It is impossible to say decisively how long it will take to get pregnant, there are too many other factors that can impact fertility including each couple’s general health, environment and how often they’re having sex. Some couples can conceive quickly whereas others will find it takes longer. There is no set formula, each couple’s path is different.
Does age affect your fertility?
Simply put, yes. Both men and women’s fertility are directly affected by age but in different ways.
When women are born, they are born with all the eggs they’re ever going to have, they do not create any more as they get older. This is different to men who, assuming they aren’t suffering from any underlying conditions because they continue to produce sperm throughout their lives. This means that when trying to conceive, a woman’s age is very important to consider as the amount of healthy eggs available decline with age until they reach menopause.
As men get older, they are more likely to experience problems with their sperm health. Of all couples suffering infertility, approximately half will include an element of male factor subfertility. However, as they will continue to produce sperm throughout their lives, men are able to conceive naturally into old age.
How long does it take to get pregnant in your 20’s?
On average, couples trying to conceive in their 20s are more likely to get pregnant faster than any other age group. A study has shown that “for women aged 35-39 years the chance of conceiving spontaneously is about half that of women aged 19-26 years.” The NHS state that women aged 19-26 engaging in regular unprotected sex have a 92% chance of conceiving after 1 year and 98% chance after 2 years.
More information on how often and when to have sex if you’re trying to conceive is available here.
How long does it take to get pregnant in your 30’s
There is a big difference between the early and late 30s for women when it comes to their fertility. While you are slightly less likely to conceive than a woman in their 20s, it is still highly likely you’ll get pregnant if you are having regular unprotected sex. There is a change in women when they reach their late 30s where fertility can decline rapidly. It is still very common for women in their late 30s and early 40s to have children, but it does become significantly less likely year on year after the age of 36. We recommend you speak to your GP if you are a woman aged 35 or over and have been trying for longer than 6 months without success. There are certain lifestyle changes you can make which are proven to improve your fertility in your 30s.
How long does it take to get pregnant in your 40’s?
For women, getting pregnant in your 40s does come with many complications, with many women becoming totally infertile at some point in their 40s prior to menopause. Not only is conceiving less likely, but if you do conceive then there can be other risks. As a result of the mature or “healthy” eggs declining, there is an increasing proportion of poor quality eggs. This can result in chromosomal abnormalities within the egg, known as aneuploidy. When this happens the chances of having a baby with a genetic condition like Down’s syndrome are significantly increased, as are the chances of miscarriage. A recent study showed the risk of miscarriage was lowest in women aged 25-29 (10%), and rose rapidly after age 30, reaching 53% in women aged 45 and over. There was a strong recurrence risk of miscarriage, with age. This does not mean that all hope is lost, but there is an increased chance couples will require the help of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) such as IVF in order to start or grow their family.
Supplements for fertility
Impryl is a fertility supplement for men and women and works by providing balanced support to your body’s natural metabolism, using active micronutrients. A study in older women with poor ovarian reserve shows that the micronutrients within Impryl increased AMh levels by 40%. AMh is a hormone often tested in women to give doctors an idea of how many healthy eggs a woman has left. A number of patients became pregnant while taking Impryl during the trial despite the fact that it was previously thought that the only way for these women to get pregnant was through donated eggs.
Impryl can help improve the quality of the follicles you produce and is recommended by IVF specialists across the UK to be taken prior to going through IVF.
