The Answer is Usually More Hopeful than the Diagnosis May Suggest

Hi friends,

This week, we're talking about time and what it actually means for your fertility journey.
One of the most common things we hear from readers is that they wish they'd known sooner. Sooner that age affects fertility differently for everyone. Sooner that certain numbers on a lab report aren't the end of the story. Sooner that there was something they could do.

So in this issue, we're bringing you two deep dives designed to give you that knowledge now, wherever you are in your journey. First, we look at how fertility shifts decade by decade for both women and men, and what that means for your planning. Then, we tackle one of the most Googled, and least talked about fertility topics for men: low sperm count. Can it improve? What actually helps? And when is it time to call in a specialist?

The answers might surprise you. Let's get into it.

Women are getting squeezed from two directions: panic from the fertility industry on one side, false reassurance from celebrity culture on the other. Neither is accurate and neither is particularly useful when you're trying to make real decisions about your reproductive life.

Our fertility-by-decade deep dive cuts through both. You'll find the biology laid out clearly, monthly conception rates, egg quality trends, what actually changes after 35 and after 40 alongside the context that makes those numbers meaningful rather than terrifying. Plus: what men need to know about their own age-related fertility changes, and why the biological clock conversation has been so one-sided for so long.

👉 Read: Fertility by Decade - What Changes, What Doesn't, and What You Can Do About It

Age is one of the most talked-about factors in fertility, and also one of the most misunderstood. From the "fertility cliff at 35" to the overlooked reality of paternal age, the research landscape is evolving rapidly, and what the science actually says is often more nuanced (and more hopeful) than the headlines suggest. Here are some recent articles and studies worth bookmarking:

The "Fertility Cliff" at 35 Is Real, But It's More of a Slope
A December 2025 New York Times piece digs into why 35 became such a loaded age in the fertility conversation, and what reproductive specialists say the biology actually looks like — including why the term "advanced maternal age" may be doing more harm than good. READ ARTICLE HERE

Gen Z Women Have Significant Gaps in Fertility Knowledge
A January 2026 study published in F&S Reports (the first of its kind) found that only 54% of Gen Z women could accurately identify when fertility begins to decline, and just 29% correctly identified IVF success rates for a 35-year-old. The authors call for a stronger emphasis on fertility education so women can make informed decisions before they're already in crisis mode. READ ARTICLE HERE

New Data on Egg Freezing After 35: Outcomes Are Declining But Not Gone
A comprehensive 2025 study from US Fertility presented at the ASRM Scientific Congress, analyzed outcomes for over 1,100 patients who froze eggs at age 35 and older. Live birth rates decline with age, but the findings show meaningful opportunities remain even into the early 40s, with a 20% live birth rate for patients aged 41–42.
READ ARTICLE HERE

Men Have a Biological Clock Too, and It's Underreported
A 2025 study in Frontiers in Aging found that sperm volume, progressive motility, and total motility all significantly decline as paternal age advances — and that DNA fragmentation increases alongside. Time to conception for men over 45 is five times longer than for men under 25. It's a finding that rarely makes the headlines, but belongs in every conversation about age and family planning. READ ARTICLE HERE

Here's something most people don't know: sperm are renewed on a roughly 74-day cycle. Which means that what a man eats, drinks, sleeps, and does today will be measurably reflected in his sperm quality about three months from now. A low count today isn't necessarily the full story.

Our new deep dive covers the lifestyle changes with the strongest evidence, the supplements worth considering (and the ones that are mostly marketing), and the medical picture, including varicoceles, hormonal imbalances, and when surgery genuinely helps. It also addresses the part nobody talks about enough: the emotional weight of this diagnosis, and why silence rarely serves anyone well.

👉 Read: Can Low Sperm Count Improve? Lifestyle, Supplements, and When to See a Specialist

If you enjoyed this issue of Path to Parenthood, be sure to share with anyone you know who is currently on a TTC journey ❤