Why does a woman’s egg quality decrease with age?

Here are some of the reasons why women could find it challenging to fall pregnant naturally after the age of 35.

Your eggs (oocytes) age with you

Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, unlike men, who produce new sperm regularly. These eggs age right along with you. When a female child is born it has around 1 million eggs, but by the time it reaches the fertile years, only 300-500 of these eggs will actually mature. If you are 30 years old, so is the remaining of those 300-500 eggs. And, just as your body deteriorates and weakens with age so too are your remaining eggs.

Age-related ovarian inflammation and/or scarring

Chronic inflammation is known to strongly affect fertility. So the older you are, and have had pelvic diseases, STDs, health conditions that may worsen overall inflammation or endometriosis or other conditions that cause ovarian inflammation and scarring, etc. – the quality of the eggs are affected along with its ability to be released from the ovaries.

Lifestyle choices and existing medical or genetic conditions

Lifestyle, medical and genetic conditions all play a role in the health of your eggs. Some of the most important contributing factors in both egg quality and or ovarian reserves include smoking or drug use, Turner’s Syndrome, Fragile X or other chromosomal abnormalities, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, early menopause (or a family history of early menopause), certain immunological disorders and obesity,

Egg reserves decline as you get older

Egg quantity is an equally important part of the female fertility equation. If a woman experiences diminished ovarian reserves as a result of genetics, certain medical conditions, cancer treatment, etc., the ability to get pregnant is greatly affected.

Taking care of your body, attending annual, wellness exams with your gynecologist and reporting an irregularities in menstrual cycles or periods are some of the best things you can do to optimize your body’s ability to get pregnant. Taking one step at a time, obtaining a thorough and accurate infertility diagnosis, and then moving forward with a personalized fertility plan can help you to avoid wasting time and valuable eggs on the wrong treatments.