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Fertility – Is it Wise to Get Pregnant Past 40?

Pregnancy over 40 is not uncommon. After all, more and more women today are holding off on having children while they accomplish other life goals. Even centuries ago, it was a natural thing for a woman to do.

Of course, you probably already know that there are more risks and threats than younger women have but they can be lessened if you take good care of yourself. Know that every pregnancy is a risk—no matter how young or old the mother is—and, as an older woman, your risks are just a tad higher but still preventable.

If you’re over 40, getting pregnant usually becomes more difficult. If you want to get pregnant, you have no time to wait. You should begin having vaginal intercourse a few times a week. You may also want to contemplate trying various fertility ‘boosting’ techniques, like herbal medicine or other remedies. This world gives you plenty of things to choose from and your main task is to explore and decide what fits you best. If you are already physically active, consider adding yoga or relaxation techniques to your daily routine. Think about dietary supplements which might help. Go to your doctor or find a fertility specialist; either one is a must. Let them know that you are planning to have a baby and then listen to suggestions that doctor can make.

As you age, your ovaries do as well. Their function starts to decline so there are fewer eggs available to be fertilized and they might have some mutations, so they can increase the risk for genetic or chromosomal issues in the baby. Long story short, this means that when you are above 40, you have fewer chances to get pregnant and more chances for complications and miscarriage. But with regular medical checkups and tests prescribed by your obstetrician, you can ward off almost anything that might happen and also prevent potential complications.

If you are older than 40 and pregnant, you should take it easy—especially in the beginning of your pregnancy. Given your age, the doctor will advise you get an amniocentesis (where a sample of amniotic fluid is taken) and/or chorionic villus sampling (CVS which tests a sample of your placental tissue) to rule out any chromosomal abnormalities of your baby. There are also plenty of blood tests, which are less invasive, and which also aid in determining the health of you and your baby. Ultrasound checkups help as well. If everything is fine with your pregnancy, you can choose the way you want to bring your baby into this world too but statistics have shown that many women above 40 have their babies by caesarean or C-section.

Becoming a parent later in life has both its good and bad sides, and you probably listed them before you started to plan your pregnancy. Be aware that it can take much more effort at your age to conceive but if you are absolutely sure that you want it, there are lots of options available to help you go through the process of becoming pregnant and giving birth to a strong baby.

What is endometriosis? What about PCOS? If you want to learn more about the conditions that affect fertility and conception and the necessary fertility tests for women, please visit WaysToConceiveABaby.com.

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Things To Do in Order to Conceive a Baby

If you are looking for information in order to get pregnant, chances are you probably are planning to have a baby soon. Making that decision is actually the primary step in the extraordinary journey known as pregnancy and you have made it. Congratulations!

What to do next? You should set up a consultation with your doctor or OB/GYN and cease taking birth control pills, if you do. What is going to be included in your doctor consultation? It will include a look into your medical history as well as a general check up of your health. You’ll usually have a pelvic examination (if you haven’t had one in the past year), along with a Pap smear and infection check up (for such things as bacterial vaginosis, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, genital herpes and HIV), and perhaps some general blood and hormone tests. Often you’ll give a urine sample in-office to rule out urinary infection and/or preexisting pregnancy. Ask which medications you should NOT use if you’re hoping to get pregnant as well as while you’re pregnant since some medications are restricted being as they might cause serious fetal defects.

You should also get a consultation with a nutritionist. With his or her help, you will be able to make changes to your diet and improve your healthy eating habits. Such changes can help you lose or gain weight, or allow you to remain at a desired weight, and it can also improve many of your bodily functions—including both gastrointestinal and reproductive. 

Weight management is vital to getting pregnant because weight regulation dramatically improves your chances to get and stay pregnant. If you need to lose weight, know that it is unhealthy for you to lose weight by way of an unbalanced diet because you rob your body of all the necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals as well as many extremely important phytochemicals that can be found in fresh and whole foods. Taking 400 micrograms of folates or folic acid a day is also crucial because this vitamin is responsible for lowering the potential for neural tube defects that may appear during your baby’s formation and development.

Go ahead and stop smoking and drinking alcohol and artificially sweetened drinks. If you don’t already, start to exercise a few times a week. For example, walk at least 30 minutes a day. There are some people who may also recommend that you take herbal supplements, such as Peruvian Maca, but that is not really necessary. Be sure to have fun, go out, meet friends, relax and, of course, have sex regularly. But don’t don’t go about making a job out of it because it will ruin the enjoyment. Always keep in mind that even if you’re trying to get pregnant, sex is a pleasurable activity so do it without focusing on getting pregnant. In this case, having sex regularly means 2 to 3 times a week, especially during the days that your ovulation is most likely to happen.

If you don’t conceive within six months to a year, definitely schedule an appointment with your doctor. The physician you have chosen can help with detecting which days of your monthly cycle are your most fertile. At the same time, the Internet can help you here as well by way of online ovulation calculators. One of the first things they’ll probably do is check your partner’s sperm. After that, your OB/GYN will decide what to do next and how to solve possible problems. 

Taking all of these steps and precautions can guarantee the stork will soon be visiting your house!

If you are asking when is it easiest to get pregnant and want to learn the best ways to conceive a baby, visit WaysToConceiveABaby.com and learn more about pregnancy miracle!