Getting Pregnant After 35

By Michelle Rudge

Have you arrived at that scary time in your life... where time has just caught up with you, and now you're afraid you may have left it too late for trying to get pregnant? I'm now 36 (what?! Where did the last 6 years go?) and only now are my husband and I considering the prospect of having children. We have only been married two years but time is whizzing by and I can't deny the fact that we need to get on to it soon. With all this talk of getting pregnant we have both begun to wonder about our fertility chances. My biggest fear is that we may have fertility issues (due to my age and medical history) so in order to educate myself a little bit more about what we may have to deal with, I have found the following.

It's women that have the most fertility issues and so I'll start with them first. Here are just two of the factors that can affect a womans fertility. Both of which are issues for me! 1. Weight - I know it's a tough one to pin point exactly, but studies have shown that women who are either overweight/obese or women who are underweight can have fertility issues. Your body weight can influence your hormones which in turn affect your ability to conceive. Then, if a baby is conceived, some women may not be able to provide sufficient nutrients to support a growing life.

2. Problems with the Ovaries & uterus. Obviously this is a major one. In the ovaries you can have problems like fibroids, PCO (Poly Cystic Ovaries) and twisted ovaries to name just a few. And a common uterus problem is endometriosis which can cause such things as diminished ovarian reserve, ovulation disorders, and low progesterone level. Because I am overweight and had endometriosis I know that there are some issues that I may have to deal with. But first we'd like to see if we can have babies naturally. Wouldn't we all?

But it's not just us women that have fertility issues that need to be addressed. Men, of course, also have fertility issues like; low sperm count and motility, sperm blockages, an STD or may have even suffered an injury or chronic disease. And then there's the other factors that affect both men and women, such as not enough minerals and vitamins, too much caffeine and alcohol, stress and a polluted environment.

So putting all these factors together, my husband and I realized that we have quite a lot to deal with. It's not just about taking the right vitamins or fertility drugs, but it's about getting both of our bodies healthy. We know that as I get older our fertility chances decrease, so we're taking a holistic approach to making sure that we give ourselves the best chances possible. - 30525

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