Baby after 45

[scpattison]

Simply put, I want a baby but I'll be 46 soon, never been pregnant But I have been very irresponsible with protection.  I had an IV put in at age 19 for 18 mos.  How can I increase my chances for a healthy baby????????

[GiGiGiGi]

On a more positive note... I have been seeing an acupuncturist for fertility treatments for the past 2 months.  He told me the other day that I should not worry at age 36 because he currently has not one, but TWO patients who are pregant at age 46!

Of course I did not ask any of the details, such as if they were IVF patients or if they had donor eggs and such, but my point is that there is hope for you!

I would go see my doc ASAP and get a referral to a specialist.  I would then also start looking into alternative therapies such as acupuncture.

Best of luck to you!

Gigi

[40smama]

I'll be honest - your chances of getting pregnant, especially since you've never been, are very low.  All of the things suggested by the first poster are good ideas but even if you've only started trying, you should head immediately (and I mean that literally) to a fertility specialist (reproductive endocrinologist) to get any aid possible.

You'll probably get some scary stats like how fertility drops after age 35 and then at 40, 42 and waterfalls from there & it's largely because of egg quality.  Since we're born w/all of our eggs, by the time we're age 45+, our eggs are considered old & there are few of any good ones left - especially since they're the ones released when we're in our most fertile years (early to mid 20's).  

If you do get pregnant, your odds of miscarriage are higher so you need to seriously increase your odds by seeing a doctor - sorry to emphasize it again but it's necessary since I've lived this story.  Good luck to you! - jen

P.S.  One more thing - if you smoke, you need to stop - it's a definite no-no in fertility as it seriously impairs fertility.

[A_Muse4u]

Hi.  I just wanted to remind you that w/God . . . "ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE"  O:-)

Take care and may the good Lord bless us all, Amen.

SSBD2A

[tinkerbell101]

Hi, have you spoken to your doctor about trying for a baby? As you know TTC as we get older can be much more difficult than that of a younger woman... but not impossible!

Your doctor could give your bloodwork a looking at to see how your hormones are i.e FSH Estrogen Progesterone etc etc... All responsible for a complete cycle. The reason I suggest that as if there are any problems its better to get them sorted now rather than waste time later down the line. It may also be a good idea to get your Husband S/A checked

I am 40 and trying naturally as don't qualify for any fertility treatments unless I want to go private but I know there a a huge amount of ladies here who have had sucessful interventions to help achieve pregnancy... IVF - IUI - ICSI - Donner Eggs etc etc.

If you want to try naturally then monitoring your cycle with OPK's... temp taking... watching Cervical Mucas and making a chart each month will help you keep track on when you are in your 'fertile window'.

You can also make sure you are in the best fertility health you can be by.. taking folic acid, ensuring you are eating healthy - lots of fresh veg, fruit, cereals etc etc and cutting down on caffiene (chocolate coffee coke etc) refined sugars etc. Cut out alcohol and smoking if approriate and drink plenty of water.

Good luck I hope you make your dream come true.