The Numbers on Infertility
Nowadays, more and more couples are finding themselves to be infertile. Almost everyday, they are forced to watch other couples and their babies while they struggle with the problem. More often than not, these infertile couples think that they are all alone in their suffering.
However, what most people do not know is that there are approximately 7.3 million women between the ages of 15 and 44 who are unable to produce children in this country alone. Most of the time, these women have no idea of their disability until they try to start a family. For those who are able to get pregnant, they are met with pregnancy problems such as polycystic ovarian syndrome that usually surface once they’ve had their first child. However, these women are the lucky ones. Fertility treatments are fast becoming popular with infertile couples. This method does not often cross the couples’ minds at first, and they do not often think that the couples they see underwent fertility treatments in order to conceive. In the year 2002, 11.9% of infertile women between the ages 15 to 44 have gone through some sort of fertility service. 6.1 % of these women have received professional consultations regarding the matter. 4.8 % have gone through fertility tests. 3.8 % of them have been prescribed ovulation drugs. 11% have been artificially inseminated. Meanwhile, 5.5% of these women have received medical assistance to prevent having a miscarriage. Among these key women demographics, 11.8% of them have impaired fecundity, meaning they are not only infertile, but are also prone to experience problems in carrying their baby to term.
It is common knowledge that a woman’s ability to get pregnant lessens as she ages, due to the loss of their egg cells. As a matter of fact, the percentage of childless women within the ages of 35 and 39 is at 15.2%. In the 30 to 34 year demographic of childless women, 17.3% have undergone some sort of fertility treatment, while only 2.9% of the 15 to 29 sector has done so. These women are often married and disdainful at not being able to conceive. Statistics say that 27.4% of women become sterile by the time they reach the age between 40 and 44. 22.6% experience infertility by the time they reach the age of 35. By the time they reach the ages of 30 to 34, 16.9% of women experience sterility. Moreover, when they reach the age of 30, 16.9% of these women find themselves unable to conceive. Not to mention, 11% of married women between the ages of 15 and 29 find themselves to be infertile as well. However, we have to remember that just because you are not able to procreate or bear a child, that doesn’t rule out being able to do so in the future. The percentage of live births resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF) is slated to be approximately 38% for women aging 31 years. At 39 years old, the percentage of successful births dropped to 22%. However, by the time they reach the age of 43, the possibility of a successful live birth decreased to less than 10%. Another option that women are considering is the use of an egg donor. Although the success rate of in vitro procedures for women aged 40 who use their own eggs are less than 10%, the percentage rose to 45% when they use eggs donated by women of a much younger egg. This is a higher rate than those of women in their early 30s who use their own eggs.
