What are your chances of getting pregnant at 40?
Many people think that getting pregnant in 40s will have nothing to worry about, such as finances or occupations. But, is giving birth at 40 good for the health of both the mother and baby?
Nowadays, the majority of parents are concerned more about their careers than having children. They only think about that matter until getting close to 40. Is it good to have a baby at the age of 40? Should women in their 40s have children?
Continue reading to understand the benefits and risks of pregnancy at 40 better.
Contents
Your Chances of Getting Pregnant at 40
Can a 40-year-old woman get pregnant? Is it possible for 42-year-old women to give birth? The answer is yes!
However, keep in mind that the older you are, the lower the rate of conception is. For women aged 40, the chance of getting pregnant is about 20% and will be less than 5% by the age of 45 onwards.
See also: How Many Weeks am I Pregnant from My Last Period?
After reaching the age of 45, you will have a very little chance of getting pregnant naturally. When you approach menopause, the quantity and quality of your eggs will decrease critically. In their 40s, women’s eggs released from the ovaries are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities.
Therefore, being pregnant at 40 has a high risk of miscarriage and birth defects.
Is It Good to Get Pregnant at Your 40s?
Everyone thinks that the older you get, the more risks you have during pregnancy.
This is true, but apart from that, there are also certain benefits. The most obvious thing that everyone notices is the financial advantage as well as the mental readiness. In your 40s, you already have a lot of experience in life, a stable career, and a solid relationship with your husband. These are the foundation for a happy family and make it easy for you to take care of your future baby.
In addition, getting pregnant at the age of 40 increases the chances of having twins. For women who are 45 years old onwards, the rate of conceiving twins is about 50%. When they are close to menopause, their endocrine system will be more active, causing two eggs to be released at the same time in a menstrual cycle.
Read more: How to get pregnant naturally?
Your Difficulties When Getting Pregnant at 40
If being pregnant at the age of 40, you will need to be extremely careful. At this age, women will often face several health disadvantages. Noticeablely, you can easily catch the following problems more than when you are in your 20s or 30s:
- Gestational diabetes
- Preeclampsia
- High blood pressure
- Placenta previa
Giving birth can also become more difficult, and you may get a cesarean section (C-section) or have a premature birth. The fetus in the womb will have an abnormal position during labor, and they will probably have a low birthweight after delivered as well.
Age is one of the factors increasing the risk of fetal problems during the pregnancy. Your doctor may do screening tests to be more certain about chromosomal abnormalities in your baby. Over 50% of pregnant women by the age of 40 have miscarriage.
This rate is even higher in pregnant women over 45 years old.
How to Get Pregnant in Your 40s?
If you want to get the best chance to have a normal pregnancy and a healthy baby, consider some of our important steps here before trying to conceive.
Read these tips…
- Find a fertility specialist if you hardly get pregnant after having sex
- Go see a reproductive specialist right away to find out specific reasons causing you trouble in getting pregnant
They will help you do several tests to determine your current condition and figure out whether there’s any problem with how your ovaries function. Your partner needs to do the tests too so that the specialist can inform you problems with your fallopian tubes or his sperm (if any).
If everything is fine, then the reason of your infertility is likely from age and declining egg quality. Your health provider will come up with some suitable options depending on each individual’s circumstance.
What to Prepare If Getting Pregnant at 40?
The first thing is to change your lifestyle – it will help you conceive a baby easier. Make sure there is no cigarette smoke in your house. Try to maintain a reasonable weight and completely stop consuming all alcohol-related things like alcohol and beer.
If you’ve had sex 3 times straight in a week for 3 months without any birth control, but you still haven’t got pregnant yet, let’s go see your doctor.
Certain health problems can make it difficult to conceive at 40.
Before deciding to become pregnant, you should make an appointment with your doctor right away to see if you’re facing these problems:
- Irregular menstruation
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Sexually transmitted disease (STD)
Please note that you shouldn’t visit the doctor by yourself. It’s much better if you and your husband go together because he needs to do the check-up as well.
At first glance, it seems that being pregnant in your 40s has too many disadvantages. But no need to worry too much! There are still many women over 40 who still have good experiences of pregnancy. Don’t give up on your dream of becoming a mother at this age just because of some difficulties.
Still, you have to think carefully and have a good preparation.
The Bottom Line
So, what are your chances of getting pregnant at 40?
Via this article, women can understand both the benefits and difficulties of preparing for pregnancy at the age of 40 better. We do hope the information here will help each person know how to take good care of their own health to soon fulfill her dream of becoming a mother.
Quickly contact a doctor if you’re unable to conceive after having sex (2-3 times per week) within 6 months.
Leave a Reply