The Effect of Age and Obesity on Female Infertility:

Infertility generally refers to one year of intercourse without prevention and without pregnancy.

About 85-90% of young healthy couples will get pregnant within a year and mostly within the first 6 months. Therefore, infertility affects about 10-15% of couples.

How does obesity affect ovulation?

The ideal BMI for getting pregnant is between 20 and 25.  A BMI of 30 or above is associated with risks for fertility and in the obese range may also lead to menstrual disorders, problems with ovulation such as polycystic ovary syndrome and increases the risk of miscarriage. However, even obese women with normal ovulation cycles have lower pregnancy rates than normal weight women, so ovulation isn’t the only issue.

How does age affect female infertility?

The best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 24s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline becomes more rapid once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely for most women.

Why does female fertility decrease with age?

Age of the women is one of the most important factors in determining pregnancy success rates after ART. Fertility declines with age due to two factors: a decrease in egg count, as women lose eggs each month; and a decrease in egg quality, as naturally, with age, their eggs are more likely to contain chromosomal abnormalities (mistakes in their DNA). The risk of miscarriage and abnormal eggs rose rapidly after age 35, reaching 50% in women aged 43 and practically 100% after the age of 45.