Many women are unaware of how early their fertility begins to decline, with age and lifestyle choices playing a much bigger role than often assumed, experts say.
“The cruel irony,” said Stacey Colino, a National Geographic contributing writer, “is that when women are most biologically ready to have children, they often aren’t ready emotionally, socially, or financially.”
Colino recently examined the key factors that affect a woman’s ability to conceive. One of the biggest? Age.
Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, and those eggs age as they do. This natural decline begins long before many people start trying to have children.
“Fertility is highest in the late teens to 20s,” Colino explained. “During that time, there’s about an 85% chance of conceiving within a year. But by age 30, that drops to 75%, and by 40, it falls to just 44%.”
She added, “Aging eggs are not your friend. As you get older, your eggs age too — and their numbers go down.”
In contrast, men continue to produce fresh sperm throughout most of their lives. “Men essentially reset their sperm supply every 72 days,” Colino said. “That’s not the case for women, which feels really unfair.”
More Than Just Age at Play
Age is a major factor, but it’s not the only one. Genetics, hormones, environmental exposures, and lifestyle habits also play crucial roles in fertility health.
“Smoking is very toxic to eggs,” said Colino. “Heavy alcohol use, drug use, and obesity also negatively affect egg quality and reproductive health.”
The Baby Quest Foundation, which supports couples struggling with infertility, has helped bring 149 babies into the world over the past 11 years. But many women still lack a basic understanding of how fertility works — especially when it comes to aging.
A recent survey showed that 1 in 5 women aged 18 to 40 in the U.S. were unaware that fertility declines significantly with age.
“Several experts I spoke to said women were often completely blindsided by how much their fertility had declined,” Colino noted.
Education Could Make a Difference
Colino hopes that increased education around fertility will empower women to make better-informed decisions earlier in life — whether that means preserving their fertility or planning differently.
“If we understand our fertility earlier, we might be able to take steps to protect it,” she said.
Experts agree that more open conversations about fertility — starting in young adulthood — could help more women avoid surprises and improve their chances of conceiving when they’re ready.
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