The Affect Of Your Age on Your Fertility

If you are a women in your late thirties or early forties and have delayed starting your family due to your career or the fact that you found your soul mate later in life, you are not alone. Many women in the United States and around the world are waiting until they are older to start their families for a myriad of reasons. If you are older and have not yet started your family, you may be all too familiar with the expression “my biological clock is ticking.” While it is true that a woman’s fertility does decline with age, many women in their late thirties and early forties are able to get pregnant either on their own or with the help of fertility medicines and/or treatments.

If you are in your late thirties or early forties and have not been able to get pregnant, it is important to schedule an appointment with your OBGYN so that he or she can determine the cause of your infertility and recommend the most appropriate treatment. Female infertility can be caused by any number of factors including problems with ovulation, endometriosis or a blockage in your fallopian tubes. Or, it just may be a matter of more closely pinpointing when you ovulate so that you can time sexual intercourse around the time in your cycle in which you are most fertile.

As part of the diagnostic process, your doctor may recommend further testing such as a blood test to determine your hormone levels or a hyserosalpingogram to evaluate the condition of your uterus and fallopian tubes. Your doctor may also recommend that your partner be further evaluated. This testing and trial period can last over the period of several months.

If at the end of the evaluation period, your doctor cannot pinpoint the exact cause of infertility, your cause may be referred to as a case of “unexplained infertility.” In this case, your doctor may prescribe certain medications or may refer you to a doctor who specializes in infertility and offers fertility treatments such as artificial insemination and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

The important thing to remember is that there are many good available treatment options for dealing with infertility and for helping you achieve your goal of starting a family. If you are having difficulty getting pregnant, schedule an appointment with your OBGYN today to find out about your available options.