Chances of getting pregnant at 50

[hitandmist]

I didn’t really know where to put this thread so I may post in a couple of topics
I am 50 and perimenopausal. I still have periods although they’ve become very irregular since starting HRT 6 months ago.
I have been seeing someone casually for a couple of months. We don’t use protection. We probably have sex 4 times a month. We did discuss protection at the start and I decided I was happy to go without.
He’s now saying he’s worried about me getting pregnant. I really think this is unlikely although not impossible. I really don’t want to start using condoms. I don’t want to use other forms of birth control as they completely mess me up.
What would you do in this situation?

@outerspacepotato bit late to the party but thanks for your outstanding observations

My late aunt was 49 when she had her last,my classmate in high school's mom was 50 I saw very pregnant woman fairly recently id guess she was well at least 50.

It’s unlikely yeah but not out of the realms of possibility. But tbh I think having unprotected sex is unwise with a casual set up tbh. It’s just not worth the risk.

That's a good idea.

This. We all know someone who knows someone but it's very very very rare to get pregnant at that age and even rarer to carry to term. So I'd say you'll be absolutely fine but maybe better to be safe than sorry...

At age 51 I had a gynae appointment and he did a sonar scan.

He said at the time it was now or never if the intention was there for as he called it, a very latecomer to the family.

Not that it was an intention as I am happily single with adult DC, but I asked him what were the chances. He said, slim but not impossible.

So yeah, slim but not impossible then OP...

There was a poster on here last year a little younger but she’d had no periods for a year and was considered post menopause. She then got pregnant and after much soul searching decided on a termination.
Her advice was really strong - just don’t risk it.

My mum was told it was 'her age' when she went to the doctor aged nearly 47 because her periods had stopped. She took this as gospel, having been married 14 years without getting pregnant. When she went back several months later because her stomach was so swollen, the doctor went a bit quiet and then said 'I think it's a babby, Mrs W.' I arrived six weeks later. Admittedly, she was under 50, but pregnancy in that ballpark is definitely not impossible (and as an aside, the result of DH and me using the pull-out method is currently 6 ft 2 and eating us out of house and home...)

Did you have a pre sex chat about going bareback from the off then? Just wondering how that sort of conversation would play out.
You say condoms interrupt the moment, but far less than having to deal with all that mess afterwards 😬
.. and it smells - unless you are going to leap up and have a shower/launder the sheets.

@ThisJadeBear that’s interesting, I wouldn’t mind having a read of that thread. You wouldn’t happen to know what it was called or anything to help me find it?

@nopiesleftinthisvehicleyes we did as we’re both adults. I mean doesn’t everyone discuss these things before having sex for the first time?

Presumably as you are on HRT, your doctor will have done blood tests to check FSH etc, and will be able to tell whether or not you are ovulating.
If there is a slight possibility of you becoming pregnant, and it does happen occasuonally, get yourself a diaphragm.

Track your cycle. Work out when you're likely to be ovulating and take additional precautions around that time. The rest of the time you'll be fine..

Very low chance of conceiving naturally at 50, and an almost zero percent chance of going to full term. I would still use protection though (condom) as I wouldn't want to risk getting pregnant (even if the chance was very small.)

I plan on removing my implant at 50. It’s unlikely. If I got pregnant I would have an abortion and then I wouldn’t chance it again IYSWIM.

My mums menopause was at 59 so it is a risk for me, but I’ll chance it.

Is that possible when youre having irregular periods due to perimenopause?

There is no such thing as a “pull out method”. It is NOT a form of contraception.

I despair at the levels of sexual education in this country.

Is your cycle all over the place?

if not, you could try and avoid your fertile days.

I think that, plus pull out method should suffice, you just obviously need to be prepared for failure, but everybody does as only abstinence is 100%.

And it won’t be forever, your periods will stop at some point soon I would imagine.

Not totally reliable, no, but she should be safe the few days either side of her period, at least.

It is though. It just doesn’t have a high success rate.

But combined with the other factors (likelihood of conceiving at 50, avoiding fertile days) it’s something.

According to AI - based on the aged data in 2014-15 then I'd personally surmise that there's a good chance that the growth is through fertility treatment and that seems to be borne out in this article.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/17/ons-data-shows-15-rise-in-births-among-women-over-age-of-50-in-england

Personally, the risk of having to decide on whether or not to terminate a viable pregnancy at 50 is simply not worth it. I'm pro choice but I would really struggle with that and the very idea of having a newborn now is just .... well no. So condoms it is and DH has gotten over it rather than have the snip given the very low chance of pregnancy now. I only came off the pill at 50.

• Birth Numbers (Age 50+): In the period 2019-21, there were 824 new mothers over the age of 50 in England, averaging approximately 275 per year. Data from 2014-15 indicated that roughly 100 or slightly more women aged 50 and over gave birth annually, with many of these cases resulting from "contraception accidents".
• Conception Trends: The number of births to women over 50 has quadrupled over the last two decades, but still represents a tiny fraction (0.04%) of all live births in England.
• Natural vs. IVF: While many pregnancies in this age group are achieved through IVF (often using donor eggs), natural conception is still possible for some women during perimenopause before menstruation stops entirely.
• Fertility Rate: The chance of pregnancy for women over 50 is significantly lower than for those aged 45-50 (who have around a 10% chance if not using contraception)

As pp have said, it's highly unlikely that you could have a viable pregnancy and go to term. However, you could get pregnant and have a miscarriage. I would definitely use contraception to avoid that trauma.

Well, if you can recognise the signs of ovulation, you're good for the second part of the cycle at least.

You have three choices if you don’t want to use hormonal contraceptives or an IUD: abstain, vasectomy/tubal ligation, barrier method (condoms/cervical cap/sponge). Pulling out is just not reliable enough and tracking will be difficult if you are not having regular periods.
So, of those methods, which is easiest? Condoms. There’s your answer.

It isn’t though.

“The NHS does not recommend the pull-out (withdrawal) method as a reliable form of contraception because it is ineffective at preventing pregnancy and offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs)”