Egg & Embryo Donation
Lifestyle & Wellness
Egg Donation & Age: How Does Age Affect Fertility?
Understand how age affects fertility and how egg donation can overcome age-related decline.
Deciding when to have a family is an important personal decision, and more women today are waiting until later in life to begin their families. One consequence of waiting is the normal age-related decline in the number and quality of eggs available in a woman’s ovaries. This decline in fertility with increasing age may cause you to wonder whether you need fertility evaluation and treatment. If declining egg number and quality have affected your fertility, an option such as egg donation may help you to achieve your dream of conceiving a child.
The Biology Behind Fertility and Age
Age range | Typical eggs remaining | Chance of conceiving each month* | Miscarriage risk* |
Early 20s | ~200,000 – 300,000 | ≈ 25% | < 10% |
30-34 | ~100,000 – 150,000 | ≈ 20% | ≈ 12% |
35-39 | < 70,000 | ≈ 15% | ≈ 20-35% |
40+ | < 20,000 | 5 – 10% | > 40% |
*Averages from large population studies and CDC/ASRM summaries.
Why the steady decline of fertility?
Finite egg supply. Girls are born with about one million oocytes; only ~300,000 remain by puberty and fewer than 500 are actually ovulated. Most disappear through a normal degenerative process called atresia.
Declining egg quality. As eggs age, DNA repair mechanisms falter, leading to higher rates of chromosomal errors (aneuploidy) that can prevent implantation or cause miscarriage.
Hormonal changes. Serum Anti‑Müllerian Hormone (AMH)—a key marker of ovarian reserve—falls steadily: median AMH drops from ~4 ng/mL in women ≤ 25 to ≈ 0.5 ng/mL by early 40s.
Together, these changes explain the well‑documented link between fertility with age and lower success using your own eggs.
Checking Your Current Fertility
It’s important to determine whether these normal age-related declines in both quality and quantity of eggs will affect your timeline for treatment. To assess the number of eggs remaining in your ovaries and determine how well you’ll respond to fertility treatments, our fertility clinic can evaluate you through ovarian reserve testing, which includes:
AMH blood test – reflects the pool of recruitable follicles.
FSH & Estradiol (cycle day 2–3) – higher baseline FSH can signal diminishing reserve.
Antral Follicle Count (AFC) – ultrasound tally of small resting follicles in both ovaries.
Results help predict how robustly your ovaries may respond to stimulation and guide whether to try IVF with your own eggs, freeze eggs for later, or explore donor eggs.
When Are Women Most Fertile?
Peak fertility sits squarely in the early‑to‑mid‑20s. Most healthy couples at that age enjoy roughly a 25% chance of conception per cycle. Fertility begins a gradual decline around 30 and accelerates after 35; by 40 the per‑cycle chance drops to single digits, and miscarriage risk rises sharply.
Egg Donation: A Powerful Answer to Age‑Related Infertility
Egg donation can largely “reset the clock,” because pregnancy rates depend on egg age, not uterine age.
How it works
Donor screening & stimulation. Ideal donors are 20 – 30 years old with excellent ovarian reserve and health history. ASRM
Egg retrieval. Multiple mature eggs are collected in an outpatient visit.
Fertilization & embryo culture. Eggs are inseminated with partner or donor sperm via IVF; resulting embryos grow in the lab 3‑5 days.
Embryo transfer or freezing. One (occasionally two) top‑quality embryos are placed into the recipient’s uterus in a medicated or natural cycle; remaining embryos can be cryopreserved.
Success rates
Because donor eggs come from young ovaries, national data show live‑birth rates of 50–60% per transfer, relatively unchanged whether the recipient is 30, 40, or even 50 (medical clearance required).
Who Should Consider Donor Eggs?
Diminished ovarian reserve due to age, endometriosis, surgery, chemotherapy, or genetics
Repeated IVF failure linked to poor embryo quality
Inherited disorders you wish to avoid passing on
Premature ovarian insufficiency (early menopause)
Practical Tips to Optimize Fertility at Any Age
Don’t delay evaluation. If you’re ≥ 35 and have tried to conceive for 6 months—or any age with known issues—book a fertility consult.
Know your numbers. Ask for AMH, FSH, and AFC results and what they mean for you.
Consider genetic screening. Pre‑implantation testing can lower miscarriage risk by selecting chromosomally normal embryos.
Limit embryo transfer to one. Reduces complications of multiples, especially in recipients over 40.
Prioritize overall health. Maintain a healthy BMI, quit smoking, moderate alcohol, and manage chronic conditions.
Common Questions About Fertility and Age
Is fertility only a female‑age issue?
Primarily, but advancing paternal age (≥ 40) can slightly raise miscarriage and some genetic‑condition risks.
Does AMH tell me exactly when I’ll hit menopause?
Not precisely, but very low AMH (< 0.2 ng/mL) often signals menopause within ~6 years.
Can supplements or lifestyle reverse egg aging?
Healthy habits support overall fertility, but they cannot restore lost egg quantity or DNA integrity.
Is pregnancy safe after 45 with donor eggs?
Many women have healthy pregnancies, but risks like hypertension and gestational diabetes increase. High‑risk OB care is essential.
Should I freeze eggs instead?
If you’re < 35 and not ready for pregnancy, egg freezing preserves your younger eggs for later use.
Reach out. Learn more.
A consultation at Atlantic Fertility gives you full-spectrum expertise for both female and male fertility—so you can understand your options and move forward with confidence.
