Age & Fertility

Am I too old to get pregnant? I waited too long, didn’t I?…I have a hopeless case…I’m just too old to have a baby!

These questions whisper inside our patients’ secret fears, the questions that haunt them when they can’t sleep in the middle of the night. How old is too old? You might be surprised. Sometimes that fear of age based infertility plays out in strange, unexpected ways.

But…I feel like I’m still 25!

When Nadia (names and details have been changed to protect our patients’ privacy) walked into the office, Dr. Palter couldn’t believe the information on her chart. According to the background information she had supplied, she was almost 45 years old. But she looked like a college student.

“I have good genes,” she replied, when we asked her to confirm if the birthdate on her chart was correct. “My grandmother never seemed to age, when she was eighty people still mistook her for a lady in her middle age.”

Nadia was here because she wanted a baby, and now that she was finally married to the love of her life she was ready to look into the possibility. It never occurred to her that, however youthful she looked and felt, Nadia’s ovaries were also 45 years old.

We discussed her history, completed the physical exam. And we arranged for a series of tests called OVARIAN RESERVE TESTING.

All of us were surprised when we got the results. Nadia’s ovaries were no longer producing viable eggs on their own. She was in pre-menopause. If we were lucky we would be able to stimulate the production of a healthy egg through hormone treatment; if not, Nadia was a good candidate for egg donation.

Nadia had a very hard time accepting the results of the Reserve Testing. “I feel like I’m still 25,” she said, her voice choked with tears. “How could I be infertile due to age?”

For many of our Gold Coast patients, this is their first and worst nightmare. Sometimes, people delay seeking treatment because they are afraid of a scenario just like this one.

But all of us want you to know…

Age-related infertility might be a factor for you. But it doesn’t have to stop you from having a child of your own!

We get these kinds of questions all the time:

• “Doctor… am I too old to get pregnant?”
• “Is my clock still ticking or has the window of opportunity closed for me?”
• “Did I wait too long to start trying?”
• “Didn’t Cheryl Tiegs get pregnant at 52? Geena Davis was 48. Holly Hunter was 47. I’m sure they were just healthy…”

These are some of the most common questions our staff hears from patients every day. In some way or another every woman feels the pressure of time when she’s having trouble getting pregnant. And running out of time is one of those fears that keep women awake at night…worrying…and avoiding seeing a specialist. Keeping away because no one wants to ever hear it is too late.

Age & Fertility: By the Numbers

How to beat age-based infertility?

To find out how age affects your fertility, you will need to get some tests to determine your personal ovarian reserve and function.

You need to discover your True Ovarian Age. At Gold Coast, we have a system for analyzing your ovarian function and overall fertility, and assessing the impact that age is having, or not having, on your fertility.

So, please don’t give up!

We all know how hard it is to pick up the phone and take that next step of getting the information you need to move forward. So many patients have told us how they believed it was already too late.

It’s not too late.