We all know, time ALWAYS passes – sometimes slowly, sometimes in a flash, but it is impossible to STOP TIME. Time travel only happens in dreams and the movies………..

The biological clock is ALWAYS ticking

The body clock is also ALWAYS ticking. How fast it ticks depends on a combination of genetics and environment. Both our experiences and behaviours influence the speed at which the clock ticks, but it only stops ONCE.

Modern medicine can help service the clock, even sometimes jump start it when it stops prematurely, BUT…………… the clock is ALWAYS ticking.

Motherhood is for the young

The biological clock is designed to optimize the survival of the species. As far as mother nature is concerned – motherhood is for the young.

The baby factory is designed to shut down relatively early.

Traditionally, baby making began shortly after puberty, which granted was a lot later than it is today, but it still happened early in the lifecycle i.e. in the twenties and early thirties.

Understanding the times

Today, women first build an empire – then have a baby. The advent of a host of reproductive technologies , has allowed baby making to shift to later in the women’s lifecycle.

BUT……

Reproductive technologies DON’T REWIND THE CLOCK.

No matter if you’re super fit and wrinkle free, at forty three, the baby factory is pretty much shot. Ovarian function is winding down – all the technology in the world can’t kick start a worn out ovary.

Baby maths

It is a fact – fertility decreases with age.

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is not a magic fix – the reproductive technologies can service the clock, but they cannot turn back the clock. Female fertility cannot be manipulated at a whim.

The facts…….

• Only around 9 % of IVF cycles in women over the age of 42 result in a pregnancy.
• These pregnancies are HIGH RISK i.e. they often don’t result in a healthy happy bundle of joy.

Be time conscious

If you do decide to delay starting your family, don’t wait until you’re facing the heart break of an empty crib, to learn fertility maths.

Understand, your biological clock is ALWAYS TICKING.

BE TIME CONSCIOUS !

One way to offset this ticking clock, is to make use of technology to FREEZE time, so to speak.

Oocyte freezing is like freezing time

The organ most sensitive to the ticking clock, is the ovary. Declines in ovarian function cause women to either not produce any eggs, or to produce poor quality eggs, which don’t have the ability to divide and stick and then develop into a healthy baby.

The procedure of oocyte (egg) freezing involves collecting eggs from your younger, more hip and happening ovary and then storing these eggs for later. The eggs that are collected during the procedure, are stored in very special nutrient mixtures at extremely low temperatures – so they are quite literally frozen in time.

Travelling back in time

So even though you may be 43 when you finally get round to starting your family, your doctor will be working with material that is a whole lot younger.

Making a plan………….. will allow you to do the impossible, travel back in time.

There is no guarantee that you will end up pregnant, but the odds are probably better than 1 in 10.

Take the time to talk to your doctor about fertility preservation options.

A persistent misperception: assisted reproductive technology can reverse the “aged biological clock”. Fertility and Sterility (2012) 97(5):1044-1047.  Nichole Wyndham, Paula Gabriela Marin Figueira, Pasquale Patrizio

 

Interested in learning more about the chemistry behind fertility ?

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Further reading

Baby making really does pack on the pounds	Put ear plugs in your pituitary gland to hear lullaby melodies	Thankfully sperm don’t need to ask for directions

The 7 Big Spoons™…. are master switches that turn health on.

Balance Eicosanoids	Rein in insulin	Dial down stress	Sleep !	Increase Vit D	Culivate microflora	Think champion

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