Assisted Reproduction Center

Age and pregnancy?

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In women: Fecundability, or the probability of conceiving per cycle, decreases with age: from 25% per cycle at age 25, it drops to 12% at age 35 and only 6% at age 42. With the cumulative effect of cycles, 60% of couples with a 25-year-old woman will have conceived after 6 months, 80% after one year, and 90% after 2 years. These numbers are divided by two for a female age of 35 and by four at age 42. Moreover, at age 42, only 12% of couples will have a child within two years. At the same time, the average age of menopause in France is currently between 51 and 52 years, but 10% of women will experience menopause before the age of 45, 1% before 40, and 0.1% before 30. Thus, today, many women consider themselves legitimately "young in life," while they are already "too old for reproduction." Women confuse having their periods and being fertile, while fertility decreases about 10 years before menopause. Ignorance of this reality sharpens the feeling of injustice in the face of infertility, which is always perceived as too early.
In men: The impact of male age on the chances of conception is also now recognized. Thus, while 78% of men conceive within 6 months when they are under 25, only 58% do so beyond 35. In assisted reproductive technology (ART), a decrease in pregnancy rates after intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF), as well as an increase in miscarriages related to male age, are observed after the age of 40.