Fertility and ageing

The late 20th century trend to delay birth of the first child until the age at which female fecundity or reproductive capacity is lower has increased the incidence of age-related infertility. The trend and its consequences have also stimulated interest in the possible factors in the female and the m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human reproduction update 2005-05, Vol.11 (3), p.261-276
Main Authors: Baird, D T, Collins, J, Egozcue, J, Evers, L H, Gianaroli, L, Leridon, H, Sunde, A, Templeton, A, Van Steirteghem, A, Cohen, J, Crosignani, P G, Devroey, P, Diedrich, K, Fauser, B C J M, Fraser, L, Glasier, A, Liebaers, I, Mautone, G, Penney, G, Tarlatzis, B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
ageing
Aging - physiology
demographics
Demography
fecundity
Female
fertility
Fertility - physiology
Humans
infertility
Male
Middle Aged
Oocytes - physiology
Pregnancy
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted - standards
Sex Factors
Spermatozoa - physiology
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The late 20th century trend to delay birth of the first child until the age at which female fecundity or reproductive capacity is lower has increased the incidence of age-related infertility. The trend and its consequences have also stimulated interest in the possible factors in the female and the male that may contribute to the decline in fecundity with age; in the means that exist to predict fecundity; and in the consequences for pregnancy and childbirth. In the female, the number of oocytes decreases with age until the menopause. Oocyte quality also diminishes, due in part to increased aneuploidy because of factors such as changes in spindle integrity. Although older male age affects the likelihood of conception, abnormalities in sperm chromosomes and in some components of the semen analysis are less important than the frequency of intercourse. Age is as accurate as any other predictor of conception with assisted reproductive technology. The decline in fecundity becomes clinically relevant when women reach their mid-30s, when even assisted reproduction treatment cannot compensate for the decline in fecundity associated with delaying attempts at conceiving. Pregnancies among women aged >40 years are associated with more non-severe complications, more premature births, more congenital malformations and more interventions at birth.
ISSN:1355-4786
1460-2369
DOI:10.1093/humupd/dmi006