Chance of falling pregnant naturally at 47

[ladylazra]

Can't believe I'm even starting this thread, I should be so beyond this stage!

DH and I, normally very careful and sensible, got very carried away the other night and had sex without using any contraception.

Initially I thought it would all be ok as we didn't conceive our DCs first month of trying. Both getting on a bit but I am still having regular periods, although they are now changing.

Youngest about to head off to uni next year so a pregnancy would be a disaster so starting to now panic a bit. Suppose I'm looking for reassurance that it's really very unlikely?

Are you in your fertile window? Honestly at 47 it's really unlikely, but not impossible.

I'd have thought that still having periods means you're still fertile. Carry on taking precautions.

Falling pregnant: possible. Staying pregnant: much less likely.

What contraception do you usually use?

I assume condoms?

I don't understand why you didn't get the MAP just incase but worry about it for days?

Very unlikely. However, my best friend's sister got pregnant at 50 after a one night stand. So not impossible.

She had the baby BTW.

Possibly bang on mid cycle, so not really ideal. Although for the past 6 or 7 months my periods have been coming earlier and been much heavier but only lasting for a few days - shorter than normal. So I do think they're definitely changing which I think initially gave me a false sense of security. Now panic has mainly set in!

Erm my Mum had me at 48….. my Dad was 51… it happens.

Normally use condoms/withdrawal without incident for the past 17 years!

I didn't get the MAP as I convinced myself I'd be fine. Now the time frame has passed I'm regretting/doubting my decision.

Statistically unlikely but it could still happen in your situation. You won't know for sure until you're able to test, and you can't do anything about it until then, so no point worrying about it. I think if it were really going to be a disaster then you would have had belt and braces contraception sorted though.

it's not likely but it's definitely possible.
my mum had a last minute "I thought that was the menopause" pregnancy, and apparently it's not uncommon for your body to try for one last hurrah.
get checked out. and be more careful, please. if you've been using pull out, chances are you're not that fertile, BUT it's a big deal if you are pregnant and you need to know as soon as possible

Although very unlikely my grandmother got pregnant with my father at 50 back in 1931. She thought she was in menopause.

It would-be rare. Staying pregnant even more so. Having said that, my mum had natural, successful and healthy pregnancies at 46 and 48.

I don't think OP is asking for stories of people who gave birth in their late 40s. These people could have been actively trying, or not using contraception, or had assistance, etc.

I understood the thread to be about the likelihood of conceiving with one-off unprotected sex when you're 47.

Depending on how many days we are talking about you could have a copper coil inserted. This can be done up to five days after unprotected sex. Worth a thought if you are in that time frame. Will also cover you till after the menopause so you will not have to worry about contraception again

How early can you do a test?

I would have got the MAP in your circumstances.

Of course it’s unlikely….but my family is full if surprise babies at this age. Typically mistaken for menopause for months I expect.

I thought this would be a thread about OP actually wanting to be pregnant at 47….

i’m 46 and I’d say unlikely but def not impossible. We still use precautions meticulously and have no plans to stop doing so

any reason you didn’t take the MAP?

With regular periods it’s quite possible. Regular periods implies an ovulatory cycle, so with ovulation comes the potential of pregnancy.

If within 5 days since unprotected sex (120 hours) you can still get emergency contraception - it’s called EllaOne.

The MAP works by delaying ovulation till after the sperm would be gone so is not reliable if you have just ovulated. If the OP had just ovulated it would not work.
The copper coil works by stopping implantation of the fertilized ovum so is used if you are mid cycle and have just ovulated.
If you are a week or two since the event then do a digital pregnancy test as they are very sensitive.
It is unlikely you are pregnant but you need to know early so you can consider your choices. Good luck

It is likely that you are ovulating still, so at least in theory, it is possible. After that, it's a matter of the quality of your eggs and you can't know that without blood tests.

As a statistic, it is very unlikely you'd get pregnant on just this one occasion. It's also likely that even if you did you would miscarry due to poor quality of the embryo.

But ultimately it is not impossible.

Get tested

Thanks all for your replies.

As a previous poster said I'm not really looking for stories of people actively trying, I suppose I was more looking for reassurance! But all replies welcome.

As to why I didn't take the MAP (I'm now outside the window) I had convinced myself it would be fine/we have never conceived at first try even in our more fertile years/my periods are beginning to change/I've been treated for endo/I'm an idiot. Delete as appropriate! 🙈

Then when I was past the timeframe for the MAP I then started panicking.

Looking at my period tracker, if accurate I was post ovulation. I suppose I could test next week so I will get some sensitive tests and hope for the best.

Good luck. The likelihood of pregnancy is low so try not to get too worried for now. Do a sensitive test next week.
Best wishes and we will be thinking of you