My girlfriend is pushing marriage saying her “biological clock is ticking.” She’s 28 so she should have plenty of time for kids. Don’t women in their 40’s have babies these days?

~ Jimmy

Your girlfriend is right, her biological clock is ticking and there is no way to stop it. By the age of 30, a woman only has about 10-12% of her eggs left. By the age of 40, a woman only has about 3% of her eggs left. Not only does the quantity of eggs decrease as a woman ages, but the quality of her eggs decrease too. The decline in quantity and quality reduces a woman’s ability to not only conceive, but to conceive a healthy baby. Between the ages of 27 and 34 a woman has about a 40% chance of conceiving with each menstrual cycle and a woman in her late 30’s has less than a 30% chance.

Although, there is not a way to stop the biological clock or even slow it down, there are ways for a woman to increase her fertility. Women who maintain a healthy lifestyle by not smoking, keeping their weight under control, regularly exercising and controlling stress have better odds of getting pregnant. Today more than ever, the medical world has the ability to offer women help getting pregnant with options such as hormonal treatments and in vitro fertilization. Although these options are readily available, most doctors would encourage a woman to “go natural” before seeking medical assistance.

If you love your girlfriend and you plan to marry her some day, the sooner you do it the easier it will be for you and her to start a family. If you know she isn’t the one than you should let her go and give her the opportunity to find someone else. A biological clock is not a reason for two people to get married, but it is a factor that should be considered when deciding when to get married.

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