Has anyone managed a successful pregnancy when they were over 42?

[evenhope]

Just suffering a second missed m/c in less than 6 months. The first one you can put down to bad luck but now after 2 I'm wondering where we go from here. Is it worth putting myself through all this a third time (or a fourth?!). I spoke to a midwife this morning and although she didn't say it outright her opinion was you're 42, you've already got kids, what's the point.

I'm sure there are MNetters who have had a baby at 42 and older but can't think of any offhand. I realise that the risk of miscarriage is considerably higher after 40 but does that mean the chance of a successful pregnancy is too low to go for it? The stupid thing is we conceived this one on my third cycle of trying after the first m/c, yet in my twenties it took me 18 months to conceive my first one.

Hi Evenhope

I was (am) with you on the Oct 06 thread although it now looks as though I am miscarrying for the first time in my life . I am devasted. I have 2 fantastic DS's - one of 13 and one of 2.5 and I have kind of been saying to myself over these last few days - maybe I should call it a day and I have had my lot and be grateful (which of course I am!) - but like you say - why does anyone want children? I am 40 but now thanks to this thread am feeling relatively youthful and already thinking - well what's wrong with maybe trying again (although not too hard...)? Why shouldn't any of us?

I actually started reading thru this thread so I could tell you about my friend who had adult-onset diabetes (altho not overweight and really looked after herself) who never conceived and thought nothing of it - then conceived completely accidentaly at the age of 41 and had a healthy baby at 42. So there you go - but I feel a little better now as well! We should maybe keep this thread going? I'll come back on anyway to tell people what happens at my scan on Thursday.....

Sorry for essay!

Riley, sorry to hear you are going through it as well.

Thanks everyone for your support.

I had ds at 41
Friend has had 5 miscarriages and now 32weeks.

You just never know what might happen.
Thinking of you

Thinking of you both evenhope and Riley :(
I had dd at 40 following a 2nd trimester stillbirth at 39. We had abandoned all hope after the two years of charting and investigations that led up to losing ds2, and I was pregnant again, successfully, only four months later.
I also have a friend my age (42 now) who is 21 weeks following one successful pregnancy at 39 and two distressing miscarriages since.
Wishing you both lots of luck.
OldieMum, what a lovely story :) Hope all goes well for you now.

My Mum had me when she was 43, after 4 miscarriages in a row. Because there's a big gap between me & my older sisters people always assume that I was a 'little mistake' but actually Mum was heartbroken after losing so many babies especially as two of them were quite late - 13 wks and 16 wks. She was on complete bed rest for her whole pregnancy with me (don't think they recommend that any more...) So I was spoilt rotten when I came along . Wishing you the best of luck.

My great grandmother had 4 children between the ages of 39 and 45. All successful live births. Very unusual at the time to be such a later starter.

I know that is fairly flippant but just wanted to say that I wish you luck.