Late Maternal Age

The most common cause of infertility is late maternal age. It has been well established that pregnancy rates decline with advancing maternal age and miscarriages increase with advancing maternal age. The incidence of Down’s syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities increases with advancing maternal age. All of the above problems are directly related to the age of the egg. Women are born with approximately 4 million eggs, and by puberty, this number declines to about 2 million. After birth, women do not produce any more eggs. Each month, approximately 100 eggs are selected, but only one is released at the time of ovulation. Therefore, at the age of 40, the egg is 40 years old, and does not perform as well as a younger egg.

Therefore, if a couple can present for treatment at an earlier age, the chances of achieving a pregnancy are greater.