The age at which a woman’s fertility begins to decline

YNP:

A recent study indicates that the sharp decline in women’s fertility begins at an earlier age than previously thought, opening the door to future research aimed at extending the reproductive period.

Although useful solutions such as egg freezing and artificial insemination are available, researchers are working to understand the root cause of declining fertility in order to find ways to slow it down.

The study indicates that women’s fertility begins to decline after the age of thirty-two, as the rate of deterioration in egg quality accelerates significantly.

The study, carried out by researchers from the Chinese University of Guilin, was based on the analysis of data from more than 15,000 embryos resulting from artificial insemination. The results revealed that the percentage of eggs carrying a chromosomal abnormality is around 20% in women between the ages of 20 and 32, and this percentage exceeds 50% after the mid-30s, with the risks continuing to increase year by year. This increases the risk of miscarriage, infertility and having children with Down syndrome as the mother ages.

Researchers attribute this phenomenon to a decisive drop in levels of the vital protein cohesin, which is like the molecular glue responsible for the cohesion and integrity of the chromosomes inside the egg.

As age increases, its quantity decreases by up to a third in the eggs of women over forty compared to the eggs of women in their twenties.