Individuals either focus to get their career established or find themselves not in the “right space” at a younger age to have children. 

In the gay community, we will find that some younger individuals still struggle with their own identity and not ready to take on the responsibility of raising a child. Younger people of today also struggle to find themselves in a financial stable environment.  ART  (artificial reproductive technology) procedures are costly and need to be taken into consideration when planning a family. 

So what if you want to have a child much later in your life? 

How drastically will this influence your chances to conceive? 

How great will your risk be and what are the benefits?

According to fertility clinics, a woman’s fertility peaks between ages of 20 and 24.  Fertility really only starts declining after 35 years of age. 

At ages 30 – 35, fertility starts declining slightly from the peak area with about 15-20 percent and from 35 -39 years of age, with about 25 – 50 percent.  According to these clinics, fertility declines with 50 – 95 percent from 40 years old. 

But then what about all the phenomena’s we read about?

Granny falls pregnant at age 62!
Woman delivers perfectly healthy baby at age 59?

Many more can be mentioned. 

Looking at a woman’s reproductive system, she can basically fall pregnant at any age should there be no reproductive problems or has not gone through menopause.

Pregnancy Risk at an older age:

Miscarriage is the biggest risk with older women.  After 35 years of age – your risk of miscarriage increase.  These miscarriages are mostly linked to chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus and the body will reject it.  Examples like Down Syndrome. 

Should the fetus develop further without miscarriage, these abnormalities can mostly be detected during pregnancy and the patient will have to make the choice to carry full-term or abort.

Obstacles to conceive are mostly linked to ovulation cycles, endometriosis and problems with the fallopian tubes. 

For the woman, her risk is higher after 35 to develop certain complications such as gestational diabetes, placenta previa and other.

The above only highlights the negative.  Surely there are some positive factors should you want to conceive at a later stage of your life?

Sure there is.  Statistics has shown (National Centre for Health Statistics) that since 1981 to 1997 – that the birth rate for women in their 40s increased with 92 percent.  There is an overall increase in woman deciding to fall pregnant at a later stage of their lives.

Older, more mature woman also copes much better with bringing a child into their lives.  They are in general wiser and more settled, at peace with themselves with a much higher self-esteem.  This results in a more balanced individual.

So yes, age brings some challenges and higher risk from a medical perspective.  But these challenges can be overcome with the right guidance from your medical professional. 

When using ART procedures with same-sex couples or single individuals, medical intervening is inevitable.  Your medical professional would be able to discuss all pros and cons with you.  He/she will advice you the best possible route to take should you fall in a “higher risk” category. 

There are many ways to increase fertility and prepare your body – irrelevant of your age.  But complications during conceiving and pregnancy are not only bound to age, it can surface anytime.