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Johnnie Girl: My niece went through menopause at 27. Was likely suffering from diminished fertility for several years before that. So the sad truth is that no one, regardless of age, has any fertility guarantee. So, while I'm all for women understanding that their fertility starts to decline probably earlier than they imagine, it's ludicrous to suggest that anyone start trying to have a baby any sooner than they are ready.
Here's a newsflash for you. Life's not fair. My mother accidentally got pregnant at age 39 and with only one ovary. My niece couldn't get pregnant at 27. The truth is that while fertility declines dramatically, it's still pretty good odds for most women in their 30s.
It's sort of like the stats for Downs Syndrome. They scared the hell out of me because they rise so dramatically in your 30s, from 1 in 500 births in younger women to 1 in 54 at the age I was when I got pregnant. Wow, that's a huge risk increase! I should worry, get amnio, freak out, right? Then someone pointed out to me that it was still more than 98 percent likely that my child would not have Downs. That put things in perspective.
