Why do we talk more and more about fertility and how it’s linked to age?

Sterility and fertility

What is the difference between sterility and infertility?

Sterility is defined as the incapacity to conceive a pregnancy. This may be of female or male origin. The couple is considered to be sterile when pregnancy is not achieved after one year of unprotected sexual relations. The concept of sterility must be distinguished from that of infertility. We refer to primary sterility when there has never been a pregnancy and secondary sterility when there have been previous pregnancies and later it becomes impossible to achieve a new pregnancy.

In infertility, the woman becomes pregnant but suffers miscarriages. In summary, sterility is when pregnancy is not achieved and infertility when, in spite of becoming pregnant, the pregnancy is not carried to term. It is worth noting that in Anglo-Saxon countries, the term “infertility” is often used to refer to both concepts which may lead to confusion when reading texts translated to Spanish.

Between 10% and 15% of the population in the western world is sterile or infertile.

Does age influence the possibility of becoming pregnant?

According to the SEF (Spanish Fertility Society) 25% of couples achieve pregnancy within the first month of having regular, unprotected sexual relations; 85% after a year and 90% after 2 years.

For that reason, it is recommendable to carry out the basic sterility study after one year of trying to get pregnant with no success. Given that the passing of time negatively affects a woman’s fertility, if she is over 35 years old the couple should attend after six months.

Our society of well being has meant that the age at which a woman forms a stable relationship has risen, which has consequences for her future fertility. Sterility at 30 is 6 times higher than at 20, and doubles again at 40. The average age of women in their first pregnancy is between 29 and 30.

Men’s fertility decreases progressively from the age of 50, although its deterioration starts at 25, but with much less transcendence than in women.

 

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