Can I get pregnant at 46?

[Singlemom8]

I had children in my 30s really easily like within a month of trying and my last child I was 34 and got pregnant on the mini pill. My partner at the time was violent and abusive. I’ve now met a lovely men and we’re making plans for our future and we talked about trying for a baby together but he’s 45 and I’m 46? I’m wondering if anyone has experience of this??

Nobody can say for sure, the odds aren’t in your favour though. I’d recommend booking yourself in for a fertility assessment for example Hertility, see what those results say and go from there x

Depends on how fertile you are, it is possible but more unlikely compared to younger! However, there is a lot higher risk of things like Downs Syndrome, the older you get

Cherie Blair was around 46 when Leo was conceived accidentally.

Stephen Mangan’s wife had a surprise baby at 46.

It is theoretically possible but the odds are very, very low, and even a full term pregnancy carries a significantly higher risk of genetic abnormality or other conditions.

You may conceive but are much more likely to miscarry, it could be a very disheartening experience.

Donor eggs would reduce many of the risks but that comes with its own set of dilemmas.

It's possible for many women to concieve at 46, but you are more likely to have a miscarriage at that age than previously.

Yes!

It’s possible, but I think you’d need to accept that there is a high possibility of a miscarriage.

You want to try for a baby at 46 with a man you've just met and you have a 12 year old?! What's wrong with you?

My friend had a baby at 47. My last I was 45. Higher risk of miscarriage but give it a try!

Statistically it's very unlikely, and the risk of miscarriage and baby having a chromosome issue are much higher. Only way to find out is try, if you're willing to take the risks. I'm not even sure if it's worth getting fertility tests, you have to think what would change if you did have the tests? IVF has a very low success rate at that age.

Isn't Ant Macpartlins wife 46? They just had a baby.

The older the you get, the lower the odds of getting pregnant each month (I think it's 5% chance max each month so very low) plus the odds of miscarriage or genetic/chromosomal issues increase with each year. The risk of downs syndrome is high.

That's not to say it's impossible to get pregnant and have a perfectly healthy pregnancy at 46 though, just some things to think about.

I'm currently 41 and pregnant, I'll be 42 when baby is born and I'm a nervous wreck thinking something is going to go wrong.

I'm 41 and pregnant now with my second. Took us a while but it did with my first too. You could go for testing or do a ' let's see what happens' approach and set a time on it. Like if it doesn't happen within 2 years it's not meant to be. Other options are would you consider adoption or fostering or anything like that? If there are fertility issues you could also consider donors or surrogates but it's a lot to go through and if it takes years you could be pushing 50. No one can tell you if it's right for you though, lots of discussion needed I would suggest

I was similar - fell pregnant early 30s the month I stopped contraceptives. Had a long gap before dc2 and then fell pregnant age 43. I was healthy and fit, I had a contraceptive blip. it was a completely straightforward pregnancy and baby was healthy, I bounced back really fast and baby was ebf for 18months.

It was a really big decision to have a baby in my 40s but for me it was the right one. I contemplated how I’d cope with twins; how I’d cope with a disability; how I’d cope if my mum died (she did in fact die when my baby was young, and it’s hard to deal with a dying parent/bereavement and an infant).

I intend to stay fit healthy and young, godwilling, and prepare my kids for an adult life in which I may not be around forever.

I would think really hard about whether your lovely partner is cut out for fatherhood - how long have you known him? What’s his past like? who suggested having a baby and who is most keen?

if you have any doubts, just don’t do it - that’s my advice

With every year that passes your fertility drops. Sell yourselves the idea that a baby would be an unbelievable blessing but without , you can still be happy

Yes there's a big peak in terminations at that age as people get lax with contraception when feel it's not possible/unlikely. The pregnancy would be managed as high risk and there's more chance of genetic abnormalities

When the child is in their last year of Primary school you will be 58

I personally dont think its very fair on a child

We can’t say whether or not it’s possible for you. Statistically it’s unlikely.

we also can’t say if it’s the right choice for you.

Isn't Ant Macpartlins wife 46? They just had a baby

Celebrities who have babies in mid/late forties are not useful examples; almost all of them are using donor eggs from younger women.

Bluntly: it's unlikely. You may be able to conceive, but at your age it's a long way from conception to a healthy live birth. You can try, but if you do conceive you're more likely to miscarry than have a successful pregnancy.

I had a dc at 43.2.. 4 mc after that. GP told me although my blood results showed good signs it was unlikely to occur with a baby at the end...
I mc at home at 48. What a shocker.... Unplanned but hadn't been using any birth control.

I only recently found out about these so called 'menopause babies', I'd never heard of it before.
Apparently it happened to my own grandmother who had a termination at 45!

Well women do. My grandmother gave birth to my dad at the age of 47.

How long have you been together?

So you've focused on one line of my reply and ignored the rest which is basically saying the same as what you are saying.?

And since they're not open about it, you have no idea which celebrities are using donor eggs and which aren't.

Menopause babies used to be very common, it was a 'thing' when my mum was growing up and actually her best friend was significantly younger than her oldest sibling. This was a Catholic family in the 50s/60s.

However, I think this is a 'should' rather than a 'could' situation. You've just met this guy and you're already talking about babies, just stop and draw a breath for a moment. Is he love-bombing you? Future faking?

I'm 53 now and the thought of having a pre-schooler running around is... off putting. And tiring.

Maybe a question to ask yourself is what would it be like to have a lively 14 year old, and all his/her friends at weekends when you are 61?
Or a challenging teen at 65?
I realise it is hard to imagine being older but l can tell you your energy drops significantly, and with the menopause, your oestrogen which makes caring for children very different and for some much harder.....
Do you want to be dealing with Uni applications in your 60's?

I decided against a third when 41 for exactly the above reasons and boy am l glad, add in ageing parents with Dementia, looking at how far ahead one has to work as DCs are starting Uni and require substantial financial support, and having one Dc with a chronic health condition, having a third age 15 at my age now, ( mid 50's ) would be so unfair on them as there is just not enough energy or time.

You are right that the majority are donor eggs but both of the examples I gave above - Cherie Blair and Stephen Magnan wife Louise- are on record as surprise natural conceptions at 46. I have no reason to believe they’d say that if not true, especially Blair, who goes into detail in her autobiography about how she was too embarrassed to pack her diaphragm on a trip to Balmoral that would involve her bag being checked for security reasons.

I had my last at 41, fine for the first few years (felt like a doddle!) But then you hit 50 and menopause, and suddenly it's not so easy! I'm 56 now with a 15 year old, I'm relatively healthy and fit, but I get tired much more easily and it's hard to keep up with a very active teenager! Would I have had another at 46? Let's just say I'm so very glad I didn't!!

Just because you can do something, doesn't always mean you should.