A woman’s fertile years span a few decades, but these years are not all equal. As we age, we experience a variety of changes in our bodies. Understanding how your health evolves through your 20s, 30s and 40s can help you to make informed and empowered decisions about your body, your fertility and the future for your family.
Today we’re exploring women’s health during your fertile years, explaining some of the changes you might experience and what different opportunities and options you have during these times.
Women’s Health in Your 20s
Women are typically most biologically fertile in their late teens and early 20s, however many of us don’t make the decision to start a family until later than this. For those exploring fertility in their 20s, this is your peak reproductive era, with the highest quantity and quality of eggs.
Your 20s are also the time to build lifelong healthy habits, not only for reproductive health, but for your overall health and for your family’s future. For example, now is the time to start considering what you eat as part of your investment in your future: choosing a diet that is rich in whole foods, full of colour, fibre and healthy fats, avoiding ultra processed foods and refined foods, and adding gut boosting foods. Not only will this set you on the right eating habits for the rest of your life, but supporting your gut microbiome now will encourage hormonal balance which can boost fertility.
While you are still early on in your fertility journey, even if you’re not considering building a family for a few years to come, it can still be useful to begin tracking your menstrual cycle. Not only will this help prevent a few unpleasant surprises for you (hands up, who else has forgotten that they were on day 28 on their cycle and gone for a day out unprepared?), but it also means that you can start to notice patterns in your body. You might begin to recognise the way that your body feels just before ovulation, or pick up on an unusual symptom for you that’s flagging something that needs to be checked out. Having knowledge and understanding of your own body and the wonderful ways that it works can be super helpful when it changes as you get older.
Now is also a great time to chat to your partner about their role in fertility – they play a bigger role than you think! Encouraging them to take responsibility for a well-rounded diet will not only support you, but will ensure that their sperm count and motility are the best they can be – smoking, alcohol and a poor diet can all have a negative effect that lasts longer than just the next day or two.
Women’s Health in Your 30s
The average age for women to have their first baby in the UK is now 30.9 – that’s an increase of more than 4 years in a generation as in 1975, the average age was 26.4. But it might surprise you to find out that past the age of 30, your fertility begins to decrease, and more noticeably so after the age of 35. For many women, this doesn’t cause any issues, but it is important to be aware of if you’re planning to get pregnant in your 30s.
Due to the declining quantity and quality of your eggs during your 30s, this is a very important time to take your preconception health seriously. Before actively starting to conceive, you can improve your diet in much the same way as we suggested in your 20s with whole foods, such as a Mediterranean diet, and keeping your body active regularly.
Once you’ve made the decision that you’re ready to start trying for a baby, you can start taking folic acid immediately. You may also want to consider your work-life balance and any other external stress that you experience around this stage as it can impact your fertility.
It’s also recommended to continue tracking your menstrual cycle for any changes from your normal with a personal journal or tracker, and to make sure that you attend regular screenings that you’re invited to, such as cervical smears. You may choose to arrange your own health check ups too, such as a fertility specialist, especially if you’ve been trying to conceive for a year before the age of 35 or for 6 months after the age of 35.
If you choose to delay conception until later in life, your 30s is the time to consider freezing your eggs. Women in their 30s are increasingly choosing to preserve fertility or explore future-focused birth planning options like cord blood banking during pregnancy.
Women’s Health in Your 40s
While many may joke about your biological clock around this time, it is very possible to have a healthy and happy pregnancy in your 40s, as long as you continue to take care of your body and take your fertility seriously.
Your 40s are when you are most likely to begin experiencing perimenopause – your fertility declines significantly and you’ll begin to see signs of this such as irregular periods, sleep disturbances and mood changes.
The overall message is the same for your health at this time: to have a healthy, balanced diet, regular exercise and to take up healthy habits sooner rather than later. It’s never too late to make changes to your health – cutting out refined sugar today could impact your gut health in your 70s, or taking up regular daily walks tomorrow could keep you mobile 10 years longer! Your bone density begins to decrease during menopause, so you may want to consider taking additional vitamin D or calcium, as well as increasing these in your diet, especially if you’re considering pregnancy as this will take an additional toll on your bones at this age.
Fertility Red Flags at Any Age
Whether you’re 21 or 45, keeping an eye on the following signs and symptoms is important, not only for your chances of becoming pregnant, but also in understanding what could be a sign of something to be checked out by your doctor or women’s health specialist:
- Very irregular or absent periods
- Severe period pain
- Family history of pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis
- Repeated miscarriage
