So Cheryl Cole 39 said she's too old to have another biological baby

Had my first at 33, my eggs were useless by 35. Some women can have babies in their late thirties and even forties, good for them, I was not one and I applaud Cheryl for highlighting that it’s not possible for many women.

Really?

Well in answer to your question it can certainly happen at 38! I fell pregnant completely by accident at this age, we were actively avoiding trying to be pregnant. No idea if baby is healthy yet as it's not here, but pregnancy has been very easy thus far and I'm now past 12 weeks with low chance test results.

I find these conversations pretty pointless. Not everyone chooses to have children later in life but they end up in a situation eg due to fertility struggles or not meeting partners until later whereby they either do it at an older age or miss out on having children completely. I’m sure most people would choose to have them earlier (maybe under 35) rather than later because of the risks, potential difficulties in getting pregnant etc etc but not everyone has the luxury of having a choice

@FKATondelayo I disagree. It depends on the individual. I know plenty of women In their 30s had children with absolutely no issues, they bounced right back after birth. All my friends, bar one or two had their children in their 30s

First was 37 so also late compared to some people’s thinking on here.

Was it your first though? That’s what makes the difference I find. First babies at a later age tend to be tougher on the body.

I had a 13 pound baby boy at 40 and discharged myself the same night. Some 40 year olds are fitter than women in their 20s and 30s. Just depends of their makeup.

Women in their 20s and 30s are fitter and more energetic than women in their 40s. This is not a difficult concept to grasp. My sister had a 9.5lb back to back baby at 17 and was out shopping the next day. I had a 9.5lb back to back baby at 35 and was in hospital for a week.

Couldn't have worded it better myself.

I'm pregnant right now and I'm 43. It is higher risk but lots of people do it and have healthy babies. I read a book called "it starts with the egg" and followed the advice in there to try and increase my chances of conceiving with a "good" egg. I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to conceive, but especially oldies like me where chromosomal abnormalities are more common.

I wouldn’t knock her for saying she feels she doesn’t want to do it again at 39. It’s perfectly reasonable for her to feel that way. It’s not a personal slight on anyone who decides to have a baby in their 40s.

@MakingMarlsAndOtherThings

I got pregnant at 39 and had none of those issues. Was fit and healthy. Running 20 - 30 miles a week. Had tons of energy. But everything started to fall apart after the kids were born. It seemed pretty dramatic, which I suspect is to do with huge change of having kids more than it being so dramatic. But my similarly aged friends without kids also all found more and more problems as they hit 40, I think it just didn’t all hit quite so dramatically because they didn’t have the same change in routine.

My hearing and eyesight had probably been deteriorating for some time, but the change in routine made it more noticeable. The biggest thing for me that I noticed was that injuries started to take a lot longer to heal and I might not have really noticed that before but, again, the change in routine made deficiencies more noticeable and I didn’t have the same time to look after myself.

It’s not that you can’t be fit and healthy in your 40s and beyond, but it does seem that you can take that fitness much more for granted before 40. As you get older it takes more work and you don’t necessarily have as much capacity for that when you have kids.

Wasn’t she trying for years to have a baby? I’d also think she means her personally as she’s been through the mill. No doubt you’ll have people saying she’s lazy or the like but if you read the girls aloud book she always wanted children so I wouldn’t say it’s something she hasn’t thought about carefully. Everyone is so different though so nobody should take it as anything that would affect their own life

Whilst it might still be possible for her to have a baby maybe she feels too old? I know how that is. I just wouldn't have the patience now that I had 13 years ago when I had my dd. Physically, it was hard on me being pregnant and I couldn't imagine going through that all over again, then all the sleepless nights and juggling work and a baby. I'm the same age and I feel too old to have a baby.

I'm 35 and feel too old to have another baby, largely because I had mine before I was 30, I'm just not at the stage of my life anymore, that ship has sailed and I don't think I'm as healthy now as I was 10 years ago. But that's me, I can't put a number on anyone else and that will be the same for her.

Expect what you want. Life might throw other plans your way

I think it entirely depends on the person and the circumstances.

As can be seen by many of the responses, typically, the posters saying "too old for them" have already had children.

If you've already had children by 38/39/40, it's likely that you may feel too old for them. However, if you haven't and want to, you won't or you're prepared to deal with all that comes with being an older mum.

Yes, there are statistics that show that the older you are, the harder it may prove to be to conceive and the higher risk the pregnancy is. However, those are just statistics. Important to bear in mind, but not get too bogged down with to the point of allowing it to paralyse you.

Speak with your healthcare provider, follow their advice and get yourself into as healthy a position as possible and just keep trying. Women are having children later and later, and so, our understanding of fertility at those later ages should grow.

There will be examples on each side of the aisle regarding this. Those who have struggled to conceive when they're older (and maybe faced other complications, and those who conceived with no issue and had perfectly healthy babies. Likewise, there will also be those who are in their 20s who struggle to conceive, have babies with chromosomal abnormalities or miscarry.

Age is just a single factor. And I'm also in your boat-I'm 35 and wanting to start TTC soon.

My sister as had her second baby at 39 after a 17 year age gap hes 10 months old now but she finds it harder now than what she did with her first one .
She dont regret it but said she wish she had him earlier as she was just getting her own life back shes 40 soon and she said he will be a teen when im way in my 50s .

So many posts on here (and other threads) from women saying they have no energy, are so tired and have aches and pains now they're in their 40s. Really???

40 is not old but (disabilities aside) some people really do seem old before their time. I'm not expecting to have any of these issues any time soon - am I the only one? 😯

I'm 39 and I feel too old. I had mine when I was in my 20s (27 and 29) and now the thought of going back to the baby stage is hideous, and I feel like I wouldn't want a 10 year age gap and I'm just done with that stage of my life. So I feel like it's too old "for me" but obviously other people do it and love it.

Worded that badly. Obviously it WAS my choice! But I don’t suppose I would have had a child at this age had secondary infertility not changed things for me. Of course, I’m glad I’m having a successful pregnancy so far…with not long to go!

I was 30 when I fell pregnant with my first. I’m now 38 and expecting another after 7 years of trying and multiple losses. I don’t think being pregnant at this age would have been my choice but I was prepared to try until 40. That said, a friend of mine was 44 when she had her first pregnancy. Twins!

It is a choice we women make. I had mine when i was very young and i am so glad i did, having cared for an elderly parent in my late 40s early 50s, i know i couldn't have done it with children in tow.