Baby at 39... success!

[AquaGrl08]

A few months ago I posted a question regarding if it is possible to have a healty baby at 37+ this is just to let you know that my best friend who is 39 had today a perfect healty baby boy!.
I know that if you are reading this maybe you have also concerns as I am, I know we all are different, but I wanted to post here  good news!.. it can happen and can happen to you or me!  keep the faith!. ;)

[40smama]

Congrats to your friend - I remember when my sister who was 40 at the time had a baby w/out even trying - complete accident so there's definitely hope (always).  Now that I think about it, my own re had a baby at 43 although that's less common.

[prevatt77]

I was 41 at the birth of Gavin.  He is now 6 months old and a healthy beauiful little boy.  I miss being pregnant....I want another one ;)

[adgal]

Hey there and welcome back!  Haven't seen a post from you in ages!  Congrats to your friend, and your right it can and does happen.  39 is certainly not uncommon anymore.  I am 40 and over 10 weeks pregnant now, and so far so good.  So many here are a testament to us women of "advanced maternal age"...still hate that term....having sucessful and healthy pregnancies.  One of our members is pregnant with a healthy baby girl at 45.  Every women is different, and although we should seek assistance earlier then our younger counterparts if having trouble, we should not let age deter us from giving it a shot!  

[nylena0011]

Yeah,keep thinking positive,all of us older girls...! When I was really young I would NEVER imagine that I would have to deal with ''high risk'' pregnancies in my forties,but it happened. I had a my beautiful dd at 41 and all was fine,and now almost 43 ,I just had a positive beta! Let's be strong and offer encouregment to each other!! Anyway,today's forty is yesterday's thirty,right?

[miraculous]

I agree because I had my 1st son at 39 and my 2nd at nearly 42 and I might add without any trouble. Now I'm pregnant again unexpectedly at 43 1/2 yrs and so far so good so yes there are definately success stories out there with us older mums.

[momof8215]

Congratulations to your friend! I am 40 as well and ttc. No luck so far but am still hopeful at times. There was a woman on this forum a while back who was 50 and got pregnant naturally...without even ttc. Her screen name was momof16. I would love to know where she is at now. Her baby was due in July of '08 so it would be turning one this month. Her daughter was pregnant at the same time and was due in Oct. Amanda should remember her because she responded to some of the posts. Women like that are my inspirations!!! I have nagging doubts for myself in the back of my head but then I read these posts and I have to believe that my BFP will happen too. Best of luck to you on your journey. Go love on your friends little boy and maybe good vibes will pass through...lol!!

[mlb1234]

Of course it is possible!!!  I had my perfect girl at 38y and will have another at 40!!  Congrats to your friend!!

[tinkerbell101]

What a wonderful thread....full of uplifting inpsiring stories. I was having one of those 'is it ever going to happen' days and only a few moments ago I was writing a journal putting my thoughts into words expressing my sadness that after 5 years of trying I feel like its never going to happen. I always try and keep the faith and hold out for a miracle, reading all the encouraging stories above has just reminded me why its important to keep positive and why I keep going. Thank you :)

[Miranda9]

My twin sister is 42 and is due in a month.  She conceived naturally.  So yes, every woman is different, but I am tired of the "can't be done" fanatics.  

[rubyinparadise]

thank you!
i am new to this community and it's great to read all of these positive stories. i am 38 and had a miscarriage in april at 10 weeks. i am still cautiously optimistic that we might conceive again and that i could possibly have a healthy pregnancy and successful childbirth. i will be 39 in november. best of luck to everyone who is trying. :)
p.s. the united nations places "childbearing age" at 15-49 years old. when i read that, i thought "i wish more american women were aware of this!" :)

[SueGre]

Wow it was so good to read this thread! I've been over on the Fertility Forum since December of 2006. I'm 41 (and a half!) and ttc #1. I got pg when I was 39 in just 5 short months but very sadly lost our son at 20 weeks due to a rare chromosomal problem. My RE said my ovarian reserve is diminished and that we have a 5-8% chance of conceiving on our own. I've been going for acupuncture for 4 months and the success rate with this Dr. is an average of 4 months. I fear we've been trying at the wrong time for several months because I didn't understand when I O'ed. But, the OPK said I O'ed so we hit it at the right time this cycle for sure.

Best of Luck and SSBD for Everyone!!!!

~Sue

[magnolia55]

I have it one step worse. My OB is a high risk doctor and she says it SHOULDN'T be done.

[Miranda9]

Why does she say it shouldn't be done?  Because there is a higher risk of bad eggs?  My 2 Drs. told me in simple terms that at age 20, a woman has 9 good eggs out of 10.  At age 40 it might be 5 good eggs out of 10.  That's why the chance of miscarriage increases to 50% once a woman is in her early 40s.  

But if an older woman is in good shape then it is conceivable that she can concieve, especially if her cycles are regular.  I've read statistics that state women over the age 40 are the fastest growing segment of unwanted pregnancies...because most of them have already had their babies.

You and I can only think positive and do what we can.  I've had so many highs and bad lows from this journey that now I've just evened out emotionally...I am ready for closure and acceptance....I just need to try one more time!

Good luck to you!

[magnolia55]

It's because the risks to the mother increase as well as to the baby. And something I didn't know which really bothers my OB is the increased risk of multiples even without the use of fertility drugs. She says the human body isn't designed to carry multiples, so at an advanced age, we are at greater risk of health problems.
She reluctantly gave me the prescription for Clomid, and I keep staring at it. If that increases my risk even more, should I or shouldn't I?

[ldivecch5]

I am 39 (turning the big 40 next Saturday) and I just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on May 30th.  My dh and I had 3 m/c's prior to her...but I'm glad we didn't give up and tried one more time...she is precious!  So don't give up and keep your faith..it'll happen.

[96744mom]

I am 39, will be 40 Oct. 5...currently I am awaiting the arrival of my little girl on July 27 (by c-section...I'm not psychic!)  It took us 14 mo. to get pregnant. fertility treatments and IUI didn't work. we took a month off to really think about IVF and got pregnant on our own that month..go figure!!! when it's meant to happen it happens!!  DON"T BELIEVE THE HYPE!! :)  

have a great day ladies!!

[ita17]

I love this thread!  I had two pregnancies last year when I was 39.  The first was a miracle, even though it ended in a mc @ 7 weeks. See I had a HUGE 8cm endo cyst inside my left ovary, tube completely blocked & disfigured from it ( which was all removed after my mc) We weren't even trying, & only had intercourse once that month cuz I was always in soooo much pain!
Well, that was all in Oct.  I was ok w/it cuz I had this cyst I was trying to figure out how & what to do about it. Plus it had been my 2nd mc, so I felt like I could deal w/it well.
Then, the month after I had my surgery to remove my cyst, ovary & left tube I got pregnant.  So excited, numbers were all great etc... we went on a holiday to the UK ( from Ca.) & the thought of flying had me thinking about all the radiation on the plane, w/it being such a long flight & all........but we had big plans & we went.  Well, long story short, I had a missed miscarriage @ 11 weeks.  BB stopped growing @ 9 weeks, & she was always a few days behind, but was actually catching up.  This was a very hard mc for me.  I had to get a DnC cuz nothing was happening, very VERY hard to do.
So now, we've been ttc for a few months but realized I've been o'd 2-3 days sooner than before my mc w/a same 27-28 day cycle.  This is my first month on meds, I ve never even been on bc!!!!
So my point is, you can get pregnant when your older, doesn't always stick, & most of the time is cuz the bb isn't perfect, & sometimes its just because!  Either way its tough!
So I LOVE hearing these stories & I hope that I can add to them soon!!!!!!!!!

[40smama]

I'm so sorry to read about your m/c's - you're right - it happens more frequently as we get older but at the same time I also had two m/c's, both heartbreaking & it happened in my 20's so go figure.

I too know some stories about women getting pregnant in later years - alas I wasn't one of them - it took donor eggs but it was a wonderful experience nonetheless & I'm so thankful for my little boy.  Anyway, hopefully you'll be able to add your BFP soon to our list.  Best of luck to you & SSBD! - jen

[sherrysb]

I'm pregnant at 40.  Getting pregnant wasn't hard, once I started charting and using OPK's.  And I can't forget Pre-Seed. (less stress, knowledge and prayer).  It happened in approx. 2 months.

I do have an 11 year old.  Big age difference

[oceanv]

Hello,

Well I'm 39, tried for 3 months conceived naturally (with pre-seed), never had or been pregnant before so wasn't sure what my status fertility wise was. I have pretty much the same health problems now as I did when I was 27.  So far things are progressing normally, no anomolies on the L2 ultrasound (I do have gd though).  My sister is 41 and is due the day after me and so far testing and scans have shown good results, of course we won't know for sure that our babies are "perfect" until they're out but so far so good. She did have one loss 3 years ago due to trisomy issue I think - 14 weeks.

My good friend is due the same days as me and gave birth previously to a perfectly healthy baby girl in 2008 at 38 and is set to deliver this one 10/19/09.

I think everyone's (and every pregnancy) is different. If you don't try, you don't know.
Good Luck, its kind of nerve wracking but then what isn't.

[adgal]

This thread just goes to show that stats are just stats, and everyone is different.  I know so many who are having healthy babies into their 40's, and while there is no doubt there can be extra challenges, it is still happening at a rapidly increasing rate.  Many of us are choosing to wait until older for a variety of reasons.  We are also so lucky to live in a time where we have so many options.  IVF and donor eggs, along with fertility medications have opened doors that were closed for so many.  Yes, the risk is somewhat higher and if this is what you want then it's important to be aware of that.  It's important to seek help from an RE earlier then our 20's and early 30's counterparts.  But it absolutely should not get in your way of trying if this is what you really want. Some of the women here have conceived easily and breezed through, others have faced a few more road blocks, but so many have been overcome with success.  And you don't know which catagory you fall into until you try!  Even though I am not out the woods yet, I for one am so very glad I didn't give up!!

[sunset2821]

If one more person tells me it's my age, I'm going to tear my hair out!  I accidentally got pregnant last August at 38 while taking bc pills. After I got over the shock, I was really excited and amazed that it happened. What are the chances at my age?? I was crushed when I miscarried at 7 weeks, had a d&c, and swore off pregnancy. However, I quickly changed my mind and started charting and using opk's (they are great once you figure out how to read them). I got pregnant again just before turning 39. Cautiously optimistic, I was diagnosed with a heterotopic pregnancy. There was an embryo growing in my right tube as well as one in my uterus. My hcg was all over the place and I ended up with methotrexate. Tube still intact and the 2nd miscarriage behind me, I'm not giving up. My next step is an hsg test. There are way too many successful pregnancy stories from women in our age group and everyone has their own issues. Don't let a jerk doctor dictate your life choices unless you have serious medical risks. I'd find a new doctor! We do require early monitoring and more testing, but that's why these things are available.Good luck to all of us!

[ita17]

Crazy, about your second mc...I'm really sorry about that :(  So you conceived twins naturally then?  I was thinking (hoping its me just worrying for nothing!) But I was wondering exactly that...even posted a question about it w/no response........what happens when your prego twins (or more) & one is stuck in the tube??????  I'm in my 2WW & I had 3 follies O, typically I get prego right away & I can't help but worry "what if's"  I know its stupid, but since I only have one tube I can't help but worry!
& I agree w/you about the "age" thing!  4 months ago when I first met my RE he "mentioned" the age thingy here & there.........now that I am ooooooo ahhhhhhhh"40" well, he mentioned my age several times in a recent conversation, probably to shut me up, as I tend to ask tons of questions! LOL  I think thats the main reason he was shocked a bit @ how well I responded to my injections & quickly..........age...........haaaaah!!!

[adgal]

I think I have been lucky with regard to Dr.'s.  I haven't worked with an RE as it takes forever to get into the fertility clinic here, but have had 2 fantastic OB's (although the one now could use a little lesson on bedside manner, but she is good, so I guess that's what's important).  Neither has ever tried to deter me with regards to my age.  In fact the one I have now gave birth to her first child in her 40's after several miscarriages.  She even told me that it wasn't time yet for intervention (ie: donor eggs).  She believed I could do this naturally.  I am so glad I listened to her.  Good luck ladies!!