Older Women and Infertility
Many women today are waiting longer before deciding to take the plunge
into motherhood. There are several societal reasons for this shift to an
increased age of first time mom's.
Birth Control's Role in Changing Societal Norms
Ever since the pill was introduced to society as the ultimate form of birth control, a woman's sexuality could be separated from child-baring as well
as marriage. This separation allowed women to marry later, pursue their education
and career more aggressively and decide for themselves exactly when they were
ready to begin to have children, if they choose to at all.
Feminism's Role in Changing Women's Priorities in Society
Nowadays many woman take for granted the amazing strides that were made
in the second half of the 20th century which benefit women and
society as a whole. The condition of women in the institutions of education,
law, employment, and equality in general are vastly improved. But this advancement
has not been without its cost.
The Cost of Delaying Motherhood
As women pursue their education and careers, they often decide to marry
later, and then wait some more until they feel financially and emotionally
ready to begin their families. Unfortunately this delay can sometimes cause infertility problems for the couple.
What Are the Facts?
From the outset of menses at the average age of approximately 12 until
menopause at the age of about 50 or so there is a huge variation in the ease
with which a woman can become pregnant and deliver a healthy child. Approximately
10% of women of the ages 20-29 report difficulties conceiving. This percentage
rises to about 25% for women in their 30's and explodes to 50% of all women in
their 40's having trouble getting pregnant. Beginning at about age 35 there is a definite noticeable
large decline in fertility for women.
What Causes this Decline in Fertility?
It has been difficult to pinpoint exactly what causes the decline in fertility
of women who are having regular periods and are ovulating in what seems to be a
normal way. The possible causes of decreased fertility are either ovarian,
meaning the aging egg is the problem; or uterine, meaning that the uterus is
less receptive to implantation of the egg due to hormonal factors. At the moment, studies seem to show that the
problem is with the egg, since IVF using donor eggs seems to produce fertility
rates in older women similar to those of younger women. Hormonal therapy to increase the receptivity of the uterus to the egg does not
seem to significantly improve fertility in older women.
