“I am 37 years old. Is it true that I should expect a harder time becoming pregnant?”

Thirty-five may be the new 25, and 40 the new 30-but the question is, have your reproductive parts gotten the memo? Can baby making be on your calendar no matter how many calendars you have gone through?

Absolutely. Birthrates are currently soaring for women (and men) well into their 30s and 40s-proof positive that babies can come to those who wait (even if they sometimes come with a little help from a fertility specialist). If it is true that a woman life begins at 30 (or even 40), it is also true that, more and more often these days, so does her active reproductive life. Fewer women are jumping on the baby train in their 20s, and a full 1 in 5 are opting to wait until they are well into their 30s and 40s to start a family.

Many of these moms are able to conceive within just a few months of trying (and have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies to show for it soon after). But for some “older” hopeful moms, the wait continues even after they have decided to take the baby plunge. They find it takes longer to conceive, or they find that they need a little help-or sometimes even a lot of help-from fertility treatments to make their baby dreams a cuddly reality.

That is because women are at their most fertile in their very early 20s, well before most are ready to tap into that fertility. By their early 30s, fertility has started to wane-the chances of getting pregnant goes from 20 to 25 percent per cycle for women 25 and under, gradually down to about 15 percent per cycle for women in your age bracket, 35 to 39.

Average chances of conceiving naturally at age 40-about 5 percent per cycle. Still potentially double, but clearly not as easy to do.

Feeling daunted? Do not. The vast majority of women your age-70 percent-conceive naturally and without a hitch. Even women who have passed their 40 birthday have about a 40 percent chance of conceiving naturally. So do not bog yourself down with the numbers now. Instead, relax and go about your baby-making business. If you are 35 to 38 and you have not conceived within 3 to 6 months of active efforts, check in with your practitioner to see if it is time for a little help in the fertility department. Check in sooner (after 3 months) if you are over 38, and check in right from the Trying To Conceive start if you are over 40.

And, here is something else you may want to keep in mind. Being over 35 means conception can be a little trickier, but it can also make it more fruitful, meaning that when it rains babies, it can pour. Older moms have a greater chance of conceiving twins, even if they conceive naturally, without the benefit of fertility treatments. That is because older moms tend to ovulate irregularly, and because they produce more follicle-stimulating hormone, their ovaries are more likely to be stimulated into dropping two eggs at a time. Two fertilized eggs-and presto, you have got two babies.

Action Plan
If you are over 35, you might want to put in a call to your doctor after 3 to 6 months of Trying To Conceive with no luck. If you are over 38, consider making that call after 3 months of active efforts. If you are 40 or over, there is no reason to wait-check in right from the very beginning of your baby-making campaign. Why the earlier medical input for older moms? Not because you are definitely going to need help in the form of assisted reproduction (and, in fact, you may conceive naturally and much sooner than you would think). Just because taking a more time-sensitive approach to Trying To Conceive makes sense when you are trying to conceive later in your reproductive years. If you do end up needing some help, it is a good idea to start the ball rolling sooner, so you are more likely to have time on your side.

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