How important is age when TTC?

OP I would have a read of ‘it starts with the egg’ as there are things you can do in the months before you start trying to improve both egg and sperm quality.

I conceived DS on second month of tracking my cycle/ovulation but we had been 'trying' for a couple of months prior to that as well. I was 38 and DH 45 at the time. Neither of us have children with our exes - I consider us very lucky that it all worked out but was aware that it could have been too late for us. Most of my friends have more than 1 child and have either struggled to have no 1 or no 2 and with our ages we have decided to quit while we're ahead with 1 child.

(But you could maybe go for a fertility MOT to see what the lay of the land is and inform your decision-making)

I wouldn’t risk waiting if you are sure you want another.

I started trying around 35 for our first (my husband is the same age as me). Turns out have low ovarian reserve and, 4.5 years, 1 early miscarriage and 3 failed IVF cycles later, I am 13 weeks pregnant (naturally!) and hoping this is the one. But a second child is very unlikely at this stage (and would be over the moon with one healthy child!).

If I had any foresight on any of this, I would have started earlier and given myself more time - but these aren’t easy choices, and you don’t know what you don’t know!

While the chances are still in your favour in your late thirties, you don’t have much time for error. And things like risk of chromosomal abnormalities get steadily higher as you near and cross into your 40s. You could be lucky and have no issues but you don’t really know until you try and that’s the kicker.

Had DS at 34. Came off the pill in January and was pregnant by April without really trying.
Then had three losses in a row, all different and the last one was after 20 weeks.
Then had DD at 38, she’s about to turn 1.

If I were you I’d start trying sooner rather than later. You have no idea what will happen. I had the easiest pregnancy with DS and never imagined the three years of hell we went through after him would happen to me.

I hope it all goes smoothly for you.

Age is a huge factor. I read posts here all the time where the poster says 'all our results look good and we don't know why we're not conceiving' and then they dripfeed that they're forty. The tests won't tell you that your eggs are old, which they are at forty. It doesn't matter how healthy you are, your biological age is your biological age. I'll be honest and say I think some people have their head in the sand about it, like the posters who say 'I'm 42 and we're trying for our first'. Realistically at 42, you'll be lucky to have one. I'm not trying to be harsh but that's the reality. I conceived over 40 but I already had children and I was terrified of miscarriage during the whole pregnancy. If you want a second baby, try now.

I don't have much difference in terms of energy levels now compared to when I had my first at 32 and all three pregnancies were totally fine. I had a prolapse after my second baby and was aware of some of the old, previous damage of it during the third pregnancy. I found it hard to wall at the end but I think everything got very badly strained down there with the second as it was an instrumental delivery and I still have a lot of scar tissue down there. It didn't appreciate all the weight of a baby and extra blood flow!

We started trying for our first baby when I was 31 and nothing happened for a year, then I had my baby when I was almost 33. When he was 16 months, we decided to start trying again as we assumed it would take a long time. Wrong! Got pregnant first time and had baby number 2 at 34.
At 38, we decided to try again and I assumed I was too old to conceive (!) and fell pregnant on our second try. I'm now 41 and currently ovulating with regular cycles and do think I could probably get pregnant if I wanted to, but I've had enough now!

It's not so much about getting pregnant as staying pregnant as you head towards your forties. Miscarriage rates rise fast.

If I were you I'd wait a year or maybe two to conceive, but not "a few years".

Well, ttc at 37 was too late for me!

If you know you want another and you can afford it… get going now would be my advice.

I had my first at 37/38 and second 39/40. I left it a year before TTC as I had an ELCS.

I had very regular cycles but consider myself very lucky to get pregnant easily / quickly both times with no miscarriages and 2 healthy children.

Your own health in pregnancy is another consideration
I hadn’t factored for was how much harder my second pregnancy would be. I have had additional health issues and have found the pregnancy in general to be harder going.

Ideally you would want to have 18 months after delivery for a VBAC. But that means you can TTC when baby is 9 months. But that's not to say you can't have one sooner. If I was your age and wanted 2 dc I wouldn't deny trying for that reason.

I got pg first try at 39. But I had two lots of two year secondary infertility at 33 and 37. If you find out you have secondary infertility at 39 you have no time really to investigate it. Had my first ever mc at 43 and nothing since dispite having four kids and on no contraception. I'm still having 28 day cycles dispite fast approaching 50 now. It's a gamble I'd not like to take because no one knows for sure when you personally will too old, but once your there, its game over for having your own biological children.

While I'm not denying fertility does decline with age alot of it is scare mongering and based on a very old study. There's no cliff it's a gradual decline.
Our mother's and grandmother's have been having babies well into their 40s . Having your first baby in your 40s around London is the normal.
I'm having my first at 38.
The decline is very much individual and you can't compare yourself to anything others are telling you . A woman at 42 may be super fertile and a woman at 30 may be suffering from premature ovarian reserve. The only way you can assess your fertility is to go get the tests to assess your hormone levels , amh follicle count

Fertility is never going to improve with age. Beyond that, it's all a bit unknown. I know people who got pregnant with one time, then took years to have a 2nd. if you want a 2nd, start trying as soon as you can.

It took me 7 years to have dd and I was 10 years younger than you when I started trying. Ds was only 1.