It is a fact that women in their 20s are at their prime when talking about being pregnant and childbirth. However, in the modern society now, most women get married late and therefore they also conceive their first child around their early 30s. A lot may argue and say that when women reach the age of 30 or older, conceiving is not advisable.
For some healthy women, even at the age of 35 they are still getting pregnant and deliver their baby safely. If they say that the fertility of women change in their 30s, why are there still many women over 30 having babies? An article in Stuff said that in the United Kingdom every month there is a warning and write up about women's decreasing fertility.
Last May, one reproductive specialist Geeta Nargund wrote a letter to UK Education Secretary Nicky Morgan asking him to educate girl students about the dangers of late motherhood. Last week a record showed that more babies are born to women aged 35 and over as compared to those under the age of 25. More and more women are unsure and worried about motherhood.
More recently, fertility clinics are offering services like "egg-counting" tests. This process can offer women a sneak peak of how much time they have left in terms of their biological clocks. Many people are unsure if this is empowering women or add to their worry.
A blood test known as the Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) and pelvic scan known as the Antral Follicle Count (AFC) are two of the requirements to measure fertility. This can check the quantity of eggs she has left in her ovaries. According to Dr Raine-Fenning, fertility testing has its limitations. He said that these tests were for the use of IVF clinics to have an idea of how many eggs might produce after the ovarian stimulation drugs are given. This test only shows the quantity and not the quality.
With fertility numbers being so unreliable, it's important not to make any assumptions about your fertility because behind every statistic is an individual case. Such tests, Dr Raine-Fenning explains, can help rule out polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and blocked fallopian tubes that can impact fertility later. It's always better to know about these sooner rather than later.
