Infertility in women over 40

The emancipation of women has brought many additional obligations and responsibilities for them. Their bodies are under constant pressure and stress. However, despite the sociological changes, the woman’s biological system has not changed and it is most obvious with respect to the women’s fertility. Many women are interested in their careers and they plan to have children later, but they usually face the problem of infertility, mostly those women who are over 40.

Causes of infertility in women over 40

As a woman ages, her eggs age, too, thus making conceiving the pregnancy more difficult than in the earlier years. Due to the defects of the older woman’s eggs the women may experience miscarriage, or the newborn child may have genetic abnormalities, such as Down’s syndrome. Fertility in women over 40 may be impaired by the harsh hormonal fluctuations, irregular menstrual cycle and obesity. Moreover, when the uterine wall becomes very thin, it cannot receive the fertilized egg and miscarriage occurs.

The women who face some serious reproductive system diseases like endometriosis, or those who have developed some sexually transmitted disease like chlamydia, may also become infertile. It is also observed that women who are over 40 and have polycystic ovarian syndrome have a problem to stay pregnant. Among the causes of infertility in women above 40 years of age there is also dry vaginal discharge, which is hostile to the sperm.

Fertility and age

Even though there are numerous and various reasons behind the woman’s infertility over 40, the major cause for this problem is the age of the woman, as we have already said. It is considered that once a woman reaches her 27th birthday, her fertility begins to decrease onwards. However, the effects of getting older to her fertility become most obvious in her 40s.

In their 20s and 30s women have the chance to stay pregnant almost every month. Furthermore, 15% of women in their early 30s have the chance to conceive pregnancy every month. The fertility rate falls in women between 35 and 40 years of age and is 10%, while in cases of women over 40, the fertility rate is only 5%. If a woman wants to stay pregnant after 45, the egg donation is necessary since the fertility rate in the years after 45 is only 1%.

However, the women over 40 who want to get pregnant should seek medical help and find the best solution or best infertility treatment to solve the problem.