Monday, my nurse practitioner [NP] called, and while we were discussing my instructions, she thought to tell me about another patient she had seen today (without revealing the patient's name, of course).

Her 45-year-old patient is pregnant -- naturally.

This woman had her first child, now three years old, at age 42.

Her FSH in July 2005 was 16.

About 3 months ago, my NP also mentioned to me a BFP [big fat positive - pregnancy test] she had called in today to one of her 42-year-old IVF patients.

I asked yesterday how the woman was doing and was told she had made it through her first trimester and is doing fine.

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My midwife has a patient who is pregnant and 47 years old... 48 years old at delivery.

I asked if next time I'm pregnant, would my age be a factor in whether she could take me as a patient or not?

That's when she told me about this woman she'd just seen today.

I told her I knew some people who will want to hear about this one!

She also told me this is the woman's FIRST pregnancy!

I thought that made it even more spectacular.

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Some encouraging news! My dear friend from college, 43 years old, had her baby last night.

A healthy perfect 8 lb little girl!

She has a 7-year-old daughter, has suffered numerous early losses, and a stillbirth 2 years ago.

She had testing done about a year ago and was on Folic Acid throughout her pregnancy.

But, other than a lot of close monitoring, her pregnancy was uneventful.

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I am now 49 years old (almost), and my daughter will be 3 years old in March.

I got pregnant accidentally (can you believe it, a woman of my age getting pregnant accidentally, oh my,) and the father only lasted about 6 months or so before he left.

So -- single, going through menopause, with an almost 3-year old -- many tough days for sure.

Would I change any single thing?

No, my pregnancy was wonderful. I loved it, I love remembering it.

Wish I could do it again over and over.

I was perfectly healthy (and I was a smoker), and I had the healthiest smartest (of course), most beautiful baby girl.

Even thinking about it now, I get tears in my eyes.

She has not suffered because I'm older -- there was no way I would have been the parent I am when I was younger.

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I am 45 years old and discovered I am pregnant the day before Thanksgiving.

Last year I had a miscarriage after seven weeks, and we've been trying again for 15 months!

( I never wanted children until my 5-year-old nephew appeared!)

I was just about to change my insurance coverage when I took the test.

I know there is a 50/50 chance of miscarriage again, but I want to encourage you to try since I squeaked by at the 5 percent rate!

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Brotherhood of Joseph: A Father's Memoir of Infertility and Adoption in the 21st Century
by Brooks Hansen

-- Offering men a chance to be heard and women a rare opportunity to view the struggle with infertility from a male perspective, The Brotherhood of Joseph brings to life the anger, frustration, humor, heartbreak, and sense of helplessness that come to dominate the husband's role.

As his remarkable account reaches its finale in Siberia, however, Hansen's once again becomes the story of a husband and a wife who, even after years of medical frustration and fruitless paperwork, still must take one last risk together and trust in their most basic instincts before their new family can be born.

Start reading The Brotherhood of Joseph on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

A woman I know from another board just got her BFP [big fat positive - pregnancy test] from a minimum stimulation IVF [in vitro fertilization] cycle with Dr. Zhang (the same guy I just starting seeing myself).

This will be her first child!!!

She is 44 years old and will be 45 years old in a couple of months.

Her FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] was 6.5 and E2 [Estrogen] was 112 (which of course means her FSH was actually higher), and she still BEAT the odds!!!

She has been trying naturally for a long time.

She transferred two, two-day embies, and did Clomid only for six days I believe (from CD4 - CD10).

I am so excited I can barely stand it... (especially since I am also working with this same doctor!!!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just found out I am pregnant.

I am 43 years old, I will be 44 years old when I have this baby.

I already have three kids - 24, 22, and eight years old.

This was NOT at all planned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have plenty of personal examples of women conceiving naturally over 40:

- my mother had me when she was 40 years old,
- my aunt had three kids after turning 40 years old,
- my grandma had her last child when she was almost 46 years old... all naturally.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My doctor has had success using the estrogen priming protocol, a similar protocol Patti was recently successful with at 44 years old.

(Yeah Patti!!).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is true for some women, but not true for others.

Some women get pregnant easily in their mid-40s.

Sorry, but it is just the truth.

Do you think my aunt told a lie when she had her baby at 45 years old?

Do you think she just pushed a big pillow under her clothing and lied to everyone about being pregnant?

No, her pregnancy was for real.

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
You Can Get Pregnant Over 40, Naturally II: Overcoming infertility and recurrent loss in your late 30s and 40s naturally
by Sandy Robertson

-- After years of infertility and failed fertility treatments, Sandy Robertson developed an all-natural pregnancy protocol leading to the birth of her daughter at the age of 44.

In this new expanded edition, she shares her research including over 100 references.

She explains how she:
- Overcame recurrent miscarriage
- Conceived multiple times of the age of 40 with one Fallopian tube
- Balanced hormones
- Increased pelvic circulation

Paperback: 248 pages
Click to order/for more info: You Can Get Pregnant Over 40, Naturally

---

I recently went in to see my regular doctor for something else.

She told me she had just seen this woman, now 48 years old.

The woman was breastfeeding her infant, and both mom and baby were healthy as could be!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About a year ago, I was at a party talking about this stuff with a retired midwife.

She told me her grandfather was born when his mother was 48 years old.

Also, I have done some research recently on a family living in the 1800s.

The mother had six children — five children when she was between the ages of 24 and 36 years old.

Then one last baby was born at 48 years old.

The father was 56 years old.

That baby went on to have six kids of his own.

No donor eggs then!!!! LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I believe if you are healthy, a woman can conceive via IVF [in vitro fertilization] or naturally.

I also think if you want a baby later in life - GO for IT!

I conceived via IVF at 44 and 46 years old.

My FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] was under 8, and I had a good response to the fertility medication.

Acupuncture might have helped as well.

Anything is possible with perseverance, a little luck, good medical care, and God in your corner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, my new OB [obstetrician] says she has many patients in their 40s, and even over 45 years old, who got pregnant naturally.

She is more than willing to continue to work with me after my miscarriage.

It is wonderful to find a doctor who is not pessimistic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My aunt was 46 years old when she conceived and gave birth to her youngest daughter.

My aunt wasn't even trying to get pregnant, but it happened - the point is - no meds nor TCM [Traditional Chinese Medicine] were involved.

She did have some hypertension during her pregnancy but otherwise, it was an uneventful pregnancy.

Her daughter was born healthy as an ox, and at 3 years old, she's keeping her mom and dad hopping!

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Eat, Love, Get Pregnant: A Couple's Guide To Boosting Fertility and Having A Healthy Baby
by Karen Daniels

-- A breakthrough revolutionary plan for getting pregnant fast, solving common fertility problems and having a healthy baby – this is NOT your average book on getting pregnant!

Renowned fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen and women's wellness expert Colette Bouchez help readers take charge of their fertility with a revolutionary new self-help plan designed to show couples how to work together to boost their conception odds, plan for a healthy pregnancy, and get pregnant faster – all without the use of expensive fertility treatments or medications.

Based on scientific research and tested on thousands of couples Eat-Love-GET PREGNANT is a simple yet revolutionary plan that provides the quintessential missing link absent from most other fertility programs.

Namely, the importance of not only boosting both male and female fertility simultaneously, but bold new evidence showing how, when couples work together in certain special and unique ways, they can create a unified fertility power boost strong enough to take them from infertile to fertile in as little as three months

Paperback: 116 pages
Click to order/for more info: Eat, Love, Get Pregnant

Start reading Eat, Love, Get Pregnant on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

My friend had her IVF baby at 44 years old.

It was her first IVF [in vitro fertilization], and she has not only a gorgeous baby, but she also had frozen embryos waiting!

She also had high FSH [Follicle-Stimulating Hormone], and irregular periods.

I think she's unusual, but no reason why it shouldn't work for someone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I conceived at 43.2 with IVF and ICSI [Intracytoplasmic sperm injection].

So far, so good -- I'm 15 weeks, 1 day pregnant.

I used an MDL protocol [Microdose Lupron Short Protocol] with BCP [Birth Control Pill].

I had a high dosage of Follistim, 600.

I can't remember all the protocol details, but if you're interested I'd be glad to look them up and share.

My FSH had been ranging between 16 and 25.7.

The month of the IVF cycle my FSH was 9.

At egg retrieval, they harvested eight eggs: two were immature and of the remaining six, two fertilized -- we put both back and are pregnant with a singleton.

I have historically been a slow responder, and I was on the protocol for 14 days.

My nuchal scan was great, but just for peace of mind I think I'm going ahead with the amnio -- yes, I'm dealing with some demons from my past.

Success, only time will tell.

If, I mean WHEN, all goes well I'll deliver at 43 years old (6 weeks short of my 44th birthday).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoping this pregnancy will count as IVF success at 44 years old.

I am now 21 weeks pregnant.

I had one egg that came up as normal out of 4 in PGD [Preimplantation genetic diagnosis].

Still 19 weeks to go so but if all goes well, I'll be 45 years old when the baby's born.

I had my son at 42 (became pregnant at 41) after IVF/PGD.

A friend of mine - I know this sounds fantastic - had an 'own egg' baby after IVF at 47 years old.

She had blocked tubes (she'd had a child way back at 20) and tried numerous IVF attempts - not sure how many exactly - but after a miscarriage they decided to try one more time because they say miscarriage is a sign your body 'knows' how to get pregnant.

And lo and behold, she was pregnant with her little boy.

Another friend of mine had identical twin boys at 44-45 years old - natural pregnancy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am 45 years old, and 18 weeks pregnant with my 4th child.

My others are 8, 13 and 16 years old.

I have just finished up all of the major testing (amnio etc) and everything is fine and normal.

This baby is very much a surprise, and health issues all around are the biggest worry.

I thought I was in pretty good shape, but I have been knocked for a loop... although I am starting to feel a little better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have the other perspective of having older parents.

I'm now 23 years old, my mother was 44 years old when she gave birth to me.

I liked that my parents were pass the party stage and set into life.

It does not bother me to have parents old enough to be my grandparents.

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:

Birth Begins at Forty: Challenging the Myths of Late Motherhood
by Elizabeth Gregory

-- More and more women are giving birth in their forties, and for some it will be their first baby.

What was unusual is now becoming quite common, yet little has been written on this dramatic shift.

This book tells all and is the result of honest and revealing interviews.

The book covers a range of topics, including: the trend to late parenthood; how do you decide?; how easy is it?; the risks and differences with late motherhood; combatting age prejudice; getting life back on track; having another baby; fathers over 40; and the benefits and delights.

Paperback: 203 pages
Click to order/for more info: Birth Begins at Forty
Find it on Amazon: US | CDN | UK

---

I am 29 weeks pregnant with my first baby.

I turned 44 years old today.

I have had three miscarriages, and my last FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] (tested over 2 years ago) was 18 on day 10.

It was probably higher when we conceived this baby.

I was told by the first RE [reproductive endocrinologist] I saw, my chances of conceiving were pretty slim (based on the theory I would be a poor responder to treatment).

 Turns out I wasn't that great of a responder.

I got 9 eggs on my first IVF [in vitro fertilization], 8 on the second, 3 on the 3rd IVF and the last two cycles produced one egg each (both never fertilized).

I got pregnant once through IVF, but had a better success rate conceiving naturally.

Unfortunately, miscarriages were my issue.

The point of my long ramble, is that FSH is not an indicator of whether or not you will get pregnant or have a baby (especially conceived naturally), it's just a measure of how you MIGHT respond to the IVF meds.

I tell everyone I know not to give up, and to focus on trying naturally if male factor and other female issues are not a problem.

From my experience, IVF wasn't the best route to our baby, but thankfully I am beating the statistics and defying all the naysayers who told me a high FSH number equals never having a baby.

I wish everyone on this board much success in their journey to have a baby. - Anne

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:

Ready: Why Women Are Embracing The New Later Motherhood
by Elizabeth Gregory

-- Over the past three decades, skyrocketing numbers of women have chosen to start their families in their late thirties and early forties.

In 2005, ten times as many women had their first child between the ages of 35 and 39 as in 1975, and thirteen times as many had their first between 40 and 44.

Women now have the option to define for themselves when they're ready for family, rather than sticking to a schedule set by social convention.

As a society, however, we have yet to come to terms with the phenomenon of later motherhood, and women who decide it makes sense for them to delay pregnancy often find themselves confronted with alarmist warnings about the dangers of waiting too long.

In Ready, Elizabeth Gregory tracks the burgeoning trend of new later motherhood and demonstrates that for many women today, waiting for family works best.

She provides compelling evidence of the benefits of having children later -- by birth or by adoption.

Paperback: 336 pages
Click to order/for more info: Ready

Start reading Ready on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

Saroj Naik's world collapsed in 2009 when her gynaecologist told her that she was menopausal and could never conceive.

Although she had already had four miscarriages, 51-year-old Saroj and her husband Satyawan, 54, who reside at Merces, never lost hope and prayed for the gift of a child.

Their prayers seemed to have been answered when, through the method of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), Saroj was able to conceive again.

The couple's elation knew no bounds when she ultimately gave birth to a healthy baby girl on February 10.

Their joy doubled when they were informed that Saroj was the oldest woman in the state to have had a successful post-menopausal delivery with the help of IVF.

"Now, our days are filled with joy and happiness. Our day starts and ends with the hearty laughter of our little girl Saili," a proud Saroj said.

This Pregnancy Over 40 story was found on IndiaTimes.com
Read more: Medical intervention helps 51-yr-old become mom
Originally posted on March 13, 2011.

Photo credit: Sukanto Debnath
Some rights reserved

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
The Way of the Fertile Soul:
Ten Ancient Chinese Secrets to Tap into a Woman's Creative Potential
by Randine Lewis

Being fertile and fruitful can mean giving birth to a child -- but to have a fertile soul means to give birth to the true self a woman wants to be: to live a life filled with passion, strength, joy, and adventure.

In The Way of the Fertile Soul, Dr. Randine Lewis outlines ten ancient Chinese medical and Taoist secrets that hold the little-known key to successfully conceiving babies, new dreams, and a fulfilling life for women at any phase in their lives.

The Way of the Fertile Soul encourages women to strive toward health, abundance, and a fruitful, joyous approach to life.

By using diagnostic questionnaires, qi gong exercises, and guided meditations to help the reader understand how the elements of nature express themselves in her body, mind, and spirit, The Way of the Fertile Soul provides the tools to greatly increase a woman's chance of conceiving, identify imbalances, reduce stress, increase energy, and uncover her intrinsic creativity and express it fully.

Paperback: 240 pages
Click to order/for more info: The Way of the Fertile Soul

Start reading The Way of the Fertile Soul on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

I'm the child of a 46 year old mother - 46 and one week to be exact.

My husband's grandmother was in her mid 40's when she gave birth to 3 children. It can happen.

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I'm 44 and 3/4's - so nearly 45!

I'm 20 weeks pregnant, "naturally". I've been trying to conceive for about 3 years, have had 2 natural pregnancies that didn’t work out (in the first year of trying at age 42), and then tried many attempts at IVF [in vitro fertilization] /Clomid/IUI [Intrauterine insemination] over the last 2 years - with some "success" in terms of one pregnancy that miscarried, and several egg transfers that failed to implant.

I've always had regular cycles and always appeared to be ovulating... I assume that is fairly significant when trying to conceive :-)

I'd just about started to think that maybe I was a bit too old and it wasn’t going to happen, but now I've just about accepted that I will be a mum!

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The woman working there happened to have her own fertility issues, and began to share them with me, when the woman who had been sharing her birth story interrupted us and apologized for eavesdropping.

She said she thought she would share that she just had her second baby at 44 years old (her first was at 42 through IVF [in vitro fertilization] ).

Now, I will assume she had normal FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] , because I asked and she didn't know her FSH, and was never turned down at an RE [reproductive endocrinologist] , so obviously a bit different from the ladies here, but I was still encouraged because she was told she had a 1% chance of having a baby.

She said that she used her own eggs, and this last IVF was going to be her last try with her own before moving to donor egg. (She couldn't recall her protocol because all that info thankfully went away, and has been replaced in her mind by new baby info.)

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I will be 47 in July, my baby is due on 8/23.

This is my first child. I am not married, it would have been my preference to have a partner, but...........

Oh well. I'm thrilled and feel very, very lucky and blessed.

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Well I'm 44 1/2 almost, and may possibly be pregnant with my 4th.

Unplanned, unexpected... and not sure how I feel. I'm about 8 - 10 days late on my period... it's happened before, around October for the last 2 years, but I for some reason decided to take an at home pregnancy test today and it showed positive... I'm in Shock.

Really not expecting this, and unfortunately, not sure I really want this to happen... Haven't told hubby as yet, and not sure how to do it.

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Recent Keyword Searches: pregnancy at 50 years old, 47 year old mom borth, oldest natural conception mother, woman at 57 pregnant, naatural pregnancy at 47, pregnancy at 44, how many women have gotten pregnant naturally at 47, menopause babies, conceiving at 47 years old, ppregnancy 47 years and more

My assistant just attended the birth of twins naturally conceived where the mom was 55, and dad was 70.

Her first child arrived at age 53, and she thought it was a fluke until the twins came along. Mom is a strong healthy Jewish woman.

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A woman called me from the east coast the other day, that did in vitro because of fertility problems in her thirties.

At 45, she was pregnant with the second child in two years, naturally conceived.

A week before finding out she was pregnant she failed the Clomid challenge test, and was told she would never get pregnant again. She proved her doctor wrong.

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I love my doctor, always have, and she is VERY pro for older women seeking to get pregnant. She had her girls after 40 and 44 as well.

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As for all the "alternative" stuff, I am a big proponent of them. And I believe that is what helped me have my first child at 44, and will help me get pregnant again (at 47).

When I was 42, I went to a well-respected RE [reproductive endocrinologist] who told me that I would never have a child without donor eggs. I had high FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] (16), and a very low number of antral follicles and, of course, I was "over the hill" at 42.

IVF [in vitro fertilization] was not an option for me (without donor eggs) because he was sure I would be a "poor responder."

Well, that was probably the best thing that ever happened to me -- after I picked myself off the floor from the devastating news -- because I never messed up my hormones with all those drugs. I just decided that I would take the money I would have spent on IVF and use it to pursue alternative therapies.

It was great. I had weekly appointments for acupuncture, massage, Mayan abdominal massage, energy healers, etc. I totally cleaned up my diet and ate mostly organic, lots of fruits and vegetables etc. I got pregnant about 4 months after the RE told me it was impossible. That pregnancy ended in an early miscarriage.

But then we got pregnant with my son on the second cycle of trying after the D&C [dilation and curettage].

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I met a woman recently who'd just had her much-longed for first baby at the grand old age of 48.

Both she and her baby were perfectly healthy.

It won't be easy being an older parent, but at least the child would be wanted, unlike so many.

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Recent Keyword Searches: pregnant over 45, first baby at 45, pregnant at 47 years old, pregnancy over 44 blocked tubes, pregancy over 45, over 50 and pregnant, motherhood over forty, natural pregnancy over 50, bearing children at 47 years old, oldest natural birth

I just tried the Bowen Therapy a few weeks ago. It works similar to acupuncture, and some say is more effective.

I was supposed to have another treatment about a week ago, but I got the flu and had to cancel. I'm hoping she can fit me in this week before I ovulate, because there are some manoeuvres she couldn't do on me last time since I was in the 2 week wait.

She has 3 clients right now that are due soon, and they are 42, 44, and 44! That gives me some hope.

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In conclusion I would say that about us over 40, the RE's [reproductive endocrinologist] only focused on our age, and ignore completely all the factors that could help us to have a good pregnancy.

A positive note: my best friend, 44 last December, just conceived - natural - her first, a delicious healthy boy after years of infertility, ICSI [Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection] and so on.. Ah, and also endometriosis and high FSH. So, keep the faith!

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My 44 year old friend was just told to consider herself fertile until 55, and to use birth control at all times. I have also heard that abortions at over 40 are less commonly reported (or at least that used to be true).

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I was 42 when I conceived my first daughter, and 45 when I gave birth to my second. We are being careful, I really don't want 3.

I never tried to have a baby before I was 41.. And it was not possible until I was 41.. My husband had a vasectomy reversal.

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I have a mom that will be 45 when she delivers baby #8 in October. Last year her aunt had twins through in vitro, with her own eggs at 47. It was her aunt's second set of twins in two years. She lost the first set.

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Recent Keyword Searches: giving birth at 44, pregnancy after 45, pregnancy at age 47, oops babies, pregnant at 49, stories of pregnancy and birth over 44, pregnancy in women over 45, i'm a 44 year old woman could i be pregnant?, chances of pregnancy if over 40 and period is late, stories pregnancy birth 44

My friend's husband's mom had him when she was 45. She asked him when they got married, if he was worried about TTC [trying to conceive], since she was already past 40, and his reply was "no, my mom had me at 45".
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How about that new over 40 pregnancy post...." just got married...wasn't TTA [trying to avoid] ... just took prenatal vitamins and after 2nd month pregnant at 45"....

I almost fell out of my chair. These posts do exist.

My friend Mary, who is brilliant and born when her mom was 45, would love to hear that it can't happen

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By the way, for what it's worth in this conversation: My very good friend (who didn't know what her FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] was) had an unplanned pregnancy at 44, and delivered her son at 45.

I know that doesn't necessarily resonate with some of us here (she might not have had high FSH, and she did have other children many years previously -- her son is 16 years younger than his closest in age sister, and she wasn't struggling with TTC [trying to conceive] ), but just wanted to share my friend's experience to show that the anon poster's choice of analogy is not "realistic."

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My 45 year old friend is happily expecting her first, after giving up on fertility treatments.

My husband's first cousin had one at 44, and another at 45, which was a surprise. They thought she was too old too get pregnant, so they didn't use birth control and voila!

My father told me about his own aunt who had a baby at 51 in Italy. This was a loooog time ago as my father is 80 years old. So there was no chance "in hell" that it was DE [donor egg].

The fact is before there was birth control and things like tubal ligation, women routinely gave birth into their 40's and no one batted an eye. The birth rate for women in their 40's went down as soon as birth control became available. There is a direct correlation.

What is different now is that women have their first in their 40's, whereas long ago they would be having their 10th. That is the only difference.

But from what I've read there is no difference in fertility among women who have vs. women who have not had children before. I think the reason people make such a big deal about age now, is that there was such a long period of time when the birth rate for women in their 40's was low - because that was their choice. So people weren't use to the idea anymore.

Then you have the RE's [reproductive endocrinologist] beating us down with their statistics too. A long time ago women didn't worry or think about statistics -they were too busy having babies!

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56 year old pregnancy/delivered successfully - Just to let all you hopefuls out there that this does happen. Women can frequently become pregnant after 40's and 50's, but don't usually sustain pregnancy due to lack of hormones and health related complications such as blood pressure problems, etc.

When there is a problem with menses, often the OB/gyn [Obstetrician/Gynecologist] gives progesterone to promote sloughing of the lining of the uterus; this may also slough off an early embryo.

Being a nurse, I never assume anymore that a woman over 50 isn't pregnant, as the last call I received was from a 56 year old woman, who sustained a pregnancy unassisted in any way.

---

TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility
by Sally Lewis and Nim Barnes

-- Practical advice and a holistic approach to help you conceive, including simple dietary and lifestyle changes and do it yourself complementary therapies.

In this accessible and informative guide, Sally Lewis explains how age, sexual infections, diet, excess weight, stress, and anxiety affect fertility.

Teaching how to discover the best time for conception; understand the link between body, mind, and fertility; and manage stress and relax to prevent anxiety, this is the ultimate guide to increasing the likelihood of conception at any age.

Paperback: 128 pages
Click to order/for more info: 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility

Start reading 50 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Your Fertility on your Kindle in under a minute!

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

---

I don't post here often but want to tell you that I was just as or more fertile in my forties than the decade before. I got pregnant at 30, 35, 39, 37, 40, 43, 45, and 46.

Doctors have only statistics to go by. Some TCM [Traditional Chinese Medicine] practioners do not abide by the old egg theory.

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I just found a great OB [obstetrician]. I am 45 and 6 weeks pregnant. We both know the odds are for miscarriage at my age, but she has several patients who are 46 and 47 who found themselves pregnant naturally, and are having healthy babies. It can happen.

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She told me she was a massage therapist and practiced Bowen therapy also. We started talking more about other things and TTC [trying to conceive] came up, along with my age.

She said she had 3 other clients who got pregnant after therapy with her, when nothing else was working. So yesterday I finally was able to get a treatment, and she told me that those 3 clients are all 44 years old!

One is due next week, another in April, and I'm not sure about the other one. That gives me hope. She told me that she thought one of my issues is fear, probably fear of not having another baby. She said fear can be a huge block in the body, and could very well be keeping me from getting pregnant, so I need to get rid of this fear.

A lot of this was pretty new agey, but I'm open to just about anything these days! She thinks I will be pregnant within 3 months. I'm going to see her every other week, and the massage felt soooo good. I was really relaxed afterwards.

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44 year old BFP [big fat positive - pregnancy test] with Dr. Zhang -
A woman I know who just did her first cycle with Zhang, got her BFP!! Isn't that great!!! She transferred two 2 day embies.... and took Clomid on this mini-IVF cycle...

She has never been pregnant before...

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By the way, for what it's worth in this conversation: My very good friend (who didn't know what her FSH [follicle stimulating hormone] was) had an unplanned pregnancy at 44, and delivered her son at 45.

I know that doesn't necessarily resonate with some of us here (she might not have had high FSH, and she did have other children many years previously -- her son is 16 years younger than his closest in age sister, and she wasn't struggling with TTC [trying to conceive] ), but just wanted to share my friend's experience to show that the anon poster's choice of analogy is not "realistic."

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You Can Get Pregnant Over 40, Naturally II: Overcoming infertility and recurrent loss in your late 30s and 40s naturally
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A number of you seem to be still getting the "zero chance" speech. I just wanted to put it into perspective, and say that doctors don't know everything.
At 44 and with an FSH [follicle fertilization hormone] high of 19.6, I was told I had virtually no chance of having a baby by a number of doctors. After three years of trying to conceive, two miscarriages and two failed IVF [invitro fertilization] cycles using high stims (classic poor response: 2-3 follicles, one embryo, BFN [big fat negative] both times), I feared they were right.

Then I became pregnant naturally. I was doing acupuncture and reflexology, using OPKs [ovulation predictor kit] and BBTs [Basal body temperature] and taking a ton of vitamins, oligo-minerals and homeopathy grains. I had no special diet but ate healthily - including dairy and red meat - and had the occasional glass of red wine.

It’s been nearly two years since my daughter was born. I know I am very, very lucky and I count my blessings every day. I wanted to pass on my experience because when I was desperate and losing all hope, it would cheer me up to read success stories on this board.

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Hello! New to this forum and pregnant for the first time at 45. Went for my first blood test and the pregnancy hormone and my progesterone levels were all good. BUT, I'm being advised to take the progesterone anyway due to my age.

Have spoken with several friends who have had to take the progesterone due to either trouble getting pregnant or trouble keeping a pregnancy.

I also got pregnant a lot faster than I thought I would. Went to an acupuncturist for 2 months and, bang!, I'm pregnant. So, believe me, I'm grateful! - Lauren

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I haven't posted in awhile even though I have been lurking around every once in awhile. About 8 weeks ago, I started acupuncture. I feel it's helped me a lot. I changed how I ate based on my acupuncturist's advice, and she treated me according to where I was in my cycle. I visit her weekly.

Anyway, the other day my best friend blurted out "I think you are pregnant!" The same night, my mom told me my son said he wanted a brother.

The next morning (yesterday) I decided to test as my temperature was still up. The second pink line was faint, but got darker towards the 3 minute mark. I used a FRER [First Response Early Result].

I have an appointment to see the OB [obstetrician] this afternoon for blood work. I am still in a fog! Think sticky bean! Don't give up we 40 somethings can do it!

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This is from the IVF Connections boards:

"Re: Dr Zhang

I had an amazing experience with the gentle cycle. I am now (after 5 IVF's [in vitro fertilization] -- am 44) 10.5 weeks pregnant, and am thrilled. I think he is amazing and brilliant and the staff is fabulous. If you want more info on him, I would be happy to speak to you directly. It was a tough year (and I am old in the fertility world), but he made the process easy and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

I took Femara 2.5m from day 3 until retrieval. I was also doing accupuncture 2x per week and taking herbs. The drug is similar to Clomid in that you create additional eggs, but considered much more natural. For me it worked (hopefully it will keep). I go back to doctor today and am actually quite nervous. I didn't take any other drugs until transfer and then he gave me Estradiol and a shot of something and that is it.

Dr. Z always made adjustments to my drugs. One month I tried Femara, another month he had me do a prep cycle with Estradiol or Clomid. Every cycle he did something slightly different until he found the right combination for me which was Femera.

This time was easiest and was probably my last try. I was emotional and exhausted and am so excited. I think Dr Zhang is brilliant and the staff is amazing. I would completely recommend him. not sure of your age, but he also does alot of 40+ women.

[From a later post from the same person] It has been an amazing pregnancy so far and next Friday I am delivering via c-section. He is the best!

Thanks for letting me share."

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I was on the phone with my health insurance company trying to get some things straightened out. Told the woman on the phone about my IVF [in vitro fertilization] cycle, etc. and the woman said "don't you worry... my sister got married late, thought she wouldn't be able to have a baby and "boom", she got pregnant at 45!".

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