Getting Pregnant Over 35; Increasing Chances
Trying to Get Pregnant; Improving Chance of Pregnancy Over 35
Nov 3, 2009
Many women today plan to start their families at later ages, after their careers are established. They may fear that they've waited too long if they don't get pregnant right away. But women over 35 can definitely get pregnant, although perhaps not as easily as at younger ages. They may need the help of a fertility doctor, although plenty of women over 35 get pregnant on their own fairly quickly.
Chances of Pregnancy at Different Ages By Month
Even with ovulation monitoring and timing sex, the chances of getting pregnant aren’t 100%. The statistics for want-to-be moms look like this:
- In their 20s, 20% chance of pregnancy each month
- Late 30s, 10 % pregnancy rate for those trying to conceive each month
- Over 40, 5 % chance of pregnancy each month
- 45 and older, less than 1% chance per month of pregnancy
Miscarriage in Women Over 35
Many times an embryo will start to implant, but then stop growing before a period is missed. Most women never knew they were pregnant in very early miscarriages. This is more common in women over 35 than in those younger, because more of their eggs are chromosomally abnormal due to age. While chromosomal abnormalities occur in 1 in 526 pregnancies in women under 30, the rate is 1 in 385 from 30-35, 1 in 192 age 36-40, 1 in 66 between 40-45, and 1 in 21 over 45.
These statistics only tell part of the story; they're based only on pregnancies, not the number of eggs which are chromosomally abnormal as women age. Those numbers are probably much higher. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnsis testing(PGD) suggests that most embryos are genetically abnormal in women over 40.
Improving the Chances of Getting Pregnant Each Month When You’re TTC (Trying to Conceive)
Women over 35 trying to get pregnant may actually be getting pregnant, but miscarrying each month. Between 20-50% of all pregnancies in women over age 35 end in miscarriage, mostly due to chromosomal abnormalities. There are definitely steps to take to get pregnant and stay pregnant when you’re trying to conceive (TTC).
- See your gynecologist or a fertility doctor. They can test hormone levels to check for potential problems in TTC.
- Check for sexually transmitted diseases. Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis can all cause infertility.
- Monitor ovulation. After 35, menstrual cycles often become irregular and pinpointing ovulation is difficult if just counting days.Ovulation doesn't always occur on day 14!
Get pregnancy testing done early. Test for progesterone levels; women over 35 often have low progesterone levels and need supplementation to maintain a pregnancy.
Stay Positive That a Positive Pregnancy Test Will Happen
Do everything possible to increase the odds of getting pregnant, and don’t get discouraged. It may take more than one month of trying to get pregnant over age 35, but pregnancies can and often do occur, even over age 40, especially when women are doing everything right.
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