A major London fertility clinic has stated that all women aged 35 or over should have their fertility checked and consider freezing their eggs if they would like to conceive. However, few GPs are up to date on the latest practices and do not offer the right advice to patients.
Tests have been developed to measure the number of eggs available and see whether there are any other fertility markers that would complicate conception and pregnancy. As women’s fertility declines after the age of 35 (more rapidly after the age of 40), this should be a consideration for couples who would like to delay conception until their late 30s or further.
Even with treatments such as IVF, success rates begin to fall after the age of 35, with an average success rate of 5% for women over 43. Concept Fertility’s success rates are above the national average across every age range, but we urge couples to come to us sooner rather than later to ensure that they have the best chances of conception.
Preventative measures such as embryo freezing are a viable option, and the latest developments with faster freezing and more comprehensive embryo screening continue to improve outcomes for all age groups. It’s important for women to have genuine choices in reproduction, rather than feeling obliged to act at a particular age. Encouraging women to look at their options sooner can open up more possibilities and ensure that the best quality eggs are stored.
A number of tech companies have started offering embryo or egg freezing to employees in a bid to encourage more women to work at the companies. While these ‘perks’ have drawn widespread criticism, they have also opened a dialogue about whether this is a reasonable expectation and whether it should be a more widespread practice as professional women gain more prominence.
