Have you ever considered having a baby at 40 or even 50 years old? Whilst many think that this is ‘too late’ to conceive, celebrities such as Elle Macpherson are showing that age is becoming irrelevant.
The future of fertility is changing every day and exciting new technologies and medical science means that it is possible to conceive later on in your life. Elle Macpherson is a supermodel who is celebrating her 51st birthday this week and is already a mother of two. After failing to fall pregnant naturally over the past 18 months, it is believed she is organising a surrogacy with eggs she froze 20 years ago.
Dr Venkat, director at Harley Street Fertility Clinic, has seen an increase in the number of women freezing their eggs.
She said: “It is not only younger women but also women in their thirties and early forties. More women in their forties are trying to get pregnant. However, the chances of pregnancy is extremely low in women over the age of 45.
“The success rate for IVF is greatly dependent on the age of the eggs rather than the age of the person who is having embryos transferred into them. For example, we see pregnancy rates of over 50% using donor eggs.”
Other than egg freezing, here are 5 tips that you can do by yourself to try and improve the chance of getting pregnant:
- Eat healthily – A nutritional and balanced diet can help boost sperm count and improve fertility.
- Get enough sleep – Making sure you are well rested and not tired will improve your chance of conceiving.
- Exercise – Keeping fit and maintaining regular exercise will not only make you feel good, but will also reduce the risk of any medical implications that could prevent your chance of getting pregnant.
- Stay positive – IVF and other medical fertility treatments can be a traumatic experience for many couples and it is always important that you keep a positive mental attitude, both for yourself and your partner.
- Have sex at the ‘right’ time – Understand more about the menstrual cycle and ovulation. If you and your partner have sex during ovulation (when an egg is released from the ovary) there could be a greater chance of you conceiving.
