Reproductive medicine and what you need to know: Egg quality and quantity decreases with age. A female is born with 1–2 million eggs, and this pool declines over time—aging with her over the years. By the time she hits puberty, she has approximately 300,000 eggs. Some women lose eggs faster than others. When a woman enters menopause, she has fewer than 1,000 eggs, but an inability to conceive happens years before menopause. Pregnancy rates decline and miscarriage rates increase with advancing age. Women under 35 years of age are recommended to try for up to one year, while women over 35 years of age are recommended to try for six months before seeking help. However, if you have irregular periods or feel like something is “off,” seek consultation immediately.
One in six couples or more experience trouble getting pregnant or staying pregnant. Infertility is more common than most people think. Simply knowing this statistic allows you to be proactive in your fertility health and to be supportive of friends and family who may be having trouble conceiving.
Your environment matters. Diet and exercise remain important, just as other elements of self-care. Both men and women can benefit from a multivitamin, smoking cessation, and increasing antioxidant rich foods and “good fats” (omega-3) in the diet.
Above all, recognize that infertility can be stressful. At Vios Fertility Institute, the mission is to help patients find their way to fertility health and therapies with the highest chance of success by providing innovative, scientific, cutting-edge treatment options along with an unparalleled patient experience. The institute offers specialized fellowship-trained physicians, nurse practitioners, patient experience navigators and financial counselors, dedicated third-party staff and in-house donation programs, highly trained clinical and laboratory staff, and centers of excellence for many diagnoses and complex cases. Vios is dedicated to your fertility success, reproductive health, and family building.
