ATLANTA -- Iris Pinsky finished college and veterinary school, went into practice and was in her late 30's before deciding to have children.

She was shocked to find out it wouldn't be that easy.

"I was given a one percent chance of conceiving with my own eggs. Of course, that hits you like a ton of bricks."

Today, many women are trying to have it all - a career, a great marriage and then children. That means many are waiting until their late 30's and even 40's to try to become pregnant. Doctors say that many are surprised to learn they may have waited too long. That's because the best and healthiest time for a woman to become pregnant is in her mid-20's.

Dr. Lisa Hasty is a fertility specialist with the Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine. "We're born with all the eggs we're ever going to have. By the time we reach the mid-30's and into the 40's, the quantity of those eggs as well as the quality of those eggs that are remaining is really dwindling."

It's called diminished ovarian reserve, and it happens to all women - even those who take very good care of their health.

Dr. Hasty said it's a fact some women don't know.

VIDEO: Becoming Pregnant After 35 Not Easy

"There's sometimes no symptoms. Most of the time no symptoms. It's not like (women) have hot flashes to warn them. It's not like their periods start to skip. They just have an abnormal blood test in a certain phase of their menstrual cycle that tells a specialist the odds are going to be a lot tougher."

Pinsky had some of those tests.

Doctors tried artificial insemination and then in-vitro fertilization.

She had two miscarriages before she got pregnant with twins.

She miscarried one, but did give birth to a baby girl.

"She was my 40th birthday present."

Pinsky and her husband knew they wanted at least one more child, so they started trying right away and had their son exactly one year later.

Both of her children are perfectly healthy, but women who get pregnant later in life do have an increased risk of not carrying their babies to term or other health problems, both to them and to the baby.

Dr. Hasty said cases like Pinsky's show it's not hopeless, but women need to be realistic and informed.

"Even the highly trained specialist can't make an older egg behave. We can try to get it with IVF (in-vitro fertilization), we can give it medicine, but we're still dealing with nature."

Pinksy has her own message for women who are waiting.

"They need to be aware that their bodies change. Even if you feel physically like you're 20, you're physically not."

Egg Freezing

Older women who are interested in egg freezing also may have waited too long. Egg freezing is used for long-term storage of unfertilized eggs.

Dr Hasty said the prime time to think about freezing eggs is actually in your 20's and certainly before you're 35.

"An older egg doesn't freeze as well. An older egg doesn't behave as well in the IVF lab with freezing. So, it's a possibility, but it's a longer shot the older you are.

Egg Donation

One option for older women who are having difficulty getting pregnant is egg donation. That's where a women becomes pregnant using a donor egg. Dr. Hasty said it's a very common treatment people aren't aware of because many who do it, like to keep it private.

Dr. Hasty said the donor egg comes from a woman in her 20's. She is screened for health reasons, and must be a non-smoker. She also must be willing to got through a time commitment with shots and a small procedure to have her eggs harvested.

"But for the recipient couple, it's amazing. I mean, it's the highest (success) statistic of anything that we do."

LINKS:

Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine
www.AtlantaInfertility.com

For more information on In-Vitro Fertilization go to:
www.AtlantaInfertility.com/IVF

For more information on Egg Freezing go to:
www.AtlantaInfertility.com/Research

For more information on Egg Donation go to:
www.AtlantaInfertility.com/EggDonation/EggRecipient

www.AtlantaInfertility.com/EggDonation/EggDonor