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What it's Really Like to be Pregnant After 40 – Monica + Andy

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What it's Really Like to be Pregnant After 40

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In Real Life Pregnancy

Like women who get pregnant in their 20s, women who conceive in their 40s can have a whole range of different experiences in conceiving, carrying and raising children. Yes, we've all heard warnings about the ticking of the biological clock and advanced maternal age — and yes, there's some truth to the science of it all — but it's important to remember that women over 40 have just as much of a right to motherhood as anyone else...and they can (and do!) have really great outcomes.

Women over 40 are rocking pregnancy now more than ever. We spoke to a few women who have been through it to hear more about their experiences, and here's what they had to say.

Monica + Andy: What was the process of getting pregnant like for you?

Kristen Paulson-Nguyen: I was 41 when I got pregnant and 42 when I had my baby. This was my first and only child. It was a total surprise! I conceived naturally the first time we tried. I wasn't expecting that and was so shocked that I had three pregnancy tests before I believed it.

Shinjoo Cho: My husband and I conceived naturally about seven months after we stopped using contraceptives. No strategy or plans, we just paid attention to my ovulation days.

Claire Gillespie: Getting pregnant at 39 took a little longer than it did when I was 29 and 32. Getting pregnant with my first two children with my first husband (a son, 10 and a daughter, 8) literally happened straight away. This time around, we tried for a year before getting pregnant. As I was approaching 40, time was critical, so after trying for six months we had some tests and I was diagnosed with low ovarian reserve. We were devastated but vowed to keep trying. We were waiting for a follow-up appointment with the fertility clinic when we got the positive result we wanted so much. Initially, I didn't believe it and took several tests before it sunk in that we were actually having a baby.

M+A: Did you expect to have a baby in your 40s or did that timeline take you by surprise?

KPN: I had never planned it that way--it just happened.

SC: It was planned. We had big life changes in our late 30s, after recovering them, we wanted to try having a baby.

CG: Yes, we very much wanted to have a baby (we both have children from previous relationships, but this is our first together).

M+A: Did you encounter any judgment or negativity through your pregnancy?

KPN: I can't remember any judgment or negativity, but the medical establishment considers you if you are over 35, so it was hard not to feel old.

SC: No. Everyone was positive, encouraging, and elated for me to experience motherhood.

CG: None at all. Many of my friends have had babies at 40 or older. As more women postpone starting a family until later in life, I just don't think it's that big of a deal anymore.

M+A What was your pregnancy and birth experience like?

KPN: I was very happy during the pregnancy, but even as a healthy person, it was medically difficult. I was watched for preeclampsia; I developed high blood pressure and went on meds, and I had screaming headaches which they were reluctant to medicate for obvious reasons. I was in and out of the ER often during my third trimester and although it was a physical struggle, I felt my best mentally. Kind of like in an expectant bubble. I also hired a doula and I think that helped make it a positive experience.

SC: The pregnancy was very smooth and healthy. Not even a day of morning sickness. Just some fatigue and the usual aches and symptoms that accompany pregnancy. I performed and traveled right up until 35 weeks and had a healthy weight gain. My husband and I took Birth 101 and breastfeeding class at the hospital I was going to give birth in and found many mothers in their mid to late 30s, which was reassuring...I gave birth at a hospital two days earlier than the due date. The decision was made to induce me by one of the midwives and the hospital. They preferred not let me go past the due date due to my advanced age. I was induced for 36 hours, in labor for 9.5 hours, and pushed for an hour and 40 min before a vaginal delivery. The baby was healthy and there was no complication with labor but the induction is something I wish I had avoided. While I understand the statistics that puts older women at slightly higher risk of delivery complications, my health and pregnancy were in perfect shape and I wanted to trust that.

CG: I'm now 26 weeks pregnant and the experience has been great so far. I'm having a planned C-section (my first birth was vaginal and my second a C-section) so I know what to expect. I learned a lot from my first two pregnancies and have tried to use that knowledge to get me through this one!

M+A: Do you think there's a significant difference between being pregnant in your 40s vs. in your 20s? Do you think society feels there is?

KPN: I don't think there's a huge difference and I didn't feel judged by society. I think the struggle is more seeing those 25-year-old moms on the playground and thinking 'shit, I wish I had more energy.' One huge difference is you can have more babies if you're 30. Due to my medically tough pregnancy and then I got PPD after I gave birth; I didn't try for a second child. I think the problem was more that both families pressured me to have a second child and I clearly was not able or willing to do that. I think with an older mom they push more for a c-section, maybe due to valid safety concerns.. .I had to do all the interventions because an older uterus can't contract as strongly.

SC: This being my first and only baby, I can't speak with a comparison. Aside from the increased precautions and processes taken by my midwife practice and the birthing hospital, I haven't noticed a significant difference. It's probably because I'm surrounded by friends who had their first and second babies in their mid to late 30s, so the 40s didn't seem like such a huge stretch.

CG: I don't see any difference at all. At 40, I'm physically fitter and mentally stronger than I was during my previous pregnancies. In fact, I've been less tired during this pregnancy than I was during my second pregnancy at the age of 32 because back then I also had a 2-year-old to look after. My children are older now, more independent and self-sufficient. I think society judges women who have in their late 40s or early 50s, but I don't think 40 is considered 'old' nowadays. Also, biological age doesn't always equate to your 'inside' age: cholesterol, organ function, strength, metabolism, brain health, etc.

What misconceptions would you like to clear up about having a child after 40?

KPN: If the misconceptions are 'too old', I'd add that we're more financially stable and wiser than younger people and probably mentally tougher as well due to having more life experience...I'd say there are physical challenges more than anything. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't change anything -- I needed a certain level of growth and a solid partnership before I committed to raising a child, and that wasn't happening in earlier stages of my life. A sad and unexpected thing that I didn't think about is if you wait until your 40s, your kids don't get as much exposure to the love of their grandparents as they would with younger grandparents. But maybe because of that, I've made more of an effort to bring my daughter in contact with her grandparents on both sides often.

SC: My experience tells me that the individual health and constitution is more important to having a healthy pregnancy than the age. I felt very lucky that from conception to birth, me and the baby were healthy.

CG: There are lots of misconceptions are out there: women who wait until 40 to have a baby are selfish, women who wait until 35 or older are unlikely to get pregnant, women who get pregnant after 35 put their child at risk, etc. The biggest misconception that applied to me was that women with low ovarian reserve can't get pregnant. While it might be a little more difficult, it's certainly not impossible. We have to take what's reported in the media with a pinch of salt, even medical studies. Trying to get pregnant is stressful enough without being bombarded with gloomy headlines and scary statistics (which are often taken out of context). You can be a great parent at any age. There are benefits to having kids in your 20s, your 30s, and your 40s. You should never judge someone for getting pregnant at a particular age — you don't know their full story.

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Getting Gritty at 43 and when I say “Getting Gritty”, I mean having my first baby... in 2020! — Jeannie Sanders

Stevie Faith was born on the 4th of July weighing 7 lbs. and 4 oz and 20 inches long. Let me say that again… She was born 7/4/20 at 7/4/20! Even the nurses were shocked at how perfectly it matched up. All babies are miracles, but this one is my special miracle. Stevie Faith is healthy and happy. We are blessed!

I have been very transparent about my life, fertility, and pregnancy on social media especially over the last couple of years. I was blown away by first, the overwhelming support and stories by incredibly strong women of their own journeys and then, the questions women had for me during and after Stevie arrived ranging from diet to exercise to fertility and so on.

Many have suggested I write a book and maybe one day that is in my future. For now, while I rock, feed, cuddle and love on this baby, I decided to document some of my fertility experiences here in a very long blog in order to share as much information with others. Here is my very shortened story of my fertility and my “pregnant after 40” journey. At any point, if you are reading this and have additional questions, honestly, send me an email and I will try my very best to respond as soon as possible.

To set the stage just a little bit, prior to meeting Steve, my husband, I had never been married and my children were two adorable Pekingese pups, Mika and Mia. They both died in 2019; Mika at age 12 from an inoperable tumor (after the 3rd surgery) in his throat in February and Mia at age 14 in my arms, illness still unknown but totally comfortable and happy in mom’s arms, on the way to our veterinarian, in November. Both losses were absolutely heartbreaking for me and truthfully still very painful. Though I had lived a life full of love and happiness, when these two sweet babies left for Heaven, gosh it was tough! However, I truly believe all things happen for a reason - it is not just a cliche for me, it is reality. Perhaps I could not have cared for my sick dogs AND raise a baby. I don’t know and I don’t question; I just have faith. Mia died on November 12th 2019, and I found out I was pregnant October 4th, 2019. Believe what your heart believes for your story. I believe it was all meant to be.

When I was younger, I thought I would have been married and starting my family by age 25. Twenty five came quickly and I found myself very focused on my life, my career and my friendships. Therefore, marriage was just not a top priority and I was ok with that decision. My career then took me all over the country and around beautiful parts of the world. I had the opportunity to work with some talented people and participate in work I am proud of over a 21 year career at the same company; a company I began working with when I was just 20 years old attending UCF in Orlando, FL.

I could not have ever imagined being blessed with such an incredible life, career, experiences, opportunities, volunteer work, community, friends or family. For me, I knew life wasn’t perfect, but I always felt I wasn’t necessarily “missing” anything at that time with all of my blessings. As I look back (which I encourage everyone to do from time to time to recognize growth!) there may have always been a missing piece to my puzzle recognized only now that I have given birth to my beautiful baby girl, at 43 years old!

“Ok, let’s call you 38 plus”. That was one of the first things my first fertility doctor said to me, when we met him for our first doctor’s appointment. I laughed. I guess that is a good way to put it. I was almost 39 so “38 plus it is!”, I said. I liked this guy. He was a no nonsense and straight to the point kind of doctor. Coming from Florida, true to many east coasters’ personalities, I like truth, transparency and people who “tell it like it is”. This was in 2016.

Let me give you a little history. I was married for the first time in October of 2017 to my amazing husband, Steve. Three months prior to our wedding , I became a step-mamma to his 2 wonderful kids. Steve and I had discussed having a baby from very early on in our relationship. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary we’d visit our first fertility doctor in Nevada even before we were married. We began our fertility discussions in the fall of 2016; it was around Thanksgiving. To give you a sense of our timeline, we ended up conceiving “naturally” 3 years later, in October 2019. Like many, the years just flew by. Before we knew it, we had spent a lot of money, shared some disappointments and along the way definitely created memories while learning so much about fertility and the IVF process specifically, thankfully.

#1. Learn the process. There are many procedures. Know your options.

Though I was admittedly saddened by the result of IVF, I kept my faith. I am pretty straightforward about my Christian beliefs and I absolutely do believe my life is always safely in God’s hands. If having a baby was in my future, I would have a baby, and if I was supposed to focus on being “mom” to Steve’s beautiful children, I had accepted that and would work to be the best mom I could be to them. Therefore, the two of us had a clear vision of how this was going to work. Either we conceived “naturally”, or we used our sperm and egg; no donors. This was just our personal preference. I mention this because if you are reading this and are considering fertility treatments or are going through the process now, it is a key ingredient to moving forward. Know what you want, be clear, and then be steadfast in your decision.

#2. Have a clear vision based on YOUR beliefs.

Before, during, and even after trying to conceive, you’ll often hear things like “once you stop stressing it’ll work”, “I went on vacation after IVF and we just got pregnant because we weren’t stressing over it”, right? I bet you have a few good ones as well. For me personally, I actually wasn’t stressed about trying to have a baby. My personal life did not consist of whole lot of stress, worry or doubt. Though I had inherited 2 kids in 5th grade and sophomore in high school, I had moved from my extensive network of family and friends in Florida to Nevada, I was now married for the first time and was also working remotely no longer in my corporate office, I was managing what I like to call the “controlled chaos”. I did wake up with gratitude and was happy.

Now, with regard to my professional experience, however, after a 20+ year rewarding career in Corporate America, it took a less than ideal turn. I was no longer aligned ethically with my colleagues, which ultimately lead me to leave Corporate America and start my consulting business. This is something worth mentioning especially right now as many are working remotely.

#3. It is important to consider your profession, career, job, work surroundings - they are more impactful to our health than we may think. Be courageous to make a change if the environment is bad if you are able to do so and hold on to it if is is great! (future blog topic)

Here I was, “38 plus”. Steve was 46 at the time. I was told I was able to conceive though I didn’t have age on my side. Steve happened to have been taking testosterone for muscle recovery. Ladies, and gentlemen for those who need to hear this, testosterone is like birth control for men. As soon as we found this out, Steve was taken off testosterone and began taking HCG. Alongside my husband, I also started my fertility medication which was pretty consistent with what most women are prescribed. Make sure your nurse (this is the person I spoke to, not the doctor) is very clear about medication, timing of injections, and when to reorder. Make sure you know how your clinic operates in this regard. It is all very important!

#4. Communicate, communicate, communicate and ask questions!

We proceeded with 2 rounds of IVF at a total of approximately $30k (so you have a very clear idea of approximate costs). The first attempt to extract and retrieve my eggs, I prematurely ovulated BEFORE I went in for anesthesia and the extraction process, meaning, no eggs harvested (and therefore, no continued procedures). We didn’t know I had prematurely ovulated though until I was sedated. At the second attempt or round 2, our doctor was able to extract 3 eggs however, only 1 egg was viable to fertilize with my husband’s sperm. That embryo stopped growing when it was about 6 cells, on Valentine’s Day of 2018. I remember asking the nurse if I could come to the clinic to encourage this little embryo to keep growing. It was a sad day and I spent a lot of time reflecting on what we had gone through while also still giving thanks for all of our blessings.

We did not proceed after the 2nd attempt/round. The hormones took a toll on me and we also adamantly felt we really did not get what we had paid for. Let me try to briefly explain this not to create negativity but to inform. I think it is important to hear this so the right questions are asked.

If we only physically went through say 1/3 of round 1 (remember, I prematurely ovulated and therefore no additional costs were incurred from that point forward) and then only 1/2 of round 2 (remember for this round, the embryo stopped growing, so we never then continued with incurring any additional costs here either), wouldn’t we have technically not spent all of what we paid for under our contract? We discussed this with our doctor and he agreed that at least a third round should be included if we combined all of the services that actually did not take place. However, this next piece of information is important to know. Our clinic, and I cannot speak for others, but ours had 3 separate entities; doctor, medicine (nurse), and finance. They operated almost as exactly that, separate entities. Our doctor was great. He was very professional and knowledgeable. The finance person was not.

Look, every single person knows fertility treatments are expensive; we know this going into it. If you only know one thing, it is the cost of fertility treatments isn’t cheap. Steve and I were prepared for the costs as we had discussed and planned for this. What we hadn’t planned for was the woman in control of the financial entity of the business. She told us our next steps and the costs of the next steps for us were up to her and if she liked the patient “she gave discounts” and “made it happen”. This person tried to negotiate an additional reduced cost for round 3 and an even better discount for round 3 and 4. We did not proceed.

Let me fast forward to our next fertility doctor. My OB suggested I check out another doctor. She thought I would love her! And I did.

#5. Listen to your trusted doctors.

Our very first visit, this new doctor asked me a series of questions during her evaluation. We discussed procedures that could be done relatively painlessly and less invasive prior to IVF or even IUI.

After our nice discussion and thorough evaluation with our new doctor, she performed two procedures. Though there were no signs of blockage, she “flushed” my fallopian tubes and uterus as it can improve fertility and reduce the need for IVF. These procedures are same day, no sedation required procedures. They were slightly uncomfortable for me, but they are tolerable and quick. Not a big deal at all.

Following these procedures, she kindly sent us on our way to try to conceive “naturally”. That was December of 2018. We left feeling excited and we “tried” without too much stress and going with the flow. We continued through March of 2019. I kept track of my ovulation, but we were not the people who left a party to get the job done right then and there like you hear about or you’ve seen on “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”. Hey, it works for some people, but for us, we kept our lives relatively the same just with some added reminders in the back of our head. We were trying to keep the stress level low. Sometime around March of 2019, we just let it fizzle off as I was starting a new business and we were focused on some other family goals. We always had in our minds and hearts “if it happens, it happens!”.

Around Thanksgiving 2019, though I thought unlikely, I just felt I could in fact be pregnant. After 2 positive pregnancy tests on December 4th, it was confirmed, I was pregnant! We had just said goodbye to my family visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday. That very day, I had dropped my step son off at school and just knew the tests I was about to take were going to be positive. I knew it, I felt it. Sure enough I was still incredibly shocked when I saw that second line. WOW!

Now, I cannot tell you if any of the above was a contributing factor to all of a sudden a positive pregnancy test after all the procedures. I’m not sure anyone can tell us. Was it the HCG, lowered stress, flushing of fallopian tubes, uterus, a combination of any of the above that helped? Of course, I have my beliefs. I am just so thankful for the entire journey of ups and downs, lessons learned, tears, fears, laughs and excitement.

I remember someone telling me “you can do everything right and not get pregnant, you can do everything wrong and get pregnant!”

At the end of the day, be gentle on yourself. Do the best you can and keep your head up!

I hope I’ve been able to share some helpful information. I’d love to hear updates when you have them. Please email me at [email protected].

Wishing you all the best and praying for happy hearts!

Pregnancy after 40 years: Pros and Cons

Among many ordinary people and doctors there is an opinion that a woman who decides to give birth to a baby after the age of 40 is a late childbearer. But after all, everyone has their own story, their own reason why they couldn’t have a baby before: health, career, personal life. Women in most of the world are shifting their first births in the direction of more. In the countries of Western Europe and in the USA, the beautiful half of humanity initially seeks to build a career, and only after having children. The birth of a child after forty in recent decades has become a frequent occurrence in modern life. And, of course, it calms and consoles - the number of successful pregnancies is also increasing.

The psychologically optimal age is from 27 to 33 years, according to the doctors of the Family Planning Institute, the best physiological age is from 22 to 29 years. However, today in Ukraine, after the age of 40, about 13% of women become mothers.

The main advantage is that a woman after 40 can give a lot to a child, but there are plenty of risks.

Information!

In adulthood, the danger for both a woman and a baby is absolutely the same, regardless of what kind of pregnancy it is: the first, second or fifth. And the risks are determined by the state of health of the mother, which by the age of forty is not in the same form as in earlier years.

Positive aspects

Presence of a financial base. Admittedly, this is a huge benefit for late pregnancy. One of the reasons for postponing pregnancy is the desire of a woman to feel stability and stability in her life. I would like to enjoy the very state of wearing a baby, and then give all my time and thoughts to the child and not think about the financial side of the issue. But, of course, it should be understood that after childbirth, the whole way of life, so familiar and well-established, will be completely disrupted. But with age, change is hard to perceive.
Awareness. In most cases, by the age of 40, a lady has a family, work, life wisdom. Therefore, with her baggage and experience, she completely thinks through conception, pregnancy itself, childbirth.
Proven relationships over the years. By adulthood, a married couple has time to check their relationship, there is a distribution of family roles, both spouses know what to expect from each other. Of course, this is a huge plus. You will no longer swear over any trifles, you already have experience of how to support and understand each other, and this is very important during pregnancy, as well as in the first years of a child's life.
Breastfeeding. An adult woman does not need to be explained and persuaded to breastfeed. Such a mother is able to be much more attentive to offspring than young parents. She will not be attracted by the opportunity to go on festivities, entrusting the baby to her parents or friends, or the desire to earn a lot of money to the detriment of communication with the baby.
Health. Some future mothers take care of their health so much that by the age of 40 they are slim and fit. Their rich experience and worldview will allow the child to feel cozy and comfortable.

Negative sides

Some changes in the eggs occur after 40, resulting in an abnormal number of chromosomes. With such pathologies, the risk of complications in the fetus increases significantly. And statistics speak of 34 percent of miscarriages in women aged 40 to 44 years.
Cardiovascular, reproductive and muscular systems become very sensitive to loads or stress.
Complications are very likely. The most common: ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and others.
Shortly before the physiological process of aging, the female body changes. The main signs are a decrease in the reaction of the ovaries, and as a result, the production of a large number of hormones that stimulate the growth and maturation of the follicles in a woman, as well as luteinizing hormones.
After the age of forty, a decent "baggage" of chronic diseases accumulates. This circumstance especially applies to diseases of the uterus, ovaries, as well as genital infections, which can cause not only problems with conception, but also a complication of pregnancy, in which the attachment of a fertilized egg occurs outside the uterine cavity.
At this age, a woman's chances of giving birth to fraternal twins are increased. For babies, the threat is slow development in the womb, and after childbirth - low weight.
The older the expectant mother, the greater the risk of ruptures during childbirth. Therefore, women after forty are given a caesarean section.
During the "interesting situation" diabetes mellitus or gestational pyelonephritis often worsens.
After the age of forty, many people experience changes for the worse in the autonomic nervous system, even young people have a tendency to hypertension.
In mature women, the absorption of beneficial microelements and minerals is much worse, and therefore the egg may receive less nutrients and be initially unhealthy, which in the future may provoke problems with pregnancy.
Osteoporotic changes observed. Considering that during the period of gestation, the pelvic bones soften and diverge, then problems with the hip joint, divergence of the pubic joint are possible later.

In the meantime, doctors emphasize that it is not age that is risky for a successful pregnancy, but comorbidities. All of the above reasons mean one thing: a mature pregnancy must be supervised by an experienced specialist who can provide qualified assistance in time.

For whom is late pregnancy contraindicated after 40 years?

There are congenital or acquired defects when it is very dangerous for a woman to give birth. In such cases, a council of specialists determines how risky pregnancy is, whether a woman will be able to carry a child to term, whether she will be able to restore her physical and psychological condition after childbirth without tragic consequences.

Pregnancy is also contraindicated for beautiful ladies with cancer, with severe diabetes.

How to plan a late pregnancy?

Before planning a child, a consultation with a gynecologist and geneticist is required.
Balanced diet, systematic sleep and exercise.
Give up bad habits at least six months before conception. Otherwise, it makes sense to reconsider the issue of pregnancy.
It is obligatory to undergo a complete examination by a gynecologist and therapist before the planned pregnancy. Get tested for infections separately.
Adjust your weight, start exercising systematically to strengthen your body and prepare your body for stress.

Note: the chance of conception after 40 is slightly less, which may require some patience from the child couple. During pregnancy, you must follow the recommendations of the doctor, undergo the prescribed procedures.

How does a man's age affect conception?

In the course of major studies, it has been found that for the strong half of humanity over the age of 41, the real chances of realizing a full-fledged conception are greatly reduced. It has been scientifically proven that in older men, the ability to reproduce healthy offspring is reduced by 7% annually.

There is also evidence that babies with older fathers are more likely to develop a disease that manifests itself in seizures, convulsions and accompanied by loss of consciousness, as well as a mental illness characterized by impaired connectivity of mental processes and a decline in mental activity.

Men should not forget about sperm: do not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages, eat right, lead an active lifestyle.

Why is pregnancy after 40 dangerous? Child risk

Delivery between 22 and 37 completed weeks.
Light weight.
Risk of hypoxia during childbirth.
Risk of pathologies.

Unfortunately, if both parents are not young, the risk of having a baby with pathologies increases greatly. This is due to various factors, among which we can note the aging of germ cells, and the time of exposure to the human body of various pathogenic factors that increases with age. For example, according to statistics, with the age of the mother, the risk of having a child with a chromosomal pathology increases, causing a violation of mental development and accompanied by characteristic changes in appearance (Down syndrome). If at 25 this ratio is 1 out of 1250, then at 49years - 1 out of 11. But, modern complex prenatal diagnostics makes it possible to examine the fetus at a very early stage and identify (often exclude) suspected pathologies. This examination should be taken by those who, due to their age, are in the "risk group", as well as it is useful for young women.

Results

When a lady thought about conception, one of the conditions is to keep herself in shape and take care of her health.
Mandatory preparation before conception, undergo treatment before the planned pregnancy of detected diseases.
Find pregnancy doctors in advance.
During the childbearing period, the specialist will prescribe a vitamin complex, folic acid intake is especially important. Folic acid is found in spinach, kale and other green vegetables. It is very important to eat vitamin E, it is abundant in oil and nuts).
Do not panic and sometimes unreasonably negative attitude of doctors.
Build a social circle and support among people who have small children.

Pregnancy after 40 - to give birth or not to give birth?

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November 07, 2016

Every year there is a growing number of women in the world who want to first get a decent education and make a successful career, and then start a family. Many of them begin to think about the first child only after thirty. For such women in our health care system there is a term "late birth". GMS Clinic obstetrician-gynecologist Madina Kuchukova commented on this and other nuances to Posta-Magazine.

A patient recently told me at an appointment: “My daughter will be eighteen this year. And if suddenly fate decides so, I can quite become a young grandmother. But, instead of somehow mentally preparing myself for life in such a responsible status, I increasingly think about giving birth to a baby. In the end, everything is fine with my health, and what are our years.”

“You need it, retirement is already on the horizon”, “and you will be old-born”, “live for yourself” - which I just did not hear after I announced my “strange” desire to give birth to another child at almost 40 years old.

In the matter of childbirth, both the physical and psychological state are important, but perhaps the so-called "ovarian reserve" is considered the main medical indicator. Every healthy woman is naturally given the opportunity to realize her reproductive function. At the same time, the possibilities of the reproductive system are not unlimited. The limits of these boundaries are determined by the reserve of the ovaries, their potential for the production of eggs now and in the future. And if it is high, then you can give birth at 45, the body will allow it.

The ovarian reserve is laid in a woman even before her birth, and its size is genetically predetermined - that is, it is impossible to increase it, it literally appears together with you once and for all life. But the reverse process, unfortunately, is irreversible. Every year the ovarian reserve is depleted. And after it reaches a critical point, menopause occurs.

“After 35, the reserve begins to decline faster and faster, and this is affected not only by age, but also by stress, hard physical labor, emotional overload, bad habits, as well as subconscious and psychological barriers. We, residents of a metropolis, live in a state of chronic stress, we don’t know how to relax properly, we don’t know how to respond to stress correctly, we are afraid of losing stability, we rarely turn to psychologists for help in difficult life situations. And for pregnancy to occur, the body must be ready, the woman must be ready.

And if the rhythm of a woman's life is too intense on the way to the heights of a career, the likelihood that the ovarian reserve will decrease is high. Many do not realize why they need a child, others conceive it as another “project”, so it is very important to clearly ask yourself: “what do I really want”. Because when a child appears, he will certainly complicate your life, make significant adjustments to it.

And now, the good news. Modern medicine is at such a level today that it is very possible to extend the reserve and, in general, not too difficult. Firstly, the reserve can be checked before pregnancy planning. Secondly, in order to maintain the ovarian reserve, you can take hormonal contraceptives. The third important factor is the rejection of bad habits, proper nutrition, moderate physical activity and emotional stability in stressful situations.

But no matter what decision you make, in favor of pregnancy or vice versa, it is very important to realize that a child, the birth of a new life, is undoubtedly a real miracle. Regardless of how old his mother is.

Source: posta-magazine.ru

Obstetrician-gynecologist Ultrasound doctor Gynecologist Endoscopic Surgeon

February 13, 2023

Sex and contraception after childbirth. How comfortable is it to return to intimate life?

After giving birth to a woman, it may seem that in her life there will never be intimacy again. But don't be afraid, it's not. To make the return to sexual life comfortable, together with the reproductologist, obstetrician-gynecologist, GMS IVF ultrasound doctor Maria Volkova, we figure out what changes to expect, how to choose the right contraception after childbirth and what methods are recommended to use.

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January 13, 2023

How to maintain women's health in adulthood

We change with age and this is inevitable. However, how quickly we will lose our energy over the years depends primarily on us, on our attitude to our health, on our lifestyle. And, to a large extent, from our heredity.

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January 10, 2023

How to properly stop taking hormonal drugs

Hormone therapy is a rather complicated story, if only for the reason that a sudden cessation of hormone intake can seriously affect the body and start the process of hormonal failure. Rambler learned from an obstetrician-gynecologist at GMS Clinic what to do if it is necessary to stop taking hormonal contraceptives, and how to do it correctly without harming the body. It is reported by "The Rambler".

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November 17, 2022

Freezing the Future: How Politics and the Crisis Affect Pregnancy Planning

Against the backdrop of a general decline in the birth rate, Russian reproductive specialists record record numbers for sperm cryopreservation and great interest in IVF programs.

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September 13, 2022

All the most important things about IVF

Several tens of thousands of children are born every year thanks to the IVF procedure. This is a real salvation for people with problems of the reproductive system. However, there are many myths around this topic, and the procedure itself seems very complicated. Questions about IVF are answered by an expert - reproductologist Shamugiya Nato Livterovna. The text is not complete. You can read the entire article at the Pharmacy of the Capital Club "I'm a Mom"

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July 04, 2022