Many of us falsely believe that we must have children before we’re 40 because of our biological ‘clock’. Although yes, fertility generally declines as we age, it doesn’t become inactive the moment we hit 40. Research actually reported that in 2015, women over the age of 40 had higher rates of fertility than women under the age of 20.
Its fact that our ability to have children declines as we age — however the age that this starts to happen is unique to every individual and is dependent on many factors such as health. This article will look at how the average age of parenting is increasing and why this is the case.
Changes in times and attitudes
Times and attitudes are certainly changing. More and more couples are deciding to have children later in life. In 2017, the average age of first-time mothers and fathers was 29 years old and 33 years old, respectively. In 1970, this was 21 years old for women.
As there are lots more opportunities for careers along with traditional family roles becoming less common, many women are choosing to focus on their education and careers before settling down to start a family. In many countries, balancing a career and having children is difficult, with expensive childcare systems and less than generous maternity and paternity leave. When choosing between the two, the more likely option is to get a leg up in their career and make money first.
Medical and technological advancements
Adam Balen, chair of the British Fertility Society, said: “Although fertility rates for women aged 40 and above have been generally rising fast, this is contributed to by fertility treatments, and natural fertility among women in their 40s is still considerably lower than for women in their 30s.”
Technological and medical advances are creating new methods of effective assisted conception, with over eight million babies born as a result of IVF since the very first. It’s become common practice for many to freeze their eggs to combat fertility ruining their chances of falling pregnant — the younger egg has more of a chance of conceiving.
The controversial Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) revitalises an older woman’s eggs without damaging the DNA has been used successfully in countries like Ukraine and Mexico, which removes the nucleus from an egg and replaces it with a donor’s DNA. This therapy is banned in the States due to concerns that introducing a third “parent” will lead to genetic defects in generations to come.
Coenzyme Q10 fertility is an antioxidant produced naturally by our mitochondria, and has been recommended for men with low sperm count. Research has also found that Q10 is important for female fertility too, with focus on egg quality.
Contraception
In the 1970s, when the average age of first-time mothers was considerably lower than the present time, contraception wasn’t used like it is now. Women were falling pregnant from having sex at an earlier age rather than being able to control what happened with their bodies.
Due to societal expectations, contraception was rarely used before the 1990s. Increased availability and acceptance of contraception has liberated couples by allowing them to choose when to have children. Perhaps this is a reason why statistics are suggesting that women are more fertile at an older age, when in fact it’s less women choosing to have children at a younger age.
Improved health
Research has reported that middle-aged Britons are getting healthier, with improved diets and regular exercise. Research by Harvard in 2018 found that eating healthily and cutting out processed foods assist chances of conception without assisted conception — inclusion of folic acid, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids increase chances. Women who ate more amounts of fast food and small amounts of fruit and veg took longer to conceive. As we get healthier, do we maintain fertility?
Fertility is certainly unique to each individual, but there are steps you can take to increase your chances. If you’re concerned about your fertility, contact your GP.