40s, that even if you have very
good fertility and conceive quickly, the older you get, you may have to have a few attempts before you get that sticky bean. Of course, everyone is different and you can get a 40 year old falling pregnant on a first attempt and having no issues, but just to be prepared for things when ttc in your late 30s.

I definitely don't think you will have any issues having baby number three in a few years. Good luck xxx

 

[eva1978]

I echo what Poppy's saying. I recently read in a pamphlet (on early pregnancy loss) that the miscarriage rate in women over 40 is about 1 in 2. This is a lot higher than the "average rate" we hear about of about 1 in 5.

In my experience - I conceived on the first try at 32, had a boy. However it took about 5-6 cycles to conceive our second child, I finally conceived him just before my 35th birthday (with a chemical pregnancy in between successful pregnancies). Now at 37, I got pregnant on the first try for a third child, but then had the missed miscarriage first trimester.

So... even though you may still conceive relatively easily, the success rate for a viable pregnancy might be notably lower. However - please note that my mother started menopause at 38 ... so that could be a huge factor here!

Good luck!

 

[BunnyN]

The increase in MC does concern me. I think I would be happy just to TTC until my body decides its not having more babies but I don't like the idea of going through multiple losses along the way.

Since starting this thread my period has come back (breastfeeding still) and we have decided to try for another. We were going to wait a while but we are still NTNP. Now that my period is back that really makes us TTC I guess! If it happens soon I'll be 36 when we have another baby which still feels like a reasonable age, after that we will see.

 

[Left wonderin]

Gulp !!!! I'm way old so !! I got pg first at 39 ended in mmc . Fell again 5 months later at 40 baby arrived when I was 41 + 3 lol.... Had to wait 7 months to try for no2 due to thyroid issues .... 42 first time and BFP baby will arrive when I'm 43 . Age is JUST a number and most research say yes its harder but definetly not impossible !!! Xxxxx

 

[tag74]

I am 41. My first daughter was conceived with no issue at 25. Then I conceived a few months after my 38th birthday, first try and had my second daughter as I turned 39. Have been trying for almost a year (next month) - got pregnant after 9 cycles and then suffered 2 back to back miscarriages. I would like to think between 38 and 41 my fertility didn't drop significantly but given this last year...I think time is of the essence for those of us in our late 30s early 40s. I did have my FSH checked and it's borderline normal. Have you had yours checked? Its a good indicator of your ovarian reserve.