A study by researchers at Yale University, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, has found that many women are delaying trying to have a baby into their 40s and do not realize that it can be very difficult to conceive at that stage of their lives. “There is an alarming misconception about fertility among women,” says Pasquale Patrizio, director of the Yale Fertility Clinic and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale Medical School. “We also found a lack of knowledge about steps women can take early in their reproductive years to preserve the possibility of conception later in life.”
Dr. Patrizio points out that although the number of women over the age of 41 undergoing in-vitro fertilization procedures increased by 41 percent from 2003 to 2009, only 9 percent of these procedures resulted in pregnancies for women over the age of 42. The study also found that many women were unaware that pregnancies for older women have a higher risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and other complications.
“There is an urgent need to educate women that reproductive aging is irreversible and, more importantly that there are options to safeguard against the risk of future infertility,” said Dr. Patrizio. “Doctors and health professionals must begin the discussion about fertility preservation in their patients and make certain that young women truly understand all their options.”