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Getting Pregnant In Your 30's-
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Every study you read or expert you consult will agree: 35 is the age of reckoning for women when it comes to having children. In your early 30s, your chances of getting pregnant are only slightly lower than in your late 20s and your risk of a miscarriage or a baby with Down syndrome only slightly higher ? but at 35, that decline in fertility begins to accelerate. Age 35 is also the point when Down syndrome and other genetic abnormalities become more of a concern, so experts routinely recommend amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, or other detailed fetal screening during pregnancy from the mid-30s on.

Miscarriage rates also rise slowly but steadily as women age, as do pregnancy-related complications. A woman over 35 is more likely than a younger woman to have an ectopic pregnancy. Cesarean rates are also higher for women over 35: First-time mothers this age have a 40 percent chance of a c-section delivery compared to 14 percent of first-time mothers in their 20s. Experts say these increased cesarean rates are caused by pregnancy problems like fetal distress or prolonged second-stage labor, which are more common for older mothers.

Of course, every woman ages at her own pace, but experts say that at 35, a woman needs to get serious if she wants to have children ? especially if she wants more than one. "I always tell women to think about that second pregnancy," says fertility specialist James Goldfarb, director of infertility services and IVF at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. "At age 35 or 36, many women need only minor, if any, medical intervention to get pregnant, but by the time they're ready for their next child, say at 39, those same medications are less likely to work."
Your odds of success
Goldfarb, who sees couples struggling with fertility issues every day in his Cleveland practice, puts the statistics into perspective: "There's a clear drop-off in fertility between ages 29 and 35, but the majority of 35-year-old women still won't have a problem," he says. "However, by 38 or 39, age becomes a big factor."

Overall, in your 30s you have about a 15 percent chance of getting pregnant in any single ovulation cycle, according to leading fertility specialist Sherman Silber, director of the Infertility Center of St. Louis at St. Luke's Hospital in Missouri and author of four best-selling fertility books, including How to Get Pregnant. Your chances of conceiving within a year of starting to try are about 75 percent. But since fertility wanes as the decade progresses, in your late 30s your chance of getting pregnant within a year drops to 65 percent.

Miscarriage risk rises slowly throughout the 30s, from about 12 percent for ages 30 to 34 to 18 percent for ages 35 to 39. First-time moms over 35 have a 40 percent chance of having a c-section, compared to 14 percent for first-time mothers in their 20s.

At age 30, the risk of carrying a child with Down syndrome is one in 759. That risk jumps to one in 302 when you're 35.

Age 35 to 39 is also when women are most likely to have twins ? even without the fertility treatments that raise the odds for multiple births ? of women at any other age. Typically, you release one egg a cycle. But as you get older, your FSH (Follicle stimulating hormone) level increases. When this hormonal surge occurs, there's a chance that you may release more than one egg during a cycle, upping the odds of a multiple birth. So while older women are statistically less likely to get pregnant, if they do get pregnant, they're more likely to have twins.
What to do if you want to get pregnant now
Age aside, to give yourself the best chance for a normal pregnancy and a healthy baby, you should consider taking a few important steps before heading down the road to conception. Click here for tips to help you get into baby-making shape.

If you're under 35 and have had frequent (about two or three times a week) unprotected sex for a year without becoming pregnant, then it's probably time to consult a fertility expert. If you're 35 or over, you should see a specialist if you have had frequent unprotected sex for three to six months and are still not pregnant. And if you know of any specific reasons you may have trouble getting pregnant, such as a history of missed periods or sexually transmitted diseases, or your partner has problems with sperm production, you may want to see an expert even sooner.
Editor's Note: For more on age and fertility, read our articles on getting pregnant in your 20s and 40s. Plus, check out the preconception and birth stories of six women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.