Can I afford to wait 1 year?

Answered on 27th March 2017 in Fertility

Hi. I'm 36 & have had a internal 3D scan that showed total AFC of 9. Just got my AMH result back & it was 8.6. Both results are ok for my age but on the low side. I really want to have a child but I'm at a crucial point in an athletic career where if I take a year out now to have a baby I won't be able to achieve what I've spent my entire adult life trying to achieve. So my question is, given my results how risky is it for me to wait 1 more year? I know there's no hard & fast rules/answers but it would be good to get an idea of how quickly things tend to drop off & at what point does it become unlikely to be able to conceive either naturally or by using IVF?

Our Expert's Answer

This information was published 7 years ago and was correct at the time of publication. It may not reflect our current practices or regulations.

Please note that all the answers we give are on a generic basis only, as we cannot provide more in-depth answers without access to your medical history. If you need a more detailed response, tailored to you, we would recommend a consultation with one of our Fertility Specialists for more comprehensive medical advice.

As a woman ages, her eggs age with her, diminishing in quantity and quality. Starting at about age 32, a woman’s chances of conceiving decrease gradually but significantly. From age 35, the fertility decline speeds up and by 40 years of age, fertility has fallen by half. Of course no two woman ar ethe same and fertilit ytreatment differs from patient to patient. At Manchester Fertility we offer a 'Fertility MOT' test that is designed to show you how fertile you are, and highlight in advance any problems which could make it difficult to conceive naturally; https://www.manchesterfertility.com/treatments/fertility-checks/fertility-mot/