The single most important factor in fertility is a woman’s age. The younger a woman is, the more eggs she has, and more importantly, the better quality her eggs are.  The number and quality of a woman’s eggs starts to decline noticeably around the age of 32, and with that decline, comes an increased difficulty in falling pregnant.

These are the scientific facts around age and fertility, but there are many ways a person can maintain some control over their fertility despite these age-driven biological factors. 

The first is finding out their egg reserve, which is done by a test called an anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) test. This test allows women to determine their egg reserve as it stands and to make certain decisions, such as freezing their eggs for future use if their egg reserve is low, trying to get pregnant naturally immediately rather than waiting, or to embark on fertility treatments to increase the chance of falling pregnant quickly. 

For many couples struggling with fertility, age is an issue that can cause undue stress. Your fertility specialist will be able to guide you in ascertaining your egg reserve level now, determining whether it is impacting your fertility, and coming up with some options to move forward with your fertility goals. 

Listen to the Podcast for more information on age, AMH testing, and fertility—including the surprising case of when your AMH level doesn’t impact your chance of falling pregnant.