I hate to break it to you, but the biological clock is alive and well…it’s not a myth.

What we know in the medical world is fertility declines progressively with age. The aging of eggs is a well-known biological phenomenon referred to as our “biological clock”. Unlike women in their 20’s, women over 40 years are more at risk for genetic abnormalities, hypertension of pregnancy, diabetes, preterm labor, other medical problems and cesarean sections.  The risk of these complications varies from 20-30% higher than if you were under 35y.  Over 40years the risks of these genetic and medical complications have increased to over 50%.

As we get closer to 40, the ticking becomes louder and by 45, it can be deafening. Fertility peaks between the ages of 20 to 24.  After 35year fertility declines quickly, especially as you get closer to 40year.

Another statistic to make a mental note of is fertility decreases by as much as 95% in women between 40 and 45 years of age

You may ask, how did these myths about the biological clock arise?

I suspect there is a bit of denial by those who claim the biological clock is a myth. If you pick up a People magazine or tune into Entertainment Tonight it highlights women giving birth to a child or set of twins at any age, especially those women over the age of 44. This can be incredibly misleading since it does not explain the low odds of having your own biological child or how expensive and time-consuming it can be to use fertility magic to have a child after age 40y.  Donor egg is secretly popular in anyone who gets pregnant after the age of 44year, especially if they are having twins!

Experts in fields other than Infertility are looking at the history of fertility from a different lens then those not in the medical field.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now warns that “women’s ability to have babies decreases gradually but significantly beginning around age 32, and then goes down more rapidly after age 37.” After 37 fertility declines at an increasingly lightening pace, so that by the time a women is between 40 and 45 her fertility has decreased by as much as 95 percent.

In today’s world of social media there is no excuse not to educate yourself on when your biological clock stops ticking.