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The birth of a baby is a life-changing moment. Therefore, some take time to prepare for it. Some people put off their motherhood because they want to stay together for a while, others plan to stabilize their financial situation first. Until when can we allow ourselves to postpone trying for a child?
Currently, the average age of women who give birth to their first child is 29 years. This is data for Poland, because in Europe this average is above 30 years of age. There is a noticeable shift in the age limit – even 10 years ago, Polish women decided to have their first child at the age of 24. On the other hand, however, we observe the cult of youth. We adhere to diets, take care of physical fitness and extend youth for the next years. Can we also cheat the biological clock by taking good care of ourselves? Fertility in a healthy woman remains more or less constant until around 35 years of age. Then, regardless of the lifestyle, physical condition or number of wrinkles, fertility begins to decline. A woman goes through more and more anovulatory cycles, and in the ovulatory cycles the egg may be of lower quality and more often does not have the ability to fertilize. Unfortunately, the biological clock remains inexorable, and while the woman still feels and looks young, the ovaries are aging. To illustrate this, it is worth using statistical data. Fertility of women up to 35 years of age remains at the level of 75%, women aged 40-45 have a 5-10% chance of getting pregnant naturally, and after 45 years of age this chance drops to even 1% – explains Dr. med. Wojciech Kolawa, gynecologist-obstetrician dealing with infertility treatment at the Maternity Medical Center. One of the indicators of female fertility is the so-called ovarian reserve. This term is used to describe the number of follicles that give rise to an egg. Every girl who comes into the world has a certain pool of future eggs, and their number decreases with age. When the egg pool is depleted, a woman enters menopause. Fortunately, we can check the level of the woman’s ovarian reserve. For this purpose, the AMH hormone level should be tested. Medical history and ultrasound will also be helpful in assessing female fertility. During an ultrasound examination, a specialist can assess the condition and condition of the female reproductive organs. On ultrasound, a skilled doctor will also notice changes indicating endometriosis. This disease should not be underestimated, because in addition to being painful, it can also reduce the ovarian reserve – explains the doctor. Procedures performed on the ovaries and autoimmune diseases can also directly affect the AMH indicator. The AMH level test is performed with the blood. When analyzing the result, the doctor will not tell you if you have 3 or 7 years left to try for a child, but he can confirm that the biological clock is working properly or advise you not to delay applying for a child due to the results.
Freeze fertility
The freezing of the eggs was a chance to extend fertility. This unusual solution is popularized by celebrities who are planning late motherhood – the procedure was decided by, among others, Joanna Krupa. If we actually plan to postpone trying for a baby for various reasons, freezing the eggs is a solution that really increases the chance of motherhood. It is worth noting that the age of the egg will “stop” at the time of its freezing. If we collect an egg from a 25-year-old woman, freeze it for 10 years and give it to a 35-year-old woman, the quality of the egg will be as high as in a 25-year-old woman. Nevertheless, pregnancy should not be postponed indefinitely. Although the frozen egg does not age, the entire body undergoes biological processes, which also has an impact on the course of pregnancy, explains Wojciech Kolawa, MD from the Macierzyństwo Medical Center. As an oncologist dealing with infertility treatment, I appreciate the vitrification (freezing) of eggs, and even fragments of ovarian tissue, because they allow fertility to be preserved also in patients who have had cancer and therefore had to postpone motherhood – adds Dr. Kolawa.
Men’s affairs
Contrary to women, in men, the advancing years have a negligible effect on reducing the chances of having children. There are documented cases of men who became fathers even after the age of 70. This does not mean, however, that a man is always fertile, because everything depends on the condition of his sperm, and, contrary to appearances, they are subjected to many factors. The highest percentage of my patients’ fertility problems is due to overheating of the testicles. Interestingly, in the past, this problem mainly concerned men working at factory furnaces, in mines or being professional drivers. Today, the testicles are overheated mainly by men who have a sedentary work (programmers, office workers, architects, accountants) – explains Leszek Bergier, MD, PhD, an andrologist dealing with male infertility treatment at the Macierzyństwo Medical Center. To assess male fertility, a semogram should be performed – semen analysis. It allows you to assess the quality, quantity and mobility of sperm. While in the case of a woman we are dealing with a slippery slope – because you can brutally define the aging process of the ovaries, men are in a slightly better situation. We can observe the change in semen parameters after just 3-4 months. This means that the test results can be improved quite quickly, if we only follow the doctor’s instructions. And what will improve the quality of sperm? – It is worth including sport in everyday habits – swimming is a great solution, because it not only perfectly improves blood circulation, but also does not overheat the testicles. If a man has a sedentary job, he should definitely take a break every hour, get up, even take a walk for water. You should give up sitting in the “foot to foot” position, visit the sauna, and avoid hot baths. – enumerates the andrologist. It is worth noting that although we do not see a real drop in sperm quality with the age of a man, the quality of semen in the male respondents has generally decreased in recent years. Four years ago, the WHO reported that in the ejaculate sample, sperm with the correct structure should constitute 4%. Today, only 14% of normal sperm in a sample is the norm! The norms of sperm motility and the number of sperm in the ejaculate were also lowered.
So should we panic because we are facing an infertility epidemic? Dr. Bergier reassures that 4% of normal semen is about 1,6 million healthy sperm in one ejaculation, which is still a lot. Nevertheless, it is worth doing research to properly plan your efforts for a baby. The decision to become a mother should not be put off for too long. It is also worth assuming that the efforts themselves may take a while. Do not panic if you do not see two lines on the pregnancy test after the first month – there is an average of 11% chance of becoming pregnant for one cycle. These statistics result from our biological conditions and, fortunately, should not bother us.
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Do you want to test your fertility? In December, the fertility test package for couples at the Macierzyństwo Medical Center 50% cheaper. Diagnostics allows to assess, among others The woman’s current ovarian reserve and the amount and quality of sperm in a man’s semen – two factors that greatly influence parenting.
As part of the package:
– semen analysis
– AMH level assessment
– medical consultation with ultrasound examination
Details: matrzynstwo.com.pl