How I Got Pregnant At Age 43 + Lime & Tahini Kale Salad
I still remember the first time I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome . On one level I was relieved to have a reason for my irregular periods. But then came the real shock.
Its going to be really difficult for you to fall pregnant naturally.
Ouch.
I was 31 and newly married. It wasnt something I wanted to hear.
But life has a funny way of working out for the best. Even when things seem to be going seriously off the rails.
That marriage didnt work out. For a while I got used to the idea of never having a family of my own. And I was cool with that.
And then I met a certain Irishman.
After a while things were getting serious so I felt I had to share my big fertility problem. I knew he really wanted to have a family so I was pretty much expecting that to be the end of that.
But he wasnt put off. In fact he didnt seem to think it would be a problem.
Now that we have one beautiful boy and another babe due very soon, Im so grateful that this is where we ended up.
Ive really wanted to share my story because I know how frustrating fertility problems can be. And I also know how unhelpful modern medicine can be.
If this can help just one other couple, it will be worth writing.
Of course, if youre already sorted in the fertility department, just skip down to this weeks recipe. Its delicious whether you have a family or not!
In Vitro Fertilization :
If IUI is not recommended or was not successful after several cycles, your reproductive endocrinologists will likely recommend progressing to IVF. IVF has become the gold standard of fertility care and boasts the highest success rates per cycle of any Assisted Reproductive Technology . It successfully eliminates many female and male factors that may be contributing to your inability to conceive.
Women who switch from IUI to IVF sooner or begin with IVF get pregnant quicker than those who stick or start with IUI. found that undergoing immediate IVF resulted in superior pregnancy rates with fewer treatment cycles compared to those who did two rounds of IUI before switching to IVF. While the immediate IVF group got pregnant quicker, the overall success after up to 6 IVF cycles was similar.
During an IVF cycle, eggs are removed from the females ovaries and fertilized using partner or donor sperm in a laboratory . Embryos are allowed to develop for several days at which point, one embryo is transferred back into the womans uterus. IVF is used in conjunction with many different medication protocols to produce more eggs, higher quality sperm, embryos, and improve the uterine lining.
Therefore, if IVF is not successful after several cycles and egg quality is believed to be a likely cause, your reproductive endocrinologist will likely suggest using an egg donor.
Understanding Your Fertility At 40
As a woman, your chances of conceiving especially naturally decrease as you age. Your chances of getting pregnant each month are 25% in your 20s. Research shows that fertility begins to decline after age 32 and that the decline rapidly increases after age 37. By age 40, your chances of getting pregnant each month are less than 5%.
Doctors estimate that about half of women in their 40s who try to conceive naturally will do so successfully. Using IVF, however, as many as 22% of women over 40 are able to conceive. Women who undergo IVF using donor eggs may have even higher success rates. Even so, the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth is higher in women over 40. There is also a higher risk of pregnancy complications in the mother and birth defects in the child.
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Know When To Seek Help
Both the woman and the man should consider having an infertility evaluation if the woman is 35 or older and has not become pregnant after six months of having sex regularly without using birth control, Pavone said.
Pavone also recommended that a woman who is under 35 and her partner should consult a fertility specialist if she hasn’t become pregnant after one year of having unprotected intercourse on a regular basis.
How To Get Pregnant: Tips And Facts To Increase Fertility
ByCari Nierenberg, Sarah Wildpublished 10 December 21
We’ve spoken to the experts to come up with 10 tips for how to get pregnant quickly and safely.
You may have many questions about how to get pregnant, particularly if you have an underlying condition. Taking care of your body is a good first step to optimize your fertility. But what else can you do to improve your odds of having a baby?
The most important advice for a woman who wants to get pregnant is to get to know her body, specifically her menstrual cycle, said Dr. Mary Ellen Pavone, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, and medical director of the in-vitro fertilization program at Northwestern Medicine’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility division in Chicago.
“It’s important to know how far apart her cycles are so she can more accurately time intercourse to try to get pregnant,” Pavone said.
We’ve highlighted the top ten tips that may help increase your chances of becoming pregnant. As always with this type of information make sure to speak to a medical professional as this advice is broad and you may require specialist attention. You should still find this article and accompanying video on how to get pregnant useful.
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Other Questions About Getting Pregnant
Can you get pregnant while breastfeeding?
Yes, a woman can get pregnant while breastfeeding. It is possible to become pregnant as soon as three weeks after giving birth, even if the person is exclusively breastfeeding and has yet to begin menstruating again according to the U.K.’s National Health Service .
Can you get pregnant on your period?
Yes, it is possible to get pregnant if a woman has sex during their period, according to theCleveland Clinic . A woman is less likely to get pregnant during menstruation, but it is still possible. Women are most fertile around the time they ovulate, but predicting this window is not an exact science and this is particularly true for women who have irregular periods.
How to get pregnant fast
Many people want to know how to get pregnant as quickly as possible. There is no sure-fire way of ensuring a speedy conception, however by following the science and evidence the above tips can help you find the most optimal times to have sex and get pregnant.
Are pregnancy tests accurate?
When used properly, pregnancy tests are claimed to be up to 99% effective, according to the Mayo Clinic . If your test reads positive, this is rarely an error, however false negatives are more common, according to the NHS.
A pregnancy test works by detecting the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone . Around six days after successful fertilisation, the body produces this hormone.
Getting Pregnant Naturally After 40
Putting motherhood off until later life may be common now, but that does not mean that it is easy to conceive naturally, or even with the help of fertility treatments, once you are over 40. How can you boost your chances of getting pregnant naturally? And what else do you need to know about pregnancy in your forties?
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Are There Any Risks To Getting Pregnant After 40
Another common concern for pregnancy after 40 involves risk factors and the health & safety of the baby. The good news is that most women who become pregnant in their late thirties or early forties can do so safely, but does that mean there is no risk involved. As the maternal age increases, studies have shown that the chances of miscarriage or birth defects in newborns also increase.
So if you do become pregnant 40, there are several precautions you can take to ensure your babys health. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout pregnancy and having a solid birth plan in place are great places to start. One option you may want to consider during pregnancy is storing your babys cord blood or cord tissue with a family stem cell bank. Cord blood banking is the process of collecting the umbilical cord blood and extracting its stem cells. Once the stem cells have been extracted, they are cryogenically frozen for potential future medical use for your child .
Learning how to get pregnant after 40 fast may require more effort and time than you might think, but it is possible!
*For informational purposes only. Not intended for medical purposes or medical advice.
What Fertility Test Should I Take
You should look at fertility testing in a focused way where you can slowly analyze all the potential factors. Your partner should also be concurrently taking fertility tests with you. You should try to start with the least invasive tests first. However, the most important thing is to tailor your testing to your unique situation, medical history, and time frame.
Some of the steps that are taken and the tests that are generally considered first are:
If you take all of these tests and still do not find a cause, you could also take the following tests:
If you remain unable to figure out what may be causing your infertility, you could take these tests:
- Antibody blood tests. These tests can pick up on antisperm elements in someones blood or genital fluids. These tests are controversial within the healthcare community, so proceed with caution.
- Chromosome or genetic testing. There are some genetic disorders that can interfere with your ability to become pregnant and carry a child to term. To test for these disorders, you can either take a chromosome analysis or a genetic test.
- Hysteroscopy. These tests are ordered to look at urine lighting. They are performed by putting a small lighted scope in your vagina. Your doctor may also take out growths or samples from your fallopian tubes during this test.
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What I Learned From Being Pregnant In My 40s
Leslie discusses how she approached pregnancy at age 42.
Motherhood wasnt always a top priority for Leslie. With a successful law career, family nearby, and lots of friends, she was happy with how things were.
Her perspective changed when she met her partner Aaron. After two years of dating, they decided to try for a baby but being in their early 40s, they didnt expect it to be easy.
From that moment on, Leslies experience was full of surprises. She shares her story with ACOG in this edited interview.
ACOG: Where does this story start, for you?
Leslie: I was never one of those people who said, I have to have a kid, I have to be a mom. I was very content with the way my life was.
And then I met Aaron, whos now my fiancé. I had just turned 40, and he was 41. We just started talking about it. He was very used to being around a lot of kids and as an only child, I didnt grow up with any of that.
Aaron is the only person I would have considered doing this with. I joke that hes more maternal than I am. So we said, OK, lets give it a shot. If it happens, great. If it doesnt, well still have a great life.
ACOG: Did you have any trouble getting pregnant?
Leslie: I completely expected that I would not be able to get pregnant easily. I had frozen my eggs when I was 37, just because I didnt know the direction my life would take. So that was our back-up plan. We decided we would try on our own for 6 months, and then maybe wed try with the frozen eggs.
Youre Comfortable In Your Relationships
Whether this is work or professional, stable relationships are important. You and your partner have likely been working on your relationship for a bit longer than younger couples. A strong relationship with your employer will also allow you to return to work easier than women who havent had their career as long.
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How Does Age Affect Labor And Delivery
Vaginal delivery may be less likely after the age of 40. This is primarily due to fertility treatments that can increase risk for premature birth. You may also be at an increased risk of preeclampsia, which may necessitate a cesarean delivery to save both mother and baby.
If your baby is delivered vaginally, the process may be more challenging as you get older. Theres also an increased risk of stillbirth.
Many women do successfully deliver healthy babies at or over the age of 40. Talk to your doctor about what to expect, and come up with a backup plan. For example, if youre planning a vaginal delivery, talk to your partner and support group about what help youll need if you require a cesarean delivery instead.
Age in and of itself does not increase your risk for multiples. However, women who use fertility drugs or IVF for conception are at a higher risk of twins or multiples. Infertility. . This is because of the way the medications increase ovulation.
Having twins also increases the risk that your babies will be more prematurely.
Cut Back On Strenuous Workouts
Being physically active most days of the week can help a woman’s body prepare for the demands of pregnancy and labor, and has been associated with a reduced risk of fertility problems, scientists reported in the March 2020 issue of the journalHuman Reproduction . But getting too much exercise or doing frequent strenuous workouts could interfere with ovulation,Live Science reported.
Doctors see a lot of menstrual disturbances in women who exercise heavily, and a lot of times these women need to cut back on their workouts if they want to become pregnant, Pavone told Live Science.
Related: Can you run while pregnant?
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Rebekah Grace Rivera Yoga And Meditation Facilitator Children At 35 And 40
What was your experience of being pregnant?
I was newly 40 when I conceived my son. With my daughter, I conceived at 34 and gave birth at 35. There is a lot of truth to the line, every pregnancy is different. I feel blessed to have had the chance to live that experience.
Physically, my pregnancy with my daughter was a breeze. I taught yoga and was very active all the way up until the day she arrived, but I struggled to accept my rapidly changing body and feared the death of my identity. I find this humorous looking back. With my son, I had the opposite experience.
My pregnancy was physically challenging. I struggled with SI issues, pubic shearing, nausea, exhaustion, and foot pain. But I loved everything about being pregnant. I found my body beautifully amazing and took every opportunity to flash my bump. All of his movements brought me so much joy. I found that the physical restrictions became a way for me to connect to my body and make peace with the new pace of life. I was just so grateful for him and a healthy pregnancy. Nothing else mattered.
Did you have trouble conceiving?
Yes, neither pregnancy came easily. In between my two children, I also had two losses: an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage. Due to both losses and my age, we started down the road of IVF. My body completely rejected the drugs so we took a step back and paused. During this time we unexpectedly conceived naturally.
Were you worried about pregnancy over 40?
Risks Of Getting Pregnant In Your 40s Is It Safe
For most women, getting pregnant and delivering a baby after the age of 40 is safe, and its on the rise. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since the early 1980s, births among women ages 40-44 have continued to climb even as the overall birth rate in the U.S. has fallen to a record low. In fact, women 40-45 was the only age group not to decline. This trend reflects the cultural shift to women choosing to complete their education, build careers, and waiting to find the right partner before starting a family. Its also a vote of confidence in the assisted reproductive techniques and fertility centers that are sometimes required to make childbearing at an advanced maternal age possible. Plenty of celebrity moms like Janet Jackson and Halle Berry have become the face of women who ignored and ultimately beat their biological clocks.
This is not to say that carrying a child later in life is easy or without risks. Older moms have an increased risk of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia , and intrauterine growth restriction, which can cause premature delivery. They are also more likely to need a C-section because older uteruses sometimes dont contract as well as needed for a vaginal delivery. There are also greater risks to an older mom after the child is born, including postpartum hemorrhage or excessive bleeding.
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Are You Too Old To Have A Baby At 40 Or In Your Late 30s
Studies show that womens ovarian reserve goes down significantly after 37 years old, and at the age of 40 your chances of conceiving are just over 20%, but there are many reasons why you might be trying for a baby at this age. You might be trying for your first baby or you might want to add an additional member to the family.
Sometimes it just cant be planned and isnt within your control it could take a long time to find the right partner, you might have been trying to get pregnant for years with your first or you might be experiencing secondary infertility. Or perhaps you were prioritising your career or didnt see having a baby as something that you wanted to do earlier. Feeling ready to have a baby is a deeply personal choice.
