How old is too old

[Whitegrapeandblackberry]

To have a baby naturally ? I mean get pregnant naturally?

I hace a friend who conceived naturally and deliberately at 43, and another who struggled (and ultimately didn’t) at 28.

Over 59
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560739/UK-woman-59-worlds-oldest-natural-mother.html

Just remember your eggs are really old by the time you get to your 40's and that doesn't always end well.
If I did it again knowing what I know now I wouldn't have a baby after 35.

I'm 40 and although not wanting another child, I wouldn't have thought anything of it if I had become pregnant. Until I thought about it more - my Mum is in her early 70s and I can't imagine what it would be like having a mum in her 80s at my age (which would have been the case if she'd had me at 40 instead of 30)

it's also not about how 'easy' you fall pregnant. Some posters seem to forget that your eggs are old and that you carry a much higher risk therefore to have a child with a chromosome disorder (which often results in disability), your body is older even when you are a fit, and sporty nonsmoker. The risk for a premature birth goes up...

it's not just about conception.

I had my child at 43, natural conception. Healthy child, and its been great. However, in menopause now at 54, and I feel the child is not getting the best of me. I don't have the get up and go that my other children enjoyed.

Oldest I know of was accidently at 48 (Guardian column) with 3 or 4 older kids, she had a healthy baby.

Oldest IRL was 44 or 45.

If you dont want a child. It is advisable to use contraception until 50+ (for women)

I have an auntie who is just under a year older than me so the grandmother must have been in her 40s when she had her

I worked with a lady who fell pregnant at 45 and was 46 when she gave birth. They did keep an eye on her a little more due to her age and she had a high BMI. All was well with pregnancy and labour. Her son is 4 this year. He wasnt a 'planned' pregnancy. She thought she was going through the menopause and didnt find out she was pregnant until she was 16 weeks.

Some people are fertile far into their 40s. I was reaching the end of my fertility by mid-30s, though I couldn’t have known. I had plenty of eggs, but they were all poor quality and I kept having miscarriages. No underlying health problems or genetic conditions, my body was just ageing faster than average. No way of knowing until you try (....and in some cases try and try and try and try for years and then eventually luck out or give up)

I had 3 healthy babies in my early 40s but I recognise how lucky I was.

MIL was 43 when she had her last, her her others all before 25. That’s the oldest I know IRL. The child does have additional needs though, will likely never leave home and will go into care home when she dies, which I think is more likely the older you get. So that’s something to consider too.

My gran was 44 years old when she had my mum in 1929 - she'd had her first in 1910 and one practically every 18 months after that until the war then started again after that (granddad was in the trenches so there'd have been a to-do if she'd had another at that stage!)

I have no idea how she coped or stayed sane...

Too old is when you stop being fertile (of course this doesn't include people who are infertile for other reasons). Yes, there is an increased chance of chromosomal abnormalities in your 40s but the only 2 children I know with Down Syndrome and Edward's Syndrome were born to women in their 20s.

I personally wouldn't have a baby over the age of 35. I wouldn't even consider having having a baby with an older man either, due to poorer sperm quality.

My friend had her youngest at 49. She has 5 other children and the oldest was 25 when their baby sibling was born.

Before IVF using donor eggs was possible, around 45 women a year in England and Wales had babies when aged 50 or over, with a further 5 in Scotland. I would imagine most, if not all, were aged 50 or 51.