Game Time: Fertility Fact or Fiction: Dr. Ghadir Answers the Myths Women Over 40 Hear Most
Fertility is one of the most confusing and myth-filled topics women over 40 face — so in this game episode, we’re cutting straight through the noise. Dr. Shahin Ghadir joins me for a rapid-fire round of Fertility Fact or Fiction, where he breaks down the biggest misconceptions about egg freezing, age, hormones, IVF, and what’s actually possible in midlife.
From whether freezing your eggs guarantees a future pregnancy to the truth about age, embryo quality, and the surprising myths that still circulate in the media, Dr. Ghadir brings clarity and evidence to questions so many women are afraid to ask.
This is a quick, sharp, no-nonsense episode designed to give you real answers — and help you feel informed, empowered, and grounded in facts rather than fear.
Transcript
Fertility fact or fertility fiction? Freezing your eggs guarantees you a baby later fiction.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:What if your Future husband is 90 years old and has one measly sperm?
Roxy Manning:That would be a problem. What do you think about these acupuncture treatments and things like that for fertility?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:That's not going to get you pregnant, but being calm, cool and collected during the time that you're trying to conceive is important.
Roxy Manning:Oldest person that you have seen conceive naturally?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:I think 48.
Roxy Manning:Okay. Lucky gal there.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Yeah, she won the lotto.
Roxy Manning:We always like to play a game, so would you be game?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Sure, let's play. I love games.
Roxy Manning:All right, perfect. This game is called Fertility fact or fertility fiction.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Okay, Love it.
Roxy Manning:So I'll give you a statement and you tell me if it's fact or fiction.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:All right.
Roxy Manning:You can't get pregnant naturally after 45.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Fiction. Some people can.
Roxy Manning:Yeah, some people can. You do hear those stories, you know. Freezing your eggs guarantees you a baby later fiction.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:There is no guarantee with freezing your eggs.
Roxy Manning:Okay. So you could freeze an amazing quality egg and it just doesn't implant or the pregnancy.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:What if your Future husband is 90 years old and has one measly sperm?
Roxy Manning:Yeah, that would be a problem.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Yep.
Roxy Manning:For pregnancy at least. Sperm quality doesn't decline until after 60.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Fiction. Sperm quality starts to decline around 40.
Roxy Manning:Oh, okay, this is interesting. So their men and women are on a similar trajectory as far as like the quality of the egg and sperm goes the decline.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:For men, it never stops. They continue to make sperm. But some men's sperm starts to decline around 40, but unlike women, it doesn't end.
So you may have average sperm and be 60, but still have it.
Roxy Manning:Okay, so the quantity is still there. The quantity kind of never drops.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:They both drop. They both drop. Okay, but it's still usable and you can still make a kid with it.
Roxy Manning:Yeah, even a 90 year old. Like you're saying one sperm maybe does the trick.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Yep.
Roxy Manning:That's so interesting. IVF works the first time for most women.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Fact. Okay, so I think it depends on where you go, but I have a lot of patients that it does work the first time. Okay.
Roxy Manning:Oh, that's 84%, right?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:84%. Well, 84% of a transfer led to pregnancy. Sometimes it took two or three tries to get an embryo to go to a transfer. Okay, so there's two parts to ivf.
Making of the healthy embryo and then the transfer of the embryo.
Roxy Manning:Okay. Which part is more harrowing or more difficult?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:That's a really good question. I think they both Are. The first part involves a lot of protocols and monitoring and timing.
The second part takes a lot of skill with transfer and preparing of the lining and the way the technique you put an embryo. So they're both very, very one mess in either of them. And you have no pregnancy.
Roxy Manning:So it is like just. I mean, both have to be so exact.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Yes.
Roxy Manning:Okay. IUIs have a much lower rate of success than IVF.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Fact. Much lower.
Roxy Manning:Much lower. Is there a percentage?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:It depends on your age.
Roxy Manning:Okay. Is there an upper limit for iui, you think?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Well, our natural conception rates for women and their peak of fertility is about 25% per month.
Roxy Manning:Okay.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:You cannot. An IUI will help you get to that level again at. On its best day ever. And that's very, very rare. Yes.
Roxy Manning:Stress can ruin your chances of conception.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Trick, because it's complicated. Under the most stressful environments in the world, people have still gotten pregnant.
But I believe, and I believe that stress can do anything, including keeping you from getting pregnant as well. So it's a yes and no.
Roxy Manning:What do you think about these acupuncture treatments and things like that for fertility?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:I think that if you're going to a good acupuncturist, that calms you down, makes you feel great, makes you feel reset, you should do it. That's not going to get you pregnant, but being calm, cool, and collected during the time that you're trying to conceive is important.
Roxy Manning:Okay. So just relax about it for as much as you can. Okay.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Yes.
Roxy Manning:Okay. You need 20 plus eggs to have a shot at pregnancy.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Statistic fact. So there are studies that have said that when you are 35 to 39 years of age, you should have 20 to 26 eggs to get a live birth.
Roxy Manning:Really?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:So that's just.
Roxy Manning:You conceive naturally, like if you try to do natural conception?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:No, that's. What if you're freezing an egg.
Roxy Manning:Oh, okay. Okay.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:So. So if you're freezing your eggs and you're 35 to 39 and you want to have one child, your goal should be around 20 eggs. Okay.
Roxy Manning:Should be around 20 eggs. Okay. And what is the oldest person that you have seen conceived naturally?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:I think 48.
Roxy Manning:Okay. Where it just. It just happened for. For them.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:They weren't just happened. Wow.
Roxy Manning:No treatments, nothing, huh?
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Yeah.
Roxy Manning:Well, lucky, lucky gal there.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Yeah, she won the lotto.
Roxy Manning:Thank you so much. I really appreciate you coming on.
Dr. Shahin Ghadir:Thank you. I loved being on. This was so much fun. Thank you so much.
