A new study shows women are waiting longer to start a family. The reasons for waiting may vary, but a doctor at the Yale Fertility Center says many women are surprised to hear that their biological clock can’t be medically turned back.
The misconception
“There is an alarming misconception about fertility among women,” said Pasquale Patrizio, M.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Yale Fertility Center.
“We are really seeing more and more patients ‘upset’ after failing in having their own biological child after age 43 so we had to report on this,” said Patrizio. “Their typical reaction is, ‘what do you mean you cannot help me? I am healthy, I exercise, and I cannot have my own baby?'”
The truth about waiting
In previous articles, Edrugstore has reported on the cost of delaying childbirth, but this article looks at the success rate of alternative treatments that could help older women conceive.
According to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies, the number of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles performed for women under age 35 increased by about 9% between 2003 and 2009. During this same time period, the number of IVF cycles performed for women aged 41 and older increased by 41%.
“Even though the number of women turning to Assisted Reproductive Technologies has increased, the number of IVF cycles resulting in pregnancy in women above age 42 mostly remained static at 9% in 2009,” said Patrizio. “If pregnancy is achieved at an older age, women then face higher risk of pregnancy loss, birth defects, and other complications.”
The next step
Patrizio says there is an urgent need to educate women that reproductive aging is irreversible and, more importantly that there are options to safeguard against the risk of future infertility.
