How Late in Life Can a Woman Still Get Pregnant?

[dragonlady302]

Hello, I am 37 & still have very heavy mentrual cycles. Even though my mother had me at 20, her mother had her at 38 & she had my sister at 38 as well. I read that women can have babies as long as they have fairly regular menstruation & her eggs are still viable. But that there are also risks involved. One of them I read was the child being born with Down's Syndrome. How prevalent is this? I am not ready financially or emotionally at this time to bring a child into the world. I want to be responsible. How long before my biological clock runs out & it's just too late? PLEASE! Give it to me straight...No sugar coating. I have only had one child. I really do want this, but I won't do it if the risks are too great. Thanks for your advice...

[bluerosebud4566]

i have had the same problem and they went in to carterized the inside of my uterus
it helped me its called novasure . It could possibly stop your bleeding all together but it didn't mine but it did slow it down. ASk your gynocologist about novasure and if your a canadate for it.

[FurballsMom]

My grandmother had my mother at age 35.  That was really pushing it, but it was also during an era when birth control was a new science.  I don't think my grandmother thought she could get pregnant any more and my mother was actually a surprise.  I know you really want a baby at this age, but older mothers do risk putting themselves and their children at risk.  Down Syndrome isn't the only risk.  There is also greater potential of the child having any form of Autism.  I didn't know all the actual statistics, as was already posted, but I did know that giving birth at an older age was very risky to both mother and child.  However, I'm not sure what would be going through my head if I were in a position of being pregnant at an older age, since I am actually enough older than you that the risks would be even greater for me.  I do know that for myself that I wouldn't want to go through abortion either, because my own conscience couldn't allow that.  I can't tell you what to do on that one, but I did know someone who had had an abortion at a young age and she carried guilt with her for her entire life until she died from the illness she had.  I have known others who felt this kind of regret, too.  I just hate to see you also have this kind of issue to carry around with you for the rest of your life.  That woud be pretty much as many more years to go as you are alive now.

[SwtBaby96]

You Can Still Have A Baby But It May Risk Your Health And/Or The Childs.

[Red_Star]

At age 38, there is 1 Down's syndrome birth for every 175 normal births.

Frequency of Down syndrome per maternal age:

15 - 19: 1 / 1250
20 - 24: 1 / 1400
25 - 29: 1 / 1100
30 - 31: 1 / 900
32: 1 / 750
33: 1 / 625
34: 1 / 500
35: 1 / 350
36: 1 / 275
37: 1 / 225
38: 1 / 175
39: 1 / 140
40: 1 / 100
41: 1 / 85
42: 1 / 65
43: 1 / 50
44: 1 / 40
45 and older: 1 / 25

Reference: Hook EB. JAMA 249:2034-2038, 1983.