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Truth Be Told

Common Infertility Myths

By Michele St. Martin

It seems just about everyone has heard of a couple for whom adoption "did the trick." "They tried for years; then they adopted, and she got pregnant," is a common refrain. Infertile adoptive couples become pregnant at about the same rate as infertile couples who do not adopt; some of those pregnancies are a direct result of previous infertility treatment. Adoption is an important way of building a family for many infertile couples and some fertile couples too, but it's not a way to get pregnant.

Today, many women postpone childbearing to complete schooling and establish a career. They also tend to marry later. Women hear of female celebrities in their 40s having children and often believe that they can ignore the biological clock and wait until things are "perfect." Some women can wait – but not many. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, it is estimated that two-thirds of women will not be able to get pregnant spontaneously by the age of 40. Approximately one-third of couples in which the female partner is age 35 or older will have problems with fertility.

A woman's fertility peaks at age 20 and declines thereafter, dropping most rapidly after age 38. A 25-year-old woman who is regularly having unprotected intercourse has an 86 percent chance of getting pregnant within a year. By the time she is 35, her chances drop to 52 percent.

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