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Facts About Fertility
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| "Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal." |
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| -Pamela Vaull Starr |
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Fertility Facts
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How much do we really know about fertility?
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Learn some of the facts
Here!
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Fertility Declines With Age
Even though fertility declines for both men and women with age, for men it's a much slower process. For women on the other hand, fertility declines faster than many
of us may think. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine Fact
Sheet "Reproductive Aging in Women" states that in most women fertility
peaks in their 20s and then it starts to progressively decline
between the ages of 31-42 such that women in their early 40s start the
transition from the reproductive years to the menopausal period. According to the Center for Disease Control, once a woman turns 42 years old the chances of her having a baby using
her own eggs are less than 10%. At
age 40, half of her eggs have abnormal chromosomes and in women age 42, 90%
of the eggs are abnormal.
So, how much do we really know about fertility?
A survey used to measure fertility knowledge conducted at the iVillage.com website by the American Fertility Association (AFA)
showed that out of the 12,524 respondents, only a small percentage of
those participating in the survey realized that the natural decline in
fertility happens at a much earlier age than many believe. One of
the questions from the survey "At what age does a woman's
fertility start to measurably decline",
only 13% got it right (age 27); 39% thought it began to drop at the age
of 40.
In another question "When is a couple considered infertile
(unable to conceive)?" 42% answered after 30 months of trying to conceive without success, but the
answer to this question according to the The
American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is if you are a woman
age 35 or
older trying to conceive, you should consult a fertility specialist if
you fail
to get pregnant after six months of unprotected intercourse. Women ages
37 to 40 should wait no longer than three months. The survey showed
that the majority of the general population has a misconception on when fertility starts to decline.
To read all the Q&As for this survey please go here.
Infertility Due to Medical Factors
Even though age can be a major cause for a woman's inability to conceive, infertility due to medical factors amounts to 10% of the population of reproductive age, which accounts for 6.1 million men
and women in the United States.
Infertility can be caused by a disease associated with the reproductive system and according to the
American Society for Reproductive Medicine, infertility affects men
and women in almost equal frequency and 25% of infertile couples have more
than one medical factor that contributes to their infertility.
"In approximately 40% of infertile couples, the male partner is either
the sole cause or a contributing cause of infertility. Tubal blockage
and/or peritoneal factors account for approximately 35% of all female
infertility problems. Irregular or abnormal ovulation accounts
for approximately 25% of all female infertility cases. Endometriosis is
found in about 35% of infertile women who have laparoscopy as part of
their infertility work-up. Approximately 20% of couples who have a
complete work-up are diagnosed with unexplained infertility because no
specific cause is identified." (Source: Infertility
(PDF) released December 1997)
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The Miracles Waiting, Inc. Team
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The
Information provided in this page is for educational purposes only and
you should not rely on it as a substitute for professional assistance.
If you are concerned about your health or the health of a loved one
please seek the help of a medical care provider.
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Nearly 400,000 embryos are stored in the United States,
88.2% are targeted for patient use, and
2.8% are available for research.
FERTILITY AND STERILITY | | |
