Aging largely hampers the fertility of men and women and remains the single biggest factor affecting a woman’s chance to conceive and have a healthy baby. It reported that by around age 30, a woman’s fertility starts to slowly decline and by mid-30s the decline speeds up.
This heightens risks of pregnancy complications among women as they age.
Male fertility decline is more subtle, but males aged over 45 years increases the time it takes for the female partner to conceive, the risk of miscarriage, and the child’s risk of mental health and developmental disorders are equally high.
According to the UNFP, Worldwide, fertility has fallen from an average of 5 births per woman in 1950 to 2.3 births per woman in 2021, an indication of the increasing control that individuals – particularly women – are able to exercise over their reproductive lives. Overall fertility is projected to fall to 2.1 births per woman by 2050.
In 2020, Ghana’s general fertility rate was pegged at 15.9% a situation development watchers say should be of concern to all.
Speaking Monday on the State of Nation, Medical Director of the Upper East Regional Hospital, Dr. Saaniwie Aiden, who doubles as a member of the Fertility Society of Ghana, explained that age related decline in fertility is on the rise.
He explains that from age 32, one’s fertility begins decline and worsens at 37 especially amongst women.
“Generally it’s been noted that age as a factor on it own is a cause of fertility decline. From 32 years, fertility decline globally. Then when you get to 37 there is a sharp decline and by 50 there is a plus or minus 5vs most people will be menopausal within that period and obviously they would have lost their fertility at that stage. So you don’t want to get there without meeting your fertility age,” he stated.
Dr. Aiden explained that the ideal period for childbirth is between age 18 and 35.
“Reproductive age should start from 18 but we know that much earlier people can give birth but looking at the age that we want to encourage people to have safe responsible sex, we also tie it to 18 years because legally, it’s allowed. So 18-35 years it good”.
