Fertility Issues in Older Women

To me, 'older women' are 80. Not a ripe, pert(ish) 30-40 something. It's a bit of a harsh label really. To be politically correct I guess we should be referred to as 'fertility challenged' or 'not 16, not pregnant and not living off of benefits waiting for a council house'.

The fact is that some of us 30 - 40 something's haven't had the opportunity to start a family. We didn't want to shack up and conceive with the first bloke we pulled, we didn't selfishly pursue our careers first; we just didn't have the right bloke at the right time. Selfishly we wanted everything to be perfect if we bought a baby into the world.

Sadly for many of us we are finding that despite the time being right for us now, our bodies are not playing ball.

Women are bombarded by messages every day screaming "Don't postpone motherhood!", "Which career first?" etc etc. Aren't our biological clocks already screaming at us loud enough?

If you are at the edge of fertility, what are your options? The facts are that while a 30 year old woman will usually conceive within a year of trying only 1 in 4 women aged 40 will conceive within a year. And worse still, one in sixty six 40 year old women have a chance of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality. Grim news.

The good news is that medical advances mean that new and exciting technologies are out there. There are now advanced screening tests for older women to identify any abnormalities early on. Many couples can now get IVF on the NHS and those just needing a little assistance can also obtain this free on the NHS.

If you are approaching your 40's and haven't yet been able to conceive it makes sense to seek help. If our egg quality drops like a stone after the age of 35 then every month spent pondering if you do need help is a month wasted.

Whilst you wait for the fertility check up take a good look at yourself, your partner and your lifestyle and try to establish if the root of the problem is already known to you. If you and your partner could give Sumo wrestlers a run for their money in the weight department, then lose weight. If you prefer cuddling up on the sofa to running a marathon, then take more exercise (bedroom activities included!). If you're working 2 jobs, stressed to high heaven and your hair is falling out then calm down dear.

Pregnancy puts a huge strain on the body and even completely fit people often feel exhausted so it makes sense to be in the best physical condition prior to conceiving.

If achieving the God given right to motherhood is important to you, making these little changes prior to being told you must make these changes, puts us back in control. And what woman doesn't like to be in control?

Lisa Mills owns two commercially driven websites, one selling baby basket and the other promoting Melissa and Doug toys.

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