What They Never Told You About Female Fertility

Reproductive Endocrinologist Deborah Smith, MD, and our team at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center enjoy national recognition for their success at helping people achieve their dream of becoming parents.

They accomplish this by combining extensive medical skill and cutting-edge technology with compassionate, patient-focused care that helps eliminate the confusion and stress related to infertility.

Here’s what our experienced team says about the many factors that play a role in female fertility.

Infertility may be more common than you think

About 20% of couples under 38 yrs of age and 40% of couples over 38 years of age struggle with infertility, meaning they’ve been unable to become pregnant after 12 months of actively trying. But for women over age 35, we consider infertility a possibility if you’re not pregnant within six months.

Infertility is also an equal opportunity issue. It’s due to female factors a third of the time, male factors a third of the time, and a combination of both the remaining third of the time.

Because of this, your infertility evaluation at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center includes both the male and female partners.

Age really does matter when it comes to female fertility

For most women, fertility begins to decrease in their late 20s and drops sharply after age 33. A 30-year-old woman has about a 20% chance of becoming pregnant each month and only a 5% chance each month by age 40.

If you plan to delay pregnancy until your mid to late 30s, are facing cancer treatments, or have a medical condition that may affect your fertility or ovulation, we at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center might recommend egg freezing.

During this procedure, we collect eggs when they’re most viable and preserve them to use later via in vitro fertilization (IVF). Many women have found this highly advanced service a perfect foil for the dreaded biological clock.

Not every day is a fertile day

Women are most fertile for about five to seven days of every menstrual cycle. Even then, a series of complex biological steps must take place before and after this short window for conception to occur.

In fact, the average monthly conception rate for healthy fertile couples under 35 years of age is only about 20%.

Female infertility is often related to a treatable condition

Your infertility may be due to:

• An ovulation disorder
• Blockage in your fallopian tubes
• Structural abnormalities in your uterus
• Scar tissue (adhesions) related to previous lower abdominal surgery
• Complications related to endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or pelvic inflammatory disease
• Hormonal imbalances related to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Excessive exercise or sports training that significantly decreases your level of body fat can also affect fertility.

We can treat many of these conditions successfully with medication, minimally invasive surgical procedures, or changes in lifestyle that help better prepare your body for conception and pregnancy.

If, for instance, you’re not ovulating regularly, you may be a candidate for ovulation induction. This infertility treatment includes hormone medication that triggers your ovaries to produce eggs.

Other services we offer at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center include:

• In vitro fertilization
• Tubal ligation reversal surgery
• Minimally invasive infertility surgery
• Assisted hatching
• Intrauterine insemination
• INVOcell®
• Preimplantation genetic testing
• Embryo cryopreservation

We’re also happy to work with a gestational carrier (surrogate) if you’re unable to carry a child, provided she passes health and other screening guidelines.

For state-of-the-art fertility care that’s tailored to your individual needs and circumstances, schedule an evaluation at Rocky Mountain Fertility Center today.