Spring is synonymous with new life and new beginnings.
Yet for many Australians trying to conceive a new life isn’t always easy, particularly when many don’t understand their own biological clocks.
To mark the beginning of Fertility Week, which runs from the 1st to 7th September, the leading fertility clinic Genea has released the results of Australia’s largest census on fertility in a move designed to empower Australians with knowledge.
During August, Genea ran an online census asking Australians over the age of 18 from all walks of life what they know about sex, fertility and making a baby.
Alarmingly, 34% of respondents think it takes just 9 months to have a baby. That’s right – more than a third of the population believe they will fall pregnant when and if they choose to have unprotected sex.
For Generations X and Y, sex education was taught in schools. We’ve had discussions on contraception since puberty (I recall with horror some of the lessons involving bananas) but no-one bothered to tell us that as women, we are born with a finite number of eggs. One friend recalls the nuns at her Catholic school virtually instilled the fear girls would get pregnant just by talking to a boy.
“I wish the truth about fertility was taught in high schools,” Dr Deborah Bateson from Family Planning NSW told me.
The peak age of fertility for women is 23, while a woman’s egg supply starts to drastically decline after the age of 35. Societal change means many women – and men – are putting off starting a family until later in life, but unfortunately our biological clocks are not keeping up with the changing pace of life.
“When it comes to fertility, 40 is not the new 30,” said Genea Medical Director Mark Bowman at today’s launch of the survey in Sydney.
While it’s considered impolite to ask a woman her age, it’s the most important factor in determining her fertility and will be the number one question asked of a female seeking treatment. Australian IVF statistics show that conceiving and using your own eggs to fall pregnant after the age of 45 is extremely rare, despite what Hollywood purports to show us. Television presenter Sonia Kruger bravely admitted last week she fell pregnant using a donor egg.
Of course men also have fertility problems yet are often more reluctant to seek treatment, with 79% of the men surveyed admitting they’re embarrassed to either ask for help or talk about the problems they’ve experienced while trying for a baby.
Associate Professor Bowman urges people who are having trouble conceiving to seek help early on. “The reality is, your chance of getting pregnant doesn’t increase the longer you try, it’s not linear,” he said. “Once a woman is over 35, age becomes a factor and the chance of natural conception as time goes on falls significantly.”
The quality of a man’s sperm meanwhile drops by 2% every year after 35 years of age.
Not everyone struggling to conceive will need medical help. Cutting back on smoking, drinking and increasing exercise all boost fertility.
Genea hopes the results of the survey smash the stigma surrounding infertility and encourage Australians to talk more openly about their attempts to conceive.
“(People) with infertility need help and support…. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t leave it too late,” implores Bowman.