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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

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Original poster

is there anyone else trying to conceive later in life, 37

36 replies

juelgaz · 29/08/2003 22:11

Hi, I haven,t posted for a long time now, have just been so busy. Last year I decided to terminate my pregnancy after discovering that my baby had downs syndrome. Since then I have not been taking any form of contraception and yet still find that I have not been able to fall pregnant. Is there any one out there trying to conceive later in life.

OP posts:

twiglett · 30/08/2003 09:17

message withdrawn

aloha · 30/08/2003 09:56

I conceived my ds at 37 & had him at 38. My friend just had her second child at 41. Lots of 'older' mums here. Did you know that 70% of 40-year-old women who have never had chidren will conceive within one year? And remember too that not all 25 year olds will be fertile so of that 30% who won't concieve quite a few wouldn't ever have been able to have children. If you have got pregnant once you have an excellent chance of conceiving again. The more sex you have the more you improve your chances. Good luck!

colette · 30/08/2003 10:16

It took me 10 months for my 2nd child and I was 38,as it happened on holiday I wondered if we just hadn't been having enough sex.;0)
Good luck

WideWebWitch · 30/08/2003 10:24

I was 30 when I had my first (accidental pregnancy) and will be 37 when I have my second in Nov this year. It did take longer this time - 6 months - but I do wonder whether it's because I'd just had a coil out and it took a while for my womb to settle down. That might be a load of rubbish though! How long have you been trying? If it's under 6 months I'd say give it longer. Sorry about your baby, that must have been tough.

Jane101 · 30/08/2003 14:29

I'm also 37. We've been having fertility treatment for nearly a year, after sucessful treatment 3 years ago.

bunny2 · 30/08/2003 21:50

I'm 37, first baby at 34, m/c at 35 the q8 months and finally fertility drugs for no 3 (due April). After 18 months I got medical advice/intervention.

twiglett · 31/08/2003 21:27

message withdrawn

Azure · 01/09/2003 08:21

I've just found out I'm pregnant and will be 37 late September. DS was born two years ago last week. It did take a lot longer to conceive this time - one year as opposed to 2 months - but I think the lack of energy to have sex was a lot to do with it.

SnoobyKat · 01/09/2003 08:40

Although I don't feel as though it's "late in Life", I am definately an older Mum compared to those in my son's playgroup. He is 23 months and I would love to have another baby despite the fact that I'm 37. It took 8 years and 1 m/c to conceive and a pregnancy has not helped my irregular cycle one bit so my chances are slim. Still I have one adorable laddie and I'll keep hoping ....

sobernow · 01/09/2003 09:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bluecow · 01/09/2003 16:07

Got preggars at 38 with ds, had him just before 39th birthday. Now 8 weeks pg with baby 2 - three months shy of 40th birthday.
Fell within two months both times - and I have PCOS (polycystic ovaries) so I thought the odds were way against me. First time round I was about to start Clomid when I got pregnant.
Make sure you're making love enough times and at the right time of the cycle - I know it's stating the blooming obvious but I used ovulation tester sticks both times and they were really good.

SamboM · 01/09/2003 16:19

I had my dd when I was almost 36, am now almost 37 and thinking about trying for another. It took us 3 years to conceive dd so am not holding breath!

Very sad about your termination, I hope you get pregnant again soon. Do you have any other children?

easy · 02/09/2003 14:49

I was 38 when I had my son (only one). It took a year, and I conceived after I'd decided it probably wasn't going to happen for me. So I upgraded my career, took out a loan to buy a fancy big car, and BANG.

Interestingly, we had both started taking zinc supplements (just to ward off colds) about a month before I conceived. I later read that a diet rich in zinc helps fertility so perhaps that is what did it (well, sex too i guess), worth a try?

zippy539 · 05/09/2003 19:48

It took me three years to conceive ds who was finally born when I was 34. Started trying again for no 2 when I was 35 because I thought with my track record it would take ages then got pregnant the first month. It really seems to be a complete lottery (whatever age you are!). I'm so sorry about your previous pregnancy - that must have been very difficult.

BM · 18/09/2003 11:23

I'm a "virgin mumsnet user", this being my first message to you all, so please be gentle with me!

I'm also a "later in life" Mum of 2 who is thinking about trying for another baby. Already have 2 boys - one 5 in Oct and one just turned 3 and I'm 40.5!

Have been talking to midwife about tests for DS but am still confused and concerned. CVS, amnio, blood tests and also test to measure thickness of neck have all been mentioned. Has anyone else had any other than amnio?

I had amnio with first child but refused with 2nd. Thank you.

Welshmum · 18/09/2003 11:32

I had the nucal fold test (measuring the thickness of the neck) with my DD I was 38. I was at UCH in London. I think this is becoming more common as a test now across the country. I think that combined with a blood test it can give you pretty accurate odds on whether your baby may have Downs - the consultant told me it was allowing them to do fewer amnios which must be a good thing.

Welshmum · 18/09/2003 11:34

Sorry should have said. The nucal fold test is done as part of an ordinary scan - just takes them a couple of minutes to take the measurements. I think it's done fairly early on in the pregnancy - end of first trimester. This might have changed - DD is nearly 18 months now.

aloha · 18/09/2003 11:48

I think it depends on several things, including how afraid of having a child with Downs you are. If you really, really don't want to have a child with Downs and are very afraid I'd go for the CVS, which has a miscarriage risk but is done very early so any termination will be relatively straightforward. The problem with amnio I think is that it is slightly safer in terms of causing miscarriage but it is done late so any termination would be more tricky and more upsetting, I would have thought. The nuchal fold scan is done at around 11 weeks, and is much more accurate than blood tests, esp if done by an expert. I had it with my first pregnancy aged 37 and the scanner was so confident ds didn't have Downs that she almost begged me not to have an amnio with the risk of m/c that incurred. Ds is very healthy and doesn't have Downs. The Nuchal fold is a good screening tool, accurate, though not as accurate as CVS, and totally non-invasive with no risk of miscarriage. Not all hospitals offer all tests. I was at Kings which IMO is fantastic for testing. At 40 your risk for Downs is higher but at least 99 out of 100 babies don't have it.

janinlondon · 18/09/2003 12:43

This might help? Its the most recently published UK data on all the tests and the table in the Exec summary does a comparison of the detection rates and false-positive rates for each: www.ncchta.org/fullmono/mon711.pdf
(If you cant get it just go to the ncchta.org website and search on SURUSS)
The table shows that nuchal has the highest false-positive at a given detection rate for any of the tests.

aloha · 18/09/2003 13:54

Agree tables are useful, but hospitals differ quite a bit in how good they are at diff procedures. I think Kings is excellent as they invented the Nuchal fold test.

sunchowder · 18/09/2003 14:39

I became pregnant with my DD at age 38 and had her at 39. The conception took 3 months,I didn't use any of the ovulation predictors, but I hear they are fantastic. We were making love a great deal especially mid cycle. I was eating a healthy diet and getting exercise, but I was about 35 pounds overweight at the beginning of the pregnancy. I opted to have the amnio because my blood levels were not where they were supposed to be. I had no fear of infection or complication. I had a wonderful experience with this (the injection is quite a deep one) and I watched the monitor as my baby moved aside as they took the sample. If this is the way that you need to go, try to have the most positive attitude and all will go well for you. Lots of other wonderful advice on this string also. All the best to you.

motherinferior · 18/09/2003 15:11

I got pregnant by accident at 36 (got positive test on 37th birthday); and deliberately, after about six months of 'trying' at 39 (bearing in mind the exhaustion that a small child has on the libido, I wouldn't say trying very hard!). Had dd2 two weeks after my 40th birthday. I think fertility and age is a very individual, personal thing; HTH and good luck.

I think the best advice is masses of sex...

BM · 22/09/2003 16:24

Hi, thanks to you all who replied to my original message, you've given me (a) a great deal of hope regarding risks and (b) some great information.

And added to the other tips from some other messages, I'm going to quite enjoy trying for number 3!

Thanks again.

dinosaur · 24/09/2003 22:35

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Kitesurfgirl · 14/08/2011 15:45

I'm 37 and lost my first baby (MMC) 3 months ago now at 17 weeks. I hope to goodness it's not too late. I hate how the media make out like we all deliberately left it this long because we're selfish etc..I just honestly had not met the right man, and did not want to just get pregnant with anyone. I see a child as an extension of love. Now I have met the right man...just HOPE that my first experience wasn't my only hope.

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