“Don’t leave it too long, your Biological Clock is ticking!” Most women will have experienced conversations and questions around the biological clock. Today the idea of a biological clock ticking away at your fertility is considered misogynistic and many people thankfully have disregarded it. Truthfully, it has been much misinterpreted, as scientifically speaking, the fact is that women have a limited number of eggs, and the quality of eggs decreases with age.. There are options available to women that can help conceive later in life, such as Egg Donation Procedures should be able to re-frame the phrase ‘biological clock’ as relating to fertility rather than the societal pressure of the past.
Whilst our understanding and knowledge about fertility has developed, and greater sympathy for a woman’s right to choose across society, there are still articles in existence that claim the biological clock is a myth – even when discussing fertility. This can be harmful in promoting incorrect information. Women need scientific facts in order to make informed decisions about their fertility.
Some older women are able to give birth without egg donor intervention, but egg reserves decline sharply throughout women in their 30s. Statistics show the chances of becoming pregnant with your own eggs over the age of 40 is much lower. We believe that the ‘time is running out’ rhetoric should be replaced with compassionate information highlighting the options available including egg donation procedures and IVF treatment if you want to have children at a later stage in life. For example, the HFEA states by the time a woman is 43, she has a 7x higher IVF treatment rate when using an egg donor.
The term ‘biological clock’ was first used in relation to a woman’s fertility in the 1970s, conjuring up ideas of time running out, a looming deadline and intense pressure. Yet we do need to have more open discussions around the fact both men and women do see a decline in fertility as they age. in fact, it was a male journalist that first proposed the term ‘biological clock’ in 1978, we would like to see more women join the conversation that fertility does decline with age, but there are options. The concept of a woman panicking about her biological clock may be a recent invention, but there is science in the facts around egg reserves and quality. We need to educate women with informative facts about their fertility, help them understand the science and biology around it, and ultimately what their choices are.
If you would like to read any further about the egg donation procedures, there is lots of information on your website. Alternatively, you can read more about getting started, email [email protected] or call us on 01969 667875.
