declining fertility after the age of 35 is it really that bad?

[jsmummy]

I've just read an article in the current issue of Real magazine about the decline in fertility after the age of 35. It's a really scary story with lots of sad stories of women who tried and failed to get pregnant in their mid to late thirties.

I am 35, will be 36 in Oct and already have a 4yo by my ex husband. I'm now with a younger man (25yo) who is keen to have one child with me and the aforementioned piece has just panicked me. We've been together for nearly 2 years and I've always known he wants a child/ren, but I'm not quite sure about it since my ds will be at school in Sept and I'm sort of looking forward to having some time to myself (or will I be bored s*less?). However, I now feel the clock is ticking loud and clear! Is it or are there loads of mums out there who conceived easily after 35?

Should I get my coil taken out NOW! and is it now or never or do you think I've got some time? I think I probably do want another one and then that will be it and I do think that my partner would be justified in leaving me if I didn't want any more since he does want a child of his own and it doesn't seem fair to him if I don't. Any similar experiences/thoughts? Thanks.

Congratulations Jomorel. Lovely news.
How many days late was she? What did she weigh?
Give her a big kiss from me.

Congratulations JoMorel, great news. And what a pretty name!

Well done and hello Lilian.

JoMorel - congratulations! And welcome to your litle one...

Welcome Lilian. ... and JoMorel, enjoy being an older Mum - it's great fun!

I just turned 37 so conceived the baby in this pregnancy when I was 36 plus 4 months. Didn't take more than a few months to get pregnant once i had regular periods after my coil was removed, although the risk of miscarriage is higher at my age and I had an early miscarriage last October.

The "fertility falling off a cliff" thing is overblown, in my view. Yes fertility declines but I thought the better thinking was that it was a sliding scale, not a vertiginous drop, and so much depends on the individual woman. Apparently the chance of getting pregnant in any one cycle at age 40 is 5%, but the chance at 25 is 20% so that 5% isn't as vanishingly small as it seems at first sight.

OP the last thing i want to do is say "dont worry, youll be fine" as it really does depend on the woman, but dont feel that you should rush unless it's the right time for you. one thing i will say though is that i had a mirena coil (not sure if this is what youve got) and I know fertility should return immediately after it but my periods were so irregular after it that I do wish I'd taken it out sooner so that my body could have adjusted sooner.

allow for some time after getting coil removed and ttc. i got pg the 1st month and it was ectopic. drs said it was because coil only just been removed and we should have waited at least 3 months before trying. was never told any of that by family planning clinic who took it out though.

I conceived on 3rd month of trying at 38. Husband is 44 and a keen cyclist so according to the media we had no hope!

I have some friends that have struggled with fertility issues many of whom were really quite young when they began trying to conceive and I think to some extent it is the luck of the draw with age one factor of many others. I think the fertility over 35 thing is over egged but having said that if you do have problems the sooner you get going the better as you have more time to consider your options. I would imagine though that you are in a fairly good position having previously had a child.

Just to point out, this thread is 10 year old, hopefully OP has made her mind up by now :)

Gaah, how the hell did I find this thread?! I never look before the first page of threads on a topic!

I got pregnant at 39 within 6 weeks. My husband had read all the on-line articles and written me off as infertile, which caused all manner of problems for us. I was in reality anything but. If you still have a normal cycle you still have normal fertility. Yes the risk of abnormalities rises, but again I haven't had any problems, and the statistical risk for my age is in itself only 4% or something, which is tiny when you think about it. My personal risk on testing was nearer 1 in 2000 or something which is nothing. The chance of twins rises significantly though, which is something to think about.

If you want a baby, go for it, you're a pretty average age for pregnancy in my area. I'm not considered high risk at 39 at my maternity unit.

10 years! Oops !!!!

If your coil releases hormones then it could take a while for your cycle to settle down once its removed. This in turn could add to the length of time it takes you to fall pregnant.

Each woman is differrent and it really depends on how many eggs you have left and how healthy they are. How long it took you to fall pregnant on the previous two times could be an indication.

Hope it all works out how you want it.

I started trying to conceive at around 35. Sadly it didn't happen. By 38 I was pretty much losing hope and once I passed 40 I knew I'd missed the boat. :(

However, I'm still 40 (just) and baby is due in May when I'll be 41 :o

Don't let depressing articles get you down.

Wow this thread is now 19 years old!!!!