| Age (years) | Pregnancy rate within 6 months | Pregnancy rate within 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| 20-24 years old | 57% | 71% |
| 25～27 | 59% | 79% |
| 28～30 | 62% | 78% |
| 31～33 | 61% | 77% |
| 34～36 | 56% | 75% |
| 37–39 | 46% | 67% |
| 40-45 years old | 28% | 56% |
Source: Age and fertility in the North American Pregnancy Cohort Study. Am J Obst. Gynaec. 2017.
Chances of getting pregnant in your early 20s (20-24 years old)
By the time you’re 21, 90 percent of your eggs will have normal chromosomes, increasing your chances of conceiving a healthy baby, says Dr. Copperman. Age also has an advantage for you: For people with ovaries, fertility peaks between the mid-teens and late 20s, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
According to ACOG, people in their 20s have about a 25 percent chance of getting pregnant during one menstrual cycle. Most healthy people in their 20s who try to conceive do so within a year. So if you’re in your 20s and want to conceive but haven’t gotten pregnant within that time frame, you should consider an infertility evaluation.
Chances of getting pregnant in your mid to late 20s (25-29 years old)
Your mid-to-late 20s are a fertile time for your age. Not only are your chances of getting pregnant higher, but your chances of miscarriage may also be at an all-time low. A 2019 study inthe BMJ evaluating nearly 500,000 pregnancies found that those between the ages of 25 and 29 had the lowest miscarriage rates at just 10%.
So, if you have sex during your fertile times each cycle and continue living your life as usual, you’ll likely become pregnant within a year. At this age, there’s usually no need to consult a fertility specialist unless you’ve been actively trying to conceive for more than 12 months without success.
Chances of getting pregnant in your early 30s (30-34 years old)
For couples who have been actively trying to conceive for a year, the chances of conceiving in your early 30s are still good. The only big change is that the chances of miscarriage start to increase in your 30s, but don’t change much until you’re closer to 35.
The general consensus is that women in their early 30s don’t need to undergo fertility treatments unless they’ve been trying for a year without success. But some doctors recommend seeing your obstetrician-gynaecologist or primary care physician if you haven’t gotten pregnant after nine months of trying. “That way, we can identify and treat any problems before your fertility starts to decline rapidly once you hit 35,” says Dr. Copperman.
Chances of getting pregnant in your mid to late 30s (35-39 years old)
“Your chances of getting pregnant are still good at this time, especially up to age 37,” says Kelly Pagidas, MD, fertility specialist and associate dean for medical education at Louisiana State University at Shreveport in Shreveport, Louisiana.
But for those with ovarian reserve, fertility appears to start to decline once they reach age 35. “The most common cause is a decline in egg quality,” explains Dr. Pagidas. “You may have more eggs to work with, but they’re more likely to have chromosomal defects that affect their viability.”
Freezing eggs
Your mid-to-late 30s are considered your last chance to freeze healthy eggs for later use. If you freeze your eggs until age 40, you may be able to conceive using your own eggs through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in your 40s, says Steven R. Beyer, MD, a former reproductive endocrinologist at the Boston IVF Fertility Clinic.
Pregnancy after the age of 35 is sometimes called “advanced pregnancy” or “advanced childbirth.” Studies have shown that pregnancy after age 35 increases the risk of:
- abortion
- Premature birth
- Gestational diabetes
- Pregnancy Toxicosis
- stillbirth
- Chromosomal abnormalities
- Emperor Cut
About 30 percent of fertile 35-year-old women may take a year or more to conceive. But your doctor doesn’t want you to wait that long to find out if you’re one of them. Time is of the essence at this age, and if you’re having trouble conceiving after six months of trying, you should see your healthcare provider right away and get tested.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a less invasive assisted reproductive technique that can be effective at this age, especially if sperm abnormalities exist, but IVF can also be a viable treatment option if you are having trouble conceiving the “old-fashioned” way.
Chances of getting pregnant in your early 40s (40-44 years old)
According to the CDC, 30% of women diagnosed at birth between the ages of 40 and 44 are infertile. The quality and quantity of eggs declines with age, decreasing your chances of conceiving in any given cycle. In fact, a 40-year-old has only a 5% to 10% chance of conceiving each month.
At this stage, you also face some challenges that make your chances of conceiving or maintaining a pregnancy difficult. By the time you hit your 40s, about 90% of your eggs have chromosomal abnormalities, says Dr. Copperman. Assisted reproductive technologies are now becoming more and more popular, and they’re not just a solution to the egg problem.
Your partner may have problems with their sperm, and some people report increased problems with the endometrium as they age, as the lining of the uterus thins and has a reduced blood supply, making it harder for an egg to implant.
How Menopause Affects Fertility
Women approaching menopause (a stage known as perimenopause) may also experience shorter and more irregular menstrual cycles. The average age of menopause is 52, but menopausal symptoms can begin up to 10 years earlier. “This means that as your cycle shortens, ovulation occurs earlier in your cycle, as early as day 9,” explains Dr. Beyer. “You need to time your sex to coincide with ovulation.”
ACOG and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommend immediate infertility evaluation and treatment, if necessary, for anyone trying to conceive who is over the age of 40. Research has shown that conservative treatment with IUI has a low success rate for people over 40, and IVF is the best option.
Chances of getting pregnant over 45
It’s not likely that you’ll get pregnant naturally after the age of 45. While it’s not impossible, in most cases you’ll need assisted reproductive techniques (ART), the most common of which is IVF.
“There’s a chance that the remaining eggs may have chromosomal abnormalities, so it’s important to test for them before IVF,” says Dr. Copperman. Some studies have found a success rate of just over 1%, so most clinics recommend younger egg donors for those trying to conceive between the ages of 46 and 50.
Risk of miscarriage after age 40
About 34% of pregnancies in people between the ages of 40 and 44 end in miscarriage. For those over 45, the miscarriage rate is 53%. While it’s true that more than a quarter of pregnancies in people in their early 40s end in miscarriage, keep in mind that the vast majority don’t end in miscarriage.
With egg donation, Dr. Beyer says, a healthy 40-year-old can easily conceive and maintain a pregnancy using eggs from a healthy 25- or 30-year-old, but even with ART, success rates decrease with age.
For example, a 2012 study evaluating the outcomes of egg donation programs found that pregnancy and implantation rates were lower for recipients over 40 and significantly lower for recipients over 45, even when egg donors were between the ages of 21 and 31. Researchers believe the decline in success rates is due to a thickening of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), which can thin in women approaching or in menopause.
How to improve your chances of getting pregnant at any age
No matter your age, you can maximize your chances of getting pregnant by accurately figuring out when you ovulate and having sex during your “fertile window,” which includes five days before you’re supposed to ovulate and one day on the day you’re supposed to ovulate.
If you have regular menstrual cycles that usually occur on the same days as your period, you can use an ovulation calculator (like one below) to determine when you’re likely to ovulate.
Other signs of ovulation include:
- Beginning 1 to 4 days before ovulation, you will experience increased production of clear, smooth, stretchy cervical mucus that resembles egg white.
- Ovulation pain (called Mittelschmerz) may feel like a dull ache, cramping pain, or a sharp pain.
- Increase in basal body temperature
- Physical symptoms such as increased sex drive, mood changes, and chest pain
Another good tool to help you time sex is an ovulation predictor kit (OPK). “Once you know you’re close to ovulation, you should have sex within two days to avoid missing your fertile window. You should have sex within 24 to 36 hours to avoid missing your optimal window,” explains Dr. Beyer.
Additional reporting by Rachel Gurevich RN
