Does it really gets hard to get pregnant after 35?

[Hupshup]

As the title, I am curious to understand if it gets really tough to fall pregnant after 35? I am 34 and on fence to have another one soon or try at 36.
I keep hearing all sorts of views from people on MN and outside. I have seen many women have children after 35, but still lots of pessimism around the age factor for women.
Please share your experiences.

Fertility gradually declines during your 30s, there is not a hard cut off at 35. You've got pregnant at least once already, that's a good sign.

I got pregnant the first month of trying for each of my DC who were born when I was 37, 38 and 41. I'm now 52 and still having regular periods, my Mum had her last period at 55. Both my grandmothers had successful pregnancies in their late 30s. So I have a family history with no early menopause.

First baby at 36 had taken more than a year of trying.

I finally decided at 41 that I would try for 1 baby (thinking it was too late but wasn’t too bothered if it
didn’t happen) pregnant after2 months, midwife led, no probs at all in any part of it. I appreciate everyone is different though!

Remember that male fertility also decreases with age, men obviously don’t have a cut off point but sperm quality/quantity is a consideration.

9 months of trying to conceive baby 1. Started TTC at 37, fell pregnant at 38, had baby at 39.

Started TTC baby 2 at 40. It's been a year. So far, no luck.

In all honesty, if you know you want a second child, I recommend that you just get on with it. If it takes longer than you think it will, you'll be glad you started early. If you leave it until later and it doesn't happen, you'll regret it.

If it happens a bit quicker than planned - well, it's not the worst thing in the world.

It's so hard to know. I conceived first cycle age 30, 34 and and 36, with an accident in between that ended in miscarriage.
I am hoping to try again at 38/39, and wondering if my high levels of fertility are still there now.
In my experience most people who fall pregnancy quickly at 30, still do so later on but that's not always the case.

Your fertility declines slowly until you're perimenopausal, then it drops very quickly.

Most women will not find it noticeably harder to conceive at 35 or 36 than they would have done a few years earlier.

I conceived my second child on the first cycle trying again, at the age of 36. I had had recurrent miscarriages TTC my first at 33/34.

Struggled to get pg at 32,33 eventually did at 34 and a half.

later got pregnant no trouble at all at 37. We literally dtd without protection once.

Found out I was pregnant with my daughter on my 42nd birthday on first cycle trying. No complications and an easy pregnancy.

It definitely depends on the individual. I had my DC at 41 and 45. There were also two early miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy in the intervening years, so no problem getting pregnant, although it did take time. It took almost a year to conceive DS1.

First attempt 38, 40 and 42.

Get your FSH levels tested. And your partner tested. It will give you a rough idea of how long it's going to take.

Yes get fish tests...I took 3 years two miscarriages from 36, conceived ds at 39 and never fell pregnant again.

3 cycles at 30, 3 cycles at almost 36. So for me, no difference at all.

I have found that I can pregnant fine from 37 to 41 - but I’ve lost all 14 of my pregnancies. No baby yet.

Some are fine, some miscarry, some struggle to conceive at all. Secondary infertility is a painful thing. You don’t know which category you’ll be in until you try.

It probably would have been easier if we had ttc younger (but I met DP late and exDP strung me along when he didn’t want kids, so…).

For me, my sibling & my friends, the noticeable factor from mid thirties on was miscarriages.

I had 3, lots of friends had at least two.

We all had relatively speaking not much fuss getting pregnant but carrying to term was harder.

More complicated pregnancies too. More birth trauma etc.

And by 38 or so onwards, you really start seeing it getting harder to conceive too.

Notwithstanding that i adore the kids ive got , the MCs left their toll on me. If I could shake my younger self and tell her to stop waiting for the "perfect" time and to have kids in late twenties, i would.

No one can say, but it’s likely to be similar to how it was to get pregnant the first time. I’ve been pregnant 3 times, 1 of these was a mc, and 2 were over 35. I got pregnant first or second cycle all 3 times.

I got pregnant at 35 had her at 36. It took 4 months to get pregnant. My sister had one at 38. We did have complications like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure but that was it

Took me about a year when I was 35, but it took almost a year when I was 25 too.

I had my first at 37, second just before 39 without any effort. I’m almost 43 and we’ve been trying for a year for a third but it’s just not happening.

So many positive experiences on here, lovely to see.

I am the rogue entry. Started TTC at 27, no diagnosable medical issues but required IVF for both babies (born at 32 and 36). Both dream pregnancies though, so swings and roundabouts.

As a PP has said, if you're sure you want another then don't risk delaying.

As everyone else says, it varies from person to person. It would be really handy if we all knew in advance when our ‘time was up’ so to speak, so we could plan our families accordingly, but sadly it’s somewhat of a guessing game….

For what it’s worth, my husband and I started trying for a baby when I was 36 and I fell pregnant on the first cycle and have a nearly 5 year old who was born when I was 37. It was my first and only pregnancy. No issues at all and I consider myself very lucky that this was the case for me.

I tried for 7 years to get pregnant including fertility treatment and eventually fell naturally at 34. I then got pregnant again at 36, closer to 37 actually.
I think your question is a really difficult one though because everyone is different. Statistically speaking fertility does drop off as you hit mid 30s but as my experience shows that certainly isn't the case for everyone as it seemed to have the opposite effect on me!

I had mine before 35 but I’m interested in the statistics. The whole ‘fertility falling off a cliff after 35’… not sure what it’s actually based off? Are there many decent, big and up-to-date studies?

I have been lucky/very fertile to conceive Dc 1-3 straight away. Dc1 was immediately after a missed miscarriage. Dc4 was conceived straight after DH received confirmation his vasectomy had worked (it hadn’t 😂) Dc3 & Dc4 were conceived at 35 & 37.

First child at 38, second child at nearly 42, miscarriage in between.