How to preserve your ability

While it is true that the uterus (more than the ovules) is capable of gestation in women in their forties, the ovaries and the oocytes have a shorter life.

How to preserve your ability to give birth

To increase your chances of having a child in the future when your fertility has declined due to age, freezing your eggs is a solution.

Liquid nitrogen and cryoprotectants (cryopreservation) are used to freeze the ovules, after freezing they are kept at a very cold temperature (-196ºC) to avoid the deterioration of their quality. This way their preservation can be maintained over the required time, however gestation is not recommended after the age of 50.

Should it be the case that you no longer have the need, to preserve your eggs, for example is you become pregnant naturally, you can ask for them to be eliminated or donated to someone else.

Some women may wish to delay bearing children until they find the right partner or indeed they may wish to delay motherhood for professional or personal reasons and, for ethical or religious reasons, prefer to freeze their eggs instead of embryos.

Another relevant reason may be due to women being diagnosed with cancer and wishing to have children in the future. In such cases it is advisable to freeze the ovules before surgery or chemotherapy or radiotherapy to avoid damage to the quality of the eggs

Would be mother have to face certain facts of life and plan accordingly:

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In the first place, women are born with a defined number of eggs which are used up over time.

Secondly, fertility peaks at its highest between the ages of 18 and 25 years of age.

By the age of 40, the average fertility rate decreases to around 15% in comparison to the age of 25.

With mothers over the age of 40, there is a greater risk that the child is born with a chromosomal abnormality.

With ageing the number of eggs is not only reduced but the quality also suffers with the result that the chances of getting pregnant are considerably reduced while, at the same time, the incidence of abnormal embryos increases resulting in the cause for spontaneous abortions.

In conclusion, you can give yourselfmore options to protect your fertility by taking the necessary measures while your eggs are still healthy and also prolongs the time during which you can conceive, further enabling you to combat emotional distress.