Laura van Loendersloot

Speaker June 5, 2026: dr. L. (Laura) van Loendersloot, together with dr. K. (Kim) Dreyer

Title lecture: Female Fertility and Fertility Preservation: What do you need to know

Over recent decades, the age at first childbirth has increased substantially worldwide. In the Netherlands, the mean age at first birth is approximately 30.4 years (2024) compared to 24,3 (1970), placing Dutch women among the oldest first-time mothers globally. This average age at first childbirth continues to rise. Comparable trends are reported across Europe, North America, and East Asia.Female fertility declines progressively with advancing age because of both diminishing oocyte quantity and quality. The monthly fecundability decreases from approximately 20–25% in women under 30 years to around 10% by the age of 40. In parallel, miscarriage rates increase from 10–15% in women younger than 35 years to over 35–40% in women aged 40 years and older. Unfortunately assisted reproductive technologies are not able to compensate for this age-related fertility decline.As a result, infertility affects an estimated 15–20% of women during their reproductive lifespan and unintended childlessness is reported in approximately 5–10% of women in high-income countries. Despite widespread access to reproductive healthcare, many women seek fertility evaluation at an age when natural conception chances and treatment success rates are already substantially reduced, reflecting gaps in fertility awareness.

Fertility preservation strategies, including oocyte, embryo cryopreservation and ovarian tissue preservation, are now well established in clinical practice. Although initially developed for medical indications such as gonadotoxic treatments, the use of fertility preservation for age-related fertility decline has increased. Fertility preservation should be regarded as a risk-reducing strategy rather a guarantee of future reproductive success.

This presentation provides a clinical overview of age-related fertility decline and unintended childlessness in the Netherlands and global context, emphasizing the importance of timely counseling, realistic expectation management, and the integration of fertility preservation into reproductive healthcare.