The likelihood of conceiving a child, varies according to the women's age:

Fertility declines rapidly after age 35 years.

Studies show that before the age of 35, women have about 20% chance of conceiving naturally. This rate then decreases gradually, reaching only about 5%, after the age of 40 years.


This probability of conceiving a child also varies, depending on the test duration (number of months of unprotected intercourse):

Your chances of conceiving are about 20% until the age of about 35, after 12 months of consecutive unprotected intercourse). After 24 months (2 years), the chances of success are about 10%; to be finally reduced to about 1% after three years of unprotected intercourse.

Therefore, female age is very important when considering the probability of conception. The real issue is egg quantity and quality.


Unfortunately, whether you feel like you're 15 or 50, whether you look your age or not, your body knows how old you are, and your ovaries do too. In regards to your fertility, it's not your calendar age which is important; it is the age of your eggs or your ovarian age!


The age of the male partner does not appear to matter nearly as much. However, the sperm DNA integrity seems to be lower for older men.

Globally, under 35 years old, it is recommended to try to conceive by yourself for at least 12 consecutive months without success before consulting your family physician or gynaecologist to assess your fertility.

From 35 to 37 years old, it is recommended to consult your family physician or gynaecologist after six months of unsuccessful unprotected intercourse. A basic investigation should also be conducted.

If you are 38 years old or older and trying to conceive, you should be referred to the fertility Clinic immediately by your physician.

Your physician may want to begin your basic investigation, which should includes the evaluation of hormones blood levels:

• FSH level on day 3 of your menstrual cycle (to assess your ovarian reserve – normal ˂10);
• LH and Progesterone levels on day 8;
• Progesterone level on day 21 (to assess if ovulation occurred or not).*

Other Items to Consider:

You should also have your TSH and Prolactine levels evaluated and had a sperm analysis (if applicable).

If a cause of infertility is identified, it might be possible to treat it, therefore giving you the chance to conceive on your own and effectively avoid fertility treatments or, depending mostly on your age, he or she may also refer you to Conceptia.
If the sperm analysis is abnormal, it is probably better to be directly referred to the Clinic.

Please also note: It is important to ensure that you have received proper vaccination against rubella and chickenpox. These are prerequisites for all women who wish to receive fertility treatment at the clinic.

If you are still very young and that all results are normal, your physician may want to do more investigation and refer you to a gynaecologist for a hysterosalpingography (HSG) to evaluate the state of your Fallopian tubes or perform other more invasive tests.

It will be our pleasure to meet with you, to review your health and to complete the necessary investigation (if it has not been done already), in order to be able to recommend you the best treatment option according to your situation and needs, as soon as we receive your request of consultation.

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