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For years, 20-something women have believed -- with the support of doctors -- that prime baby-making time lasted until their mid-30s. A recent study, however, has found that fertility actually begins to decline much earlier than that -- at age 27.
But the findings don't mean you've missed your chance at motherhood if you're not changing diapers by your late 20s, says study author David Dunson, Ph.D., a researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Sciences. Here are sound bites from women at various life stages, plus fertility experts' takes on their situations.
The age of discovery (26 and younger)
"The last thing on my mind is having a baby," says Lauren Weedon, 25, an editor in Jacksonville, Florida. I can't even remember to water my plants, much less begin thinking of raising a child."
Baby Rx: "Your fertility is at its peak now, but women in their 20s should be using condoms, not worrying about popping out babies. The sexually transmitted disease chlamydia is one of the main reasons that women don?t get pregnant," says Stephanie Teal, an OB-GYN at New York City?s Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. "I also tell women to get regular gynecological checkups, quit smoking, lighten up on their alcohol consumption, get lots of sleep, and maintain a healthy weight."
The transition years (27-34)
"My husband and I decided to try to get pregnant when I hit my early 30s," says stay-at-home mom Kristin Lemmerman , age 33, of Atlanta. "I just assumed it would happen right away. I was in great shape, totally healthy, didn't smoke or drink -- and it took us about six months to conceive."
Baby Rx: "Does fertility go down a bit here? Sure," says David Adamson, M.D., director of Fertility Physicians of Northern California, a clinical practice in Palo Alto and San Jose. "But does it go down so much that people should worry? I don?t think so. At this stage of the game, women should decide whether and when they want to have kids, and get regular Pap smears and checkups. If they're healthy and don't conceive within a year, they should see a doctor."
The settled decade (35-39)
"I needed to have my financial independence, as well as the right partner, to embrace the idea of having children. When I finally met my soul mate, conceiving became a full-time job for us," says former Manhattan stockbroker Jill Lloyd, 39. She tried to get pregnant for 19 months before turning to artificial insemination and scoring on the first try.
Baby Rx:"Yes, being healthy is a good thing, but as you age, your lifestyle becomes less relevant -- a good workout can?t compete with the effects of aging. You just start to run out of healthy eggs," Teal says. "Women ages 35 and older can use ovulation predictors to make sure they're having sex at the optimum time, have their partner get a sperm count, and make sure they don?t have blocked fallopian tubes. If they can't get pregnant spontaneously, they should get an evaluation within six months."
The take-charge time (40 and older)
"I waited this long to have children because I was not ready," says Julia Indichova, now 53, a fertility counselor and mother of two from Woodstock, New York. "I naturally conceived my first daughter at age 41 in just one month and my second daughter four years later, after being told I would never have more children due to an untreatable hormonal imbalance. I gave myself a total physical, emotional, and spiritual overhaul, and I conceived naturally eight months later."
Baby Rx:"Yes, women can conceive naturally, but they should be aware that the fertility loss here is dramatic. At age 40, it's half of what it was when it was optimal. By age 42, it's down to half of that," Adamson says. "By age 43 or 44, it's almost gone. But people do have options. Couples can choose to undergo standard hormone treatment, try in vitro fertilization, use egg donors, or adopt."
Donna Freydkin
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