Johnstone: Sure. So for women between 40 and 45, it's actually changing quite rapidly with each passing year. So on average, when we look at large groups of women, of women who want to conceive at age 40, about half will get pregnant naturally. But that decreases quickly to perhaps 20% to 25% by age 42 to 43.
Fertility specialists quote approximately a 5% chance per menstrual cycle of getting pregnant naturally after age 40 vs. a 25% chance per cycle for women in their 20's, which is when fertility typically peaks and you have the best chance of experiencing healthy pregnancies.
By age 40, a woman's chance drops to less than 5 percent per cycle, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. After the age of 45, getting pregnant naturally (or without the help of fertility treatments) is unlikely for most women.
Pregnancy in Your 40s
If you get pregnant after 35 years old, experts call this an “advanced maternal age” pregnancy. But it's still possible to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby in your 40s. Childbirth at older ages has become more common too. Since the 1990s, birth rates in people aged 40-44 have gone up.
Luckily, while the risks of complications are lower in your 20s and 30s, you can have a healthy pregnancy in your 40s, particularly if you are otherwise in good health and get regular prenatal care.
Down syndrome occurs in people of all races and economic levels. The risk increases with the mother's age (1 in 1250 for a 25 year old mother to 1 in 1000 at age 31, 1 in 400 at age 35, and about 1 in 100 at age 40).
Being well grounded and calm inside and out are essential. Start a quality prenatal and omega-3 supplement at least three months prior to pregnancy. It's important to start this regime early since 50 percent of pregnancies are unintended and the right vitamins and nutrients can help reduce the risk of birth defects.
Not necessarily. If you had a straightforward pregnancy and birth last time, and you're fit and healthy, you and your baby are likely to be fine this time, too. Even so, there are a few things you should be aware of. Unfortunately, the risk of miscarriage does increase with age.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
How many eggs does a woman have at 40? By the time a woman reaches 40, she'll be down to about 18,000 (3% of her pre-birth egg supply). Although the chances of conception are lower, this does not mean it is impossible to conceive at this age.
Having a baby after 40 may give couples the chance to wait until they are more emotionally and financially prepared for parenthood. However, it can make it more difficult to get pregnant, as fertility declines with age. For women, in particular, fertility dramatically declines over the age of 40.
The chances of a woman getting pregnant naturally at 40 reduces to just over 20%, which reduces even further to 10% by the time you are in your mid-40s. Women who are older than 45 years old only have a 5% chance of conceiving naturally. Read our article on how to get pregnant naturally here.
Irregular period cycle and difficulty conceiving
If you are facing issues conceiving and have not been able to conceive for a while now, it could be one of the signs of bad egg quality.
Your most fertile day, and the day you are most likely to ovulate on, is the last day of egg-white cervical mucus. You can also track your ovulation hormone using at-home ovulation tests (sometimes called an ovulation predictor kit, or OPK).
So on average, when we look at large groups of women, of women who want to conceive at age 40, about half will get pregnant naturally. But that decreases quickly to perhaps 20% to 25% by age 42 to 43. And by age 45, it's quite rare to become pregnant naturally.
The chance of having a child affected by Down syndrome increases from about 1 in 1,250 for a woman who conceives at age 25, to about 1 in 100 for a woman who conceives at age 40.
Researchers know that Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome, but no one knows for sure why Down syndrome occurs or how many different factors play a role. One factor that increases the risk for having a baby with Down syndrome is the mother's age.
Risk for chromosome problems
The chance of having a child with Down syndrome increases over time. The risk is about 1 in 1,250 for a woman who conceives at age 25. It increases to about 1 in 100 for a woman who conceives at age 40. The risks may be higher.
Which complications are more common in women over 40? Older mothers seem more likely to complications problems in pregnancy and childbirth. You're more likely to experience problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, placental problems and birth complications. But try not to worry too much.
Those women who have late menopause and they have babies early and often have babies without difficulty, well into their early to mid 40s, but it's rare for any population you study that women have successful pregnancies after 45 with any kind of frequency.