The fact of the matter is that both men and women tend to have problems with infertility as they get older. While these problems are perhaps more obvious and pronounced in the case of women, men can experience them as well. Age certainly plays a role in fertility. In fact, age also plays a role in what sorts of fertility treatments you may get.

Age-related infertility problems can be especially difficult to treat, especially for women. The fact of the matter is that a woman’s ovarian reserve, which is the number of eggs that could be fertilized, decreases as she gets older. There is no medical solution for this, and no way to increase a woman’s ovarian reserve. This means that the odds of a woman releasing an egg that can be fertilized during any given cycle will decrease as she gets older. Treating this sort of age-related infertility problem generally requires rather aggressive fertility procedures. One of the most common of these procedures is In Vitro Fertilization, in which an egg is retrieved from the woman, and is then fertilized in a laboratory. This works around the problem of a woman not releasing a viable egg.

Another age-related infertility problem can be the way that age affects a woman’s ovulatory cycle. Luteal phase defect, which is more common in women as they get older, refers to a shortened luteal phase, or the time between ovulation and the start of the next period. If the luteal phase is too short, the fertilized egg does not have time to implant into the womb. While for younger women the medication Clomid often is used to treat a luteal phase defect, Clomid may not work as well for women who experience a shortened luteal phase for age-related reasons.

If you believe you are having infertility problems that are age-related, you should speak with your health care provider about some of the various treatment options that may be available to you.

Related Posts: