Advantages of pregnacy in your 40's????

[drosophila]

I was speaking to my aunt yesterday about having babies late in life. She had her last baby at 44. Her mother (my grandmother) had her last at 44 too. My mother had her last at 39 and her mother at 44. I had my last (I assume it is my last) at 41.

My aunt said (in that way that women of a certain age talk - with such certainty) that having a baby late in life gives you a real hormonal boost that lasts even having an impact on the menopause. My two grandmothers lived to an old age the oldest being 98 so maybe there is something in this old wives tale. I thought it was interesting to talk to someone from a different generation where having lots of kids and as a consequence you could well be quite old having the last. I wondered if there was any research to back this up.

Interesting! I would love to hear as I shall be a month shy of 40 when I have this one! Nothing to add unfortunately, my mum & sister were the total opposite having had their kids very young! I see pro's & con's to both but personally have no regrets to be doing it this way around! Great to hear these words of wisdom from women that have been through it!

......or maybe women still naturally fertile in their 40s are going to have a later menopause than average, and perhaps even a longer life span than average for genetic reasons????

I'm 42 and 28weeks pregnant, so the idea that I may live longer is appealing! Don't want to keel over at the age of 60 when the baby will still be a teen!

anecdotal of course, but my friend is 42 and had her children at 38 and 40
she is now menopausal. so didn't work for her!

thisisyes... Guess it's not scientific.

It's interesting to hear the old wivves tales though. My mum once said to me that it is much easier to get pg late in life if you have been pg before. Obviously not scientific but a feeling they had. Almost like as if the body knows what to do. My family are all farming people so they seem to have a handle on all things relating to fertility

i wonder if anyone has researched stuff like this.
i'd google but i wouldn't know where to begin!

I am not sure that having children at 40 plus means that you're necessarily on for a later menopause - I mean, certainly, it can - but I'm 40 and two days before I conceived I was told by a fertility consultant that I would likely be in menopause in a year...

Was just looking at the 1911 census online and my great grandmother was 48 when she had what I assume was her last child . I guess a catholic country with no contraception would result in this. Seems like I come from a long line of women who had babies late in life.

Drosophila...... no disrespect to your G grandmother (or mine, who had my grandmother at the age of 46), but it was common practice long ago for a baby born to a teenage daughter to be passed off as the child of the mother of the houshold..... many a child grew up thinking his/her aunts/uncles where it's brothers and sisters!

drosophila - took me 2 1/2 years to get pregnant this time with nos 3. Am 40 and 34 weeks. DS1 was straight away at age 30 and DS2 straight away at 33. I definitely think it was my age that made it take so much longer. However, we are all different and so maybe some peoples eggs age quicker? I know i was told that my eggs were old! Am loving your aunts theory of the hormonal boost and look forward to it arriving after the birth!

Dros, I love this therory - I will be 40 when DC2 arrives in Jan, and I was getting a bit disheartened about missing so much of their lives if I died young. As for the hormonal boost - brilliant!!!

Oldmum - good point. Although I know my aunt was deffo 44 when she had her last as I saw her. Also the shock that a woman of that age was still at it was something to behold in my home.

My nan was 45 when she had my aunt - she's now 90 and although she is no longer fully mobile she is much healthier than many women her age and still has all her faculties!

Drosophila - yes, that was the reaction of my teenage sons too! Parents still having sex - how awful!