Getting pregnant after 40 used to be thought of as impossible. That is no longer the case. Technology has advanced so much that even older women are finding it possible to get pregnant. Obviously, the road ahead for moms who want to get pregnant at age 40 can be a bit longer and more bumpy than for younger moms, but that is not to say the journey is impossible. Here is what you need to know. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
You are born with a certain number of eggs. When they’re gone, they’re gone. As you get older, your body is running out of eggs, and they will stop releasing regularly. For this reason, it can take longer to get pregnant after age 40.
If you are over 40 and trying to conceive, the number one thing for you to remember is to be patient. It can take a lot longer for you to get pregnant now than in your 20’s. By age 40, you only have a 5% chance of getting pregnant any given month, as opposed to a 25% chance when in your 20s. So keep at it!
When you get pregnant in your 20’s or 30’s, there really isn’t a whole lot of focus on risks to your health. As you get older however, pregnancy can trigger pre-existing health conditions that you might have had and cause them to get worse. High blood pressure and diabetes are the most common problems that older moms face. You will have to most likely undergo a lot more testing and monitoring than a younger woman would.
Women over 40 have a greater risk of having a miscarriage or stillbirth. For women in their forties, who get pregnant on their own, the miscarriage rate is pretty high. The miscarriage risk is actually extremely high in your forties when you compare it to your 20’s or 30’s.
This is because your eggs just aren’t as good of quality as you get older, and this increases the risk of miscarriage and other chromosomal defects with every passing year. Poor egg quality is the leading cause of infertility for older women.
Your body will naturally expunge a non-viable pregnancy as a miscarriage, rather than going to term. For example, at age 45, your risk of having a child with Down syndrome is around 1 in 30, compared to 1 in 100 at age 40. Lower birth weight babies and stillbirths are also more common in older mothers. Mothers over 40 also must consider that around half of all deliveries to over 40 moms have to be C-sections.
So, what does this all mean? Pregnancy after 40 is definitely possible, but a much more difficult road to take. Look at the ’19 Kids and Counting’ mom Michelle Duggar who is still trying for #20 at age 46, and has had 3 children in her 40’s already. If you are deciding to try to conceive in your 40’s, you should be well informed of the risks and challenges, to prepare yourself for what becoming a mom will entail.
You will also need to have a close relationship with your physician or health care provider so they can help oversee you every step of the way. The best thing to have is a good support system, and a trusted doctor to help you make the choices that you need to make for your family.
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