More and more couples are seeking medical help because they are unable to have children. This has major consequences for the costs of healthcare, according to research by IVF doctor Aisha de Graaff of Maastricht UMC+.
De Graaff was able to demonstrate a clear relationship between the increase in age at the birth of the first child in the general population and the increase in age among women with fertility problems † For each year that the mean age at birth of the first child in the general population increased, the average age among the women with fertility problems increased to the same extent (1.1 years).
Critical limit
The percentage of women with an age above the critical limit of 35 year of their first visit to the clinic showed a large increase:from 8 percent in 1985 to 31 percent in 2008.
If one takes the age of 25 years as standard , then the odds of a couple needing medical attention trying to conceive are increased 1.5 times by age 30, 2.5 times increased by age 35, and a whopping 6.5 times increased by age 40.
The results of the survey are published in the American magazine Fertility and Sterility †
