Reproductive and Sexual Health Handbook

Female fertility (or fecundity) is a woman’s reproductive capacity, the ability to conceive and bear a child. In normal circumstances a woman is at their most fertile in youth and their fertility declines with age. Fertility appears to decline from the late 20s onwards, with women aged 35-39 years being half as fertile as women aged 19-26 years. Around 75 per cent of women who attempt conception at age 30 will have become pregnant and had a live birth within a year, 66 per cent at age 35 and 44 per cent at age 40.⁽¹⁾