One in Three Women Experience Fertility Barriers, Study Finds
Approximately one in three women of reproductive age is affected by pregnancy loss or infertility, according to a recent study by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). Whereas discussions surrounding birth rates often focus on the number of children born per woman, experiences like miscarriages and difficulties conceiving receive less attention.
The BiB study, which examined data from the pairfam family panel, followed 1,862 respondents across three birth cohorts over a ten-year period. Results indicated that around 28 percent of women surveyed reported experiencing infertility – defined as difficulty becoming pregnant, leading to delayed conception or the inability to conceive – within that timeframe. An additional 9 percent reported experiencing one or more miscarriages.
“The results show that around one in three women of reproductive age experience biological barriers to fertility,” explains Dr. Nadja Milewski, research group leader at BiB and co-author of the study.
The average age of mothers at the time of their first child is currently 30.4 years, with fathers typically being even older. This increasing parental age is a significant risk factor for both pregnancy loss and infertility. Family planning is increasingly concentrated in the mid-20s to mid-30s age range, with around 63 percent of women in this group having at least one child within ten years. However, by age 35, almost half of all women (47 percent) have experienced some form of fertility barrier, such as infertility and/or pregnancy loss.
Conversely, the proportion of older women who successfully give birth without experiencing fertility barriers is significantly lower, at around 8 percent, compared to 41 percent in the middle age group. “The risk that the desire to have children remains unfulfilled is considerable for women aged 35 and over,” emphasizes Dr. Milewski.
The study highlights that biological, medical, or unforeseen factors – beyond individual control – also play a role in family planning, in addition to the often-discussed structural challenges like balancing family and work.
“A realistic understanding of how age influences the risk of pregnancy loss or infertility can support women and men in family planning,” states co-author Dr. Jasmin Passet-Wittig. This includes awareness of both the possibilities and limitations of assisted reproductive medicine, without imposing expectations regarding when or whether to have children.