The Impact of Age on Female Fertility: Dr Poonam Agarwal, Principal Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute shares her inputs with Zee News Digital. Female fertility is a topic of great importance, especially as more women delay pregnancy until later in life. While age is just a number in many aspects, it plays a crucial role in determining a woman’s reproductive potential.
The biological clock affects the health of the reproductive organs and the overall ability to conceive naturally. Dr Poonam Agarwal, Principal Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute shares her inputs with Zee News Digital. How Age Affects Female Fertility A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have.
This is known as her ovarian reserve. With each menstrual cycle, the number of available eggs decreases, and their quality declines over time. By the age of 35, fertility begins to drop significantly, and by the age of 40, the chances of natural conception are considerably lower.
Oocyte (egg) quality is another key factor impacted by age. As women age, the likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities in eggs increases, leading to higher rates of miscarriage and conditions such as Down syndrome. Why Does Fertility Decline with Age? The decline in female fertility is largely linked to changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, which controls the release of reproductive hormones.
As women age, follicle-stimulating hormone (FS.