Sub-navigation

• « Previous
• Next »
• Back to features list »

The effect of age on your fertility

More of us are leaving it later than ever before to start a family, and statistics demonstrate that there is a change in the age profile of first-time mothers. We are now seeing more babies born to mums in the 32-35 age bracket than in the 20-24 bracket.

Women are postponing childbearing until later in life to pursue a career or other personal goals. Also, the wide availability of contraceptives allows couples to have a say in planning their lives and families, so women can now choose when to have children.

However, the idea of putting off starting a family until your career is established or your debts cleared can have its problems. Fertility falls more sharply for women as they age than for men.

Women are most fertile between the ages of 20 and 24 years and as women grow older the likelihood of getting pregnant falls steeply while the likelihood of infertility rises sharply. This decline is less dramatic for men. Men can remain fertile for much longer but male fertility still declines with age, although less dramatically.