Infertility and Age
Infertility issues for late marriage couples are common. The vigour of your reproductive system declines as your age increases. This means a decrease in fertility.
Egg quality is an important factor in women. The quality declines with an increase in the woman’s age. From the age of 30 to the early 40s, women’s chances of conceiving are about 50% of that in their early 20s, and the conception chances decline substantially after the age of 35. The fertility of males also declines gradually with ageing.
Men can produce new sperm for almost their entire adult life. However, as compared to younger men, men over 45 may be less fertile. At around 45 years, a man’s sperm count may reduce significantly. It is seen that sperm quality also declines when a man crosses 45 years of age. Studies have shown that children fathered by men above the age of 45y are more prone for psychiatric disorders e.g. schizophrenia.
Recent studies have indicated an increase in infertility among men is growing. These studies attribute this to adopting an urban lifestyle. Another cause is the presence of chemicals in the environment. These can disrupt hormones. These cause a decline in male fertility. Scientific studies have also shown that sperm counts have declined overall globally in the past 20 years.
Causes for infertility in advanced aged Couples
The inability to conceive naturally is one of the most common infertility symptoms in late marriage couples. If you are unable to conceive naturally after trying for six months, you should consult a fertility specialist. Women 35 years old or older may also show signs of infertility.
Most common cause for infertility in women with advancing age in decrease in egg reserve. Women are born with a fixed number of eggs and they start losing them soon after birth . This loss increases exponentially after the age of 35.
Women presenting with the following symptoms should consult fertility specialist at the earliest:
- Painful menstrual cycles
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Irregular cycles
- Low ovarian reserve
- Occurrence of multiple miscarriages
- Health problems that may affect fertility, like uterine fibroids
Men can also face erectile dysfunction and semen abnormalities like low sperm motility, abnormal morphology and low count. Increase abdominal fat has direct impact on semen parameters and sexual health.
Fertility Treatment for Late Marriage Couples
Couples encounter a lot of heartbreak when they are unable to conceive after months of trying. Infertility issues for late marriage couples can cause problems. It can also affect a couple’s mental health. This is where the late marriage couple can consider fertility treatment options. Couples who have had a late marriage need not lose hope. Reproduction science has made tremendous advancements. These offer hope to couples who are facing infertility issues due to their age.
Common treatments for infertility issues for late marry couples include:
- Medications to improve fertility.
- Surgical procedures as and where needed.
- Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Some of these methods are in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). ICSI is another technique that provides fertilisation assistance using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
IVF is supported by current literature as the best chance of overcoming infertility and having a successful pregnancy for women who have had a late marriage. Methods like ovulation induction and IUI with either clomiphene or FSH are not supported by studies to be as successful as IVF.
Conclusion
With couples preferring to marry late, they often encounter infertility issues. Most of these can be overcome. Reproduction technology and advanced fertility treatments can help such couples facing infertility issues. These treatments can be personalised for the couples to make sure that the treatment process is comfortable. Nowadays, with late marriage, infertility issues are not rare, and they can be treated.
