I Am 47 Years Old and I Want to Get Pregnant

P., it isn't worth the risk. Why not adopt a small child? There are children who would love to have you as a Mom and you wouldn't have the risk.

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It's possible, but it depends on a lot of factors as to whether or not it's probable. General health, weight, hormonal production, all play parts along with egg viability and physical capability (because anyone from 15-90 can have uterine form that can make it impossible/difficult/hard/or easy to carry a child to term.). Plus a whole bunch of other things.

One of my very best friends, was put up for adoption at birth, because her bio-mom not only already had 5 kids...but more than 11 grandchildren. She was 58 when she became pregnant with my friend. My friend was lucky in that she has none of the genetic problems that can result from a late life birth.

I personally know 3 women in their 50"s, and hundreds of women in their 40's who've gotten pregnant the old fashioned way and given birth to healthy children. Of course, statistically, the chances of that happen go down as we age. What is it? a 1 in 6 chance of having a baby with Downs after the age of 40 something? Instead of 1 in several thousand if you give birth in your teens or twenties?

So is it possible? Yes. Are the risks higher (genetic abnormalities, inability to conceive, etc.)? Yes. Do either of those things mean you *shouldn't*? Nope. Just statistical data. (Shouldn't, btw, I mean by how much of a risk does it put your life in). To know whether or not you could/should, it would be best to work with a doctor... regardless of whether or not you do the whole fertility specialty thing... a good ob/gyn will be able to do an evaluation/risk assessment... and you can go from there.

:) Good Luck!!!

(And just as a "you go girl" kind of thing... I was the absolute youngest mom in both preschool and K. There was only one or two moms in their 30's, the rest were all in their 40's & 50's.)

Hi P.,
I completely sympathize with what you are going through.
I surely don't want to discourage you BUT..
Having learned the hard way and spending sixty thousand dollars , maybe more, on IVF when we were the same age as you, adoption turned out to be the best choice for us. My advice ,save your money and find a good attorney or agency. When your body is headed toward menopause do you want to fill it up with synthetic hormones and miscarriage again? Infertility clinics are not called fertility clinics and probably for good reason. Something to seriously think about. Once you hold the baby that comes to you, you will know what I mean. It is truly a blessing.
Best Intentions,

Hi P.....I totally understand and empathize with you; I had always wanted to be pregnant, but it was just not in the cards. My husband and I started going down the fertility path but given the costs involved, the emotional toll it can take on both parties, the high risk of complications and health issues and the fairly small success rate, we looked into adoption. Our daughter was born, with us both in the delivery room, 12 years ago and she is absolutely the light of our lives! I have 3 stepchildren who were all in their teens when she was born and it was a wonderful experience for all of them. At the time she was born, my husband and I were both in our 40's. We can not imagine our lives without her and we couldn't love her any more than if I had given birth to her. Giving birth doesn't necessarily make you a parent...loving, raising and caring for a child makes you a great parent. By the way, she was born 7 months and 1 day after we consulted with an adoption attorney! I'd be happy to give you more info on the adoption process if you're interested. Good luck on your journey, no matter what path you decide to take.

Hi P. - I wish the best for you and your future child :-) One of the most important things you can do to prepare your body to sustain a healthy pregnancy is to take care of it really really well. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, drink a lot of water, avoid sugar and processed foods, etc... Have you heard of Juice Plus capsules? I highly recommend you get on them. The fruit and vegetable nutrition in it's natural combination is so beneficial to help your body function at it's best. Juice Plus will just ensure, that in addition to what you can eat, you are getting the full spectrum of nutrition every day. Please take a look. A pregnancy study is recorded that you can listen to below along with other research. Dr. William Sears believes that once the new research on pregnancy is completed, that Juice Plus will be right up there with prenatal vitamins for standard care for pregnancy. I've also received training form other docs in the past that especially when both parents are taking Juice Plus it can help the reproductive organs more effective. If you'd like more information feel free to contact me at ###-###-####. Also check out WeThriveonJuicePlus.com. I swear by it for my family.

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well P., I hate to say it, but your body is talking to you. Listen to it. If you persue a child of your own, there could very possibly, at your age, be major complications such as birth defects (retardation,underdeveloped organs, etc)

There are plenty of children & babies that need a loving family to adopt them.

Good luck and God Bless.

My question to you is do you have any kids now? And if so, i think in my heart you should just love them and be happy with what you got! Two miscarrages must be the worst ever not only for your heart but you peace. my aunt had a baby at the age of 48 and i always thought that was so unfair to the baby. By the time that baby grduates high school my aunt will be 65 years old. And then when the baby is only 36 my aunt will be 83 years old. How sad that to think that my mom would be 83 right now cause i'm 36. I 'm sorry to be so blunt but i think the age thing is just not on your side or your unborn babies.

Trust God will have this turn out just like it should.

And all the while, it doesn't hurt to have lots of sex with your husband. : )

Hi P. - I think anything is possible. Have you had your FSH levels checked? That will give you a good starting point as to how difficult it would be to get pregnant at this point. I would also have my progesterone levels checked. And the most important thing to do is albeit a difficult one is to not stress out about it. It's amazing how negatively stress effects everything. Warmest Wishes and Best of Luck!!!

Just wanted to let you know, that my good friend got pregnant and had her 2nd child, at 47 years old. She is to this day, still menstruating. (she had IVF to get pregnant. I don't know the cost). But she had a completely normal/healthy pregnancy... and her boy is beautiful, healthy and normal. They both had NO complications during or after he was born. He son is now 4 years old.

She too had had a miscarriage prior. But their hope for a 2nd child kept them trying for another pregnancy.

I would suggest seeing your OB/GYN and discuss your options, and of course seeing what your health is and status for conceiving. Also that, sometimes it is the man, that causes an "inability" to get pregnant. For my friend, her Husband as well, had to get checked out, to rule out anything and their inability to conceive.

For myself, well I had my 2nd child when I was 42 years old.
I got pregnant naturally, had a normal healthy pregnancy, and my son was born normal and healthy as well. The way I got pregnant with both my children, is that I keenly watched my Ovulation symptoms... and that is when we tried. My body/cycles are real regular however, so it wasn't that frustrating. I did have a miscarriage prior to my 2nd child however. But I did get pregnant after that with my son.

I wish you the best...
Susan

Girls are born with their eggs... in other words, your eggs are as old as you are... Eggs have a shelf life & I think anything over 35 years starts to have potential problems... Obviously, many women (including myself) deliver healthy babies after that age, but the potential for problems go up the older you are... Down's Syndrome, and other problems are more likely to occur. You will probably need to get an egg donor to achieve a healthy outcome, but consult a fertility specialist for all of your options.

we tried for number of years unsuccessfully to get pregnant, spent LOTS of $$$. if you really want to do this, go DONOR egg. you can try to get someone you know or some doctors have a donor registry. it can be hard to accept that you can't do it with your own eggs, that's why we spent so much before we acheived a successful pregnancy. it is somewhat expensive, but assuming everything is ok with you physically, you WILL get pregnant. i speak with the voice of experience, believe me. i am in my mid 50's and have two sets of twins, ages 5 and 3!!!!

my son and dauter in lay HAD A DRS HELP SHE WAS 35 IT DID CAUST A LOT HE IS NOW 3 BUT AT YOUR AGE WHY DONT YOU CONSIDER ADOPTION THERE ARE MANY SWEET CHILDREN HOW NEED A LOVEING HOME HOME AND YOU SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE MUCH LOVE TO GIVE GOOD LUCK A. NO HILLS

No. You will need to find an egg donor and go through IVF which will cost about $30,00 (donor, meds, facility, MD fees). Basically you have no chance at your age. I know that sounds black and white and it really is. Please go and talk to a fertility specialist and I'm sure they will tell you the same thing. It doesn't matter if you still have periods or if you're in perfect health. It's all about the age of the eggs and at 47, they are no longer viable.

Hi P.,
It may be possible but you have to have tests to see what the possibilities are. I know that acupuncture czn help fertility and it does not cost as much as other fertility treatments. See if you plan has an acupuncturist on it who does fertility treatments.

I had 2 friends give birth at 45-46 years old. One used a doner egg.

Good luck!

Hello P.,

If you really desire to have a child....GO FOR IT!! One of the nurses that works with me had twins at age 50. They are healthy and full of energy. But I have to say, I believe she did IVF. There are some places that don't charge much money for IVF. Your doctor may suggest some places. Good Luck!1

P.:

I think because of your age your chances of getting and staying pregnant are low.

I would suggest contacting your health insurance company and checking to see if you have any infertility coverage. I think more plans are offering some covered services. There are alot of good feritlity clinics. You should contact them also and find out the payment options.

Unfortunately, as we get older so do our eggs, as well as everything else. Although, it may be possible, there are also many risks to your body as well as the health of the potential child. There is more risk for down syndrome, illnesses, diseases etc. With a fertilility specialist they can test the fertilized eggs in advance to see if there is any genetic issues and only use the healthiest eggs etc. There is also the surrogate option where someone else can carry the baby. Good luck!

you don't give us a lot of information... if you still menstruate I'm sure you could find a man (if you aren't married) who would be willing to donate.
If you aren't menstruating anymore or you have been tested and no longer have viable eggs then it will cost a pretty penny because you'll have to find an egg donor.

Someone on this source just recommended "taking charge of your fertility". Its a great resource for tracking your cycle to enhance your chances of conceiving. You can track your most fertile day and determine if there are problems in your cycle. Its worth a look at.

My Mom wanted to get pregnant in her early forties. Unfortunately, she had several miscarriages. But then she found out that the acid/alkaline balance in her body was off. She got this balanced and became pregnant and now my youngest sister just turned 16. I think you can buy tests to check this balance on your own.