More and more couples are becoming pregnant later in their lives, and it’s now not at all unusual for both or one of the partners to be 40 or over when they conceive. There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages with being older. There have been studies showing that older parents in general are more able and willing to give time and attention to parenting, but on the other hand, the stresses in terms of lack of sleep and the physical demands of being a parent may be more easily managed by younger parents.
The age of the father has not been found to be relevant in terms of ability to conceive. Whereas a woman’s likelihood of conceiving does decline steadily through her 30’s and then more rapidly in her 40’s, the age of the man does not seem to have any direct bearing on ability to conceive. There are many causes of difficulty in conceiving and in some cases the problem lies with the woman and in others with the man. The average time for a couple to conceive is six cycles (six months). 90 per cent of fertile couples will conceive within a one year, and it is only if a couple have not conceived after a year of regular intercourse (at least twice a week) that investigations would be considered.