Twoplus medical consultant Dr Michael Eisenberg told FEMAIL that a woman’s fertility can decline over time as she ages.
He explained: “Women are born with a set number of eggs, which declines as they age, and the quality of those eggs also declines over time.”
However, it’s important to remember that while fertility issues are generally seen as a women’s health problem, male factors such as poor sperm count and motility can also affect a couple’s ability to conceive.
Dr. Eisenberg said: “The average man now carries about half as much sperm as he did 40 years ago, and most sperm naturally don’t make it very far into the female reproductive tract.”
If there are no physiological problems, then lifestyle factors can also play a role. These may include being overweight or drinking too much alcohol.
Here Dr Eisenberg reveals his top tips for boosting fertility – including what time of the month you have sex and cutting back on unhealthy foods.
One in seven couples in the UK are having trouble conceiving, with age being a key factor. When a woman reaches the age of 30, fertility begins to decline. twoplus Fertility medical consultant Dr Michael Eisenberg lists what you can do to improve your chances of conceiving in your 30s (stock image)
NUTRITION HEALTHY DIET
Avoiding junk food is generally a very good idea, especially if you are trying to have a baby.
Dr. Eisenberg said that changing your diet is an important part of preparing your body to gain body.
She revealed: “Eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats is the best way to prepare your body for conception.
“This is essential for both men and women, as minerals such as zinc have been shown to improve sperm quality, while eating carrots helps prevent anemia in women during pregnancy.”
REDUCE STRESS
Stress is the culprit behind many illnesses and discomfort, so it’s no surprise that it also affects your chances of getting pregnant—if you wanted something else to stress about.
Stress can affect the part of your brain called the hypothalamus, which regulates your hormones and menstrual cycle.
Dr. Eisenberg explained that stress can make you ovulate later than usual or mean you don’t ovulate at all.
She suggests looking into natural ways to reduce stress, such as yoga or meditation to relax and remove yourself from stressful situations as much as possible.
She said: “Ovulation prediction kits or cycle tracking can also help.”
WATCH THE VICES
There are many don’ts when it comes to pregnancy: women shouldn’t drink, smoke or eat sushi.
It’s worth noting that avoiding these vices before conception will also improve your chances of getting pregnant.
Dr. Eisenberg advises women to avoid drinking more than two alcoholic drinks a day because alcohol can change your estrogen levels and reduce the number of eggs you have left.
Cutting back on caffeine is also worth considering if you drink a lot of tea and coffee.
High levels of caffeine have been linked to decreased estrogen levels which can prevent ovulation and reduce your chances of conceiving.
MAXIMIZE THE QUANTITY OF SPERM REACHING THE EGG
When sperm is ejaculated, it quickly enters the cervical mucus, which helps it move through the reproductive system.
Millions of sperm must enter the cervix so that hundreds of sperm can prepare the way for the “sperm” to fertilize the egg.
However, without intervention, less than one percent of sperm reach the egg.
“There are devices on the market that, when used during sex, can direct sperm into the cervix and are designed to keep the sperm in to maximize the chances of natural conception,” Dr. Eisenberg said.
USE NATURAL LUBRICANTS IF NECESSARY
WHY ARE WOMEN LATE TO HAVE CHILDREN?
Dr Geeta Nargund, consultant gynecologist at St George’s Hospital and fertility pioneer, urged women not to delay starting a family to avoid a host of age-related complications.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday’s Medical Minefield podcast, she says: “A woman’s fertility declines rapidly from her mid-30s. It’s important that young women have this information so they can plan their families with their own eggs.
“When celebrity mothers say they had a baby in their early 50s or late 40s, they need to clarify whether, as is common for older women, they used donor eggs or frozen eggs.
“Without that, women think it’s easy for them to have babies in their 40s, and that’s not true.”
Dr Nargund’s comments came after a social media campaign to remove “offensive” pregnancy terms commonly used by doctors to describe a mother in her less fertile years, such as “geriatric mother” and “advanced age mother”.
The initiative, launched by parenting social network Peanut, calls for a whole new vocabulary – clinicians should, for example, use “reproductive struggles” instead of sterile and refer to “family planning” rather than a biological clock .
“It’s not the language that’s important, it’s the facts,” says Dr. Nargund, who has seen “too many patients” in their 40s forced to endure the emotional turmoil of fertility treatment.
But what are the facts?
Women are born with about two million eggs. But, starting in adolescence, both the number and the quality decrease over time.
Gradually, immature eggs – those that are not released during ovulation – die or are reabsorbed into the body. Meanwhile, those that remain decline in quality, accumulating DNA errors that, when fertilized, can increase the risk of genetic disorders such as Down syndrome.
After age 30, the rate of decline in both egg quality and quantity accelerates rapidly. In a woman’s 20s, there is a one in three chance of fertilization per cycle, compared to a one in five chance in her 30s.
At 40, that drops to about one in 20 per cycle.
Experts recommend using mineral oil, canola oil, or hydroxyethyl cellulose based lubricants when necessary as a lubricant.
Canola oil is easy to obtain as it is readily available in most local supermarkets.
Dr. Eisenberg explained that some couples have problems with penetrative sex because of conditions such as vaginosis (painful sex because the vaginal muscles contract involuntarily), erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation.
He said: “Home insemination is a simple, patient-friendly and cost-effective way for these couples to conceive.
“There are sperm delivery devices on the market that eliminate the requirement for penetrative sex to get pregnant.”
HAVE SEX REGULARLY
Studies show that couples who have sex every other day are more likely to conceive than those who have sex less often.
However, Dr. Eisenberg said, “Try to avoid making sexual activity a chore—make it enjoyable, rather than a chore.”
Timing is another thing to consider, as peak fertility can vary even in women with regular cycles.
START TRYING TO CONCEPT EARLY
The earlier you start trying for a baby in your 30s, the better your chances of an easier conception.
Due to the decrease in egg quality and quantity, there is also a greater chance of miscarriage.
Women in their 30s can also feel tremendous anxiety when it comes to having children, as many of their friends and family have or are starting families.
Many health professionals see a lot of emotional stress around conception for these women.
Trying to conceive earlier minimizes this pressure as the eggs are of better quality and there are fewer social pressures.
IF YOU HAVEN’T CONCEIVED AFTER SIX MONTHS, SEE YOUR GP FOR ADVICE
In some cases, there are physiological problems.
Some women do not ovulate due to conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hormone problems, early menopause, blocked fallopian tubes, or physical abnormalities in the uterus.
As women age they are at higher risk of endometriosis and uterine fibroids which can also affect fertility.
The problem may also be with your partner. Male infertility can be due to a lack of sperm, sperm abnormalities or sperm motility problems.
Testicular problems due to injury, cancer, surgery, blockage or infection can also affect sperm quality.
Some men may also experience ejaculation problems or not produce enough hormones to produce sperm.
Your doctor can run some simple tests and refer you as a couple to a fertility specialist if necessary.
Half of women are now childless in their thirties for the first time ever: Official statistics show the most common age to give birth has risen to 31 – compared to 22 for baby boomers
Most women in England and Wales are no longer having children before 30, official figures show for the first time.
A report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that 50.1 per cent of women born in 1990 were childless by their 30th birthday.
It is the first time there have been more childless women than mothers under the age of 30 since records began dating back to 1920.
By comparison, a third of women born in that decade had not had a child by the age of 30.
Women born in the 1940s were the most likely to have had at least one child by this milestone (82 percent).
However, since then there has been a long-term trend of people choosing to have children later in life and reducing family size since then, the ONS said.
The most common age to have a child is now 31, the ONS estimates based on the latest data, compared with 22 among baby boomers born in the late 1940s.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 53 per cent of women born in 1991 were childless by their 30th birthday last year. The chart shows: The percentage of childless women aged 30 on their date of birth
The ONS figures also show the…
