Except…thats not really what happens.
But why is that exactly?
Fertility is based on whats known as ovarian reserve.
Getty/Dawn D. Hanna
For a step-by-step explanation of that whole process, headright over here.)
That sounds like a hell of a lot.
Itisa hell of a lot.
Ovarian reserve is generally estimated to peak between a persons late teens and late 20s, theACOGexplains.
But its not just the quantity of eggs you have that matters, its also the quality.
At this point, your menstrual cycle may get shorter, which means your periods might become irregular.
Itmay still be possibleto get pregnant naturally at that point, but itll be much more difficult.
With irregular cycles, the window of fertility is harder to predict, Dr. Kodaman tells SELF.
Eventually, when you havent had a period for at least a year, youre officially inmenopause.
The average age of menopause is 51, theACOGsays.
All of the experts SELF spoke to pointed out that this focus on fertility and age 35 isnt baseless.
This notionisfounded in science.
This can make it harder to get pregnant.
Note that she said morenoticeably.
Thats something researchers cant easily coordinate.
In total they collected data for 58,051 women whod gotten married at some point before 1900 and had children.
(Remember, the people in these studies werent using birth control.
had at least one child after that.
Overall those are pretty encouraging findings in the face of rumors that fertility is in free fall after 35.
There are some questions that hang over this data, though.
(Fertility in people who produce semen doesnt generally decline significantly until around age 50.)
As with the historical data study mentioned above, the decrease in fertility jumped much more after age 40.
Age isn’t the only factor that affects fertility.
In reality, there are other things that can cause problems conceiving sooner than many of us expect.
Health conditions that affect the reproductive system are prime causes of this.
One of its hallmarks is irregular or absent ovulation, which can make it really difficult to get pregnant.
Thats yet another reason why it can be harder to get pregnant with age.
Heavy alcohol use can also damage fertility before it would normally drop with age.
The data and the various factors affecting your fertility are much more complex than that.
And, you know, factoring in the sperm too.
For some, that might mean having regular sex once you’re actually ready to get pregnant.
It all depends on your situation.
Testing may help you find out where you fall.
