What Women Over 35 Need to Know About How to Improve Egg Quality
- Irena Lenc
- Jun 29
- 14 min read
How to improve egg quality? That’s probably what led you here, and it’s a question so many women over 35 quietly carry with them.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re in your mid-to-late thirties (maybe even forties), and you're starting to wonder if time is slipping away. Perhaps you're hopeful, maybe exhausted, or both. Maybe you've already heard one too many comments about "leaving it too late.” I've been there. And I want to start by saying: you are not to blame.
The truth is, life doesn’t follow a perfect timeline. There are countless reasons why motherhood may come later, like building a career, travelling, healing, or waiting for the right relationship.
Before you know it, you're 35+, and suddenly the world starts treating you like a ticking clock. It can feel confronting, even unfair. But underneath all that pressure is a biological truth we need to understand clearly: fertility declines with age. That doesn’t mean it’s over, and it certainly doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do.
So, let’s press pause on that panic because understanding what’s really going on can be incredibly grounding.
In this article, I’ll explore:
How to improve egg quality
What does that term mean
What can be influenced
How your daily choices matter
Additionally, I’ll share:
The science behind egg development
Explain what’s in your control
Guide you through the most evidence-based lifestyle shifts that can support your fertility, even after 35
Note: This article pairs with my next piece, which discusses the science behind why fertility declines with age. If you’d like to be notified when it’s live, subscribe below.
But for now? This is about what’s still possible and what’s worth focusing on.
Why Does Female Fertility Decrease With Age?
It’s no secret that fertility shifts as we age, but why does female fertility decrease with age, and what does that mean for you? Too often, the answers are wrapped in fear or oversimplified in charts and soundbites. Let’s unpack the real story together, with clarity and compassion.
Why Women Start Later
There are so many reasons why women are having children later in life, and none of them make us selfish. We're getting married later, housing is painfully expensive, and building a career or financial stability comes first for many of us.
Add in travel, relationships, healing from past hurts, or caring for others, and it’s no wonder that starting a family happens a little later. These aren’t excuses. They’re the realities of modern life, and we shouldn’t have to apologise for them.
But while our reasons are valid, our biology doesn’t always keep pace with modern life. So let’s look at the changes in our bodies and what that means for our chances of conceiving naturally.
What Changes Biologically?
From a Western medical perspective, fertility declines with age primarily due to two factors: the number of eggs you have and the quality of those eggs. Here’s a more detailed explanation:
At birth: A female baby is born with a substantial number of eggs, typically between 1 and 2 million.
Before puberty: The number of eggs continues to decline as the child grows. By the time a girl reaches puberty, she’ll have around 300,000 to 500,000 eggs left.
Throughout life: The egg count continues to decrease, and the decline accelerates with age.
No new eggs: Women do not produce new eggs during their lifetime. The eggs they are born with are all the eggs we will ever have.
Menopause: Eventually, the egg supply is depleted, leading to menopause.
As mentioned above, as women age, the number of eggs and their quality decline, particularly after age 35. This decline is due to two main factors:
A decrease in the number of available eggs
An increase in the likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities within the remaining eggs
This combination is why conception can become more challenging over time. But knowing what’s happening gives you the clarity to take proactive, meaningful steps forward.
What Exactly Is Declining?
When we talk about egg quality declining with age, we’re not talking about something abstract. Real, biological shifts happen inside the body, and changes affect whether an egg can mature properly, be fertilised, and grow into a healthy embryo. This isn’t about blame or fear. It’s about understanding what’s happening, so you can support your body in the most thoughtful, effective way possible.
Let’s start with chromosomal stability, one of the most well-documented changes that occurs as eggs age.
Chromosomal Stability
As we age, our eggs are more likely to develop chromosomal abnormalities, which means they may have too few or too many chromosomes. For example, instead of the typical 23 chromosomes, an egg might carry 22 or 24. Therefore, when fertilising that egg, the resulting embryo may have an incorrect number of chromosomes, a condition known as aneuploidy.
Aneuploidy is one of the leading causes of early miscarriage and failed implantation. Studies show that over half of embryos in women over 40 have some form of chromosomal issue. These abnormalities can prevent the embryo from developing properly, or in some cases, may lead to conditions like Down syndrome.
This decline in chromosomal stability begins gradually in the early 30s and accelerates after age 37, which is why it’s recommended for women 35+ to seek fertility evaluation after six months of trying.
That said, it’s important to remember that these challenges are not your fault. They are part of the natural ageing process and not a reflection of your health, effort, or potential. And while the risks do increase with age, many eggs remain healthy, and pregnancy is still very much possible.
Mitochondrial Energy
The mitochondria are like tiny power plants inside each egg. They generate the energy needed for the egg to mature properly, complete the fertilisation process, and support the earliest stages of embryo development.
But as we age, mitochondrial function begins to decline. The mitochondria in our eggs produce less energy and may become less efficient, or even stop working altogether. This reduced energy output can make it harder for an egg to divide and grow after fertilisation, even if it’s technically viable.
Think of it like trying to run a home on a flickering torch battery; there’s simply not enough power to keep things going as they should. This decline in mitochondrial function is one of the key reasons egg quality affects the likelihood of conception. But unlike the genetic makeup of your eggs, mitochondrial health is something you can influence.
Lifestyle changes can all help reduce oxidative stress and support healthier mitochondrial function, such as:
Eating a nutrient-rich, antioxidant-heavy diet
Exercising regularly
Reducing chronic stress
Getting quality sleep
While these habits don’t turn back time, they give your eggs a better environment in which to thrive.
DNA Integrity
Over time, the DNA inside our eggs is exposed to natural wear and tear from things like oxidative stress, environmental toxins, and simply the passage of time. Unlike skin or blood cells, our eggs don’t regenerate or renew. The ones you’re born with are the same ones you’re working with decades later. As a result, accumulated damage from oxidative stress, toxins, or inflammation can impact the DNA inside those eggs.
Furthermore, as eggs age, the integrity of their DNA can become compromised. This may disrupt the delicate process of cell division that follows fertilisation, reducing the chances of a successful implantation or pregnancy.
A 2024 StatPearls study highlights how reduced DNA repair mechanisms and increased DNA fragmentation are major contributors to declining egg quality and lower fertility outcomes in women over 35.
Again, this isn't meant to frighten you but to empower you. Once we understand what’s happening on a cellular level, we can support our egg health naturally through our choices.
What Egg Quality Really Means
The female egg is the largest cell in the body, and like every other cell, its quality declines with age. But what exactly does “egg quality” mean?
There are two parts to it:
The genetic component: This is fixed. You can’t change the genetic makeup of your eggs.
The developmental environment: This can be influenced. This includes things like oxidative stress, inflammation, blood flow, hormone levels, and energy production.
In simple terms:
Whatever harms cells, like smoking, alcohol, and poor sleep, will harm egg quality.
Whatever supports healthy cells, like nutrient-dense food, rest, and movement, will improve it.
And here's something few people realise:
It takes about 290 days for a primordial follicle to fully develop into a secondary follicle, which can then be selected for ovulation. That’s roughly 10 menstrual cycles, meaning everything about your lifestyle during that time can make a meaningful difference.
The Problem with the Statistics
We’ve all heard the scary statistics, and yes, undeniably, fertility declines with age. And so it should; we meant to experience menopause eventually. It’s important to remember that the current body of evidence on how fertility declines is based on small and non-diverse sample sizes, lacking research on how different lifestyles and nutrition can affect fertility outcomes. Small or unrepresentative groups might not fully reflect the diversity of women’s experiences today.
Also, fertility does decline with age, but that decline doesn’t follow the same path for every woman. And here’s the good news: how to improve egg quality isn’t a mystery. There’s so much you can do to support your eggs and give your body the best possible environment to conceive naturally from the inside out.
6 Ways To Improve Egg Quality With Lifestyle Changes
This part often gets overlooked, but it’s where you have the most influence.
Your daily choices shape the environment in which your eggs mature, impacting everything from hormone balance and inflammation to how well your ovaries function.
I say this based on research, personal experience, and the lived stories of the women I’ve worked with. The truth is that how you eat, move, rest, and care for your emotional well-being can profoundly support egg quality. These changes are not about quick fixes or overnight transformations. They’re about creating a nourishing, sustainable rhythm in your life that your fertility can thrive within.
If you’re wondering where to start, here are six gentle but powerful shifts to guide you.
1. Mediterranean-Style Nutrition
I always start with food because it’s something you do every day and has one of the strongest impacts on egg health. My go-to recommendation is a Mediterranean-style diet, ideally adapted to your cycle. But here are the essentials:
What to do: Eat a diet rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, fibre, and key micronutrients like folate, zinc, selenium, and vitamin D.
How it helps: This reduces oxidative stress, one of the primary causes of DNA damage in egg cells and poor embryo development.
Best foods: Berries, leafy greens, fatty fish, avocados, nuts, and whole grains.
This isn’t a fad diet; it’s a way of eating that supports your hormones and helps protect your eggs.
And it's not just my opinion. A 2022 study (the LORe Cohort) found that women who followed this kind of antioxidant-rich diet had higher AMH levels. That’s encouraging because it shows how responsive your body can be when you give it the right building blocks.
Last but not least, I encourage you to use my recipe section for inspiration, that's what it is here for!
2. Regular Exercise
Exercise is one of those things that’s often overlooked in fertility conversations, but it plays a much bigger role than most people realise. Regularly moving your body improves blood flow to your ovaries and uterus, supporting egg maturation and hormonal balance. It also helps to regulate insulin levels, which is especially important if you're dealing with PCOS or struggling with irregular cycles.
Remember, movement is medicine, but it doesn’t have to mean going to the gym every day.
What to do: Aim for moderate activity for 30 – 60 minutes, approximately 3 to 4 times a week.
How it helps: Exercise improves blood flow to reproductive organs, reduces inflammation, and lowers insulin resistance, all of which benefit ovarian function and hormone regulation.
The key is consistency, not intensity. I often tell my clients that they’re not training for a marathon; they’re training for motherhood. Activities like walking, pilates, swimming, or gentle yoga are ideal.
3. Stress Reduction
I see stress in nearly every woman who walks through my clinic doors. While we often treat it as a part of modern life, it has a real impact on fertility. When stress levels stay high, your body produces more cortisol, which disrupts the delicate balance needed for ovulation.
What to do: Meditation, therapy, mindfulness, journaling, or simply making more time for sleep, rest, and the things that bring you joy.
How it helps: Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts hormonal signalling from your brain to your ovaries. This interference can delay or even suppress ovulation, affecting the quality of your eggs over time.
Here are a few tools I often recommend to clients:
Journaling or expressive writing can release emotional tension.
Breathing exercises or guided meditation. Just five minutes can create space for calm.
Regular breaks from screens and overstimulation help your nervous system reset.
Changing a job that does not serve your stress levels is also a very good idea.
Studies show that reducing stress can lead to more regular menstrual cycles and improved ovarian function. But beyond the research, I’ve seen it first-hand: when women begin to rest and soften, their cycles often respond. So, give yourself that permission and remember that it’s not a luxury, it’s part of your care plan.
4. Limit Alcohol and Avoid Smoking
These may seem obvious, but they’re still worth saying.
Why it matters: Smoking damages ovarian DNA and accelerates follicle loss. Heavy alcohol use disrupts hormone regulation and ovulatory function.
What to change: Quit smoking entirely. Limit alcohol to one drink or less per day, or ideally, avoid it altogether if you're actively trying to conceive.
These changes may feel small, but they remove direct and measurable stressors on your fertility.
5. Minimise Environmental Toxins
Although I don’t specialise in this area, it’s still worth becoming more aware of because hormonal balance is delicate, and certain chemicals can disrupt it.
What to do: Reduce exposure to endocrine disruptors like BPA, phthalates, and parabens, commonly found in plastics, cosmetics, and household cleaners.
How it helps: These compounds can mimic oestrogen and interfere with follicle development and egg maturation.
You don’t have to aim for perfection. Even small changes, like using a glass water bottle or switching to fragrance-free lotions, can ease the burden on your hormonal system.
6. Maintain a Healthy Weight and Metabolic Balance
When it comes to fertility, weight is often misrepresented. Being underweight or overweight can interfere with ovulation, but it’s not about BMI alone.
What to do: Rather than focusing on a specific number on the scale, the goal is to support your body’s natural hormonal rhythm through balanced, steady nourishment and energy.
Why it matters: Your weight affects more than appearance. It also impacts insulin sensitivity, hormonal signalling, and inflammation. All of these affect how your ovaries function and how your eggs mature.
Therefore, I often suggest:
Eat regularly and don’t skip meals, especially breakfast.
Prioritise protein-rich breakfasts to help stabilise blood sugar and hormones.
Limit excess caffeine and alcohol, both of which can disrupt hormone regulation.
Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods rather than restriction.
Interestingly, a 2014 Japanese study showed that lifestyle changes improved AMH levels in women of various BMIs, even without significant weight loss. It’s not about a number on a scale. It’s about how well your body is being supported.
Remember, small, consistent changes that support stable energy and hormonal balance can go a long way in improving your fertility environment. It's about creating safety and steadiness, not pushing or punishing yourself.
How do These Changes Influence Biologically?
Let’s be honest: lifestyle changes won’t reverse time. But they can influence key processes involved in egg quality and overall fertility. Therefore, when applied consistently, they can:
Reduce oxidative stress, helping to protect against chromosomal abnormalities.
Improve mitochondrial function, which powers egg maturation and early embryo development.
Stabilise hormone levels like LH, FSH, and insulin, which are essential for ovulation.
Enhance endometrial health, increasing the chances of successful implantation.
These are not abstract improvements. They’re measurable, real-world shifts in how your body prepares for and supports conception. Also, never forget that you’re not trying to be perfect. Instead, remind yourself that you’re supporting the cells that matter most with what they need to thrive.
How Do I Know If I Have Good Egg Quality?
How do I know if I have good egg quality? It’s a question I’m always asked, and the honest answer is: there’s no direct test.
We can estimate how many eggs you might have left (your ovarian reserve), but when it comes to how well those eggs will function, that’s harder to measure.
That said, your body offers clues that often reflect how your eggs are doing. And as you’ll soon see, this ties in closely with how to improve egg quality, too.
What Can Be Measured?
The most commonly used marker in fertility assessments is AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone), a blood test that gives insight into one's ovarian reserve.
Ovarian reserve: AMH levels are directly related to the number of small follicles developing in the ovaries. These follicles contain immature eggs, and their count gives a reliable indication of how many eggs you likely have left.
Fertility assessment: AMH testing is considered a valuable tool for assessing a woman’s fertility potential. While it doesn’t measure egg quality, it offers a window into the remaining egg supply.
Age and AMH: AMH levels naturally decline with age, in parallel with the natural decrease in egg quantity. This is why AMH is often used in conjunction with age to guide fertility planning and treatment decisions.
Polycystic ovaries (PCO): Women with polycystic ovaries may have higher-than-average AMH levels due to a larger number of small follicles. This can sometimes give a misleading impression of fertility, so interpretation should always consider the broader hormonal picture.
How it’s measured: AMH is measured through a simple blood test. One advantage is that the test can be taken during your cycle, as AMH levels remain relatively stable.
Results are usually expressed in nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml) or picomoles per litre (pmol/L).
What the levels mean:
High AMH: May indicate a higher ovarian reserve
Normal AMH: Typically falls within a range that reflects good ovarian reserve and fertility potential.
Low AMH: May suggest a diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) or a smaller number of remaining eggs.
It’s important to stress that AMH reflects quantity, not quality. A low AMH level does not mean your eggs are of poor quality. Likewise, a high AMH doesn’t guarantee fertility. Like all fertility tests, it must be understood in context, with age, cycle health, and personal history in mind.
What Are the Indirect Clues?
This is where you can really connect the dots for yourself and learn how to support egg quality. When hormones function well, your menstrual cycle reflects that internal harmony. The signs of good egg quality tend to show up as:
Consistent, regular ovulation (track this with basal body temperature or ovulation predictor kits)
A healthy luteal phase (typically 10–14 days, showing strong progesterone support)
Clear, stretchy cervical mucus around ovulation (a sign of healthy oestrogen levels)
A distinct BBT rise post-ovulation, indicating ovulation has occurred and progesterone is being made
Stable mood and energy levels throughout your cycle (emotional balance is often a reflection of hormonal balance)
These may seem subtle, but they speak volumes. Learning to read your body’s signals can be a game-changer, especially when you're navigating bigger questions like why does females fertility decrease with age.
Yes, age has an influence, but it’s not the full picture, and it’s definitely not the end of the story. You're no longer in the dark when you understand your cycle, cervical mucus, and temperature shifts. You’re in the driver’s seat.
And if you’ve been quietly wondering whether you’re still in your peak fertility age, let me reassure you that there’s no sudden cliff you fall off at 35 or 37. Fertility declines gradually, and every woman’s journey is different.
I’ve worked with women who conceived naturally at 42 and others who struggled earlier. That’s why listening to your body matters far more than fixating on your birth year.
Curious about the signs that may point to declining egg quality? Make sure to read my companion article to this one.
Final Reflections on How to Improve Egg Quality
So, where does all this leave us?
Yes, age matters, but it’s not the full story, and it’s certainly not a verdict. I’ve learned personally and through years of working with women that there’s always something we can do. And often, it starts with tuning in rather than pushing through.
How to improve egg quality isn’t about chasing perfection or rigid routines. It’s about creating an internal environment where your body feels safe, nourished, and supported, so your eggs can do what they’re naturally designed to do.
There’s so much within your power, starting with understanding and supporting your body with intention. Remember, you are not too old, too late, or too broken. And more importantly, you are not a lost cause.
With love and belief in you,
Irena x
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