The older your mother was when you were conceived, the more likely you may be to have a fertility problem. That’s the result of a study of 74 in vitro fertilization patients in Atlanta, Georgia, conducted by Zsolt Nagy, M.D. The study found that the women who weren’t able to get pregnant had been conceived an average of 20 years before their mothers entered menopause, as opposed to an average of more than 25 years pre-menopause for the women who did achieve pregnancy. Dr. Nagy theorizes that genetic abnormalities from a mother’s older eggs may have been passed down to the daughters. Obviously many factors go into the decision about when it’s time to start a family, but if your mother had you later in life, you might want to add that information to the mix and consider putting your family plans on the fast track (or at least talk to your physician about your age and your fertility prospects).
