Author: Dr. Anil Pinto
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| Dr. Anil Pinto |
Despite the fact that today women are healthier than before, the most important factor that determines your fertility – your age – cannot be changed. A woman is at her peak of fertility when she is in her 20s. From age 35, fertility gradually begins to decline, giving her a 20% chance of conceiving. This rate further falls to less than 5% per menstrual cycle by age 40, making it more difficult to get pregnant. On an average, by age 50, women hit menopause, with research showing that infertility usually occurs 5 to 10 years before menopause.
So what can be done to improve your chances of getting pregnant? Here are a few tips and tricks to help you improve the odds:
- One of the primary reasons that women who are over 40 cannot conceive is because they do not ovulate regularly.
- Try using an ovulation prediction kit or monitoring your basal body temperature to estimate the days when you are most fertile.
- Track your cervical mucus secretion. Even though the amount of secretion is reduced when you are 40, you may still notice an increase in discharge just before ovulation.
- Make the most of the fertile window. Have as much sex every other day during your fertile window, which is five days prior to ovulation and the day you ovulate.
- Stop focusing on having a baby, but focus on yourself. Improve your health, eat right, maintain a healthy weight and avoid smoking and alcohol. Many women who have conceived after 40 state that the key is NOT TRYING to get pregnant, but working on your quality of life and focusing on other areas of life that bring you satisfaction.
- Take prenatal vitamins even before you get pregnant. This way you can find a vitamin supplement that can prevent birth defects in your baby and sustain your pregnancy requirements.
- In your 40’s, you are most likely to suffer from medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Treating these conditions will certainly improve your chances of getting pregnant even though they are not directly related to fertility.
- Remain fit and active, but avoid strenuous workouts. With advancing age, this can cause disturbances in your menstrual cycle.
- By the time you are over 40 you can use the wisdom gained over time to avoid stress by developing good coping strategies at home and work. Find ways to relax such as taking deep breaths, yoga, or listening to music. The relaxed and unstressed mind can have a beneficial effect on your body’s reproductive system.
Making these lifestyle changes will certainly ensure you are in the best possible position physically and emotionally to welcome your baby.
Apart from these tips, it is important to know when to get help. If you are 40 and are unable to get pregnant, it is best to seek advice from a fertility specialist. Medical advancements have enabled many women over 40 conceive and give birth to healthy babies. There are many treatment options that use assisted reproductive techniques to help you get pregnant. Your fertility specialist will consider your individual case and decide on a suitable and most optimal treatment plan.
Despite the odds of low ovarian reserve and resulting fertility dip with advancing age, pregnancy after 40 is a possibility, but may require a little more attention to overall health and some additional work to ensure that you do.
ReproMed Fertility Center is committed to providing comprehensive infertility and reproductive health care, including In-vitro fertilization (IVF). Our physicians formulate individualized treatment plans for each patient so they have the best chance of conceiving. ReproMed Fertility Center can offer new hope to those seeking to overcome infertility in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.