Poll: Most People Unaware Of The Age When Fertility Begins To Decline

Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Endocrinology
Article Date: 13 Jul 2006 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Amidst a rising average age for pregnancies and increasing news coverage of older women in their 50s and 60s giving birth, an informal poll conducted on behalf of Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte by IntegraMed America finds that most poll respondents mistakenly believe that a decline in fertility starts later in life than is actually the case.

When asked: "At what age on average does a woman's fertility begin to decline?" a majority of respondents answered incorrectly, according to a poll of 1,083 visitors to the IntegraMed Web site. In addition, 40 percent of all respondents believe that fertility starts to decline at age 35 or older. Only 16 percent of respondents correctly identified age 25.

"This poll demonstrates that many people think fertility begins to decline for women at age 35 when in fact natural pregnancy rates start to drop significantly in the late 20s, with a marked decrease after age 35," said Nancy Teaff, M.D., reproductive endocrinologist at REACh, an IntegraMed practice. "Our concern is that this misperception may cause some younger women to forego fertility treatments in the mistaken belief that fertility problems only arise at older ages."

Supporting this notion is a recent assessment by REACh, which shows that 43 percent of its in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles are performed on patients 35 or older. In addition, according to national data from the National Center for Health and Statistics, women giving birth in their late-30s to mid-40s was up more than 5 percent in 2003.

"The drop in natural pregnancy rates is directly correlated to the effects of normal ovarian aging -- as women age, their eggs become less fertile and chromosomal abnormalities may begin to appear," said Teaff. "But the good news is that with the appropriate treatment, up to 80 percent of our patients will conceive."

Infertility is defined for patients under the age of 35 as the failure to conceive after one year of intercourse without using contraceptives. For patients older than 35, this time frame is shortened to six months. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, approximately 10 percent of women under 35 experience infertility and that number more than doubles to 22 percent for women ages 35-39. For women over 40 years old, the number nearly triples to 29 percent.

At REACh, IVF success rates are highest for women under 35. "Age remains a primary factor in successful outcomes -- younger women have greater success rates than older women, even with technology," said Teaff. "One of our primary goals is to educate our patients about issues associated with age and infertility so patients can then determine when it's best for them to seek treatment," said Teaff.

The Internet poll was an unscientific snapshot, posted on the homepage of the IntegraMed America site, with invitations to site visitors to participate voluntarily.

About Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte (REACh) REACh is led by a nationally recognized team of five physicians who offer comprehensive, state-of-the-art assistance for infertile couples and women with reproductive endocrine problems. REACh physicians, all long-time practitioners in Charlotte, are widely respected for their superior pregnancy success rates -- one of the highest in the region -- and for the finest patient care. REACh is a member of IntegraMed, an exclusive network of fertility practices nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.REACHdrs.com.

About IntegraMed

IntegraMed is a network of 30 fertility centers and 158 physicians and Ph.D. scientists in 87 locations across the United States. Network membership is limited to one practice per metropolitan area, yet one of every five procedures in the United States is performed in an IntegraMed practice. IntegraMed provides more services to both consumers and medical providers in the fertility field than any other consortium. More information is available at http://www.integramed.com.

Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte
http://www.integramed.com

• Additional
• References
• Citations