How much does advanced maternal age matter?
In recent years, you’ve probably seen more women having babies in their late 30s and beyond. But with age comes wisdom, and if you’re 35 or older, it also comes with a new designation: Advanced maternal age. National Infertility Awareness Week®, which happens annually in April, is about raising awareness about infertility, its treatment options, and the legislative challenges surrounding access to affordable care.
So if you’re a woman of advanced maternal age, take heart: Not only do you have many reproductive options to help you become a mother, people all across the country are uniting to support your journey.
Fertility and advanced maternal age
Many women are aware that the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome increases with age. But they may not know that today’s genetic testing allows for embryo screening before pregnancy. It’s called preimplantation genetic testing, or PGT.
Women with advanced maternal age can also find it’s harder to get pregnant, stay pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy. Because your supply of eggs declines over the years, your chances of getting pregnant naturally go down as the years go by. IVF with PGT can also help identify the embryos that are most likely to lead to a healthy pregnancy!
In spite of these risks, most women who become pregnant later in life have perfectly normal pregnancies and give birth to healthy children.
Know your options
If you choose to try for a baby later in life, advanced testing can determine whether your egg supply is good enough that you can conceive naturally. If you do need medical help to get pregnant, basic services or assisted reproductive technology (ART) can help you beat the odds.
- IUI to boost pregnancy chances
- IVF with your own eggs
- IVF with PGT and your own eggs
- IVF with the help of an egg donor
Thanks to these treatments, the question is no longer, “How old is ‘too old’ to have a baby?” Instead, women are asking, “What testing and treatment do I need to become a mom?”
If you’re 35 or older and want to learn more about the impact of advanced maternal age on your fertility, contact our Louisiana fertility center to schedule a consultation.
