Need to talk? Call 1800 882 436.
It's a free call with a maternal child health nurse. *call charges may apply from your mobile

Is it an emergency? Dial 000
If you need urgent medical help, call triple zero immediately.

beginning of content

Trying for pregnancy after 35

5-minute read

Many people try for a baby after 35. Around 1 in 5 pregnant Australians (20%) are between 35 and 39 years of age. There are risks and challenges you should know about when trying for pregnancy after 35 years.

It can be harder to get pregnant now than when you were younger. Females are most fertile in their 20s.

If you've been trying to get pregnant for over 6 months, you should see your doctor to discuss your fertility.

In general:

  • Female fertility begins to decline faster after the age of 30. It declines more significantly after the age of 35.
  • Male fertility begins to decline faster after the age of 40. It declines more significantly after the age of 45.

The older you and your partner are, the more likely it is to take longer to conceive. This can also increase the risk of pregnancy complications.

Why does your fertility decline?

Female fertility

At birth, a female’s ovaries have all the eggs they will ever have — between 1 million and 2 million eggs. By puberty, half of the eggs will be gone.

As you get older, the number of eggs continues to reduce. Eggs age as the person does, and older eggs don’t fertilise as easily, but still, only one is needed.

Male fertility

Males produce sperm constantly. However, the number of sperm made reduces with age. The quality of the sperm also begins to decline. These factors reduce fertility.

How do I improve my chances of becoming pregnant?

If you are female, you will have a better chance of getting pregnant if you understand your menstrual cycle. The average cycle is 28 days, but it can vary for different people.

If your cycle is regular, you will probably ovulate 2 weeks before the start of your next period. So, you can work out the best time for sexual intercourse to result in pregnancy.

If you are male, talk with your partner about their menstrual cycle.

Both you and your partner should be as healthy as you can be. Apart from anything else, this really will help your chances of getting pregnant. You can both:

  • eat a healthy diet
  • be a healthy weight
  • check for and treat any sexually transmitted infections
  • avoid alcohol
  • if you smoke, stop smoking and avoid passive smoking when possible

When should you ask for help?

You should see a doctor if you’re a female, over 35 years, and have been trying to get pregnant for over 6 months.

People under 35 years, should have regular unprotected sexual intercourse for 12 months. If you don’t get pregnant in that time you should see your doctor.

However, if you have endometriosis or another condition that affects your fertility, you can visit your doctor sooner.

Treatments

There are many options available for people who are having trouble getting pregnant. The treatment depends on the cause of the fertility problem.

First, you and your partner will have a number of fertility tests. These might include:

  • blood tests
  • sperm tests
  • checks for sexually transmitted infections
  • an ultrasound

Depending on the results, your doctor might suggest treatments such as:

  • hormone therapy
  • IVF and variations such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
  • artificial insemination

These treatments can all work. However, none of them are guaranteed.

For example, most people who have IVF have a:

  • 33% chance of taking home a baby after one cycle
  • a 54% chance of taking home a baby after 8 cycles

However, for people aged 40 to 44 years, this decreases to:

  • 11% chance of taking home a baby after one cycle
  • about a 38% chance of taking home a baby after 8 cycles

What happens if I get pregnant?

If you are over 35 years and become pregnant, it’s important to receive good antenatal care. This is because there are some things to watch out for.

As the age of parents increases, the chance of pregnancy complications also does. These include:

Your new baby may also have a higher risk of:

  • birth defects, including cardiovascular and musculoskeletal defects
  • disorders including autism, ADHD
  • mental health concerns
  • childhood cancer

You might also want to talk to your doctor or midwife about:

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: July 2022


Back To Top

Related pages

Search our site for

Need more information?

How Age Matters For Your Fertility | Your Fertility

It's a biological fact that as women and men age, their potential to have children decreases, although the exact time when this starts to happen can vary among individuals

Read more on Your Fertility website

Test your fertility knowledge | Your Fertility

Correct answer: False Although living a healthy life will certainly help if you’re trying to conceive, the age of the mother-to-be is the single most important factor

Read more on Your Fertility website

Getting pregnant - MyDr.com.au

Getting pregnant is easy for some women, but for others it can be a difficult. Women are most fertile between 20 and 24 years of age, after which fertility declines.

Read more on myDr website

Reproductive health | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

Good reproductive health supports individuals and couples to decide whether and when to have children. It can be affected by diseases, access to contraception and fertility issues. Find out what we’re doing to improve reproductive health in Australia.

Read more on Department of Health and Aged Care website

Polycystic ovarian syndrome and breastfeeding | Australian Breastfeeding Association

What is polycystic ovarian syndrome?Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a complex hormonal condition that affects 5% to 10% of women of reproductive age. Features of PCOS can include fertility problems, acne, obesity, excess body hair growth and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.1PCOS and milk supply

Read more on Australian Breastfeeding Association website

Fertility treatment journey | VARTA

Things to consider Possible emotional effects of fertility treatments Fertility treatments are psychologically and emotionally demanding

Read more on Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority website

Fertility treatment explained | VARTA

Understanding fertility treatment There are many types of fertility treatments available, ranging from simple interventions such as medication to help a woman ovulate, through to more complicated procedures known as assisted reproductive treatment (ART). ART, also known as assisted reproductive technology, refers to medical and scientific methods used to help people conceive. Fertility treatments are used: to treat infertility for people who can’t become pregnant, carry a pregnancy or give birth to reduce the chance of a baby inheriting a genetic disease or abnormality to preserve fertility. Types of treatment Depending on the cause of infertility, the following types of treatment may be recommended by your fertility specialist. This information provides a general overview of techniques available. Speak to your fertility clinic for more information. Ovulation induction (OI) Ovulation induction (OI) can be used if a woman is not ovulating or not ovulating regularly. It involves taking a hormone medication (tablets or injections) to stimulate ovulation. The response to the hormones is monitored with ultrasound and when the time is right, an injection is given to trigger ovulation (the release of the egg). Timing intercourse to coincide with ovulation offers the chance of pregnancy. Artificial insemination or IUI Artificial insemination, which is sometimes called intrauterine insemination (IUI), involves insertion of the male partner’s (or a donor’s) sperm into a woman’s uterus at or just before the time of ovulation. IUI can help couples with so called unexplained infertility or couples where the male partner has minor sperm abnormalities. You can use the Unexplained infertility - exploring your options guide to better understand if IUI is a suitable option for you. IUI can be performed during a natural menstrual cycle, or in combination with ovulation induction (OI) if the woman has irregular menstrual cycles. If a pregnancy is not achieved after a few IUI attempts, IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be needed. In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) During IVF, the woman has hormone injections to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple eggs. When the eggs are mature, they are retrieved in an ultrasound-guided procedure under light anaesthetic. The eggs and sperm from the male partner or a donor are placed in a culture dish in the laboratory to allow the eggs to hopefully fertilise, so embryos can develop. Three to five days later, if embryos have formed, one is placed into the woman's uterus in a procedure called embryo transfer. If there is more than one embryo, they can be frozen and used later. The IVF process: Is IVF safe? IVF is a safe procedure and medical complications are rare. But as with all medical procedures, there are some possible health effects for women and men undergoing treatment and for children born as a result of treatment. Read more about the possible health effects of IVF here. Understanding IVF success rates Clinics report success rates in different ways, so when comparing clinics’ success rates make sure you compare like with like or ’apples with apples’. Most importantly, you need to consider your own personal circumstances and medical history when you estimate your chance of having a baby with IVF. You can read more about interpreting success rates here. The chance of a live birth following IVF depends on many factors including the woman’s age, the man’s age and the cause of infertility. Research using the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database calculated the chance of a woman having a baby from her first cycle of IVF according to her age. The results below apply to women who used their own eggs, and it includes the use of frozen embryos produced by one cycle of IVF: Under 34: 44 per cent chance of a live birth 35-39: 31 per cent chance of a live birth 40-44: 11 per cent chance of a live birth 44 and above: one per cent chance of a live birth. Costs of IVF In Australia, Medicare and private health insurers cover some of the costs associated with IVF and ICSI but there are also substantial out-of-pocket costs. The difference between the Medicare contribution and the amount charged by the clinic is the ‘out-of-pocket cost’. These costs vary, depending on the treatment, the fertility clinic and whether a patient has reached the Medicare Safety Net threshold. You can read more about costs here.   Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is used for the same reasons as IVF, but especially to overcome sperm problems. ICSI follows the same process as IVF, except ICSI involves the direct injection of a single sperm into each egg to hopefully achieve fertilisation. Because it requires technically advanced equipment, there are additional costs for ICSI. For couples with male factor infertility, ICSI is needed to fertilise the eggs and give them a chance of having a baby. But for couples who don’t have male factor infertility, ICSI offers no advantage over IVF in terms of the chance of having a baby. You can read more about what’s involved in 

Read more on Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority website

Maximising Natural Fertility | Family Planning NSW

Today people often leave plans for pregnancy until later in their adult lives. This is different to previous generations. Women are naturally more fertile in their 20s than their 30s but women are more often having children when they are aged 30-34 years old.

Read more on Family Planning NSW website

Vasectomy | Family Planning NSW

Vasectomy is a popular method of contraception for men. About one in four Australian men over the age of 40 has had a vasectomy.

Read more on Family Planning NSW website

Male fertility and conception- tips for getting pregnant by improving sperm health

Male fertility is vital for conception and a healthy pregnancy. Couples trying to get pregnant need to pay attention to factors which increase the chances of infertility in men. In addition to a healthy diet and regular exercise, treating sexual problems and avoiding recreational drugs helps boost male fertility.

Read more on Parenthub website

Call us and speak to a Maternal Child Health Nurse for personal advice and guidance.

Need further advice or guidance from our maternal child health nurses?

1800 882 436

Video call

This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.

The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional.

Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, this publication or any part of it may not be reproduced, altered, adapted, stored and/or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Healthdirect Australia.