Age & Fertility: Why is it important?

As women, we often feel pressure to make decisions about our reproductive health, and this pressure can increase as we age. This is because the quality and quantity of our eggs decline over time, which can make it more difficult to conceive and carry a healthy pregnancy to term.

The reality is that age and fertility are intimately linked, and it's a topic that many women are curious and concerned about. Whether you're thinking about starting a family soon or are simply curious about your reproductive health, it's important to understand the impact that age can have on your fertility.

Here are 5 surprising facts you might not know about your egg reserve:

1. Women are born with all of the eggs she will ever produce and these eggs are made during foetal development. Most women will have between 1-2 million eggs.

2. During puberty this decreases to around 400,000 eggs, or about 40% of the original 1-2 million.

3. During a menstrual cycle, a woman loses around 1000 eggs. Whilst your body will try to mature as many eggs as possible per cycle, only one will ever be mature enough to be released, resulting in around 1000 lost each cycle.

4. During a women's lifetime, only 400 of all the eggs reach a stage at which they are mature enough to potentially produce a baby (if fertilisation is successful).

5. At menopause a woman has around 500-1000 eggs and this time marks the end of a women's menstrual cycle and reproductive years.

Whilst these numbers might feel a little daunting, they aren’t meant to scare you!

The figures above highlight the importance of ensuring your eggs are maturing in a healthy environment to give you the best chance of pregnancy. For 10 ways to improve your egg health, tap here.

Avoiding endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is also vital for supporting egg quality. Tap here to learn where these ECDs can be found and how to avoid them.