As we celebrate International Women’s Day (8 March) it is reassuring, for women of the 21st century to know that modern medicine continues to expand their fertility options for the future.
The decision about when is the right time to have a baby, and even if you want to do this, can be challenging.
There are often competing priorities for women like establishing a career and/or becoming financially independent. Perhaps you haven’t found the right partner yet.
These are all common everyday concerns we hear and the good news is there are several options for them to consider, now and in the future.
Probably the most important information women need to know is the correlation between age and fertility.
A woman’s fertility significantly declines from 35 years of age.
Women are born with all their eggs and steadily lose them from birth to menopause – at about 1,000 per month during reproductive years – this accelerates from the mid-30s and also results in reduced egg quality and lower birth rates.
By age 40, it is estimated that a female’s conception rate is in the range of 8-10 percent per month and at age 43 it is thought to be 1-3 percent per month.
So if you are considering delaying starting a family you wish to consider egg freezing.
Egg freezing for fertility preservation
Egg freezing can potentially be helpful for women who might wish to try and have children at a later date. The process of freezing female eggs has advanced rapidly over the past 10 years and research studies are reporting equally successful fertilisation and embryo development rates for frozen eggs as compared to fresh eggs. However, it is essential that egg freezing only happens after appropriate counselling.
While there are many egg freezing success stories, it is important to know that the younger the woman is when she freezes her eggs, the better quality they will be and hence the greater chance of a successful pregnancy at a later date. For more information about fertility preservation and fertility treatment options contact our Fertility Advice Team for a free chat on 1300 215 332
Phone: 1300 215 332