What's the Best Age to Get Pregnant - Interview with Alex Sunshine

In an exclusive interview with National Fertility Blog, an IVF and fertility expert Alex Sunshine will tell you what's the best age to get pregnant and teach how to detect your ovarian reserve. Moreover, you will learn when to take your kid to the gynecologist for the first time. That can be useful both for experienced and intended parents.

At first glance, the answer is obvious - there is no pregnancy age that would be perfect for everyone. However, there is one crucial factor - fertility, which does not last a lifetime. That is why it is highly essential to balance and find the age at which pregnancy would have minimal negative health consequences for the mother and a baby. 

What's the Best Age to Get Pregnant - Questions and Answers

Today Alex answers our questions and will help you to determine your perfect age to become pregnant, let's get started!

Alex, is it true that puberty in teenagers is happening earlier? What consequences do early pregnancies have?

Alex: First of all, the early onset of sexual activity is, of course, fraught with the fact that teenagers are not yet ready, and do not know the information needed for sexual intercourse and getting pregnant. And, of course, the result of this ignorance can lead to infections. Of course, it can affect the reproductive function in the future.

Those who begin to have an early sexual life are at risk - this leads to an unplanned pregnancy and, alas, to abortions.

Theoretically, you can get pregnant after the first menstruation, which shows that your body can do that. The whole set of oocytes is available, and the chances of instant pregnancy are high. However, this is a bad option. Early pregnancies are even banned in most countries, and the age of consent begins much later. 

Typically, the female body gets physiologically ready for sexual intercourse and pregnancy three years after the first period. Psychological maturation, in practice, appears much later. 

At what age can childbirth be considered late? If you haven’t got pregnant before 30, is it wrong?

Alex: For a woman’s health, this, of course, is worse than getting pregnant earlier. According to statistics, if a woman gave birth before the age of 21, the risk of developing hormone-dependent breast cancer is two times lower. It is good that women in 30 look good, young, and full of health, however, late pregnancies have their consequences.

'Our body tells us to give birth at the age of 21, because the female hormonal peak is between 23 and 28 y.o.'

Last week I talked to a 32-year-old patient. She had premature ovarian exhaustion and menopause. She made a career, built a house, and giving birth was not part of her immediate plans. Many of them can get pregnant only via IVF programs. Unfortunately, the early onset of menopause is also not uncommon today.

Theoretically, what is the best biological age to get pregnant?

Alex: The optimal age for natural pregnancy lasts from 20 to 35 years. After 30 years, female fertility decreases.

Closer to 40 years, women who want to give birth are more likely to have gestational diabetes and other complications during pregnancy, which provoke health problems both in mothers and their children.

Also, with age, women are more likely to have multiple pregnancies and give birth to twins and triplets.

Is it possible to somehow check female pregnancy chances?

Alex: A woman can track her ovarian reserve and hormonal levels. Of course, you cannot plan everything, but you can examine it. It is essential for women who have undergone certain operations or diseases with surgical intervention. They always have significant risks, as well as for everyone who suffers from autoimmune thyroiditis, PCOS or other reproductive health issues.

So, if you do not plan it at 25, but want to get pregnant at 35, then I would recommend that you visit a doctor and find out your reserve. Ovarian reserve allows you to assess the number of follicles in the ovaries that are capable of further development.

To determine it, you must always consult a doctor and do three studies:

• Ultrasound, which should take place on the third or fifth day of the menstrual cycle.
• The level of Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), - on the second or third day of the menstrual cycle.
• The level of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) - on the second or third day of the menstrual cycle.

Of course, the gynecologist must take into account the anamnesis, what diseases the patient had, whether there was any surgery. It is worth remembering that it is impossible to calculate 100% accurate data. However, it is possible to estimate the female ovarian reserve and plan your life accordingly.

25-year-old girls were considered old to get pregnant in the past. Are there any similar indicators now?

Alex: To be honest, in the past, a woman giving birth at 28 years old was considered a risk factor.

Now the average age of women who have their first pregnancy is somewhere around 30 years old. There are those who, at 36, give birth for the first time, but there are fewer girls under 25. Unfortunately, this is a trend.

I say, "unfortunately," because timely pregnancy is healthier for the body and your future kid.

I'm not saying that you can't give birth at 30-35. If this is a second birth, then, of course, you can successfully get pregnant at 50. But the best age for the first birth is during the heyday of the female body.

There is a common belief that kids of mothers over 30 are smarter. Is it true?

Alex: Several years ago, the UK scientists stated that the optimal age for giving birth to a child is from 30 to 39 years. They published this study in the Biodemography and Social Biology journal.

Scientists tested 18 thousand children and examined the relation of the kids' intellectual development to the age of their mothers.

It turned out that the smartest children were born to those who gave birth in the interval between 30 and 39 years. Children born between the ages of 23 and 29, or after 40, had lower grades.

Women who give birth to their first kid at 30-39 are usually more educated; they plan pregnancy in detail, which positively affects the development of the child. However, the research does not show all cases of assisted reproductive technologies used. Quite often, the only way to get pregnant over 35 is IVF and donor eggs if the woman's ovarian reserve is low. 

What's the Best Age to Get Pregnant - Summing It Up

So nature votes for pregnancy between 20 and 30. However, in our time of endless changes and continued education, not everyone is going to give birth without having a budget and stable family status. That is why answering the question, what's the best age to get pregnant, you should take into account social factors. If you are going to have a baby in the future, you can start planning ahead of time. For starters, it would be great to find out how many oocytes you have. It can give you some time to maneuver or make you hurry and get pregnant earlier than planned.

The final decision, in any case, is up to the woman. Science has stepped far ahead and can help both very young and mature mothers. But it is better not to delay the process - pregnancy is just the beginning.

If you have any questions or want to know more about assisted reproductive techniques that increase pregnancy chances and help infertile couples - leave your comments or contact us. The consultation is free; we are always here to help you!

Author: Alex Sunshine

Alex is the heart and brain of the Sunshine IVF experts team. He started the Sunshine egg donor agency in 2007 and till now travels around the world to personally meet the intended parents and visit partner clinics. His ten years of experience allow him to give information about all possible solutions and success chances to the couples and single parents.