By Dr.Gauri Agarwal, Founder, Seeds of Innocence IVF, Home IVF, Genestring Labs
It is a women’s choice to opt for pregnancy
at any age but what if age left less choices for a healthy pregnancy?
Women are entering pregnancy in their late 30s
and 40s nowadays across India. This is because their priorities around personal
readiness, financial independence, marriage, careers, and education have
shifted a lot in the past few decades. As a result of which, a trend is being
noticed where women are opting for assisted reproductive technologies and
fertility assessments after years of postponing pregnancy.
Women have all the rights to postpone
pregnancy but what cannot be postponed is reproductive ageing. According
to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), female age is
considered as one of the foremost predictors of fertility. The age of fertility
starts declining in the early 30s and it keeps declining faster until 35. By
the time women reach their 40s, both the quality and quantity of eggs have
declined considerably.
This pushes more women towards IVF but IVF is
not a miracle and the conversation around this age factor needs to be more
realistic.
How
Late Motherhood Trend Is Affecting Women?
When a woman finally feels ready to have a
child in her 30s or 40s, it can be difficult for them to naturally conceive a
baby.
It is a difficult intersection between biological
readiness and social readiness. Because women can have choices but
is the body leaving choices for them? Age declining leads to changes in the quality
and quantity of eggs. The proportion of eggs carrying chromosome
abnormalities also increases with age and so their chances of miscarriages and
difficulty in conceiving.
But it doesn’t imply that it is impossible to
get pregnant at 35 or 40. There are many cases of women with healthy
pregnancies at this age. But the path to pregnancy can become more challenging
with age and may require greater medical intervention. Fertility
preservation should be a relevant conservation for the women who are not
ready to have a child now but want to conceive later.
The
Pros: How IVF can help in Late Motherhood?
IVF or any fertility treatments opens doors to
couples or single mothers struggling with infertility. The IVF treatment helps
in cases involving various reproductive challenges ranging from unexplained
infertility, male infertility, ovulation problems and damaged or blocked
fallopian tubes. For a woman in late 30s and 40s, it can become a ray of hope
for those who are facing difficulties in conceiving naturally.
It doesn’t entirely eliminate age factor, but
it surely allows specialists to create embryos, retrieve eggs, monitor
follicular development, and ovarian reserves under controlled laboratory
conditions. Preimplantation genetic testing can help experts check
various chromosomal abnormalities beforehand. Fertility preservation is
one of the wisest options for women who are not ready now but might want a baby
in the future. Women should not freeze eggs just because it is a trend but it
becomes important to connect to a fertility expert and realize what’s right for
them at a certain age.
The
Cons: What Are The Effects of Delaying Fertility Treatment?
It is not true in all of the cases that
reproductive ageing can be overcome with technology. A 2025 study reported a
cumulative live birth rate of 14.35% at age 40 while outcomes getting limited
at more advanced ages. This figure depends upon several factors including
treatment protocol, medical history, embryo development, sperm quality, egg
quality, or ovarian reserve. It should be understood that IVF can’t turn
back the biological clock.
Women above 30s and 40s can also face death,
pregnancy complications and risks of miscarriages. That’s why, fertility
experts also focus on the overall health of the women instead of just achieving
a positive pregnancy test. Moreover, IVF doesn’t guarantee success on the first
attempt. With multiple IVF cycles, the process can become emotionally and
financially demanding.
Fertility
Treatment is Still a Ray of Hope
In Kolkata, a couple has been struggling for
almost 18 years to get pregnant when they came to know about Seeds of Innocence
IVF. They ended up getting a healthy pregnancy. The women should be given this
information before they reach a point where options become limited.
The evolving society gives women a fair
choice of making their own reproductive choices but it should be informed by
understanding of biology. For women who are ready to conceive, timely fertility
evaluation can prevent unnecessary wait. The woman who wants to postpone motherhood,
understanding fertility preservation options earlier may help them plan for the
future.
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